When Right Stuf first started talking “mystery license” a few days ago, my initial reaction was, “I bet it’s Maria-sama ga Miteru.”
I should buy a lottery ticket this weekend.
Hence, today’s announcement doesn’t surprise me. Marimite has always been one of those shows that, despite not appearing popular, still has its legions of dedicated fans. And with all of the shoujo ai themed titles being licensed and released nowadays, I figured it was just a matter of time before some North American distributor got it in their head to go and license the crown jewel of the genre.
I’m still deliriously happy, of course. Marimite is one of those rare, long-running franchises that only grows sweeter with age. It’s also one of a few select anime series I can get excited about watching at pretty much any given moment. For example, I’ve already watched the OAV series three or four times now, despite the fact it’s less than a year old.
So, the entire series has immense rewatch value, and has been at the top of my licensing and DVD purchasing wishlist for quite some time. A couple years back, I came within an inch of purchasing the entire series up to that point on R2 DVD during one of my many intoxicated visits to Akihabara, abstaining only because I expected it to be licensed for R1 release before long. I’m glad I waited; especially so, given that Right Stuf will be releasing the series in convenient seasonal boxsets at a very attractive price.
With the third TV season of the series set to air in Japan this Summer, 2008 looks to be the year of the Yamayurikai. Any distributor out there want to make it the year of Neo-Venezia while we’re at it?
In the middle of a root canal yesterday, a thought occurred to me: I’m just as guilty as anyone else in describing shows like Aria, Maria-sama ga Miteru and Hidamari Sketch as having “limited appeal”, and yet, these shows keep getting multiple seasons. Meanwhile, a lot of seemingly popular shows get one season and nothing more.
I’d be curious to know what the story is behind this. Is it because these sorts of show often cater to a core group of dedicated fans, whereas most everything else is left to fight over a bunch of fans who couldn’t care less what they’re watching from one season to the next? Perhaps there are lucrative merchandising tie-ins at work? I know the Aria manga has long been a hot seller in Japan. Same with the Marimite novels. No idea about Hidamari Sketch.
Of course, these titles most likely appeal to mainstream, non-otaku audiences with a lot of yen to spend. Perhaps it just highlights how difficult it is to gauge what’s truly popular in the world of anime and manga from the inside looking out. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the trivialities of the subculture that you forget there are millions of “normal” people out there who dig this stuff, too.
As for why this all came to mind while a guy shoved metal files up my tooth, all I can say is that I had to keep myself entertained somehow.
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.
When I first cooked up the idea of “AMV Week”, I really did intend to finish in a week’s time. Six videos in six days. On the seventh day, I rest. Easy enough, right?
Yeah, right.
Anyway, even though it took half a year, I’m happy to present the final video in this series…
Honestly, there’s no point in sharing the full story behind this video. In short, it’s little more than a simple joke video that developed a life all its own the longer I worked on it. Someone once described it as follows…
There is simply not enough action in Marimite for the Journey song to fit in well, and it’s not funny enough to be an effective gag video - especially as long as it is. There’s just not enough humor for it to really pay off, and it simply ends up looking more like an overwrought drama video than the parody it is supposed to be.
I’ll take that as a compliment.
Oh, and since I’m on the subject of Maria-sama ga Miteru, I want to say that the new OAV series has me falling in love with the show all over again.
