Yes, you can has third season.
Monthly Archive for August, 2007
Just a note, but I’m not following this year’s Saimoe Tournament all that closely. Unlike previous years, I can’t participate this time around due to my being banned from posting on 2ch. I suppose I could go through the trouble of connecting via a proxy, but given how involved the voting process is to begin with, the extra complication just pushes the task into the, “Ah, screw it,” category.
It amazes me how many Japanese otaku, marginalized as they are within their own society, can be so damn xenophobic when it comes to their interaction with foreigners. Get over yourselves, already.
Oh, and if you’re still in 2ch’s good graces and would like to vote for Mugi-choco in today’s contest for me, I’d appreciate it.
I’ve been taking a trip down memory lane these past few weeks, trawling through my DVD collection, title by title, revisiting old favorites. After finishing Onegai Twins last week, I moved on to I My Me! Strawberry Eggs, an always easy show to rewatch due to its short length and light subject matter (if you think cross-dressing teachers falling in love with their adolescent students is light, that is). Now, however, I’m digesting something a bit meatier (and with less cross-dressing), that being both seasons of Ai Yori Aoshi.
Now, Ai Yori Aoshi isn’t exactly high art, I’ll admit, but I’ve always been a big fan of the show and have long considered it to be one of the better entries in the harem genre to come out of Japan in recent years. And, yes, unlike some Ai Yori Aoshi fans, I’m willing to label the show as “harem”, even it does turn a lot of the standard conventions of the genre on their head. In my opinion, there are two camps of Ai Yori Aoshi fans: those who love the harem and those who hate it. Of course, there are those who fall squarely in the middle as well, but discussions about the show amongst fans inevitably dissolve to this particular point of contention. It’s kind of funny how the same argument plays out again and again…
And, of course, who am I to resist putting my two cents in?
Without a doubt, you can count me among those fans who love the harem. However, I’ll admit to being sympathetic to those who feel otherwise. Aoi and Kaoru make a fine couple, indeed, and I can definitely understand why a hardcore shipper would find the presence of Kaoru’s harem an annoyance. I’ve heard the, “If only the entire show was like the first four episodes [in which Aoi and Kaoru play house],” lament time and time again. It’s a legitimate complaint. After all, those first four episodes are quite lovely. They’d make for a great OAV series. Unfortunately, Ai Yori Aoshi is a 36 episode TV series, adapted from a long running manga. I don’t think I’d be able to put up with Aoi and Kaoru gazing passionately into each other’s eyes for that long.
Thus, enter the harem. Without it, there’d be no show. For that reason alone, I think it deserves some level of acceptance. And, thankfully, it’s a fairly passive harem as far as harems go. The girls don’t jump Kaoru’s bones at every opportunity. In fact, they almost seem to implicitly recognize that he’s off-limits (a woman’s intuition?), and instead keep watch from a safe distance. What’s more, it’s a friendly harem. Pissing matches between Tina and Mayu notwithstanding, the girls get on well with each other. There’s little competition for Kaoru’s attention, and Kaoru responds by treating each girl equally. He’s nice, they’re nice, everyone’s nice. They’re one big, happy family.
Which is, ultimately, the point of the entire show. Unfortunately, it’s a point that’s lost on a lot of fans, who can only see a harem for a harem, and not much else. And that’s odd, seeing as the theme of “family” is such a constant in the show. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it is the show’s primary theme… and, without the harem, it’s a theme that couldn’t have been explored.
Ai Yori Aoshi without the harem wouldn’t be Ai Yori Aoshi at all.
Just a passing thought, but I really dig the new Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA OP. Most of the time, these “OH NOES WE GET SERIOUS NOW” OP changes in Sunrise shows come off as corny, but this one works surprisingly well.
The show has come a long way, hasn’t it?
Cabin fever got the best of me this weekend, so I drove out to Aspen, taking the scenic route through South Park, the Sawatch Range, and over Independence Pass as opposed to the more direct route via the Interstate. It made for a lot of driving, but it was worth getting off the beaten path and enjoying the late summer scenery along the way. The Rocky Mountains, as the name suggests, aren’t particularly lush, but the closer I got to Aspen, the greener things got. On occasion, I was reminded of trips through the mountains of Japan, and, after awhile, the setting got me thinking about a particular anime series I had been meaning to rewatch for over a year now.
So, to recover from my long journey, I sat down the next day and popped Onegai Twins in the DVD player. In case you didn’t know, Onegai Twins (and its predecessor Onegai Teacher) takes place on the shores of Lake Kizaki in Nagano Prefecture, at the foot of the Japanese Alps. It’s a fine setting for an anime series that takes place solely in Summer, and practically serves as a tourist brochure for the region. The scenery has attracted many of the show’s fans, at least.
It’s also one reason I enjoy the show so much despite its obvious shortcomings. Onegai Twins was actually one of the first shows I covered when I first started anime blogging - in fact, it was the subject of my very first anime blog post four years ago - and even though I enjoyed the show a fair amount when I first watched it back then, I could never quite decide whether it was worthy of being labeled “good” or not. Even after a subsequent rewatch following its DVD release here in North America, I had difficulty forming a solid opinion about the show. I figured my most recent rewatch would produce similar results.
Except, it didn’t. Perhaps the passing of time does make the heart grow fonder, for the show clicked for me this time in a way it never had before. Much has been made of the story’s overreliance on the, “We might be related, but we might be strangers,” conflict that pops up again and again (and again), and you can definitely count me among those who found it annoying the first time around. It’s something that dominates over the show’s middle acts, transforming what should be a quick and simple thirteen episode romp into a frustratingly long slog. Sure, the show starts strong and ends competently, but it gets a little lost along the way - and it’s in those middle episodes that I think a lot people’s negative opinions about the show are formed.
I can’t blame them, really. The show practically begs for its own drinking game. One shot for every instance of, “We might be related, but we might be strangers.” Two shots for every time Karen and Miina show up naked in the bath. The whole bottle for each time you think, “Damn, Maiku’s one lucky bastard.” Although, depending on present company, you might want to just down the bottle without saying anything…
However, the more I think about it, the more I come to realize that, “We might be related, but we might be strangers,” is more than a repetitive catchphrase. It truly is the conflict the entire story is built upon. So, should it be all that surprising that Maiku, Karen, and Miina spend much of the story grappling with it? If I were to find myself in their shoes, I suspect I’d be equally confounded as well. Love triangles are complicated enough as is… the knowledge that one member of the triangle is, in fact, your twin sister, makes it all the more complex.
And, as easy as it is to crack jokes about Maiku sowing his wild oats on the family farm, is it really all that unspeakable that he should fall in love with Karen and Miina, given the circumstances? Or vice versa? I’ve seen Onegai Twins described as creepy, but I honestly don’t follow. Koi Kaze is creepy. Onegai Twins is not. Unless, of course, you’re looking for a simple reason to dislike the show that can’t be challenged. After all, It’s kind of hard to argue with, “It makes me feel dirty.”
Then again, perhaps I’m just desensitized to this sort of thing. It’s amazing what years of watching anime can do to you. Still, I think that, for subject matter that could clearly be dealt with in a vulgar manner, Onegai Twins’ handling of it is pretty reasonable. In fact, the more I write about it, the more I think, “Is it really worth mentioning?” I don’t think so, but just because it’s not an issue for me doesn’t mean it’s not an issue for others. Like I said… it’s amazing what years of watching anime can do to you.
In the end, however, I feel compelled to say positive things about the show in an effort to change some hearts and minds. It’s what I do. And, given my newfound appreciation for the series, I already look forward to watching it again.
Next Summer, perhaps?
Following up on my previous post, here are some thoughts on the ongoing shows from past seasons…
Hayate no Gotoku - When I first learned this show would run for 52 episodes, I asked myself, “How can a show with no trace of a plot run for 52 episodes?” I’m still watching, so I guess I’ll find out.
Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA - You can still count me among the small group of people who actually think this show is one of the year’s better offerings. Ultimately, however, I think the final episodes will decide its legacy. I’ve appreciated the bite-sized storytelling approach, but at some point, everything will have to come together. Given that it’s a Sunrise show, I really don’t know what to expect.
Lucky Star - This has turned into quite the “hit and run” show. That is, I really enjoy watching new episodes when they air, but I don’t think much about the show otherwise. Or do I? My current desktop wallpaper suggests otherwise…
Bokurano - After falling several episodes behind, I’ve decided to stop watching for the time being. It’s not a bad show, really… I’ve just lost interest.
Lovely Complex - You know, I wasn’t expecting this show to be anything particularly special. In fact, the only reason I started watching it initially was because the premise looked vaguely interesting and I was hungry for some shoujo. I wasn’t particularly motivated. However, it turns out I’ve been hooked on the show from the very beginning. It’s shoujo comedy done right.
Saiunkoku Monogatari - I’m actually not watching this at the moment, but since it’s currently airing, I thought I should at least mention it. For now, I’m looking forward to marathoning the second season at some point in the (probably) distant future.
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS - No comment. Seriously… I gave up a few episodes in. I hear it got better, and I am a Nanoha fan, so I’ll give it another chance. Eventually.
Seeing as it’s been a month since the Summer anime season began, I thought I’d share my thoughts on… well, you know the drill…
Zero no Tsukaima: Futatsuki no Kishi - Perhaps I need to go back and watch the first season again in order to refresh my memory, but it seems as if the second season jumped right into a major story arc without any sort of transition. I’m kind of left scratching my head. The individual episodes have been a lot of fun, and I’m happy to see some of the smut from the novels restored, but… well, I don’t have a clear idea yet what the show intends to do in the story department, and it worries me. For the time being, it’s all very disjointed.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai - For some reason, I expected the second season to start strong. Instead, we got what may very well be the most boring story arc of the series yet. How odd. The show also seems to be suffering somewhat from its success. It sort of feels like the producers pulled a focus group of fans together, asked them what they liked most about the first season, and then proceeded to cram as much of it as possible into the first few episodes. End result? More fanservice and more “ni-pa” than you can shake a stick at. Not a good sign.
Potemayo - This is my favorite show of the new season, no doubt about it. What’s fascinating about it, I think, is the way the humor goes from clever to low-brow in the blink of an eye. One minute, you’re wondering what the mangaka has been smoking, and then, *BAM*, someone’s pissed their pants. And, yet, it’s all wrapped up in a seemingly innocuous package, playing out against a pastoral Kobayashi Shichiro backdrop, adorned with all the standard JC Staff trimmings. Looks can be deceiving.
Moetan - I know I’m supposed to say, “Eww… don’t push that button, please,” but the reality is this: I kind of like this show. Why? Because it’s genuinely funny. Simple as that. Honestly, I think it parodies a particular, um, fetish, more than it panders to it, and that’s why it works. I don’t know how long my amusement with the show will last (I have my doubts, I’ll admit), but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have some redeeming value. And Onosaka Masaya is simply a riot in the Ah-kun role - especially if you take his past work on Cardcaptor Sakura into consideration. I’ll never look at Kerebos the same way again.
School Days - After watching the first episode, I just sort of shrugged my shoulders. It wasn’t bad, mind you. It just wasn’t… particularly special? So, I immediately put the show on the backburner with the intent to catch up with it at some point in the future. Of course, such is how I typically drop a show without having to commit to actually dropping it. I don’t have any courage, I know. Anyway, I see that the show didn’t waste any time getting down to, um, business, and the potential for a BAD END is definitely there, so… perhaps I’ll give it another try. My curiosity has been piqued, at least.
Kenko Zenra Kei Sueibu Umisho - So much promise. Such a shame. Seriously, if the show would rely a little less on the in-your-face fanservice and a little more on its reasonably interesting cast and reasonably interesting premise, it could actually be a fun watch. As is, however, it’s just kind of dull. I have a feeling the show will turn out fine in the end, but since I’m trying to trim down my viewing schedule…
Doujin Work - It feels like a racy version of Comic Party. Without a point. That’s not a bad thing, however. The show is actually kind of funny when it wants to be, and with half-length episodes, it never really overstays its welcome. I’m surprised the animation quality went to hell so quickly, however. If the episodes were normal length, we’d probably be watching stick figures by now.
Code-E - The jury is still out, but I like what I’ve seen. It’s not flashy, but it’s competent. And, even though I’m generally not much of a meganekko guy, I really dig Chinami.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - I think I’m becoming a Shinbo fan. God help me. In some ways, however, the show leaves me feeling conflicted. To say it’s funny would be an understatement. In fact, it’s absolutely hilarious. Yet, I mostly take it at face value. That is, I laugh at the gags simply because they’re funny, not because I think they’re particularly clever. Unfortunately, I worry that, once the laughs dry up, the show will try to compensate with cleverness. Then, I’ll get bored. It’s only twelve episodes, however, so perhaps it’ll finish strong. Shinbo, don’t fail me now!