I was going to put “mass naked child events” instead of “first impressions” as the title but I figured it’d get me all types of wrong traffic. The following shows are basically what I’d like to call fluff, which is where the popcorn metaphor gets its name from. It isn’t a bad thing on its own when done right, although when it’s done wrong it’s terrible, much like that little girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead, assuming you remember your nursery rhymes.

Potemayo hit a home run quite early into the game when it struck me at 5 minutes into the first episode that the main character was a guy. The problem with Eri Kitamura’s voice is that it’s rather androgynous, and that the school uniform was one of those rare types where the guys and girls both wear sailor tops for the uniform, which meant that for a moment I was wondering why Sunao’s friends were crossdressing. Anyway.

I believe this illustrates the faggotry level when I say that it’s a guy in the picture, who happens to be taking a leak too

The humour of Potemayo’s somewhat along the lines of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, but it’s definitely more lighthearted fare, and way more relaxing. SZS had me on edge the whole time due to its sentient graffiti and how I had to press Pause every 5 seconds or so whenever there was a classroom scene (and since this is a high-school comedy, well) to squint and read the little bits of writing, but there was no such thing here.

Potemayo’s strength lies in the moe factor, if you’re into that sort of thing. From what I can see it isn’t a terribly contrived or annoying type of moe, though, and that’s because the moe content is like a topping, a bonus addition on a set of already likeable characters/creature things. Don over at The Kawaii Menace said it gave him the “cold fuzzies”, but I’d like to think that that came from a moe overload and the fight or flight response that his body gave in response. Heh. The Brokeback Mountain reference made me laugh harder than I should have, in any case.

Doujin Work was cringe-worthy and boring. Like Chika, its defining characteristic is that it has no defining characteristics — the short length, approximately half of that of a normal anime episode, probably was the saving grace. I heard that the other half is spent in this real life segment where the cast attempts to make a doujinshi of their own, but I haven’t seen that subbed anywhere just yet.

There was something about the OP that irritated me. As far as an anime’s OP and ED go I’d like to think that there’s a standard that’s generally adhered to, but it’s too bad there wasn’t such a thing with this… thing of noise and ear garbage, which only got better halfway in. Not like an OP’s the be all and end all of an anime, but it served like a foil to any good that possibly could come out of it. Not something I want to watch week after week.

Regarding the cringe-worthiness. I don’t think I remember shuddering (in a bad way) at an anime ever, and it’s definitely something to take note of because nothing has made me squirm in my seat as far as my memory can tell, being a desensitised otaku and all. This wasn’t me feeling uncomfortable due to its content or anything; rather, it was due to a sheer lack of quality and how clich�d some parts were. If they were trying to make a parody out of all those sudden, dramatic monologues that a protagonist usually goes into, they failed hard at that last bit.

Moetan’s more than the screenshots let on. It’s too easy to write it off as “loli fanservice” or the more obvious “moe anime” (a lie if I ever saw one) and dismiss it with an elitist haughty sniff, and although a small part of myself echoed that opinion at the beginning while looking through the summer previews, it didn’t take long for that tiny voice to be snuffed out completely.

Let’s dive into the subject of parodies for the moment. There are parodies, and there are parodies. There are those that take themselves lightly, like Excel Saga. Then there are parodies that take themselves seriously, which is the case for Moetan here. The first episode, aside from endearing the viewers to an easily likeable, albeit oddly named girl called Ink, laid the groundwork for what is, in my opinion, the Lucky Star of summer (SZS is, naturally, in another class altogether).

While Excel Saga took itself very lightly and didn’t attempt to come across as having any sort of coherent narrative or overarching storyline, the same can’t be said of Moetan, who takes itself seriously enough to incorporate its English-learning roots into the show. That doesn’t mean that the comedy aspect of Moetan is any less, though, since the parody here is lean and spot-on, touching the right places every time — the psyche of a typical mahou shoujo, the infamous transformation scene, those annoying incantations, even the ubiquitous magical staff — it’s all there.

no mahou shoujo in my memory has complained about her costume being too revealing, but I could be wrong

What’s more, unlike Lucky Star, who alienates those not in the know regarding the references, Moetan has a dual-layered structure to it that gives leeway to those not so familiar with the parodied genre in mention. It’s a failsafe that doesn’t leave the newbies drowning in obscurity, all this while still pandering to the old-timers and being, as the naysayers put it, a sellout.

It’s very slick, with an evident amount of forethought being put into this adaptation originally meant for Japanese otaku to learn English, through translated quotes from computer games and anime sources. The close-but-not-yet Engrish phrases allude to shows that any decent otaku would be familiar with — take the following ten lines, for example. I’m sure you should be able to guess most, if not all of them.

1. You’re no more than dying embers! Don’t be so impudent!
2. The government concealed the story about a catastrophic disaster in the South Pole.
3. The fact that she is the ultimate weapon was exposed.
4. My friend told me that she was going to capture the cards. I followed her with a video camera as usual.
5. I feel guilty because I boxed the hateful memory seven years ago to escape the bad feelings.
6. The angel who lives on his house scared him, because she beat him to death without notice.
7. My descendant worried about me. Then he sent me a robot from the future.
8. I examined a personal computer found in the trash. There was a power switch in a crucial place.
9. In my childhood, my mother told me many traditional stories. I can remember one about a girl with wings.
10. The terrible program compelled junior high students in a deserted island in Seto Inland Sea.

Other notable mentions include a duck sidekick whose seiyuu’s awesome factor is only surpassed by Bokurano’s Dung Beetle and an irresistibly catchy OP that compels you to loop it over and over. It’s a pity there’s hardly anyone subbing this (or Nanatsuiro Drops for that matter), because I can’t wait to catch the next episode, which has duckkake and an ever-changing ahoge as attractions.

Nanatsuiro Drops made for odd viewing and mixed messages on the surface — watching a mahou shoujo series right after a series that mocks said genre probably has that effect. I burst out laughing at the most random moments, like where Yuki looked for the Japanese translation in the spell book, Kisaragi-sensei being sped-up during the explanation scene, or when Sumomo said “I’m a chosen girl?” with a goofy, spaced-out look on her face.

Let’s get this straight, though: I’m afraid it isn’t close to Nanoha at all, Shirukii pal. When Hinano posted a review of the game last week it struck me, as I mentioned in the comments — it’s an eroge version of Midori no Hibi. No ifs and buts about it. The story of a protagonist who’s separated from a loved one so near yet so far is familiar territory, and something I remember all too well.

MnH did good in developing its main character. Seiji, despite being stock shounen template material, managed to cast aside the tough-misfit-with-a-heart-of-gold archetype and endeared me to him through how he grew as a character, revealing more of himself as the story progressed. It was heartwarming and endearing in a roundabout gar sort of way, for for all its drama and laugh out loud moments at the centre of it were two shy characters trying to come to terms with their mutual attraction, all while putting up a brave front against their predicament.

I’m fully expecting ND to be like that. The first episode entranced me despite my misgivings about the exterior, and I’m glad I decided to cast aside the prejudice surrounding it because it’s working a charm — the music’s got this enchanting feel to it, Noizi Itoh’s character designs are stellar, if somewhat familiar, and I actually care for the characters. I suppose that’s due to how I think of it in underdog terms and how a lot of bloggers I know probably won’t touch it due to its facade, but that’s just me. For the first time in what seems like forever, I actually want this to turn out good. Here’s to greatness.

and while Hinano’s review answered my BURNING QUESTION (”if he’s a toy sheep how do they have sex?”) it raised new ones, like “why is Sumomo naked in her chibi scenes?”

What are your “fluff” picks for this Summer, if any?

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 22nd, 2007 at 5:28 pm and is filed under Anime. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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