from the ancient times IMO

I! My! Me! Strawberry Eggs (Reviewed 2002-03-05 with revisions 2003-11-16)

Mix of Tootsie and Great Teacher Onizuka i suppose. Guy can't get a job at a girls' school as the principal is anti-male. With the help of a rich, eccentric, techie 'grandma', he's transformed into a beautiful lady teacher for the purpose of showing up the principal. Said guy turns out to a star teacher, a hit with his/her students, ruffles the feathers of the stuffy school administration and strives to keep his real gender a secret.

Hoom. It was fun to watch and i did enjoy I! My! Me! but quite a few irritants. For a start, great sounding title but what does it have to do with the story? And really stretching of suspension of disbelief when it came to the gender transformation. Animation really allowed complete transformation in improbable places like face shape, proportion of body-leg length, waist-to-shoulder proportion etc.

However, I respected the story's refusal to pander to the average audience's desire for a saccharine sweet ending. Ok, anime doesn't always have Happy Endings Where They All Lived Happily Ever After e.g. The End of Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop etc. However, in some cases, it's so much easier to have an ending like that but the series refuses to magically and quickly resolve all the problems that were giving its dramatic tension in the first place. Also i liked its relentless emphasis on the teacher-student relationship as the central responsibility of the teacher, admin and all be damned. Though my point is also undermined by my belief that the teachers and students should not develop too lovey a relationship, to the degree of Hibiki and Kuzuha, especially when the student is underaged. Wazzup with this fetish!? At least there's no brother-sister thing in this anime, unlike, say, Onegai Twins. Well, i'll just take some consolation in Himejima-chan... gotta love a gal who kicks serious arse and yet is all feminine.

Overall, entertaining but not particularly memorable.

It's true, I don't remember much. But in retrospect, I can see the roots of my love for traps like Shidou Mariya and Watarase Jun.

Mahoromatic Automatic Maiden (Reviewed 2002-03-04)

Mahoro, a battle andriod, is granted retirement as recognition for her sterling service as well as on compassionate grounds - her warranty will expire soon and her with it. She chooses a second career as a house maid to Misato Suguru but the past and the future catch up with her. She is kawaii, a wonderful cook, and kicks ass. The plot develops and illuminate Mahoro's and Suguru's back stories and thus their pain and their possibilities for happiness.

This series was intensely bitter sweet (a big plus for this reviewer). Deep down, everyone loves Mahoro (she has the perfect heart). Time Left Till Mahoro's System Shuts Down: x Days - what a kick in the guts/nuts. The innate tension between the aforementioned two elements make an irresistable combination and fulfills Gainax's ambition to make Mahoromatic THE definitive Maid anime that reigns supreme over all the other pretenders.

And what a terrible end to the second season. Last line of the above review now sounds so Ozymandias. OTL

Maria-sama ga Miteru (Reviewed 2004-12-15)

I would have thought that an anime about sister hierarchies/relationships in the context of a Catholic all-girls school (Lilian Academy) would be just bursting with yuriness. But it wasn't and I still enjoyed it very much. A lot of what I might have said has already been mentioned in Okazu's review (2004-04-12) which I largely agree with.

Like Azumanga Diaoh, there's not much of a plot. Marimite is very much a character and relationship-based anime. Predictably, my favourite character is Satou Sei, who holds the office of Rosa Gigantea on the student council known as the Yamayurikai. She's different, unstuffy, informal, spunky (I seem to like girls with this particular characteristic in RL), a bit of a practical joker, a very strong presence. Oh, she's also the only real lesbian on the council and is also a Big lesbian (quite a contrast to Kaorin in Azumanga who is a Little lesbian in my book). I don't use these terms with any degragotory intention, Big/Little are just personal mental categories on how open a person is in their affection, how overt they are in expressing their attraction, how much initiative they take, how much leading they do in a relationship/friendship etc.

Somewhat surprisingly, I liked Fukuzawa Yumi as a character very much. At first glance, she seems to be a Self-Insert type character for the target audience demographic - plain girl (or "Ordinary Girl" in Okazu's parlance) in school who feels small and can only admire her object of admiration from a distance (the archetypal and typical male self-insert being Evangelion's Ikari Shinji to other angsty teenage boys who are estranged from their fathers, lack motherly affection and want to do something big and exciting). My liking of her comes from her good points such as absolute lack of pretension (seen from her not very elegant but sincere expressions above which Sei finds so amusing) and sheer good-natured big heartedness as well as her weaknesses such as her awkwardness in front of the Supers of her school and her insecurities about her worthiness of being Sachiko's petit soeur.

A chance encounter, in front of the garden statue of the Virgin Mary, thrusts Yumi into the spotlight with the possibility of a soeur (sister) relationship with her idol, Ogasawara Sachiko which seem to cause her much more emotional stress than the demands of the duties of a member of the Yamayurikai. The series successfully treads a fine line by successfully evoking sympathy and empathy for Yumi and never depicts her as pathetic. Almost everyone has probably had the experience of strongly liking someone but never expecting those feelings to be reciprocated because that person seems so far out of reach. Because those feelings are never communicated, especially to that admired person, we are safe - we can avoid rejection, never having to consider the possibilities of our words or actions screwing up the other person's impression of us and then being having that love withdrawn - making it all the more bitter being denied after having tasted its sweetness. Yumi loses that safety when she is offered, and then finally accepts, Sachiko's rosary. Of course, the relationship goes through its ups and downs and there to help Yumi through her struggles is none other than Sei.

I found the Yumi - Sei relationship to be an interesting and fun one. Sei enjoys teasing and flirting with Yumi by lavishing her with attention, especially unwanted hugs, various risque suggestions of what they won't be doing (thus the sweatdrop, above right) and practical jokes. Yet in no way did I really feel that Sei thinks of Yumi as being sexually attractive or even as a potential soeur. My impression is that she finds Yumi's ardent admiration of Sachiko (while still maintaining a sense of her own dignity), sincerity and lack of polish to be very refreshing and cute. Yumi is, variously, surprised, bewildered and annoyed with Sei but comes to value her as a mentor and confidante especially on how to relate to Sachiko.

Sei seems to give Yumi a great sense of security and trust. It is only with security and trust, in the mentor figure's competence, status, reliability, discretion etc., can a person effectively open up enough to get to the bottom of a problem. I think, very often, people feel helpless and frustrated because there is no one around we can trust enough with our secret hopes and fears, whom we think has the knowledge, maturity, authority etc. that can shed new light towards a solution but who also is impartial, fair and does not have a vested interest in the process or outcome. Yumi seems to see all those qualities in Sei and when the occasion demands, Sei duly comes out of her devil-may-care shell to give Yumi the assurance, advice and guidance that she craves. It seems to me that Yumi's big challenge will be develop an indepedent capacity and confidence to grow her relationship with Sachiko without depending on Sei (which would be the ultimate successful mark of Yumi's development and Sei's mentoring).

In addition to the two episodes dedicated to her backstory in the "Forest of Thorns" arc, the mentor role that Sei plays to Yumi makes her one of the most developed characters in the anime series. In addition, her unusual and somewhat mysterious relationship with her petite soeur Shimako, (especially in the context of Shizuka's electoral challenge and later, the Shizuka-Shimako Valentine's date) give plenty material to make an interesting and well-rounded character.

Enjoyed this series tremendously and very much looking forward to the second season (Spring).

Writing this post was the impetus for me to write to Erica and my continued descent into yuricon LOL. Funnily enough Evirus recently reviewed MariMite too and picked up on the centrality of the Sei-Yumi relationship in his own inimitable way.

Nadesico (Reviewed 2001-12-27)

Also known as Martian Successor Nadesico or Mobile Battleship Nadesico, it follows a long tradition of a lone spaceship venturing out and about to kick alien butt (think Space Battleship Yamato/Starblazers or Gunbuster) except the crew are, as Rei... I mean Ruri Hoshino puts it, "baka baka" (pack of idiots).

The Jovian Lizards have overwhelmed the United Earth Fleet and conquered the Martian colony and seized the moon, threatening Earth itself. Nergal, a civilian megacorp in the omniscient mold of William Gibson's SenseNet or Hwee-hwee Tan's Mammon Inc, has constructed an advanced battle ship and is deploying it for a mission to Mars in defiance of Earth military. Lots of wacky antics on the part of the crew as well as the mandatory deep background and soul- searching episodes intertwined with lots of big weapons and explosions. Secrets are revealed and many changes of sides are made amongst the players in the battle for one's own version of justice.

Minus points. The main character, Tenkawa Akito, is another one of those male whiny loser types who is at the heart of things and 'inadvertently' attracts almost all the females. In RL, these two aspects are usually incompatiable but probably sit well with the bulk of the target market of whom these characters are probably molded after. The cook-pilot tension is both interesting and amusing but gets dragged out rather too long and erratically. The use of the anime- within-an-anime, Gekiganger, was also innovative but was rather overdone to the point it became absurd, straining my suspension of disbelief to snapping point. There was a very rich political dimension in the struggles between the Jovians, Earth gov/mil and Nergal which wasn't milked for as much dramatic tension and sense of grand epic as it could have. The extent of Nergal's power, influence and deep agenda was touched only in passing. I like plotting and conspiracy. There was plenty of potential to develop those aspects which made it even more disappointing when it was just left as it was.

Plus points. Some very endearing characters - Yurika whom many mistakenly characterise as a 'airhead'. I did not find her stupid at all, as she made excellent tactical and strategic decisions as captain of the Nadesico. Rather she is overly cheerful, has a huge crush on Akito and has a very large cognitive dissonance buffer. But she is not stupid. I like the purity of her heart and her expression of that purity in her work and life. Ruri Hoshino, huge otaku favourite, is basically the voice of reason amidst a ship of fools, inverting the role of jester among a court of serious folk. However she occassionally succumbs to tomfoolery with hilarous results which prevents her from becoming typecast. Much in the mold of scifi characters who are trying to discover emotions, humanity and grow as characters, like Star Trek: A New Generation's Data and Voyager's Seven of Nine. Some of that Ayanami Rei DNA doesn't hurt either. Had a soft spot for Ryoko, leader of the Aestavalis squadron - much the velvet hand in the iron glove.

Lots of things about Nadesico that irritated or disappointed me, given all the rave reviews I've heard about it. Though in the final analysis, taking the series as a whole 26 episode construct, I've to say that it was ok and that fairly enjoyable.

Still stuck at the half-way point of rewatching the DVDs... Man, this show was huge in 2000 but hardly anyone knows about it now compared to a certain contemporary that's currently in the process of being rebuilt...

Onegai Teacher | Onegai Twins (Reviewed 2003-11-23)

Had rather low expectations of this series because i really disliked Onegai Teacher, of which this is sort of a sequel. Ah well, let's go through Teacher first (mini-review!) before dealing with Twins. In Teacher, Kusangai Kei is caught in a compromising situation with his teacher, Kazami Mizuho. To get out of the jam, he lies that he is married to her, wrapped up in the truth that he is old enough to be married. He had suffered from a condition of "stopping" which put him into a suspended animation type of coma. He and Mizuho get the necessary papers (i wonder how they managed the backdating of the documents which they later showed the school management?) and the lie of marriage eventually becomes the truth. Along the way, the plot meanders through the various classmates, of which Morino Ichigo has got the same condition. Then there's totally unnecessary distraction of Mizuho being an alien. (Slaps forehead) In addition, she was quite unlikely as a character, oozing a bimbo-type of sluttiness which was neither ironic, funny or even really sexy. Augh. What a waste - the anime's script writers should have had more focus and the "stopping" condition would have got my vote for plot centrality. Two thumbs down.

Onegai Twins. When Stripey tried to introduce Twins to me, i was very reluctant to spend time on it given my lousy experience with Onegai Teacher. However, curiosity and his incessant raving about "OT, OT" eventually got the better of me. Miyafuji Miina and Onodera Karen journey to a house (in the town where Onegai Teacher was set) which is in the background of a photo. That photo is the only link to their past since they were given away for adoption as babies and they are seeking their long lost relative. They find Kamishiro Maiku is living in that house, renting it using his income as a freelance programmer. All three of them have the blue eyes which distinguish them from the rest of the population (Ha! An anime where blue eyes in Japanese people is usual!) and all possess the photo. Therefore they might be related. Or not. Since there are only two people in the photo and one of them is definitely male.

We might be relatives. We might be strangers. The episodes hammered the three 16-year olds' dilemma into us relentlessly and repeatedly. Even if TV viewers, who watch a series once a week, need to be reminded of the anime's central source of dramatic tension, it was still overkill. Surprisingly (haha!), they all start to find themselves falling for each other. Romantically. (-_-);; On the one hand, it's not all together surprisingly. You put a trio of hormonally charged teenagers together. And they are teenagers who have not known real closeness or bonding because of their rootlessness. The house in the photo and which they now live in provide the possibility of finding one's blood ties and of finding that place (and people) to belong to. Eventually Karen and Miina form their Love Alliance (????) for Maiku, which i thought was both sweet and sensible:

#1: Until it is clear which one of us is a relative, we won’t confess to Maiku.
#2: If you know that Maiku is a relative, report immediately.
#3: If he is a relative to you, support the other’s love with Maiku.
#4: Remove others who try to seduce Maiku, even if requires forcible efforts.
#5: We will stay by Maiku's side.

Some of the usual-things-to-do-an-anime are checked off (going to the beach, shopping, having embarrassing situations that pit brains against hormones etc. - didn't do the summer festival thing except in the opening credits though). Interaction with characters from the earlier season of the Onegai franchise (Morino is hilarous as the nosy, powerbroking "Super Lolita" Student Council President and Mizuho is much more likeable as a source of support, adult wisdom and bimbo humour) were also a pleasant feature. There's some character development and delving into character history. Although Karen's foster family seems well-to-do, she finds that she has to stay in the House since Uncle's business is not doing well due to the recession (which has entrenched itself even in the anime landscape!). Miina also confronts her past when it returns to haunt her - the device of her bad knee was subtly introduced and built up for this, kudos for the successful execution and fruition of that sub-plot!

Eventually things come to a head when Karen realises that the perspective of the Photo undermines the central assumption that the House in the background was the house the twins lived in when they were babies. After 16 years of looking at it, she realises that the house is across the road! Meaning that the point of origin, the yard of the house where the photo was taken is actually another house. She finds the dilapidated old building and finds the Mother's diary. The diary then confirms that it is Karen and Maiku are the Twins. Miina, while pleased that she can now attempt to get into Maiku's pants without committing incest, takes some time to adjust. Finally, with a little help from the rest of the gang who create the necessary dramatic situation, she gets a semi-marriage proposal from Maiku so she can continue to live in the House aka Love Nest. They live happily ever after. Well, Karen needs some time to adjust - which was cute. She and Miina sleeping together is Very Good. ^_^ As the anime comes to a close, the Diary is then called upon to explain why Miina also has the Photo - the girl in the Photo is her and Karen was napping at the time it was taken. Miina was a childhood friend of Maiku and Karen. Why she has the same blue eyes is not explained. Probably some of other foreigners of the Father's country of origin were also living there and that may explain why their families' closeness. In effect, Miina is Maiku's Promised/Fated Girl brought together by the Photo and cued by the TV reports of UFO sightings in that town (which is how they saw the House and were drawn to it). Hmm. Even the egregious alien theme from Teacher was redeemed. (I am told some people actually *liked* the alien sub-plot in Teacher. I suppose they were also fans of Jar Jar Binks.)

All in all, i enjoyed this series very much. The main characters were likeable - Maiku was not your usual loser. He wasn't just a nice guy - he was a tough guy with a good heart. Strong will, positive attitude (you can't change the past, what matters is the here and now), earned his keep and strongly independent. Karen was the quiet, fragile and sensitive one. Miina was more rowdy and active but had good domestic skills as well as being very much in touch with her feminine feelings and self. I also thought her seiyuu's voice acting was very commendable - in my view, the most expressive of the whole cast. Plot-wise it was focused, fun and was well-executed and ended strongly, with proper build-up and with its potential and promise fulfilled. The bro-sis taboo had the potential to make Twins a sick homage to another one of those anime fetishes but it was strongly stated throughout the show - romantic relationship between siblings was taboo which was why there was all that agonising about "We might be relatives/We might be strangers". The whole basis of the Love Alliance was to prevent incest. The bro-sis con was also made fun of constantly with Shidou Haruko and her sister-lurvin' brother, Matagu whom everyone (including Haruko) condemned as a pervert. Thus, in my not-so-humble opinion, Onegai Twins is actually the pre-eminent ANTI-bro-sis-con anime. Liked both the opening and ending songs too.

Definitely two thumbs up. I'm even going to get the DVD when it comes out.

And I did buy the DVDs and reviewed it again. Main difference, I suppose, was a greater appreciation of Tamura Yukari's voice acting.

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