The feeling is mutual.
Seriously, hearing all of these wonderful stories about how open and attentive teh Mamiko was with her fans this past weekend at Otakon just makes me love her all the more. I’ve talked up her work in the past, of course, but I’ve never revealed my favorite of her roles. Without a doubt, it’s Toudou Shimako of Maria-sama ga Miteru. While Shimako may not be my favorite character from that particular franchise (rest easy, Yoshino), I definitely find her the most alluring, if you catch my drift. She’s sexy. Simple as that. And, in all honesty, I think Mamiko Noto’s voice work has a lot to do with that. I can’t think of anyone else who could have handled that particular role with such grace.
However, I should also mention that I’m especially fond of her work as Ana Coppola in Ichigo Mashimaro. I think her voice work is a big part of why Ana grew to be my favorite of the show’s characters over time. How she manages to sound both innocent and ostentatious in the same breath, I don’t know. It’s absolutely adorable.
I’m really grateful that Geneon went out on a limb and licensed Ichigo Mashimaro (Strawberry Marshmallow) for the North American market. I’ve gotten lazy about DVD purchases as of late - I’m buying less and less, and only bother when a sale comes along - so, even though Ichigo Mashimaro has topped my “to buy” list for some time now, I’ve only just now gotten around to purchasing the first volume (along with the second volume, which hit stores this week).
For all basic purposes, this is my first “full” rewatch of the show. Still, I’ve rewatched certain individual episodes more times than I can count since they first aired in Japan. You would think it would get old, but even now, I’m fighting the urge to rewatch those same episodes again and again and… well, you get the picture. Typically, when it comes to comedy shows such as this, there comes a point when the jokes just don’t work any longer. For some odd reason, such is not the case with Ichigo Mashimaro. I suspect it’s a matter of the show being so incredibly dense. When there’s a million gags per episode, it takes just as many viewings before things get stale.
Then again, you could probably say the same for gag-heavy shows like Excel Saga. If I remember correctly, I never managed to finish Excel Saga.
So, there’s probably more to it. Comparisons of Ichigo Mashimaro with Azumanga Daioh are common, for example, but, as much I like Azumanga Daioh, I’ve never rewatched in its entirety - despite several tries. Why? The jokes just fall flat. I’ll admit to caring more for Ichigo Mashimaro than AzuDai, of course, but even so, as similar as the two shows are, you would think they’d have nearly the same amount of rewatch value. What’s so special about Ichigo Mashimaro?
With this week’s license announcements for Ichigo Mashimaro and Kamichu, 2006 is shaping up to be a good DVD year. Why? Because short, 13 episode series (or thereabouts) are my favorite to purchase on DVD, owing to their low cost and high rewatch value. With Boys Be, Ichigo Mashimaro, Kamichu, and Kiminozo already set for release, and To Heart likely by the end of the year, I’m a happy camper.
In the case of Kamichu, I’m in for a bit of a surprise. While I managed to catch the first few episodes, the show failed to grab me in such a way that I felt compelled to continue. I realized the show was something special, but with a busy schedule at the time (I left for Japan shortly thereafter), the show got lost in the shuffle. The fact it languished in fansub limbo for awhile didn’t help matters at all.
Still, for me personally, Kamichu has some inherent appeal (no, not for the reason you’re thinking!), so I’m certainly interested in finishing. I suspect Geneon will give the show the royal treatment, and considering how gorgeous the animation is to begin with, I can’t wait to pop the first disc in the DVD player and gorge myself on the eye candy.
As for Ichigo Mashimaro? Oh, that’s a definite buy. With a cherry (strawberry?) on top.
