Monthly Archive for December, 2007Page 2 of 3

Year in Review: Lovely Complex

11 Comments |
December 21, 2007
| Television

5. Lovely Complex

Back when I was in kindergarten and the class would disperse for play time, the girls would always rope me in to playing house. No gluing macaroni to construction paper for me. I got some weird looks from the rest of the boys in the class, but oh well.

You should see how spotless I keep my apartment.

It all started with shoujo, see. My path to anime fandom, that is. Yes, the first series that made me sit up and say, “Hey, this is cool,” was Neon Genesis Evangelion, a shounen series through and through, but when I started looking for more stuff to watch, it was shoujo that caught my eye. Of course, things change. I don’t watch nearly as much shoujo as I used to. And whenever I stumble upon a shoujo series as fun as Lovely Complex, I ask myself, “Why not?”

That’s not to say Lovely Complex is your stereotypical shoujo show. The standard trappings are there, of course, with a lovesick female protagonist, bright and cheery artwork, and schoolgirl fantasies (no, not that kind) out the wazoo. But the melodrama typical of many shoujo series is nowhere to be found. Lovely Complex is straight up shoujo comedy, and in a year when I was more interested in comedy series than drama series in general, it really hit the spot.

In other words, I enjoyed the hell out of Lovely Complex. Even when the plot was running around in circles, chasing its own tail, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Even when the art got all weird and low budget, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Even when the girl next door showed up and I thought, “Oh no, not another rival!”, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Lovely Complex was by no means a work of art, nor was it particularly poignant or profound in a way many of the shows I watched this year were, but, boy, was it a fun ride.

And that’s something I can say about most of the shoujo series I’ve watched over the years, both the good and the bad. Girls, they have all the fun.

But I guess I figured that out a long time ago, didn’t I?

Year in Review: Hidamari Sketch

19 Comments |
December 19, 2007
| Television

6. Hidamari Sketch

What is Hidamari Sketch?

It’s yet another adaptation of a 4-koma comic strip, of course. And it’s another one of those Shinbo shows. And it goes without saying that it’s slice-of-life. But, as accurate as these descriptions may be, I don’t think they say much more about the show than what’s already obvious. What is the essence of Hidamari Sketch?

Whether or not Hidamari Sketch is “iyashikei”, or “healing” anime is a matter of personal opinion, I think. It shares a lot of characteristics with your typical iyashikei series, but the Shinbo quirkiness gives the show an edge that’s missing from, say, Aria or Kokoro Library. And it’s because of that edge that I think the show is difficult to define. Is it relaxing slice-of-life? Offbeat comedy? An instructional video for Japan’s “my pace” movement?

It’s all of these things and then some, I suppose. But, for me, the essence of Hidamari Sketch is summed up perfectly in this image. Looks inviting, doesn’t it? For all intents and purposes, each and every episode of Hidamari Sketch is representative of the feeling I get when I look at that image. And, in a year in which my caffeine intake has increased tenfold and my blood pressure has likely followed suit, it’s a feeling I’ve come to appreciate. I need to make like Yuno and find a blanket already. And a Hiro to share it with.

Of course, I’m not an island unto myself. Hidamari Sketch is more about sharing that feeling with others than it is keeping it to yourself. The many scenes in which Yuno and friends sat around a table working on a project or telling stories reminded me an awful lot of similar good times from my college days. My friends and roommates back then were just as much a part of my family as anyone who shared my last name. They still are. Of course, now that we’re separated by time and distance, there’s no more sitting around the table except on special occasions.

I kind of envy those of you who have the good fortune to be exposed to shows like Hidamari Sketch while still (relatively) young. I often wonder if my outlook toward life would be different today had I had such an opportunity. Would I be better off for it? Is the inclination to even consider such questions something that only comes with age? Would I have simply found Hidamari Sketch boring as hell ten years ago?

I hope not, but I also know myself well enough to know that I probably would have. Everything in due time. And, as for the question at hand?

Hidamari Sketch is bittersweet, that’s what.

Year in Review: Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight

14 Comments |
December 17, 2007
| Television

7. Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight

I don’t remember much about high school. After all, it’s been over ten years since then. I do remember it being a pleasant time, however, and when I run into fellow geeks on the internet who describe their high school experience as if it were the tenth circle of hell, I often wonder if they’re exaggerating. Perhaps I got lucky. Or perhaps I just don’t care all that much anymore.

Every so often, however, I’ll get to feeling a little sentimental about it all. It’s not so much a longing for the halcyon days of my youth as it is a recognition of how the events of the time and the people I met shaped who I am today. And, in a nutshell, I think that’s what Manabi Straight is all about. It’s a reminder that every single thing you do in life, intelligent or idiotic, with or without success, worthwhile or not, still matters in some way. Be it organizing a school festival, creating a work of art, or making a connection with another person, it all matters. But it rarely seems obvious at the time.

So, when I saw Mikan walking toward toward her future in the final moments of the final episode of Manabi Straight, I thought to myself, “that’s every one of us.” It’s what every one of us strives for. Manabi Straight is just a road map for how to get there.

I’m not a religious person, but I think I understand now what Omo was going on about all the time. Perhaps the show really is a model for enlightened living.

It’s kind of subversive, ain’t it?

Year in Review: Lucky Star

29 Comments |
December 15, 2007
| Television

8. Lucky Star

The fact that I understood even half the jokes in Lucky Star is proof positive that I’m a lost cause.

I recall when Lucky Star first began, there was a lot of discussion about the very first scene in the very first episode, in which Konata and friends sat around discussing the proper way to eat various foods for five minutes. Or was it ten minutes? I can’t remember, really. It was a long time, either way, and with that one scene which one half of viewers hated, the other half loved, and pretty much no one (myself included) fully understood, Lucky Star became the topic du jour of the Spring anime season.

Talk about a plan coming together.

And, in many ways, that scene set the stage for what Lucky Star would become: a continuing series of all the absurd and pointless conversations we have with our friends when there’s nothing better to do. Lucky Star isn’t just slice-of-life; it’s distilled slice-of-life. Slice-of-life in the raw. Slice-of-life au naturel.

Here’s the rub, though. All those absurd and pointless conversations we have with our friends when there’s nothing better to do? Sometimes, they’re not all that funny. In fact, sometimes, they don’t even make sense. And Lucky Star was no different in that regard. Sometimes, it wasn’t funny. Sometimes, it didn’t make sense. On more than one occasion, a whole episode would pass without my laughing all that much. For a show that relied so much on jokes and gags to get its point across, you’d think this would be an indication of complete and utter failure on the part of the writers and director.

Perhaps it was. Yet, I kept watching. In fact, when I found myself facing a pile of new anime episodes in need of watching, Lucky Star always seemed to come first. And when an episode left me disappointed, I’d just shrug my shoulders and say, “c’est la vie,” because I knew the next one likely would not. And, typically, that’s exactly how things played out.

So, despite being an uneven show, Lucky Star somehow managed to keep me hooked. Was it some sort of Kyoto Animation voodoo magic? Was I just really, really bored? Did I have a crush on Kagami?

Anyone know how to say, “I haven’t the foggiest idea,” in French?

Year in Review: Tokimeki Memorial Only Love

21 Comments |
December 13, 2007
| Television

9. Tokimeki Memorial Only Love

The Tokimeki Memorial franchise has a storied history. The original game and its sequels are often considered the quintessential dating sim. The franchise is also unique for its lack of adult content; porn sells bishoujo games, obviously, but Tokimeki Memorial has always managed to get by without. There’s something innocent about the series, and it shows in its most recent anime adaptation.

Tokimeki Memorial Only Love is a breath of fresh air, to be honest. In this era of bishoujo game adaptations, it’s remarkable for its simplicity: there’s no shocking story to be told, no broken heroines, no despicable protagonist. In essence, it’s a show about high school boys and high school girls doing their thing. There’s a certain wackiness to it, of course, as is typical of most Konami anime properties. The wackiness, however, is all in good fun, and serves as a beneficial counterweight to both the show’s more mundane and more dramatic moments. All in all, it’s a good balance.

Of course, it’s likely because the show is so well-balanced and straightforward that it’s often overlooked. Even I didn’t give it the attention it deserved until about half way through its run. However, as the characters grew, the romantic subplots matured, and the writing continued to improve, I realized the show was more than just “filler anime”. What started off as something I watched only for grins eventually became something I looked forward to on a weekly basis.

I don’t watch as many bishoujo game adaptations nowadays as I did in the past. Somewhere along the line, I grew tired of the extraneous stories and cookie cutter characters so typical of the genre. Occasionally, however, an adaptation will come along that circumvents those limitations. I think Tokimeki Memorial Only Love does just that.

Don’t get me wrong: it’s plainly obvious that the show is inspired from a dating sim. The protagonist is even forced to make a choice between the three main heroines in the final episode. The show is true to its roots, but its not necessarily bound by them. The premise may be obvious and the ending may be pre-ordained, but the intervening episodes are a wonderful mix of competent storytelling, playful comedy, and honest character development. And it got better and better with each episode. That’s not something you can say about too many bishoujo game adaptations, really.

To be honest, I feel a bit silly for recognizing this show. I can hear the head scratching from here. However, it really was one of the more pleasant surprises of the past year. It turned out to be far more enjoyable than I ever expected going in. The show may be simple and all, but…

Well, sometimes, simple is good.