Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! Episode 05

Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! Episode 05: “Happening!”

Summary: It’s Alesta and Plug’s day off so they follow Sentou, his manager, Hakone, and Iono to the beach. Everyone’s having a good time as Sentou’s manager, a lady with a loli fetish, continually videotapes Hakone and Alesta tries to make a love connection with Sentou. She asks him why he maintains a connection with the two of them when he isn’t required. Sentou states that he’s thankful for what the two of them have done for Hakone and Iono.

Plug senses a strange feeling from a woman she’s charged before. Her depression level drops even further when she passes a suspicious little girl. Plug follows her around, finding out that she’s suffering from writer’s block. The girl takes a raft out to sea where her level drops to the lowest but Plug has no charging source out in the ocean. She contacts Alesta who tells Sentou. He gets the idea to drive the manager’s car close enough so Plug can use it.

Plug’s suit gets wet but she manages to regain control of it to use the charger Alesta throws out of the car. Sentou has to drive it off a cliff to get it close enough, relying on Alesta to save him. The charging works and the writer is inspired.

Thoughts: So, I should probably pick a side in the Alesta-Iono-Plug-Sentou love situation. I think I like Alesta best. Iono is too loli looking for my taste and Plug has a similar personality to Usagi from Sailor Moon. She’s kind of a lovable idiot. I like her enough as a character, but she wouldn’t be the type of girl I’d be interested in dating. Also, their suits aren’t water proof? Aren’t they latex? I’d expect them to be water proof simply for convenience. What if it rains?

Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! Episode 04

Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! Episode 04: “Iono Crisis!”

Summary: Iono wants to confess to Sentou but can’t get up the nerve. She buys him a keychain but hasn’t been able to give it to him. While managing the money and budget after school, she forgets to lock the door and it’s stolen. Depressed about it, she’s cheered up when Sentou meets her to make her feel better. This falls short when he lets it slip that he thinks she’s like a little sister.

Iono intends to give up on Sentou, so Plug doesn’t charge her because she’d like to see Iono confess. Her and Sentou team up to catch the burgler but it’s actually Alestra who charges up the burglar. This causes him to turn himself in. Hakone sends Iono a text message telling her what Sentou tried to do for her. Plug charges her up at this point, so she runs over to give the gift and confess to Sentou. She kisses him on the cheek and tells him that she plans to change their relationship. He’s too dense to really follow what she means.

Plug wonders what she thinks of Sentou but brushes it aside.

Thoughts: Iono is pretty cute, but how old are these characters supposed to be again? I know there are really no holds barred in anime, but she looks like a middle school student at the very oldest and Sentou is out of school, right? We’ve only seen him working at his job so I figured he’s already graduated. Then again, maybe they’re legal but drawn to look like lolis to make it seem ‘okay’.

Fall 2009 Season Preview

This list is subject to change a lot over the course of the next two months since most things aren’t scheduled to air until October. Some might get dropped while new things might be added as well. I’ll update accordingly.

Tatakau Shisho -The Book of Bantorra : The main character, Koria Tonisu is implanted with a bomb and sent to kill a librarian, Meseta. He falls in love with her instead. Meseta isn’t a normal librarian, she guards the most important library, where dead are transformed into books and kept.
I doubt this will be a strict romance. It seems to be more of a political drama with an original twist. Might not blog about it here, but will be watching it.

Natsu no Arashi 2nd Season : I didn’t watch the first season personally because I didn’t care for the art style or color palette so it won’t be blogged here. I imagine it follows more strange happenings between the protagonist and Arashi.

Kobato.: This is an adaptation of a CLAMP work which is basically required watching in my book. I’ve read some of the manga and didn’t see a romance developing. The premise is that the main character and her foul-mouthed dog must do good deeds and collect the result (I think it was a liquid) inside of special vial.

Sasameki Koto : This is a yuri-manga adaptation. It was announced around the same time as Aoi Hana. I’ll blog this one since yuri has been growing on me lately. The story follows Sumika (who bares a strong resemblance to Fumiko from Aoi Hana), a popular honors student with a crush on another girl, Ushio. The crush is a secret and her feelings have yet to be returned.

Kimi ni Todoke : Sawako is teased about her long black hair and light skin. With help from one of the boys in her class, and other classmates help her turn her life around for the better. Wasn’t a girl teased for the same reason in “The Wallflower”, although the character personalities were extremely different? I plan to blog this one.

Nyankoi! : Junpei has a crush on Kaede. Junpei hates and is allergic to cats but Kaede loves them. When Junpei accidently angers a local cat deity, he is able to understand cats and must complete a certain amount of favors for them otherwise he will be turned into one. Will be blogging this one as well!

Kampfer: This is a gender-bender action story about a boy named Natsuru who wakes up as a girl and must participate in a battling system. Will be blogging…the blog list next season is starting to look long.

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu 2nd Season: A continuation of season one! Yay, I really liked the main couple of the first season and would definitely want to see their relationship develop further!

Seitokai no Ichizon: Ken is the only elected male representative for his school’s student council. Everyone else is a beautiful girl! He records the minutes of the councils meetings which usually turn into nothing more than frivolous discussions of their interests and lives. Might blog this but it’s probably just a comedy.

Shin Koihime Musou: Somehow, this got a second season. I’m obliged to blog it for continuity sake but I doubt anything will really come of it. WHY.

Sora no Otoshimono: A strange creature falls out of the sky and into the main characters lap. Said creature ends up being sexy girl. Usual premise but the character designs are interesting. Blogging.

White Album Second Season: Finally! We’ll get to find out about Yuki and her scummy, cheating boyfriend! I want to see him get the crap kicked out of him and in the meantime, all the girls who love him need to cheer up!

Winter Sonata: This is a romance anime based of a Korean drama. I’m curious if they’re going to Japanese it and change all the names or not. The story is about two childhood friends and a lot of drama that happens from high school to college age years.

Sora no Manimani Episode 03

Sora no Manimani Episode 03: “Planetarium”

Summary: Mihoshi has been dragging Saku to stargazing so often he’s exhuasted. He skips out on a few events, deciding to take the time to go to the library. He runs into Fumin and they talk about books and why he didn’t join the Literature Club. Realizing this, he starts attending Astronomy Club again. However, it’s the rainy season which makes Mihoshi really depressed.

Saku comes up with the idea for everyone to go the planetarium since the sky is cloudy. He remembers that the first time he went, Mihoshi’s dad took them. Everyone enjoys the constellations they’re able to see there and it cheers Mihoshi up.

Thoughts: This was really like two mini episodes. The first half focusing on Saku ditching the Astronomy Club and encountering the delicious Fumin and the second half focusing on the rainy season and the silly effects it has on Mihoshi. Otherwise not a lot happens. I wrote this a few days after watching the episode and now I can’t remember if this is also where they go out to swampy area with Hime. Oh well. The comedic value of this show is consistently funny, even if the romance is a bit slow.

Sora no Manimani Episode 02

Sora no Manimani Episode 02: “First Star”

Summary: A girl in Saku’s class, Hime, has had a crush on Saku ever since she encountered him on the bus. She used to be teased about her curly hair, but when it got caught in one of his buttons, he told her it was beautiful. She assumes that Mihoshi and he are going out, and is annoyed when she barges into their class. Mihoshi takes a liking to Hime and invites her to go see Venus on the rooftop with the club. While up there, the President tells her that the two aren’t going out. Revitalized, Hime joins the club. This gives the Astronomy Club enough members to be official.

They decide to go stargazing to celebrate but it rains. Everyone goes over to Saku’s house and meets his mother. She tells Mihoshi to say hello to her parents for her and Mihoshi seems to pause before agreeing.

The next day everyone tries to go stargazing again and goes all the way out to the country. Saku realizes that the nights he’d been spending before were under an artificial light as opposed to the stars.

Thoughts: A love rival! Hime seems nice, if not a little enthusiastic. What’s more interesting is we’re starting to get foreshadowing about the fate of Mihoshi’s parents. While it seems obvious to me that they died somehow, this is probably going to be a major plot point and revelation later on.

Princess Lover! Episode 04

Princess Lover! Episode 04: “The Rose and the Shoe”

Summary: Unsure of what to do for the party, Teppei wonders why Seika seems to hate him. He asks his grandfather and, learning why, shows up to one of Seika’s fashion shows. He tells her that Mezu Hirohiko, a classmate that was supposed to do the interview with her, is sick and he’ll fill in. They do the interview, with Seika constantly stepping on Teppei’s foot to get him to answer the questions a certain way. He ends up insulting but also complimenting Seika’s ability to accept responsibility and manage the Social Club.

At dinner, Teppei recounts why the Arima and Houjouin families do not get along. His grandfather’s wife had an affair with Seika’s grandfather, who was the Arima Publicity Manager. Teppei’s grandfather split the companies and the Arima Group has continued to have anything to do with the Houjouin Group. This includes not carrying Seika’s fashion in their department stores. Teppei gives Seika a letter, showing that he has changed this situation, his grandfather regrets how he treated Seika’s grandfather, and asks for forgiveness. Seika gladly accepts the reconciliation.

Thoughts: Look, Seika is a fashion designer whose fashions are awful. She also doesn’t strike me as the character to choose to be a model. I would have guessed Charlotte for that. The character designs in general don’t lend them to credibility. There’s a lot of sharp angles now that the later episodes have gotten a lower budget, which makes the characters harsher to look at. Seika is the most stickly looking one because of her hair and body frame so I find her, physically, the least attractive. Charlotte’s hair is long and flows while Sylvia’s hair is a little harsh in the front but it’s nothing compared to Seika’s sharp pigtails and ribbons.

Princess Lover! Episode 03

Princess Lover! Episode 03: “The Sword and the Ball”

Summary: Sylvia and Teppei duel, with Sylvia barely beating him. He concedes that he won’t refuse their engagement but instead would like to get to know her. Both Sylvia and Charlotte recommend he joins the Social Club but even with their recommendation, Seika won’t allow him in. She states that he lacks the class and unless he can prove himself at the upcoming party, she won’t allow it.

Yuu, Charlotte, and Sylvia try to train Teppei in etiquette before the party but he finds it difficult. It’s not until Yuu reminds him of the skills he learned in kendo that he’s able to apply it to dancing. At the party, he does a great a job, which causes Seika to get more and more angry. It seems like everyone prefers Teppei and she feels like the bad guy. She also is in denial about her attraction to Teppei. After the party, Seika congratulates him but proposes another challenge. Teppei must host the upcoming party successfully to be allowed into the Social Club.

Thoughts: Ugh, we got to know Seika better this episode, and it wasn’t fun to watch her be uptight while Teppei struggled with sipping tea appropriately. However, it did lead to me to think about Japanese formal wear. Her dress was awful, and definitely not by any means formally pretty. Are styles really different in Japan compared to Western tastes, or are character designers a bunch of men who have never looked in a fashion magazine before? I’m leaning towards the latter.

Princess Lover! Episode 02

Princess Lover! Episode 02: “Academy and Reunion”

Summary: Teppei is moved into his grandfather’s spare “mansion” along with his personal maid, Yuu, and a slew of servants. The next day he finds that they’ve transferred him to an exclusive school for the rich, Shuuhou Academy. He’s overwhelmed by the attention his name is bringing him and people who wish to be his “friend” for social ranking. He runs off and encounters Houjouin Seika, President of the Social Club. She gets a little snarky with him before Yuu finds him again.

After introducing himself in class, Charlotte sees him and decides to say hello. In her excitement, Teppei ends up on top of her. Sylvia, who hasn’t really accepted the engagement, goes in to greet him and sees the situation. Appalled, she leaves and heads to Fencing Club. Teppei and Charlotte follow her, Teppei intending to apologize. He thinks her game is off so Charlotte elects him to duel Sylvia, telling her that he thinks she’s lonely.

Thoughts: We have officially met all the girls by this point in the story. I’m rooting for Sylvia. Charlotte is a little too ditzy for me, Yuu is cute but too domestic to be interesting and Shannon from Umineko is my favorite maid this season, and Seika is a complete tsundere. Charlotte seems like the defined lead though, but I’ve been surprised before. Since Sylvia is the arranged fiance, I get the feeling she’ll go the way of Yuuhi from Akane-iro, unfortunately.

Aoi Hana Episode 04

Aoi Hana Episode 04: “The Beauty of Youth”

Summary: Yasuko wants to start commuting with Fumi everyday, but she forgets that she originally promised Akira. After feeling bad about it all day, she tells Yasuko that she’ll commute with Akira in the morning but her in the evening.

The next day she goes out to eat with Akira and confesses that Yasuko and she are a couple. She’s afraid that Akira will think she’s gross. Thinking about it, Akira can’t see anything wrong with it, and the next day tells her that she wants to cheer the two of them on.

At drama practice, Kyouko asks their teacher and Club Advisor why Yasuko switched schools but he states he doesn’t know why. Yasuko goes to see him before practice and says that he should see the play that she’s participating in. He agrees. She leaves feeling unsatisfied and remembers back to when she was in middle school and first met him. He was excited to have her join Drama Club, which she eventually did. He called her The Mistress of the Library after encountering her numerous times. When she confessed to him, he rejected her. Yasuko then switched schools.

Fumi has a feeling that something like this happened but can’t get up the nerve to ask Yasuko directly.

Thoughts: This episode was interesting, to say the least. I like how they dealt directly with Fumi coming out to Akira and the possible fears she may have had with Akira’s perception of her. I can only postulate what it is like to come out to a friend of the same sex. Japanese society’s general perception of homosexuality seems to be mixed. It seems equally common for it to be accepted as it is for it to be deemed “weird” despite it seeming to be represented into entertainment for a wider variety of age groups. Despite there being representations of homosexuality in shows for children, it’s still considered ‘outside the norm’ and normalcy in Japan is probably focused on more heavily than it is in the United States.

Umi no Monogatari Episode 03

Umi no Monogatari Episode 03: “Hearts That Grows Fonder”

Summary: Marin and Urin move into Kanon’s house, which her mother has no problem with. They discuss her ‘evil’ aura and that she’s still deciding to go to University. Her friend, Suzuki calls to invite her to hang out with everyone else but Kanon refuses, rudely, and has to go tend to the fortune telling booth. Suzuki shows up at the booth so Kanon has Marin cover for her. Marin and Suzuki talk about Kanon and how she always does the difficult task so that there isn’t conflicts with everyone else. Kanon knows that the only real reason she did it is because she wanted people to like her.

Suzuki leaves and Marin insists that her and Kanon are friends and that Marin won’t abandon her like other kids have. Kanon doesn’t believe her and leaves. Urin follows and is upset that Kanon is the priestess with the powers but is so mean while she can’t do anything. Then, two new monsters appear, attracted to Kanon’s ‘evil’ aura. Marin shows up and begins fighting, telling Kanon to leave. She almost does, but realizes that she wants just one friend and will help Marin. They defeat the two monsters and return them to their original puffer-fish state.

Thoughts: Maybe Kanon will quit being such a negative Nancy now and start learning how to be happy. While Marin is the complete opposite, I’d take that kind of person as my friend over a Kanon-type any day. I’m wondering about the ring she finally accepted back as well. It was touched by Sedna when she came out of the coffin, so I wonder if that’s going to come back around and mean something later.