The Megadere marathon

First, a very VERY big thank you to Mentar for pointing out this series. Mamoru-kun ni megami no shukufuku wo was undoubtedly THE Stripey series of Fall, one which I have procrastinated too long to watch. Though only at ep 15, I've already accumulated a list of merits which continue to sustain my series marathon.

1. Ayako - Ayako is love. Despite her extreme bouts of violence, I love that gentle side that only Mamoru can draw out. Of course it helps that I found her exceedingly beautiful even by anime standards.

2. Mamoru - It'd be easy to dismiss Mamoru as an undeserving whelp who was unjustly blessed by blind, pandering harem gods. But I found him to possess a deep strength and emotional maturity that is worthy of Ayako's love. Traits that actually balance her fiery personality and makes her more complete. Granted, there is still tremendous room for improvement in their relationship (which is what makes the series lovely to watch) but he's fine material to work with. Ganbare, Mamoru-kun!

3. Emelenzia - I'm weak to light haired lolis. Konomi styled twin-tails only amplified the moe-damage. Plus, I blame E-chan and her negligee if I ever turn lolicon. Submitting EEE membership application....

4. Siscon/Unrequited love - I'm not sure what's with ZEXCS and siscon. There's a brother-loving sister in EVERY one of their productions, only in Megadere, there's THREE! Isumi for Mamoru, Shione for Maya and Emelenzia for Johan (non-blood related!!) But again, as I mentioned, it's never about the siscon but the dramatic potential. All the siscons mentioned deal with unrequited love and it's bittersweet to see how these shoujos struggle with the feelings for their onii-samas. It was both heartening yet heartbreaking to see these lovely sisters hide their pain and bury their love to support their brothers'. What wonderful sisters!

5. Lovable cast - Initially I thought the way-over-the-top student council antics would wear me out faster than my thermodynamics lecturer. Instead, I found myself enjoying more and more their silliness and hilarious parodies. The little male comaraderie clip in the onsen ep sure had me banging my keyboard.

6. ZEXCS - I hold ZEXCS in high regard for their ability to invoke high emotional tension as they had imbued into Da Capo, Canvas2 and Kagihime. If SUNRISE is king of mechas drama, then ZEXCS would be queen of melodrama love-love drama. Unlike many production where emotions are wielded clumsily and often poured mercilessly onto the audience/characters like the tsunami for impact, ZEXCS builds tension gently, embedding elements early in series for harvesting later in the plot. I simply love how they seeded hints of Shione's unhealthy love for Maya and Maya's hidden affections for Ayako as early as the initial eps to gradually culminate to the revelations in ep 15. The Johan arc in 13-14 was also fabulous as I was genuinely jealous on Mamoru's behalf seeing his gf in another's arms (one who seemed a great deal more eligible/compatible and whom she claims to be attracted to). Woah, it's been a while since I rooted such for a male character.

I have no doubt that the purity of Mamoru/Ayako's love will see them through but for the remaining 9 eps, I relish seeing their struggles and the strengthening of that love.

Onward to ep 16!

Related posts:

1. H20 ~ Footprints in the sand 01 – ZEXCS' next great?
2. ZEXCS latest triumph on the tsundere landscape – Felli Loss
3. The unraveling of Chrome Shelled Regios – Nina's arc