Otome wa boku ni koishiteru ~ A lovely end
Just a couple of posts back, I voiced my emphatic support for Mariya and would accept nothing except a Mariya X Mizuho end. That very night, FEEL came along with ep 12 and corrected my tunnel vision. Otoboku was never about the love rivalry between Takako/Mariya in a generic harem setting. It is a beautiful tale of self-discovery and maturing shoujo hearts as Mizuho nurtures all around while growing himself.
One of Otoboku's major strength was that it NEVER lost sight of this theme as reflected by its streamlined storytelling. The first 8 character-centric eps may feel like mandatory filler-ish character arcs in every eroge conversion but it was not until Mariya's arc that we see clearly Mizuho's tremendous growth through all these. These eps served not only to amplify the cast's charms but more importantly, culminated to Mariya's own love admission as she was forced to reassess her relationship with Mizuho. The story then builds on Mariya's discovery as she goes on to enlighten a confused Takako on the true state of her affections, having emerged from a similar crisis herself. And as Takako sheds her dogmatism and learns to follow her heart in the final dance, my resolve for a Mariya end weakens. Incredibly, in just one ep, Takako propelled herself to be on the same standing as Mariya to be a worthy suitor for Mizuho's hand.
The series closes on the same theme that threads the series. We see Mizuho dancing with all the girls whose lives she had touched and the memories of the trials that changed them; precious lessons in life that they would carry out into the world. We also see Takako/Mariya's senseless feud now taking on a real purpose as both have finally admitted their affections for Mizuho. The true rivalry begins only now. Indeed, a beautiful end where every character attains a milestone in their character growth.
So, after seeing the lovely end, I realised my foolishness for wishing a 'conclusive' pairing. There is just insufficient basis for a choice as of ep 12. Mizuho never looked at Takako/Mizuho romantically and forcing a choice upon him in the final ep would be contrived and unnatural. I also thought it was wise that his true gender was never revealed to the rest of the cast/school as it would open a hole in the plot that would require an additional 2 eps to mend; something the series could ill afford given its emphasis on Takako/Mariya in the finishing installments.
All in all, Otoboku, especially its ending, exceeded all my expectations and is one of the most coherent anime works I have seen. Don't even get me started on how lovable the cast is, that'd take another 2 posts. Highly recommended to those who love a well-weaved tale with endearing characters.
Looking forward to the DVD ep 13 in Apr 07.
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December 28th, 2006 - 12:36
Prediction: and in the DVD-only ep 13 it will be revealed…
…that Mizuho is actually a girl after all!
December 28th, 2006 - 14:09
Huzzah! Agree with you completely. I’m bothered at all about the supposed ‘indecision’ of Mizuho not having chosen a girlfriend because there was no buildup on his side, only for Mariya and Takako. It helps a lot that Mizuho is an eminently likeable lead, a great ‘oneesama’ too! LOL
December 28th, 2006 - 14:26
Well Steven Den Beste your scenario may play out after all April is also the time for April Fools.
In any case it was most defintiely superior to Cabbage Love for which there is the issue of you prior support for it. Hence I demand repaarations or at least an apology for having recommended it and having to sit through all that. I was a bit suprised too how it idid not degenerate into something worse given the premise of the male lead being a trap.
Well here’s to Winter 2007.
December 28th, 2006 - 18:08
Still clinging to the mere 10% chance of pairing with the one of more awesome female characters in recent days, Shion-sama.
December 28th, 2006 - 18:43
Off Topic: I have join complete my decent into the darkside. And i have made a purchase (several actually) to start my own harem. One is Dark Sabre, since most everyone has seen it there is point in keeping her a secret. I will reveal the others when I get tentacles on them. However i have looking ot add one more, but there is slight problem. So i thought i ask the other Dark Masters here. What is the difference between Bome and other compnaies. The Bome are always cheaper then the other. Is Bome made of lesser material, do they skimp on quality?
I blame the completation of my decent on stripy, moysim, lolitron (managtron) and jason.
As for the otome Trap i really like a Shion ending or a Harem ending.
December 28th, 2006 - 19:10
Wow I agree with you Stripes. Very true, and the glut of single-minded harem shows have clouded our judgements.
December 28th, 2006 - 20:13
WEll, as noted, this wasn’t a harem series in the sense that the main character actually chose ANYONE, or showed a romantic interest (unlike say, that series-which-should-not-be-named)… which got turned 180-degrees in the DVD-only ep. This way, if Mizuho DOES make a choice… well, at least there’ll be (hopefully) more of a logical progression towards it.
I’m still rooting for Mariya or Shion, although that seems unlikely after the first few eps hinted at the possibility.
December 29th, 2006 - 12:20
…KASHIMASHI…
…eheheh…
December 29th, 2006 - 13:45
I prefer either a Shion or a Harem ending. I am partial to the oneesama’s.
PS> I hate you all for completing my decent to the darkside.
*waves farewell to his hard earn money.
December 29th, 2006 - 14:22
Zzz – KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLDIE!
Mariya or Shion are the only two choices for me, although a harem ending wouldnt’ be too bad…. even if Kimie somehow’s gone ghey for Mizuho.
December 29th, 2006 - 14:23
Steven Ben Beste: And… Takako pulls off her wig and reveals he’s a boy! Maybe I’ll skip the DVD ep after all XD
Zyl: I love how Mizuho actually had to grow to become the great ‘oneesama’ we all love. Adding to add a new item on this list
Crusader: I was hoping no one would remember my pimping of Cabbage love prior to its airing XD I’m a victim myself! Still I commend to you its game source. The yoakena game cg is truly the crowning glory of 5000 years of human technology and the fruit of mankind’s relentless pursuit of perfection. Down with Haruhi, Feena for goddess! XD
wontaek: Indeed, Shion is awesome. In fact, if I ever clamour for a harem end, it’d be so that Shion can be the onee-sama of the harem and manage her imoutos, Takako and Mariya, for Mizuho. 4 months to the DVD ep, inori shimasho?
Xellos-_^: Welcome to the Dark side!! *lightning flashes* A path of no return surely. You will derive pleasure you never thought possible but also pain you never thought could exist. Bome? Hehe frankly I don’t know much about this sculptor. I usually don’t get Kaiyodo’s stuff since I find their sculpts slighting lacking even their prized Bome’s works. That’s just me. Looking forward to the rest of your collection.
tj han: Yeah, just like we watch hentai for the sex when some of them actually have good plots and character development…. err I think XD
Hasselich: A real PITY Shion is not in the race. But I figured there’s be no real contender against her should she join the fight. Anyhow, I bought her figure to make up her lack of airtime in the anime XD
Zzz…: Haven’t seen that actually but I heard the DVD ep wrap things up pretty well?
December 29th, 2006 - 17:38
Stripey: The DVD ending was awful. You remember how Ep 12 ended? Ep 13 made no sense, and turned everything around…. without any hint that this was in the cards.
And yes, it’s a pity about Shion – you’d have figured she was the one Mizuho would end up with, after that ‘Prince Charming’ dash out of the auditorium with her…
December 30th, 2006 - 04:47
He should bone all of ‘em. Period.
Err… except the loli ones, of course! lol
April 1st, 2010 - 01:37
People always seem to forget that the original version of this series was a pornographic visual novel. If you want some damn closure and to see the undeniably heterosexual version of Bridget riding Shion-sama like a wild west rodeo, download the original H-game, it’s everywhere. It is vastly superior to the anime in the sense that it’s not so damn sugary that it’ll give you diabeetus, and Mizuho proves once and for all that he is the biggest pimp in the Trap-harem subgenre by boning every named female in the cast. Including the ghost(necro) and the lolis(pedo). Kinda makes you re-evaluate on your opinion of the ‘perfect’ Onee-Sama you voted for. But hey, at least he isn’t gay.
I would like to end on this note; for a dude who’s hotter than half the female cast (even in guy clothes) I’m not going to lie here, he’s really packing some heat underneath that skirt. If you still vehemently deny the possibility that Mizuho is male, trust me. He’s carying at least a good 7 1/2 inches of hard evidence that proves otherwise. I theorize it’s the Good Lord’s way of compensating for the frail arms and child-bearing hips.
April 10th, 2009 - 00:48
hey what’s wrong with lolis?