So my predictions in my previous post were wrong. I’m glad they were, for had I been right, it would’ve meant that kimikiss would have been unpredictably predictable, and we all know how well that would have went down. The masses need their closure, even if the more discerning among us can do without all that finality riff-raff, and I suppose it’s nice to have a good old-fashioned choice for once. You win some, you lose some.

I had a feeling the eyecatch would be that of the victorious girls

I know, I haven’t been posting about kimikiss as of late, but I’m sure I explained that in the past few posts or something. Reserving the best for the last when it comes to my viewing schedule always has that effect, and while I’m late to all the discussion and hubbub generated by what seems like an impending anime disaster, I hope to rectify that in a bit with my predictions about how things are going to be wrapped up.

So here’s what the experts have been saying: Jen thinks that love is over after reading spoilers (much like any chances that Kyou et al had of hooking up with Tomoya in Clannad circa episode 18). Michael thinks that he can see it just a little (like all good shounen protagonists do their antagonist’s impossibly quick movements, just before a surprise power-up takes place). CCY’s waffling between endless possibilities (not unlike Tonegawa’s gametheory that ultimately cost him).

What can I possibly add to all three trains of thought at this point? As my friend with benefits Caffeine has pointed out to me in a sleep-deprived haze during my viewing of Kimikiss ep 22 earlier today, there’s more to it than meets the eye. There’s a greater possibility out there that vindicates one opinion, puts paid to another one, and makes the last one seem ultra-conservative in comparison.

The number of posts don’t seem to be letting up any time soon. Ditto this. While I’m officially semi-tired of all the true tears discussion that’s been going on as of late, I still consider it to be awesome even if I’m kind burnt out from people talking about it — you know what they say about too much of a good thing. When was the last time something from this maligned genre provoked so much discussion and dissection, on such a rich level, too? I can understand the rationale behind Shinkai not making that leap from movies to a TV series, if only somewhat.

It happened previously to me with ef, and I don’t know why getting burnt out on discussion about a good anime happens, because it technically shouldn’t. Maybe everyone’s already repeating what I already know, and I can’t be arsed to comment, even if I’ve read their posts. Maybe I like talking about a series better when it’s indie, although that wouldn’t explain Clannad. Maybe I need to read less blogs, even if this goes against what I believe about reading more. But I digress.

This rather lengthy dialogue I had with Mike of AnimeDiet was conducted last Sunday, under the guise of dissecting what I felt was the core theme of both kimikiss and true tears, and what makes them such a powerful experience: character inconsistency, and the difference between what a character feels and what he or she subsequently demonstrates. That part’s still there, but it’s buried in a plethora of other stuff, all of which I came up on the fly. The second half of this dialogue is linked to at the end of this post.

This, my friends, is how the ideal blogosphere should be (all links open in a new window). An epic show, bloggers inspired to write about it, bloggers writing said inspired posts that are so inspirational, they inspire other bloggers to write posts that are even more inspired than ever, so much that they up the ante on the anticipation factor every week. As it is, despite my 100~ odd posts that I still need to read, posts I still need to write, and a backlog still looming, I can’t resist stopping the presses for kimikiss. It’s that good.

To kick things off, if I may an analogy: assuming that relationships are like battles of the physical variety, then Honey and Clover was a sniping one. It had the occasional epic stand-off and various impasses, feints, and manoeuvres that made it all the more exciting, as self-respecting snipers are wont to do when they go at it. It was hard-hitting, like a shot from an AWP generally does on a human body — being on the receiving edge of one one too many times during CounterStrike, I should know. For all purposes it was powerful, even if it took a long time to resolve.

kimikiss, on the other hand, has been visceral. It started off like any other skirmish before degenerating into an outright war, and the stakes are getting higher as time passes, like the four Gundam Meisters being held up for half a day or so in their mechs. While H&C had lofty ambitions that worked and wasn’t contrived or anything, I do think that the two sets of triangles were “safer” in the sense that they were pre-defined in their boundaries. You didn’t see Morita suddenly deciding to take that hand-holding consoling with Yamada to another level, or Mayama suddenly giving Hagu the once-over. All that crossover possibility was sealed off pretty nicely.

This was originally supposed to be one of those comments, the long type that almost deserve a blog post of their own, but not quite. I’ve found that those prone towards leaving long and elaborate comments eventually buckle under collective pressure and get a blog of their own, and while I was writing the fourth paragraph of this particular comment I realised the redundancy of it all, and saved it for a post instead. Author’s probably doing a victory dance right now.

speaking of frogs, the pseudo-yuri pair need to die, along with their puppets

The basis of harem is pretty simple — one guy, a lot of girls, and plenty of rabu-rabu hijinks in-between. This, unfortunately, is as easy as saying that the basis of shounen is this guy who discovers a drill-shaped key his inner powers one day and goes on to pierce through the heavens save the world. Or saying that the basis of shoujo is throwing one girl into the midst of 10 or so pretty guys and having her come off with her one true love, or that the basis of slice of life is that NOTHING HAPPENS.

what Konata said about tsunderes having twintails was true

kimikiss pure rouge is turning out to be surprisingly realistic, thoroughly enjoyable, and almost Shinkai-sque in terms of endearment. I’ve come to the conclusion that the multiple main character approach employed is working for rather than against it, contrary to what I’ve heard: those who’ve played the game have reportedly been upset about the decision to split it rather than have the one guy go through all the girls before settling down with one like every other harem anime out there.

You know there’s something inexcusably wrong when fans would rather settle for an approach that’s been done to death and worn to bits so many times. Do we really have to settle for second-best just for the sake of adhering rigidly to the source’s structure? Not if the director of kimikiss has his way about it.

What I liked about this episode was how it’s finally revealing its hand, showing the way it’s playing out the theme of distance — not the tragic romance, almost idealistic, explored-to-death by Shinkai distance, but a distance much closer to home that we can all relate to; whether it’s the hesitant attraction of a shy couple, aloof and distant partners, or even a dream being lived out through another, it’s not a far stretch of the imagination, and I’m liking it.

There’s been more of that “balanced” talk around this season more than any other this year given how the harem/bishoujo shows have a strong showing, and for that reason alone I decided to dedicate a post to four shows in said genre, namely Myself;Yourself, Blue Drop, Kimikiss Pure Rouge, and ef.

My reasons for watching harem are twofold: Firstly, the networking aspect. I’ll never write off entire genres by virtue of common sense and not wanting to be like the other bloggers whom, despite not being entirely sound in their reasoning, I read to keep me grounded in terms of bias, and not wanting to preach to the converted. It also helps me keep in touch with other excellent bits of writing I wouldn’t be able to understand fully otherwise, like harem overlord CCYoshi or super siscon Stripey.

Secondly, it’s a motivation out of academic vested interest. Like how I won’t really be able to appreciate Nanoha for being a mix of the shounen and mahou shoujo genres if I haven’t had prior experience with both, so does harem and bishoujo help me appreciate Shana for being a mix of shounen and harem. While it’s convenient, I don’t think I have to settle for second-best while trying to go about being acquainted with what the genre has to offer, so here’s an initial assessment of what Autumn’s got to offer.