Stress Testing the Okazu-Hetero Criterion

It's odd to hyphenate the words "Okazu" and "hetero". I hasten to ground this in a primary source - Erica's post about how she responds to a yuri series - if the relationship was a heterosexual one, would she still go "Cool..." or "HAWT!" Given that I am pre-disposed to accept her assumptions about norms and aesthetics (except when it comes to Ikkitousen *puke*), I also think the Okazu-Hetero Criterion is an excellent heuristic.

Except when it comes to the first Ichigo Mashimaro OVA which Erica also enjoyed. Ok, there's no overt romance but IMHO it would still be unbearably creepy if Nobue was an oniichan instead of an oneesama. In the former case, even if Chika, Miu, Ana and Matsuri had also made the gender switch. There's just something about the way that I've been socialized that gives a lot more leeway to female-on-female touchy-feeliness. Which further reinforces my belief that Oneesamas are win.

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The Christmas episode! There's lots of snow and it's time for snowmen and Santa adventures.

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Paper sumo fight and going to the public bath.

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When I saw the above scene, I just thought of abq. (;^_^) Nobue summons the girls to join her at the lakeside café for cake. Hilarity ensues.

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The "Chika worries about her weight" episode. I appreciated Chika, as a character, much more as a result. Previously she seemed fairly backgroundish - providing the link for the other girls to Nobue-oneesama, being one of Nobue's foils and Miu's closest friend/victim. Didn't enjoy Miu's antics this time round as she relentlessly teased Chika about her weight gain. While I could understand how cruel young children can be and that it was necessary to drive the plot, it was much less zany or original compared to most of her previous capers.

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Miu shows a very interesting way of taking a class test. Kimono wearing and ninja hijinks prior to attending the festival where Miu attempts play at a stall and the main drums. They miss the fireworks and have a mini-session back at the Itou driveway. Richard and James!

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Last of the Summer Holidays episode. Matsuri visited the countryside and was harrassed by a goat. Ana is Japanese to the bone. After it rains on the four girls' trip to the school pool, they are rescued by Nobue-oneesama's shipment of extra umbrellas. She tend decides to take them to the beach. When not at the beach, Miu is doing an independent research project, filming her friends and even wins the second prize!

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The Hot Summer Day episode. And I'm so happy that r0r1p0p subbed the rest of the series - was a little despondent when the other groups stopped at around Ep 5. I was humming and singing the chorus of that lollipop song to myself for a while. -_-;;