Tag Archive for 'Strawberry Panic'

Strawberry Torte

11 Comments |
September 23, 2006
| Television

Damn, I’m cold. It might snow tonight. Can you believe that?

Speaking of which, I finally bit the bullet this evening and watched the most recent episodes of Strawberry Panic. The snow was a nice touch. Although, I can’t help but notice that the animation director still hasn’t mastered the concept of four seasons. When trees change color in Autumn, they tend to drop their leaves… they don’t sprout new foliage just in time for Winter. Oh, and when it’s snowing outside, it tends to be cold. Would it be too much trouble to provide these girls some stylish winter threads? To hell with Amane’s amnesia… she’ll just have to withdrawal from the Etoile showdown anyway when Hikari dies from freakin’ hypothermia.

That’s the problem with Strawberry Panic, though. It’s too damn lazy. The show has had some great moments, no doubt, but when the going gets tough, it just throws up its hands, reaches in the big bag o’ cliches, and pulls out the first smelly thing it can find. It did it again and again. Delight, followed by disgust, followed by delight, followed by disgust. What a frustrating show.

And, with only one episode remaining, it annoys me how so many story threads have been left unexplored. Even despite the fact the show went careening off into soap opera territory in its second half, it continually bounced from one story to another, a little taste here, a little taste there… but never enough to satisfy.

I demand satisfaction!

??????? [IN STEREO]

11 Comments |
August 19, 2006
| Otaku, Television

Has anyone else noticed that Shimizu Ai is providing the voice for two different characters in Strawberry Panic? Obviously, she has a lead role in Suzumi Tamao, but she also plays Hyuuga Kizuna. If you can’t recall who Kizuna is, I don’t blame you, since she’s a minor character rarely referred to by name: she’s the pigtailed girl in Chikaru’s harem.

At first, I thought Kizuna’s seiyuu was simply channeling Shimizu Ai. Nope. It’s Shimizu Ai herself. Granted, seiyuu occasionally pull double duty - most of the guest characters in Simoun, for example, are voiced by members of the main cast - but it seems rare for a headlining seiyuu to voice two regular characters in the same show. It’s especially weird when you consider how distinctive Shimizu Ai’s voice is. While she plays each role a bit differently (Kizuna sounds more squeaky and immature), there’s no hiding the fact it’s Shimizu Ai.

Which raises some interesting questions: have Tamao and Kizuna ever interacted with each other in the same scene? I’m sure they’ve appeared on-screen simultaneously at some point, but have they ever both been party to the same conversation? Or, more importantly, have they ever spoken directly with each other? I don’t believe it’s happened yet, but if it ever does… how bizarre will that be?

Panic Muyo!

11 Comments |
August 2, 2006
| Television

Last week, on a shocking Strawberry Panic…

Shizuma and the other Etoile! Her secret revealed! Nagisa learns the horrific details of her lover’s tragic past! Love blossoms as the tempest rages!

Or so we thought. Instead, we learn that…

1. The foreshadowing in Strawberry Panic is as subtle as a hyper-dimensional mallet to the noggin’.

2. Nagisa’s still reluctant to set sail on the S.S. Yuri (”LOVE… exciting and new…”).

3. Thunder follows lightning only at the Director’s convenience.

There were a lot of pretty trees, though.

Midnight Tea Party

9 Comments |
June 15, 2006
| Otaku, Television

It’s old news by now, but I have to say: Episode 8 of Strawberry Panic was absolutely adorable. I never would have thought I’d end up enjoying this show as much as I have. The key? Ensemble cast. I love shows with good ensemble casts, and in the case of Strawberry Panic, a strong ensemble cast does a lot to make up for two very weak leads. Honestly, I only find Nagisa and Shizuma tolerable when everyone else is on screen. Tamao, Yaya, Hikari, Chiyo, Tsubomi, and the million other girls living in the Strawberry Dorms… they make the show for me. I just hope they continue to figure prominently in the story even as focus inevitably shifts to Shizuma x Nagisa.

Of course, there are other reasons to enjoy Strawberry Panic. It’s kind of a bonus, really. As far as quality is concerned, Strawberry Panic is no Maria-sama ga Miteru (a show deserving of Omo’s “goodness” distinction, I think), but I dare say it’s very similar to Marimite in the sense that, when it’s serious, you take it seriously, and when it’s not… well, you have some fun with it.

And the shoujo-ai! As far as I’m concerned, Strawberry Panic is shoujo-ai done right: absolutely scandalous, pull no punches, “I’m going doujin shopping NOW!” style shoujo-ai. None of this namby-pamby, “Oh, she just respects her sempai… and enjoys… um… tickle fights.” Nope. These girls are downright randy. One can only imagine what goes on behind closed doors at the Strawberry Dorms each night…

Yup, one can only imagine…

Hold on, I’m still imagining here.

Ahem… anyway… uh… shit, where was I going with this? Oh yeah! Episode 8 of Strawberry Panic was adorable. And the ensemble cast is great. And they’re fun to watch. And at night, they like to put on some soft music… light some candles… slip into something a bit more comfortable…

Let’s Grow Old Together

10 Comments |
May 21, 2006
| Television

Over the past year or so, I’ve gotten into the habit of letting a week’s worth of new anime episodes pile up, only to work my way through them in a single sitting once a free evening presents itself. The days of eagerly anticipating new fansub releases, grabbing them on IRC the minute they become available, and rushing to the TV within seconds of the download finishing… those days seem like a distant memory. Anime has become a routine.

That’s not a complaint, mind you. I still get around to watching new episodes within a week or two of airing, with plenty of time in between to rewatch old favorites, catch up with forgotten shows, or (most of the time) do something entirely different altogether. I have to be especially careful about avoiding spoilers, but, for the most part, I’ve found the “my pace” approach to be pretty satisfying.

It’s funny, though, the shows I look forward to and the shows I don’t. This season, in particular, is a lot of trouble in that, with so many good shows worthy of “favorite” status, it’s been difficult to prioritize. Furthermore, those shows that achieve “favorite” status aren’t always the shows I look forward to most from week to week. A perfect example from the current season would be Ouran High School Host Club, perhaps my absolute favorite show currently airing… but not a show I eagerly await new episodes of on a weekly basis. Why? It’s the lack of a narrative hook, I think. As enjoyable as the show may be, there’s little to link one episode to the next. There’s no continuing storyline, for the most part, nor is there much promise of a continuing storyline to come. That’s not to say it won’t happen, of course. Plenty of episodic shows develop stories in their second acts as a matter of necessity.

And, of course, there’s everyone’s favorite, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. This is actually an odd specimen in that, while there may be some sort of underlying story to speak of, Kyoto Animation’s insistence on shuffling the episode order only serves to minimize it. Haruhi may be a show with a purpose, but, best I can tell, we won’t know for sure until it’s over and done with. Unfortunately, that makes the show a bit tedious to keep up with from episode to episode. Sure, I’ve enjoyed the hell out of each and every episode thus far, but once the end credits have rolled, it’s out of sight, out of mind until the next episode airs. It’s the anime equivalent of a hit and run.

So, what shows do I look forward to on a daily basis? The obvious winner, I think, would be Nana. In a lot of ways, Nana has what it takes to displace Ouran as my absolute favorite of the current season: it’s old fashioned shoujo, after all. But, what’s most important, I think, is that, since it’s based on a popular, long running, well developed manga series, it has a lot of story to work with from the very first episode. There’s been no dilly-dallying around thus far - in fact, if anything, the anime series has been more in-depth with regard to story than I ever expected. Four episodes of backstory to kick things off? Wow! Even the pseudo-recap episode was enjoyable. I watched the first episode a million times as is, so seeing those scenes again one last time didn’t bother me in the slightest - especially with the addition of a few new scenes along the way.

And I’d be remiss not to mention Strawberry Panic. Here you have a show that’ll never be a favorite, yet, I somehow grow more and more excited about it with each episode. Once again, I think it’s the presence of a continuous narrative that holds my attention between episodes. Nagisa and Shizuma may be the dullest leads around (seriously, do they even have a purpose in the story yet?), but the soap opera raging around them is awfully intriguing. Even “bad” shows can be compelling if they manage to push the right buttons.

Story is important. Plot is important. For all the shows I have especially fond memories of years after the fact, the presence of a deeply satisfying and obvious storyline is the one common factor. Maison Ikkoku. Cardcaptor Sakura. Full Moon wo Sagashite. Kaleido Star. Marmalade Boy. Planetes. The list goes on and on…

“Hit and run” anime has value, of course. But its value is “in the moment” - and a moment only lasts for so long.