I’m still not caught up on this season so let’s roll through some episodes real quick.
Star Driver Ep. 2-6
What if Wako was taking a dump when the villains decided to “apprivoise.” Aw shit (no pun intended), bubble time out of nowhere. Man, that would be embarrassing.
Curiosity got the better of me; I wanted to know if the plot would make more sense with more episodes. The answer is no. It’s a pretty anime, but at the same time, it’s silly and pointless. Why did it take till the sixth episode for any of the villains to directly attack Takuto in the real world? What’s the point of fighting in Zero Time when it appears nothing that happens there seems to have any bearing whatsoever on the real world?
Kuragehime Ep. 3
I try to enjoy this show, but I just can’t stand the Nunz. Anyway, in this episode, Tsukimi gets the She’s All That treatment. Deep down in every nerd girl, there’s just an amazing beauty waiting to blossom. After all, beauty’s all about make-up, lipstick and pretty pink dresses. Naturally, she hates the makeover because she’s afraid the Nunz might ostracize her — a serious first world problem.
On the plus side, the ED song is alright.
11/12/10 Edit: This was originally my comment on 2DT’s blog in response to his article on Kuragehime, but I’m reposting it here since I think it’s relevant:
The Sisters see the Stylish; they know what style is. They have simply rejected it, and they don’t accept it in one of their own.
This is exactly my problem with the Nunz. “Geekiness as Choice” does not have to mean rejection of the Other. In triumphing the values of geekiness, they have only reversed the power roles instead of transcending them. When Kuranosuke is alone with the Nunz, he becomes an isolated Stylish in their geeky stronghold — he becomes the Minority. And just like how others have ostracized and demonstrated a lack of tolerance for the Nunz and similar “geeks,” the Nunz are reflecting this same irrational hatred back onto Kuranosuke with Tsukimi catching some of the second-hand hatred.
Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls Ep. 1-3
DBZ and Queen’s Blade made an ugly baby so they slapped a ridiculous filter on everything. Unfortunately, the ugly baby still stinks to high heaven, but at least it’s nice enough to apologize in the credits:
The World God Only Knows Ep. 1-3
Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A — Unlock a young girl’s heart.
You might think video game logic would never work on the fairer sex ’cause they’re people just like you and me. Some silly dating game could never teach us how to woo a woman, right? That’s where you’re damn wrong. God Only Knows teaches us that women are insecure creatures just waiting for a man to come by and solve their problems.* Thank you, anime!
* In Mio’s case, Keima took a rude, arrogant girl who refused to accept her own less than affluent social standing and… taught her how to use change. Dude’s a miracle worker!
“a serious first world problem”
When you say something like this, what do you mean exactly? Is it annoying or less enjoyable because you find the problem petty in the grand scheme of things? I’m genuinely curious.
It’s a snide jab. Plus, I think it’s a petty problem in any scheme.
Agreed. It’s a bit of the ol’ OreImo-style hyperdrama, only with a feeling that it’s genuine instead of vapid.
Shrug. I have no intention of watching that show so I wouldn’t know.
Well, I don’t know about that. The validation of one’s friends is important, and people will do a lot for their neuroses. But I’d best leave this to a blog-reply later. :)
Oh dear. I never said any validation of one’s friends is unimportant. I’m implying that this specific ostracization from Tsukimi’s peers solely based on Tsukimi’s (relatively innocent) makeover is not worthy of great concern. There’s an irony in Kuragehime — for all the Nunz’s insecurity and condemnation of society’s views regarding persons like them, there’s a potent fear that our poor heroine faces the same dangers from the Nunz. This fear is clearly not unfounded judging by the Nunz’s reactions to Kuranosuke’s presence. Now, whether or not this represents a dissonance in the anime or not remains to be seen.
My money’s on intentional. I have boundless faith in Noitamina productions after Tatami Galaxy. :)
I usually go into every anime blind. The only other thing I might check first is the synopsis and even then, that doesn’t always tell me what I need to know.
(Like if someone told you Batman is about a wealthy man beating up the mentally deranged. Sure, it’s true but not quite…)
Genuine? Which part, the scene about overprotective relatives and preteen drama?
I wouldn’t be able to eat the fruit out of that basket. I don’t care if the shoes were new, I wouldn’t do it.
Star Driver exists to be silly. If you’re looking for true realism in that show, I think you should have dropped it on episode 1 :P Every character is a stereotype, plot armor is abound, etc, etc. Of course I remain convinced that it has a point in being so over the top, so I continue to watch it, for better or for worse.
If it exists only to be silly, it isn’t being silly enough. You’re right, the silly stuff is entertaining, but they’re only half of every episode. The remaining half is a slog. Like Wako and everything she touches.
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’bout the ED of Kuragehime: It’s performed by sambo master, who also did the ED to the Densha Otoko dorama. Seems like “Hey, we’re making an anime about otaku, so why don’t ask the same band that did this famous ota-show…”
Oh, is that so? I haven’t seen Densha Otoko in years though, but since I still have the series lying around somewhere, I guess I’ll have to listen to both again when I get the chance.
“God Only Knows teaches us that women are insecure creatures just waiting for a man to come by and solve their problems. Thank you, anime!”
Bless you Japan, bless you. In these turbulent times, surely you are a bastion of solid values.
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