Marmalade Boy - A bittersweet experience

After watching Kodomo no Omocha (aka Kodocha) I did a little research into the series and I found out that it was originally called 'Marmalade Boy on crack'. Of course, being a 1990s baby I was just about old enough to have heard of Marmalade Boy' as a TV series and to know that 'on crack' meant something hyperactive. So seeing as I had absolutely loved Kodocha (despite the fact that Sana's hyperactiveness pissed me off sometimes), I decided that I'd watch Marmalade Boy to see if it provided slightly more docile viewing. I am happy to say that it did.

While with Kodocha I spent most of the time frantically trying to turn down the volume whenever Sana had one of her fits, I found that I didn't need to do that with the protagonist of MB. As I first started watching MB in its English Dubbed form, I found that the character of Miki reminded me of someone. She was whiny, dependent, easily tricked and prone to slapping her love interest... This particular character mould reminded me of one of the series I have already reviewed and I found that she, like the protagonist of that series, was very much a marmite character. Yes, she reminded me of Himeno of Pretear.

Now, for those of you who are big fans of Miki, I apologise in advance. While I didn't mind Himeno, I found that Miki was almost unbearable. I have never heard a girl whine so much in my life; and I whine quite a lot myself. Not only that, but her constant paranoia pissed me off. You'd think that after all the times Yuu had proven himself to her she would have gotten it through her thick tomboyish skull that he was not going to end up cheating on her. However, I have to give kudos to the mangaka of the manga, she made a very believable character. While she was annoying and pathetic, I felt that she was truly realistic and I could tolerate her because of that.

As for the rest of the characters, I think my three favourites were Ginta, Arimi and Meiko. I liked Ginta because he's exactly the sort of boyfriend I'd like to have (screw Yuu, I can't deal with complicated guys), and I liked Arimi after she stopped being all sneaky and coniving. I most of all liked Meiko because she reminded me of myself. I won't go into why. But yeah, those three were my favourite characters by far; the rest just pissed me off most of the time. Sure, they're necessary for character development, but after a while it just started to annoy me. How many people want to get in the way of one couple?! It's flipping ridiculous.

The general story was quite repetitive and irritating after the first 50 or so episodes. The relationship between Yuu and Miki always seemed so precarious and after I while I just wanted to fast forward the episodes because of how tiresome it became. However, in general, the character developement was quite well done and the relationships between the main characters were complex enough for me to stay interested for the whole 76 episodes. I just wish they'd not put the whole America thing in there and just ended the series with the brother/sister thing in Japan, not America.

The art itself was kinda... well... crappy. The manga isn't bad, but the anime was terrible. Their figures reminded me of stick men and I thought that their legs would snap in half before of how ridiculously skinny they all looked. That and the clothes were like those of the 1980s, not the 1990s. The drawings were alright, but it was obvious that showing character emotions was a difficulty for the anime staff. There were only ever four expressions they could pull: blank, sad, happy or shocked. There was no inbetween. But, I guessed that I should expect that from an early 1990s anime.

The soundtrack was quite bland and generic, using the same songs over and over again. While it's okay some of the time, they should have maybe given things a bit more variety and not used the same two of three songs for every cliffhanger moment. And... oh god, I've got one of those fucking songs stuck in my head now.

Anyway, that's pretty much it for Marmalade boy. It's not bad, but it's not great. It had its uber-sweet moments, but it had its seriously low points that made me want to bash my head in. It's not that bad to watch just for japes, but it's not something I'd seriously recommend watching.

Sayonara for now!

Girl from the Ring + Four 'hot' guys = The Wallflower

At first glance I thought that this was going to be a very average anime; but I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised.

While most of the male characters in 'The Wallflower' look like drag queens, I decided to put up with how they were drawn and I found myself falling totally in love with the show. Not because it was overly romantic (which always scores big points with me), or that it was a reverse-harem anime. No, the reason I fell in love with 'The Wallflower' is because of the main character.

Sunako Nakahara fucking rocks. She's stubborn, obsessed with weird things and uses a nosebleed as a protective measure against pretty boys. She had been an average girl who was worried about her appearance and how people saw her. However, after being rejected by a boy she had been in love with for two years, she finally snapped and totally let go of herself. She developed a fetish for gore, horror and everything that girls generally scream at. She also began to abhor light and grew her bangs long so that she couldn't see the 'dazzling creatures' around her. However, things for her take a turn for the worse when her aunt sends her to live in the mansion she rents out; so she's forced to live along side four 'gorgeous' boys. Not only that, but if the boys manage to make her a 'lady' by the time her aunt comes to see her again, then they won't have to pay rent for living in the luxurious mansion.

So after being forced to cut her bangs and see the 'dazzling' creatures properly, she starts to have nosebleeds (that can't physically be possible) whenever she sees any of the boys, specifically Kyohei. Seeing so much blood coming out of a person's nose really reminds me of the vampire anime called Karin, which I'll be reviewing later. But anyway, I think it's a pretty good anime, though I don't really go for the way the guys really do look like girls. I'm all for bishy, but not that bishy.

The plot is pretty good, with a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, and you can become really fond of the characters because of how bizarre they all are. Although it could have been quite typical of the reverse-harem genre, the original main character (Sunako) makes it stand above the rest of them by giving it a fresh and unique twist. The themes of vanity and self-acceptance underneath the comedic demeanor of this story makes it quite thought provoking at times and you come to appreciate how much work the mangaka put into writing the manga.

The most interesting developing romantic relationship is mainly between Sunako and Kyohei. While the two of them refuse to accept the possibility that they like each other, it's pretty obvious towards the end of the series, depsite the open ended finale. They're pretty hilarious to watch really, seeing as they're so similar, what with their competitivity and their hatred of their looks. I also found it quite hilarious when they smashed into each other during a ping-pong match and accidently kissed one another; though I think I was laughing mainly because it looked more painful than anything else.

My second favourite couple have to be Takenaga and Noi. While they're not really a central couple to the series, the glimpses we see of them together are quite amusing. With Noi's exaggerated female fantasies and Takenaga's shyness, they're elicited a couple of giggles from me because of how stupid they looked sometimes. I also had to cringe a little too, especially when Noi went all moe over Takenaga in a business suit.

The soundtrack was pretty good as it suited the weirdly gothic theme of this series, and the artwork wasn't that bad. My only objection is to how Ranmaru and Yuki were drawn. They seriously look like drag queens. Just look at the pictures above and you'll see!

Anyway, as a whole, this wasn't that bad. It wasn't the best, but it was quite funny in some bits and it didn't require much brain power to watch. So if you're ever bored and you want to watch something amusing that won't be too taxing on the old noggin', then this is good choice to watch. Just make sure you're not weak at the sight copious amounts of blood.

Adios.

Midori no Hibi - Seiji's Right Hand Girlfriend

Midori no Hibi is one of those rare anime that are a perfect blend of romance, action and comedy, with most of the emphasis on comedy.

We start the story as Sawamura Seiji laments over the fact that he has no girlfriend and that his only girlfriend is his right-hand. Rejected by twenty different girls and doomed to never have a girlfriend, Seiji curses his fighting reputation and finds his only solace in porn magazines and eating lots of food. However, this all changes when after a nap he wakes up to find that his 'Devil's Right Hand' is no longer a hand. It's now a girl. I'll leave you to imagine the hilarious situations that happen afterwards.

The storyline is generally quite straight forward and simple, mainly revolving around Midori and Seiji's developing relationship and their quest to find out a way to resolve the situation. While Seiji is eager to solve the problem and get on with his life, he is unaware and sometimes insensitive to the feelings of Midori, who is glad about the situation and isn't that eager to change things back. As the story progresses, you feel more and more sympathy for both of the main characters as their pasts are revealed and their relationship tested.

I think it was pretty fucking hilarious. While the humor is crude at times, it amused me greatly and I was glad that I downloaded it. I've even managed to sway some of my anti-anime friends into watching it because of how rip-roaringly funny it is. I think it blends slap-stick comedy and dry sarcasm perfectly, as well as balancing it out with the more serious scenes with Seiji and Midori.

The story is well paced and interesting once you get past the initial stupidity of the main concept (right hand girlfriend). The relationship between Midori and Seiji is absolutely adorable, and Midori herself is so cute that it makes me wish I had her for a younger sister. Seiji is pretty cold, though a bit dense sometimes and there were quite a few moments where I wanted to slap him to high heaven.

While I found that both of the main characters were likeable, I became quite irritated with some of the other characters, such as the stuck up class president who fancies Seiji after he saves her. She irritated me to no end as her love for Seiji seemed so... false. I think my second favourite character, after Midori, has to be Rin. Loud-mouthed, uncouth and debaucherous, the woman without shame was my favourite out of the supporting cast, mainly because she was such a larger-than-life character.

The art in the anime was okay. It wasn't brilliantly done and there were times when I thought the character expressions were a bit overdone, but it was decent and served its purpose, though I found that some of the designs of the characters reminded me greatly of other different characters that I've seen. But then again, that happens with most anime and manga, doesn't it?

Overall, it was an enjoyable series with a predictable, yet satisfying ending. While there are a lot of questions unanswered, they're the sort of questions you don't really need to know the answers to, so you're not left disappointed.

If you're ever bored, I thoroughly recommend this. It's not too taxing on your mind and all you have to do it sit back and enjoy it.

Pretear - The Corniest thing I've ever watched/read

Where do I even begin to start with Pretear? Okay, I'll start from the very beginning.

After randomly browsing the internet for anime I should watch, I stumbled upon the Wikipedia page for Pretear. While I thought that it didn't look that great, I noticed that it was a reverse-harem anime and I naturally got curious (because I'm very pro-reverse-harem). After downloading it and opening the file for the first episode I knew that this was going to be the funniest thing to watch. Not because it was a comedy, but because of how CORNY it was.

In the first couple of minutes into the first episode you're introduced to way too many main characters and you're left going, 'Okay, what the fuck was that?' You're left bemused not just because of the sudden splurge of characters but because you have to double take when you see the drag queen with the blonde ponytail and heeled boots. That's right, it's actually a guy.

When you're eventually introduced to the main character you'll soon realise that she's one of those characters that are akin to marmite. You either love her or hate her. Himeno = marmite. Personally, I don't think she's that bad. She's pretty much a typical, stubborn high schooler which I liked, but the fact that she did martial arts pissed me off. It wasn't just because it's the main thing that turned her into a mary-sue character, but because there was no real point to it, other than give her an excuse to punch Hayate whenever he gets too close and pervy. Other than that, she's a decent character for a reverse harem.

The other characters aren't really that great. While each of the characters have their own personalities and seem to have been thought out, I found myself wondering why there had to be so many. While the little kid characters were cute, I didn't think they were necessary for the plot and they only managed to confuse me further when first watching this. As for the adult characters... I have big issues with them. The character of Kei really pissed me off in the anime; he was stuck-up and self-obsessed. Same goes for the manga; he was stuck up and self-obsessed, but he had reason to be. In the manga he looked normal, he didn't look like a cross dressing weirdo.

One of the other main characters I have issues with is Sasame. When watching the anime for the first time, I found myself wanting to punch him when he said 'So do I' after Hino said that she believed all guys should be like him. I also found that half the things he said were some of corniest things I've ever heard in my life. It's worse than watching my mother's filipino drama films! And those were pretty bad! Thankfully, Hayate wasn't as corny as him. He seems like one of the most realistic and hilarious characters in the whole thing and he provided me with a great about of comic relief, as did the whole relationship with Hino.

The general plotline was relatively simple. Girl has to save the world with the help of seven 'supposedly' hot guys. There is very little in the way of twists and its all very linear, which is good for little kids, but not that great for 17 year olds who want something that can get their teeth into. With names like 'The Princess of Destruction', 'The Snow White Princess Pretear' and 'Puppet of Darkness', you wonder what in the hell the mangaka was thinking when he was writing the story. I mean, even my 8 year old cousin cringed at the names!

The art itself is bogstandard. Nothing stands out except for the creepy affects used in the anime when their eyes go emotional; it scared my cousin slightly when she first noticed it, which isn't really the effect desired from a romance scene. The costume designs were rather bizarre and crappy, though I loved how colourful everything was in the anime. (I <3 colour!)

In general, I think this was a pretty boring anime. Nothing elevates it above the rest and it's kind of embarrassing to watch with anyone except your younger siblings or cousins. The only thing that really makes it stand out is that it's one of those things you can really take the piss out of and not feel guilty about it because you know you're right.

Vampire Knight - Blood and Bullets

Phew! I've finished reading what has been published of Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino and I have to say that it's one of those rare mangas which I will never get tired of reading. It combines two of my favourite things, vampires and romance, so I had feeling that I'd end up being quite taken with it when I first started downloading it.

If you haven't read or heard of it, I'll summarize it for you so that you get the jist. The story mainly revolves around Yuki Cross who acts as one of the prefects and guardians for the Cross Academy. The Cross Academy, which is chaired by her adoptive father, is split into two classes; the Night Class and the Day Class. The Night Class are an elite group of students who are also absolutely gorgeous, which sends the Day Class into a panicked frenzy whenever they see them. This is where Yuki comes in. Along with her fellow prefect, Zero Kiriyuu, she must ensure that the change over of the Day Class and Night Class happens with as little interaction between the two classes as possible. Why must she do this? Because everyone one of the students in the Night Class is a vampire. It is Yuki's job to make sure that no incident arises which would alert the Day Class to the Night Class' true nature. She is one of the guardians of this secret.

While this may look like a very simple looking story, you'll find that it quickly gets quite complicated as the various characters all have their own secrets that they can't tell anyone about. While it is essentially a shoujo manga, it stands above the rest in that there is one hell of a plot. Everything is premeditated and theres a great deal of suspense. It's because of this that I think that I admire this manga so much.

The artwork is relatively well done. The expressions of each of the characters are detailed, with the characteristically expressive eyes and the highly detailed costume decoration which is usual in Hino's works. While there is often little in the way of background drawing, with gaps often being filled with blotting effects and etchings, it works well in contrasting the beautifully detailed drawings. One of the draw backs however is that the only way you can distinguish the individual characters is by their hairstyles alone, which made me a little confused when it came to the characters of Aidou and Kain as they kind of look similar.
However, regardless of that fact, this manga is very pleasing in an aesthetic sense.

The relationships between the characters is also another thing that attracted me to this manga. While at first it seems like Yuki is destined to be Kaname, you see that her relationship with Zero evolves to something much deeper when she allows him to bite her in order to inhibit his impending insanity. She begins to question what Zero is to her and it progresses to the point where Zero nearly kisses her (KYaahHH! XD). However, while her relationship with Zero changes, you also see Kaname coming to terms with his own feelings for love for Yuki, and he is the first to confess these to her. Oooh... it makes me go all goo-ga just thinking about it. I really am starting to resemble Renge from OHSHC... -.-;;

There are so many swoon-worthy moments in this series which is the main reason why I'm suggesting it to all of those people out there who enjoy romance stories. One prime example of this is when Zero hugs Yuki just as their study session ends and this is the point in the story where I finally realise that Zero feels more for Yuki than I had originally thought. Another point which will probably make fan-girls go all squee (including myself) is when Kaname asks Yuki if she wants to become a vampire and live for eternity by his side.

Well I'll probably stop reviewing now because I really could go on forever, but as I suggest earlier, if you haven't read this yet then you should at least read the first volume and see what you think. (A good place to download this is at MangaTraders ;))

Over and out!

(PS. I apologise for how romance-based my reviews are becoming, but I become a bit of a nutcase when it comes to romance. X) )

Hana-Kimi - Two Thumbs Up

Okay, so I finished reading Hana-Kimi. And I was so relieved when I finally turned the last page. It seriously wore me out. I'm not saying it was bad, but it really had somee hair-tearing-out-worthy moments and I was so relieved with the final outcome.

Now being a shojo anime/manga fan I loved HK. As far as character developement is concerned, it really reminded me of Kare Kano in how detailed it was. The characters were very well thought out and all the mains had their own back history and personalities which really helped you understand why some of them act the way they do, as well as help you get fully familiarized with each character. Out of all the characters, I think my favourite is still Sano. Why, you ask? Because that boy knew all along about Mizuki's gender and despite the various precarious situations the two of them got into he showed amazing self-restraint. He cared for her that much. If only there were guys like that in real life... *sighs*

For some reason, I found that many of the characters in HK reminded me of so many other characters in the other mangas and anime's I've read and watched. For instance, I couldn't help but think of Himejima as being the long lost brother of Ayame from Fruits Basket, and I found that Sano's possessive/jealous personality really reminded me of Arima from Kare Kano (though Sano > Arima. He is the 'Super God of Sexiness' after all).

As far as the plot goes, it was pretty much what I was expecting from this gender-bender manga. Most of the twists were focused on whether Mizuki had been found out or not and it wasn't anything spectacularly original, yet it was done in such a way that it always had you gripped and eager to find out what happens. This can also be said of the more romantic pages. Whenever Sano and Mizuki had an encounter, I always found myself reading it so avidly that when they somehow manage to get out of the situation I end up wanting to pull my hair out at how frustrating it is. The two characters remained so oblivious to the other's feelings that I was tempted to actually shout at my laptop, though I restrained myself so that I wouldn't get carted off to the funny farm.

This manga is generally one of those books that you should at least try to read. It has some absolutely hilarious parts to it whilst there are a shedload of cutesy 'squee' moments as well. So, if you like angsty, must-turn-the-page sort of romance mangas then this is great.


Right, onto my next project... Midori no Hibi!

Ja ne!

OMIGEE!! - Hana-Kimi

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! If I had known this manga would be this good, I would have downloaded it way way sooner! When I initially picked up the first Hana-Kimi book in my local manga store I didn't think much of it and I put it down without even flicking through. However, when I boredly downloaded it earlier from MangaTraders, I found myself totally hooked! I was actually laughing out loud for some of it!

Sure, the premise of a girl dressing up as a boy is generally quite overdone now a days, but Hana-Kimi just seems to be so much funnier than most stuff. It's even caused me to become slightly disillusioned with Ouran! And I never thought that was possible!

For those of you who don't understand what I'm talking about, let me introduce you to the manga Hana-Kimi, which authored by Hisaya Nakajo. After watching a television programme featuring high jumper Izumi Sano, Ashiya Mizuki becomes immediately obsessed with him. Scowering the internet and various newspapers for information on the high jumper, she eventually finds out where he goes to school and determined to meet him and watch him high jump, she packs her bags and flies all the way from the US to Japan. She then transfers to the same school as him in hopes of getting the chance to meet him. Now here's the interesting part, the school is an all boys school. And not only that, but she ends up sharing a class and a room with her idol!

Now, imagine some of the most hilarious things that can happen in situations like this. Whatever you've imagined, it's probably happened. Sleep-walking into his bed? Yep, that's happened. Getting caught in the shower? Yara. Getting kissed by him when he's drunk and has turned into his other form, the kissing fiend? Tick, tick. Calling his arch-rival a short-legged fox? Oh yeah. Seeing the gay school doctor dress up as a show girl? *nods*

All this has happened and I'm still only on volume three! It's amazing! And I think I've become a total Sano fan-girl! *squeals* So far it's been really great and I'm looking forward to the various other antics that are bound to happen, though I wonder how long it's going to take Mizuki to realise that Sano knows her secret. But anyway, I'll leave you with a little glimpse of the slightly bizarre doctor who is fast becoming my favourite character (after Sano, of course).

Ja ne!