Happiness!

[NeoSam]

はぴねす！
Happiness!

Starting october 2006.

http://www.happiness-anime.com/

Based on a bishoujo game by WindMill.

Warning: the following is not a spoiler, but do not access those sites unless you are 18+

Site of the company:
http://windmill.suki.gr.jp/

Site for the game:
http://windmill.suki.gr.jp/product/6th/index.htm

I love the opening song of the game >.< I have heard it so many times :P

The animation studio thats going to work on the anime: Artland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artland_(Animation_studio))

A manga thats based on the game is serialized in the seinen(young men's) manga magazine Comic Alive.

Genre: Seinen, Fantasy, Romance

[monir]

I'm excited after learning Artland studio will be doing the animation. Anyone who is watching Mushishi already knows how good this studio is. Yay!!

The happiness is already flowing. Thanks Neosam for starting the thread!

[Spuffy]

Nice. I saw some images from game last year, found a demo and put up a preorder after playing it for some 15 minutes. The art in Happiness is just adorable.
Cute bishoujo witches - aaahww...

[sukreih]

All I know about Happiness! is that Watarase Jun,a minor character, is the most popular character in the game..and this girl's actually a 'he' :heh:..which really doesn't matter cuz Jun's simply a girl with no boobs.
Still I'm curious how Jun will show in the anime,considering her(or his) popularity.

[DaFool]

I'm excited after learning Artland studio will be doing the animation. Anyone who is watching Mushishi already knows how good this studio is. Yay!!

The happiness is already flowing. Thanks Neosam for starting the thread!

I'm willing to bet that this will be one of the more profitable projects for Artland raking in the cash so they can fund their more expensive work on more unconventional / cutting-edge programs such as Mushishi!

I also have the feeling this will be the 12-min 13-epper that will air back-to-back with that other Augustsoft game adaptation starting in October in what used to be the Wind / Hanihani timeslot.

[monir]

I'm willing to bet that this will be one of the more profitable projects for Artland raking in the cash so they can fund their more expensive work on more unconventional / cutting-edge programs such as Mushishi!
I won't hold any grudges if so, after an anime such as Mushishi where the music, characters, and story comes together simply because of the magnificient water color drawing that empasizes on green and animation, but I can always hope you will turn out to be wrong. :)

[Kaoru Chujo]

Artland is also doing the current Bokura ga Ita (http://hashihime.blogspot.com/2006/07/bokura-ga-ita-01.html), which I like the art/animation of but some other people don't. The look is even more different from Mushishi than Happiness appears to be.

As a 26-episode shoujo romance using lots of techniques for cheap production, it could be a money-maker, too, depending on how the target audience takes to it.

[NeoSam]

This is a promotion to the Happiness! bishoujo game: (I love this one so much :D )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii1M-tstofU

This is a promotion to the new game called HAPPINESS! Re:Lucks : (which got released on 28/7/2006, yes it got out a few days ago :) )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeYi693_xT0

Anyway, have fun watching both of these promotions :)

[ayyo]

It seems Koyuki, Haruhi, Anri, and Ibuki's seiyuus are the same in the anime but Sumomo, Sayu and Jun's aren't. Shame about Jun since *gohon* Jun's voice is awesome, but Anri and Haruhi, banzai~!

[ayyo]

The anime website just updated - http://www.happiness-anime.com/

Seems it'll pretty much follow the game's story, which isn't a bad thing.

[niwasatou]

Woah, they're just cute!
I'll be definitely watching this.. :D

[NeoSam]

Seems it'll pretty much follow the game's story, which isn't a bad thing.

Great :)

But is it only 12 episodes ? (mentioned here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness%21))
I was really hoping for more >.<

[Deathkillz]

:O another series to put on my "to watch list" :D

[Neaco]

Looks like a good moe series. I hope the short amount of eps doesn't force the anime to feel rushed or omit too many characters for sake of time, for which there seems to be a lot.

[MeganeShounen]

Why do the (IMO) good shows get relegated to 12-13 episodes while others get the full season treatment, I wonder?:confused:

Well, I guess that will do some good, in terms of enriching each episodes content, like what did to Haruhi (and perhaps, ZnT).

[Rengemaru]

Having it 12-13 episode with high quality better then 24-26 episodes with normal quality. Or maybe because of financial issues >.>;
Another title into my "Wanted" list

[Haohmaru]

Another one to put into my list. Artland animation is good. I love Mushishi and Bokura ga Ita. Seeing as this is from a hentai game it's a lot different then those 2 :)

[Kensuke]

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/174/happinesspiccs7.th.jpg (http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=happinesspiccs7.jpg)

Hot- I mean Happiness! :heh:

Looks good, so I'm looking forward to this series.

[Spuffy]

The design for the anime is close enough to the game design to please me.
Now, if the anime will have a lot of Suzuri I'll be more than happy.

[Shiroth]

Heh, with Toshimichi Isoe doing the musical score.. there's no way it can go wrong. :3

Also, this would be a great time to get myself a copy of the game~

[Potatochobit]

I also have real high expectations. the longer it takes the more i get excited about it.

[Aoie_Emesai]

It looks alright, Just cause Neosam proudly acclaims it, i'll take a look ^_^. The animation is great just like any opening of those H-Games.

[Marvel]

This translation from eroge to anime looks good.... in terms of fanservice they are keeping is as low as the normal harem anime I suppose ?

[Spuffy]

After Strawberry Panic 26 there was a 30 seconds long trailer for Happiness!. For those not watching that show, that CM can be seen here. (http://nekomimi.se/happiness_cm.avi)
Looks good. And what's more, there is a brief shot of Jun in it...
Hurry up, October!

[Shinova]

I'll just honestly say that the animation turns me off. Looks like one of those productions that only get the bare budget and the team just has to run with it. Maybe Kyo Ani's irrevocably spoiled me or something.

I'll still watch it, of course.

[martino]

Well, the animation did look mediocre. But that's nowhere close to a reason that could put me off from a series...

[Cloudnine]

After Strawberry Panic 26 there was a 30 seconds long trailer for Happiness!. For those not watching that show, that CM can be seen here. (http://nekomimi.se/happiness_cm.avi)
Looks good. And what's more, there is a brief shot of Jun in it...
Hurry up, October!
I was smiling through the whole CM~ An unexpected bonus indeed! ^^

From what I gather from the CM, looks like they'll concentrate on Haruhi's scenario. It was nice seeing childhood Yuma and Haruhi animated (too cute!), and Jun doing the curtsy is absolutely moe~~ (Someone, hurry and do a GIF ^^)

True that the animation is not up to Kyoani, but still looks like a good production. The BG looks nicely detailed, the character animation follows the original character designs well. How they animate the magic battles are still up in the air, but I have a feeling that it won't dissapoint~~

[Spuffy]

(Someone, hurry and do a GIF ^^)
Will this do?
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/3109/junpz3.gif (http://imageshack.us)

Seems like I share Cloudnine's opinions.
The animation quality (by telling from a short CM) is good enough for me and about what to expect from a late night(/early morning) show like Happiness!
As long as the anime manages to do the original character design justice (check) and they keep the same cast (yes I'm looking at you, Tsuyokiss), that's enough for me. I do hope for a pleasant suprise when it comes do the battles.
Heck, if Jun (or Ibuki) get a few minutes every ep it will be worth watching no matter how much (almost) they screw up.

[Shinova]

I've heard that some, including Jun, are getting different casts.

Maybe their original VAs are ero-game only people. Or they're using a different name for the anime.

[Spuffy]

Nope, Jun is done by the same VA in both games and anime versions. The only change I know of is Hachisuke (but who cares for male side characters?).
Maybe some people forgot VAs tend to use pseudonyms when doing ero-roles and thought they were different VAs.

[Shinova]

Awesome. So we still get that criminally cute and sexy voice that Jun had in the game! :D


I dunno bout Hachi. His voice was pretty awesome too.

[DragoonKain3]

OMG! An ero-game based anime that doesn't have a loli character? It's the end of the world!!!! ;)

Or does Jun count as one, being flatchested and all? Though considering her true identity... ^^; (still cracks me up that her three sizes are officially listed as hi-mi-tsu <3 )


Anyways, is it possible for anyone to do a short summary of each character, for us that's japanese impaired? It need not be long, as most characters can be summed up in a word or two like Tsundere, Childhood Friend, Doormat, etc. XD

[Spuffy]

OMG! An ero-game based anime that doesn't have a loli character? It's the end of the world!!!! ;)
Dont worry, Ibuki is there so the world is still safe.

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/934/ibuki3uf3.th.jpg (http://img211.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ibuki3uf3.jpg)

I dunno bout Hachi. His voice was pretty awesome too.
True, but I'd rather have a change with his cast than any of the girls, or of course Jun.

[Deathkillz]

Will this do?
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/3109/junpz3.gif (http://imageshack.us)


that is cute ^_^ i cnt believe i missed that first time round lol...
and an ero game without a loli would be fail :p thx spuffy for reassuring me that the world is still sane :p

[Cloudnine]

Will this do?
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/3109/junpz3.gif (http://imageshack.us)

（´∀｀）b!! ばちぐ~す!

I'm also guilty of jumping the gun on Jun's seiyuu ^^; <-- (too lazy to check seiyuu db)

[edit] After watching a bit of 僕等がいた (Bokura ga ita), I noticed that the animation style and art direction share many similarities with the Happiness! CM. It will be interesting to see what Artland can do with Happiness!

Ah..~ can't wait until October!

[Shinova]

Very quick game-related question.

Do you have to play the characters' routes in order or can you do any of the heroines' routes as you want?

[Spuffy]

For Happiness! I'm not really sure since it's almost a year ago that I bought it, but I don't think there was any forced order for the character routes. But, in order to get the true end, you have to clear all characters first.

For Re:Lucks you have to read through all character stories in order to be able to see their scenes in the story mode. (The choices leading to them are greyed out until you do so).

[Cloudnine]

Character synopsis for the Japanese impaired ^^;;
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7495/haruhine0.jpg
Kamisaka Haruhi (神坂　春姫)
The picture "perfect" girl?
Graceful, kind hearted, well behaved, and beautiful to boot. Her gentle smile is believed to heal the heart of any man. These characteristics have earned her the title of hime (princess) by the entire school. Still, with all the gossip about her being the "perfect honor student", one can wonder if that is who Haruhi really is...

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/6924/anrimb0.jpg
Hiragi Anri (柊　杏璃)
tsun tsun!
Energetic, straightforward, and sometimes mischievous. Anri is extremely competitive, and hates to lose, especially to her rival Haruhi (though the rivalry is 100% one sided ^^) Still, even though Anri instinctively runs head first into battles, she cannot do the same with her emotions, often hiding them or acting awkwardly in the complete opposite behavior~ (completely obvious though...)

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/4115/koyukifb8.jpg
Takamine Koyuki (高峰　小雪)
Oneesama~~!
Mature, cool, and mysterious. Koyuki is a riddle in a black box, often doing things that cannot be understood by the normal person. She is an expert at fortune telling with an accuracy of near 100%. However that percentage only applies to unhappy fortunes, one that Yuma knows very well ^^;

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1076/sumomoos2.jpg
Kohinata Sumomo (小日向　すもも)
I am siscon!
Cheerful, innocent, and very thoughtful. Sumomo is, quite possibly, the sister in law that every guy (especially Hachi) dreams of having. She has the longest relationship with Yuma and shows great affection for him. Sumomo's common sense, however, is very much distorted thanks to her eccentric mom. Sometimes her thoughts and actions come from her own peculiar world.

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/5931/junxn5.jpg
Watarase Jun
The ultimate trap set by god...
Jun doesn't need an introduction. Adding one will spoil the suprise for first time viewers~ Just look forward to it in the first episode ^^b
Still missing a few other characters like Ibuki, Saya, Minagi, etc. but it's best not to spoil the story before the anime has yet to air~~ (´･ω･`)

[martino]

Takamine Koyuki seems to me a bit like Tsugumi(from Ever 17) from the description that you gave an the pic. Ermmm...in other words...more like my words: cute!

[mangatron]

OMG! An ero-game based anime that doesn't have a loli character? It's the end of the world!!!! ;)


Don't worry. It just so happens with me around it's only the beginning :heh: :heh: :heh: :uhoh:

I need no introduction as to how much I long for this series. But, if you must...
.

.

.

.

KAWAIIII!!! ARRR I CAN'T TAKE IT MY NOSE BLEEDETH LIKE MAD!!! I HAVE NOW SET THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR BIGGEST WATERFALL OF NOSEBLOOD!! THIS MUST BE THE MEANING OF "FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH" LOL :heh: :heh:

[Shinova]

Koyuki's apron is a divine miracle.

[Kaioshin Sama]

I saw a trailer for this but I thought is was just a really bad acid trip till now, all I remember was a really overly happy song and smiling girls everywhere. I'll pass for sure, at least on the first run.

[Cloudnine]

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4572/untitled1of9.jpg
lol, a miracle indeed! Not only does it have infinite storage capabilities, it comes with water, electric, and gas service! Take that Doraemon! XD


I hope they will try to add in as much of Ibuki's storyline if possible, maybe even animating the final battle sequence that takes place in the treasure chamber. That scene was one of the most exciting magic battles in the game and ended very nicely with the heartwarming reunion~ *sniff* perfect for an anime adaption, imo.

Mah... as long as they don't use the harem ending (true path), I'm all happy~

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

The first two are a little big.
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2128/11596225327222488x1741xm8.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11596225327222488x1741xm8.jpg) http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/6587/1132968532112132000x1350dz5.th.jpg (http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1132968532112132000x1350dz5.jpg) http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8382/200610031159871930293uo4.th.jpg (http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200610031159871930293uo4.jpg) http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5508/200610031159850032672cp6.th.jpg (http://img96.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200610031159850032672cp6.jpg)

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/4045/113339294468102rl6.th.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=113339294468102rl6.jpg) http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/859/113936846921094rs4.th.jpg (http://img142.imageshack.us/my.php?image=113936846921094rs4.jpg)
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2027/200608061154836373797lf1.th.jpg (http://img150.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200608061154836373797lf1.jpg)

[Shinova]

Mwaaaaa,


http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/9141/groupbedhires1it9.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=groupbedhires1it9.jpg)

[eggplant]

Just saw Episode 1.

Haha, at least this Haruhi is well endowed ^^;

Cute girl mages, a harem setting, a girl name Haruhi, and Jun (don't say crossdresser)...what else can you have to ask for?

Retaining the original game cast is a plus for the gamers, and proof that politics don't always play into the seiyuu spectrum.

Tha artwork was off on some scenes, but nothing to complain about. I liked the Murata Ayumi (who sang the Lamune OP) opening song, very up-beat and catchy.

Well, it was Jun for me all the way. Too bad he's not eligible for the Saimoe Tournament next year.

[Spuffy]

Nice first little episode. They followed the game storyline for the most with some minor changes. The interesting part was how the story was presented from Haruhi's view for the most parts, which worked out pretty good.
The Jun parts didn't make me disappointed. But I did miss Ibuki who only got a few brief shots. But she did look good. Now I'm just hoping Miru will use her more moe~ like voice for her.

[ayyo]

My thoughts :d (http://www.makenaidesuwayo.com/2006/10/05/happiness-01/#more-987)

Seems like they're not going to do it the game way with the overall energy flowing out of people's ears and stuff but a slow pace for romance.

[Deathkillz]

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4572/untitled1of9.jpg
lol, a miracle indeed! Not only does it have infinite storage capabilities, it comes with water, electric, and gas service! Take that Doraemon! XD


lol that is soooo cute!! ^__^ would that actually be shown in the anime or just made up?
looks like ill get to see it tomorrowz ;) cnt w8

[Cloudnine]

Seems like they're not going to do it the game way with the overall energy flowing out of people's ears and stuff but a slow pace for romance.
I noticed that too. The pacing is slower than I expected despite the fast OP intro, but for me it's in a good way since it's refreshing break apart from the more randomly paced titles like Tsuyokisu and ZnT. The music is fits well with pacing too with it's light acoustic and piano composition, sadly though it is easily forgettable as it doesn't leave a strong impression (yet).

What bothered me the most is the long drawn out silences in BGM... While it's nice that they place BGM tracks on important scenes (Ibuki entrance scene was especially nice~) the silences in between combined with the rough dialogue really threw the pacing off. This reminds much of how Lamune was presented (which I am not really fond of...)

http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/9115/vlcsnap249794an0.jpg
Such a sweet and carefree smile^^ *melts*

The animation is pretty rough in a few areas and the magic battle was a pretty sad sight to see. (ugh... CG magic >.>) However, the key character animation is much better than I expected though. I especially liked how Artland adapted the original character designs and added a "shoujo" feel to it. Artland's emphasis on athmosphere and perspective is easily seen as well. The saturated lighting in some of the scenes added a nice artistic touch.

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/4610/vlcsnap253068do0.jpg
Definately getting a shoujo vibe...

The next episode is going to cover the flower viewing event ^^ Maybe now we can finally see Koyuki's apron in action~ *wakuwaku* It will be very interesting if they play to follow the game script for that scene...

Another must watch on the list next to Yoakemaeyori and Kanon~~ (´∀｀)ゞ

[ayyo]

Ah~, that was the word I was looking for, "shoujo". Defiantely the vibe it was giving off.

And yeah, haha, shame about the CG. Wish they could've made the cg blend in better with their art style, but then again, if I get a penny for everytime I said that line, I would be a millionaire.

I was actually looking forward (and still am) to seeing how they'll do stuff like
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/1546/hpcrop1eh3.jpg
this
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/8973/hpcrop2up4.jpg
and this into anime form.

[Li Jianliang]

...The animation quality wasn't all that great, and the magical girl sequence got boring about two seconds into the first one. Most of the characters are fairly flat and I bet I can predit what will happen to almost all of them.

Soooo, I'm going to dro...keep watching the series for Jun. And only for Jun! Jun is awesome. I'd want Jun as a girlfriend. Kyaha~

[Shinova]

Soooo, I'm going to dro...keep watching the series for Jun. And only for Jun! Jun is awesome. I'd want Jun as a girlfriend. Kyaha~

Re Jun:


Jun's a guy.

[Cloudnine]

I think they'll have a problem with Ibuki's magic since it's overly flashy and one sidedly powerful. Multiple magic circles? check. wide area effect? check. Huge explosions? check...

unnnn...suddenly, I just felt a burst of pity for the poor guys doing CG in this series ^^;;

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/1724/3ab0.jpg
Ibuki's magic. Yes, all the circles are independantly animated.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/4837/1ep8.jpg
Haruhi using Soprano.

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/2320/4db5.jpg
Imo, Hiragi's magic looks the coolest~ ´ω`) So much emotion!

[NeoSam]

Re Jun:


Jun's a guy.

But you know, Jun:


He's the cutest bishoujo ever :heh: ok, by saying this I got myself sick.

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

Jun in certainly a scene stealer. I don't speak Japanese, but I could see why Jun's so popular.

How coy do we want to be about Jun's "secret"? It's revealed on the first page of this thread, and there's a massive hint on the second.

Frankly, if we keep dodging pronouns, sentences will start getting awkward. People will figure it out.

[ayyo]

Jun's secret isn't a 'secret'. The game reveals Jun for what Jun is on the first few minutes and the anime revealed it halfway through the first episode.

[Spuffy]

I think they'll have a problem with Ibuki's magic since it's overly flashy and one sidedly powerful. Multiple magic circles? check. wide area effect? check. Huge explosions? check...

unnnn...suddenly, I just felt a burst of pity for the poor guys doing CG in this series ^^;;

If they kidnap those guys who did the magic in Nanoha and use them for manual labor (which they already should be used to anyway) Artland shouldn't have any problems getting it right.

...whishful thinking.

[Li Jianliang]

Re Jun:
Jun's a guy.
Why would I want a normal girl for a girlfriend to start with? Jun is the awesomest girlfriend ever... Rwrr~ *_*That said, I shall start an episode-by-episode picture collection of Jun, in the fashion of a true fan in love.

I ♥ Jun - Part 1 (of 13) (http://atashi.animeblogger.net/2006/10/i-%e2%99%a5-jun-part-1-of-13/)

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

Jun's secret isn't a 'secret'. The game reveals Jun for what Jun is on the first few minutes and the anime revealed it halfway through the first episode.
Thanks. I heard Jun announced it quickly in the game. I suspected the same thing was true of the anime, but I couldn't say for sure.

[Srin Tuar]

This reminds much of how Lamune was presented (which I am not really fond of...)


Yes! I got the exact same lamune feeling.
Lamune was slow, but it was never boring.

This series seems nice and cute and well worth watching.

I'm wondering the the male protagonist has some secret magic powers or something.
(I was half expecting him to use them at any point)

It seems he's either lost his powers or else is being secretive about them.

Interesting :)

[Sailor Enlil]

Hmm, so now there's yet another very significant Haruhi in anime (ie lead female).

First there was
http://xs307.xs.to/xs307/06405/haruhi_fujioka.jpg

Then there was
http://xs307.xs.to/xs307/06405/haruhi_suzumiya.jpg

And now we have
http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/9115/vlcsnap249794an0.jpg
Such a sweet and carefree smile^^ *melts*

My thoughts :d (http://www.makenaidesuwayo.com/2006/10/05/happiness-01/#more-987)
Next episode… The Melancholy of Kamisaka Haruhi I?
LOL! Nice one!

[panzerfan]

2006 is the year of Haruhi, in some ways. Memories of Suzumiya still runs deep and Fujioka has just finished her run, and now Kamisaka will complete the last months of 2k6.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Made me feel, well, happy. The characters. The pacing. The gentle relationship. The fact that her hesitation didn't last that long. The nice, rather standard, character design. As a fan of Mahoraba, I liked seeing the word "heartful" in the subtitle.

And some lovely voices, even if they aren't big names, at least in anime. Sakakibara Yui (http://www.sakakibarayui.com/top/index.htm), who plays Haruhi, has done scads of games, shows, insert songs, etc., etc. She's having a live concert for her birthday on Sunday (http://www.lovetrax.net/yui_live/yui_live2006.html) in Yokohama. And I look forward to hearing Koyuki, who is played by Hinata Yura (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=43646), the seiyuu who did such a great job with Kareha (Shuffle).

If this can be as satisfying as Lamune, I'll be delighted. The way they smiled at each other at the end.... Mmmmm. Lovely. And I particularly liked the background music, myself. The animation was less starry than I've come to expect from Artland, but it felt right, and the magic circles and fire were good. I'm coming to the conclusion that Artland actually has good instincts for real art, understated but artistic. (Correction: I just watched their Gin-iro no Olynssis. Not good.)

[DoReMiFaSo]

I watched the first episode without knowing much background info on the game. At first, I thought it'd only be a cliche harem show. Boy, was I wrong.

It was nice, cute, and fun to watch. Maybe it's the "shoujo" vibes that makes it not your typical harem show. I am already taken a liking to Haruhi. But I don't really have any special feelings for Jun. She's just a typical bishoujo, other than the fact that she is a...

he

[NeoSam]

The folllowing site has lots of images from Happiness! (Warning: do not use the site unless you are 18+)

http://akibakko.net/posts/tags/happiness

After looking at some of these pictures, I really have to check the first episode as soon as possible :heh:

[Cloudnine]

She's just a typical bishoujo, other than the fact that she is a...

he
unnnn... 'typical' would be the last adjective I would use to describe Jun ^^;; If anything, Jun is the most eccentric character out of the entire cast. Hopefully, they'll give Jun more airtime than the first episode~ *prays*

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2133/200605231148388931zv6.th.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200605231148388931zv6.jpg) http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6969/200606111150024181bu8.th.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200606111150024181bu8.jpg) http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5605/200606121150100770js3.th.jpg (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200606121150100770js3.jpg) http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/245/200606121150100914sk9.th.jpg (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200606121150100914sk9.jpg)

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[kct]

unnnn... 'typical' would be the last adjective I would use to describe Jun ^^;; If anything, Jun is the most eccentric character out of the entire cast. Hopefully, they'll give Jun more airtime than the first episode~ *prays*
I look at Jun as more as a source of comedy, given how he is 'just like any other guy except for the fact that he wears female clothing'. Especially the way he fit into Yuma's (sp) gang.

[Furudanuki]

Yes! I got the exact same lamune feeling.
Lamune was slow, but it was never boring.
Like a moth to a floodlight... If there is a chance that this show will be anything like Lamune, then I will be watching. :)

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

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[Cloudnine]

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/968/060912cw4.th.jpg (http://img133.imageshack.us/my.php?image=060912cw4.jpg)
*melts* It's so hard to find Ibuki artwork (Jun is a fan favorite everywhere) This one is really good, especially with the moe~ caption. （´∀｀∩）

If you find more Ibuki, please post them!

[Cloudnine]

I look at Jun as more as a source of comedy, given how he is 'just like any other guy except for the fact that he wears female clothing'. Especially the way he fit into Yuma's (sp) gang.
Yes, Jun is a guy, but that's not what makes him such a unique character. unnnn... It's difficult to put it into words, but Jun is just.... Jun ^^;; His character and personality just doesn't fit easily into standard character types you see often in anime or gaming~~

I would recommend saving your judgement till after one or two more episodes ^^

[Kaioshin Sama]

Now all they need is someone to post the CG set from the game........... Oh, wait right!

[Deathkillz]

Yes, Jun is a guy, but that's not what makes him such a unique character. unnnn... It's difficult to put it into words, but Jun is just.... Jun ^^;; His character and personality just doesn't fit easily into standard character types you see often in anime or gaming~~

I would recommend saving your judgement till after one or two more episodes ^^

now that is shocking...just watched ep 1 and i thought that jun was pretty lively and cute...but now ya tell me that she is actually a he...*i blame myself for not knowing jap*
so whts should my reaction be if i see sexy pics of him...like the ones maidsx3 posted :heh: anyway i dnt mind cause hes a girl at heart ^_^
well the first ep was not amazing but not unwatchable...i found it quite slow paced which is something im not particularly fond off...i hope it picks up later :)

[Shinova]

I have a game-related question for those who've played the game,


Exactly when and how did Yuma meet Koyuki? How long have they known each other? At the start of the game they seem familiar with each other to call each other by their first names (with -san at the end).

[Cloudnine]

I have a game-related question for those who've played the game,

Exactly when and how did Yuma meet Koyuki? How long have they known each other? At the start of the game they seem familiar with each other to call each other by their first names (with -san at the end).
They've know each other prior to the game events. According to Yuma, one day while he was leaving school, Koyuki approached him by the school gate. Usually in this situation, any guy would be thrilled to be able to talk to such a beautiful girl. However, the first thing that came out of her mouth was...

"あなた、とても不幸なお持ちですね."
"Your fortune is filled with unhappiness."

Yuma finds out that the person on front is none other than, Koyuki Takamine, the famous fortune teller at his school. Her fame, of course, stems from the fact that her predictions for bad fortunes always come true.

It goes without saying that Yuma is quite afraid of getting his fortune told by Koyuki ^^

[relentlessflame]

The way they keep telling this story from two perspectives is interesting for the genre because Haruhi's personality and insecurity is mostly out in the open, and it's Yuuma (the "male lead") who's hiding all the mysteries.
Haruhi's insecurity and lack of self-confidence is pretty endearing, and I guess it isn't entirely unwarranted, as Yuuma definitely seems the "keep things to himself" type. It's sort of a funny romance in that way; he's obviously taken a liking to her, but is pretty stoic and cool when he's around her. I don't know if he's keen enough to notice her advances (beyond the fact that he's noticing her more in general), but that hang-up about the past and magic definitely seems like the main hurdle they have to overcome. Interesting that Sumomo and Haruhi know each other from their childhood too... it all adds up to there being more to tell.

They continue to play Anri is a walking magical disaster, and Koyuki as "just a little bit off the wall", but I wonder what role they're going to play in the plot going forward? Should be interesting, though.All in all, the second episode carries on like the first, and continues to move things forward. Good stuff.

[Spuffy]

Some slight changes with the story itself compared to the game but nothing that I really mind except for:
Why couldn't they have Koyuki keep her awesome apron?!?
And I did hope, against logic I guess, that Miru would use her overcute voice for Ibuki as she did in Re:Lucks. But I didn't expect that to begin with, so there wasn't really any loss there.
Overall a nice episode.

[Cloudnine]

ah~ah... I can't believe Koyuki didn't whip out her four dimensional apron. I was totally looking forward to seeing more of her quirky (i.e. scheming) nature...

Σ(ﾟДﾟ)/ (Koyuki fan outrage!)

Still, I can't complain much since I actually liked this episode. Artland's animation style for Happiness! is really starting to grow on to me, especially after watching the HD version of the first episode (The animation really shines~)


http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6198/vlcsnap374895pr7.jpg
Haruhi's expression when she finds out Jun is a guy. She can be so cute when flustered~ ^^

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2586/ayyohappiness02avi00000ki4.png
Ibuki speaks for the first time. I agree with Spuffy about the voicing, hearing her moe version in Re:lucks will make anyone melt in seconds. Though I really doubt they'll use it though, especially since the focus is all on Haruhi (no Ibuki character development ;_; ) Maybe Sumomo can do something about it...

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/1931/vlcsnap383895by0.jpg
Sumomo and Haruhi meets for the first time? Sumomo calls Haruhi 'Hime-chan' which suggests some sort of childhood relationship between the two.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/4475/vlcsnap387462cm5.jpg
Koyuki is as beautiful as always ^^ Apparently, she casted a magical barrier around the sakura tree to prevent others from entering. Yet, Yuma able to enter. Mystery...

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/9508/vlcsnap387807ow6.jpg
Tama-chan now plays the role of the apron. When you think about it, it may be a good idea not to have the other heroines stand out too much and take the spotlight away from Haruhi. A bit dissapointing nonetheless.

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3866/vlcsnap389689wn8.jpg
The animation and athmosphere of the last scene left a strong impression, especially with Haruhi's last narration.

"Kohinata-kun, I believe magic is to create happiness for others."

ah~ good stuff indeed! （´∀｀）

[Eleutheria]

Watched the second episode.

Until Koyuki showed up I had this fantastic theory that Yuuma had unconsciously created a force field around the entire hanami spot, preventing people he didn't know from entering.

I then went on to concoct a theory about how brutal, brutal childhood angst had repressed his magical abilities, but they're leaking out now.

Wrong, I guess.

I do have some questions:

1) If Haruhi's memories can be trusted, both males and females can use magic. Why aren't there any male magicians anywhere in the anime?

2) Why isn't there racism (or racism analogue) between the magic-users and the normal humans?

3) I still think there's gotta be angst in Yuuma's past.

[Kaoru Chujo]

I keep standing back and thinking this is a bad, cliched, show, but then I realize that I'm having a good time and loving the characters, especially Haruhi. And it's moe-melt time when Koyuki speaks: her seiyuu is Hinata Yura (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=43646), who did Kareha in Shuffle.

And I couldn't help loving it that Haruhi......was so tired from staying up worrying that Yuuma didn't like magic that she fell asleep against his shoulder at hanami and then he had to carry her home on his back. Is that the fastest a female lead has ever gone from not knowing a guy to being carried home on his back? Probably not, but it was great. And that last scene really is a winner.

[Thelastguardian]

http://baka-tsuki.net/Screenshots/snapshot.PNG

hehehe, took me about 2 seconds to get the joke :) .


Is it just me or has the animation quality for episode 2 dropped a lot compared to the 1st episode??

[relentlessflame]

Still, I can't complain much since I actually liked this episode. Artland's animation style for Happiness! is really starting to grow on to me, especially after watching the HD version of the first episode (The animation really shines~)You know, I have to admit, for a show that isn't actually drawn/animated in HD, that's a pretty high quality HD upscale. It very nearly borders DVD quality, which is a pretty rare thing from upscaled TV raws. But I also agree - I really do like the art and animation in this show (typical mismatching CG movement notwithstanding).

(Edit: I said that, but the "HD" raws for episode 2 appear to have reverted to typical sub-par levels of "awful upscale". It even has dot crawl... :/ )

Is it just me or has the animation quality for episode 2 dropped a lot compared to the 1st episode??I can't say that I noticed a particular drop in quality (like, I didn't notice any really attrocious keyframes or bad tweening or anything... then again, I'd only notice if it really stood out badly), though the content of the episode did involve less effects and movement overall.

[Vexx]

The (MFI) tag lets you know you're not even supposed to *ASK* that question (read the notes on Media Factory C&D or the very first post).

[Cloudnine]

I do have some questions:

1) If Haruhi's memories can be trusted, both males and females can use magic. Why aren't there any male magicians anywhere in the anime?

2) Why isn't there racism (or racism analogue) between the magic-users and the normal humans?

3) I still think there's gotta be angst in Yuuma's past.
1. Because male magicians aren't interesting.

2. This isn't ZnT, the focus of the story is completely different. Don't worry about the small details~

3. Bingo!

[dkellis]

Jun continues to be awesome.

Strangely, it's more like Jun is awesome as the sort of person I'd like to be friends with, rather than as a standard bishoujo (such as it is). It's probably an entirely erroneous and inaccurate feeling, but I feel that Jun is by far the most interesting character in the show.

[DoReMiFaSo]

ep 2 is a bit uneventful, but we get to know more about the characters. It's a bit cliche in parts, but it's still fun to watch. I like Haruhi more and more. :)

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

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Wallpaper
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6899/200610091160322786uc8.th.jpg (http://img155.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200610091160322786uc8.jpg) http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/6966/2006022215477bj7.th.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2006022215477bj7.jpg) http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3473/junm16dm6.th.jpg (http://img155.imageshack.us/my.php?image=junm16dm6.jpg)

[NeoSam]

Edit:

>.< oops we are not supposed to talk about this in here >.<

This is a Media Factory anime >.<

[Cloudnine]

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/674/485jh2.th.jpg (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=485jh2.jpg)
Y⌒Y⌒(ﾟ∀ﾟ)⌒Y⌒(｡A｡)⌒Y⌒(ﾟ∀ﾟ)⌒Y⌒Y !!! *rolls around the floor laughing*

Have the artists' webby? I so want to congratulate him on making one of the funniest 'Jun' moments I've seen ^^

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

Y⌒Y⌒(ﾟ∀ﾟ)⌒Y⌒(｡A｡)⌒Y⌒(ﾟ∀ﾟ)⌒Y⌒Y !!! *rolls around the floor laughing*

Have the artists' webby? I so want to congratulate him on making one of the funniest 'Jun' moments I've seen ^^

I do but I'll need some guidance from the moderators before I post the URL. Like many doujin artist sites, it has a ton of adult illustrations. Most of the "Happiness!" stuff is relatively tame, but he's not shy about depicting his own character in "adult situations."

[Wandering_Youth]

What a cliche anime, hmm.

I just saw the first subbed episode and it was all right. It had a lot of cute girls and funny moments but the story doesn't seem that interesting.

The only really interesting moment in the episode was probably when I found out that Jun was a guy. I was shocked since I thought Jun was just Yuuma's girl childhood friend or something. I never saw it coming!:twitch: What's the reason why Jun is dressed up as a girl anyway? I don't buy his "it makes me look cute" reason for dressing up like that. Is there a deeper reason for him to be a total drag queen.

[NeoSam]

The first chapter of the seinen manga Happiness! has been scanlated by Kawaii Heavens group :)

Link: Manganews (http://www.manganews.net/seriesinfo.php?id=5333).

Happiness! manga is serialized in the seinen manga magazine Comic Alive, the magazine thats also serializing the seinen manga Zero no Tsukaima.

[Deathkillz]

well my impression of ep 2 is the same as ep 1...
again nothing too special...quite a slow paced series but its interesting to see the spells go wrong brought to you by anri :heh:
turning rain into saké is marvalous lol
i think im in love with jun now...she (he) is just too cute and her liveliness is really attractive ^_^

[martino]

This series looks quite interesting to me. To tell you the truth this might be my fav series that I'm watching at the moment.

However, Jun is just too damn cute to be a GUY. I can't believe this...

[Deathkillz]

excuse me but id just have to post this screen cap showing off jun's cuteness ^_^ even when screamed at :p

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3192/snapshot20061015210933ws8.th.jpg (http://img214.imageshack.us/my.php?image=snapshot20061015210933ws8.jpg)

note to self...shes not a guy! >.<

[Shiroth]

note to self...shes not a guy! >.<
If you keep telling yourself that, it'll do serious damage to your brain.

[NeoSam]

However, Jun is just too damn cute to be a GUY. I can't believe this...

Jun's ultimate goal is to turn straight men to gay :heh:

[Shiroth]

Jun's ultimate goal is to turn straight men to gay :heh:
& for me, that add's even more moe-ness to Jun. :3

[darkchibi07]

Jun's ultimate goal is to turn straight men to gay :heh:

And support the yaoi market even more?!! Ah, hell naw!!! :upset:

[Matrim]

I just watched the first episode and while it was full of cliches (I am starting to really hate the "fateful childhood encounter with the future love of my life" scenario), it somehow did not manage to annoy me as cliche-ridden series normally do.

[Vexx]

Aye.... I'm enjoying the series now.... but I'm considering headshots for the next writing team that decides to use the "you encountered each other in childhood" plot driver.... sheesh.

That might be true in tiny Japan ... maybe everyone *does* meet each other as children :) :) :) <lol> but I don't think they all make pinky promises or evolve lifelong fantasies about some six year old they met once as children.

[aeroshadow]

I'll go ahead and agree with some other people here that this show is extremely cliche. None of the characters really have any personality; they all seem like shells of whatever character archetype they are supposed to be playing for. As for the storyline, it's not like I was interested.

Even so, I actually, uh... enjoyed it. Just a little. I think this show managed to avoid the more annoying aspects of its genre, and from what I've been shown, it seems like it'll have a decent sense of pacing as well. It's a pretty quiet show, and in turn, pretty relaxing and pleasant as well, plus it can hold my attention, some way or another.

I liked Jun. Even though he sometimes bordered on annoying, this first episode made me like him a lot more than I did when I had just been shown pictures on 4chan. Although his personality is not really a personality (hopefully this will be remedied), it's amusing for sure; he steals the attention in almost every scene he's in, seriously! That could just be me, though.

[Vexx]

Just finished first ep....

Jun is kind of interesting/novel/odd :) but they all seem okay with Jun which I find kind of nice.

I guess what impresses me most is the *soundtrack* ... its pretty rich/vibrant/lush.... not as atmospheric as, say, Tweeny Witches but remarkably full considering the fairly limited animation I've seen so far. The special effects (mahou sparkle lights) are pretty decent, again considering the "petopeto-san" animation.

The series was definitely not hard to like ... but it would help their coloring if they'd back off on the brightness a bit and the blonde mage looks like someone stenciled Negima's Asuna and just switched the color template.

The magic staves look pretty sophisticated and communicate with their master ... thats a neat bit I'd like to see in some RPG/MMO games.

Eh... worth continuing to watch.

[Aoie_Emesai]

I just watched the first episode and while it was full of cliches (I am starting to really hate the "fateful childhood encounter with the future love of my life" scenario), it somehow did not manage to annoy me as cliche-ridden series normally do.

I haven't seen the anime myself so i'm unsure of what to expect, but from what you said, it may be cliche, but it's good though, right?

[Matrim]

Well, good enough to make me want to watch more of it. Just don't ask me why, objectively speaking it's almost nothing but cliche after cliche. Maybe it's because the characters don't look borderline retarded as say those in Strawberry Panic or Mai Otome or some other show full of nothing but cliches. Also the show doesn't seem to take itself too seriously (it seemed that way mostly because of the comedy provided by Anri and Jun) which can be a major problem when combined with a lack of originality.

[Deathkillz]

I haven't seen the anime myself so i'm unsure of what to expect, but from what you said, it may be cliche, but it's good though, right?

well based on the first 2 eps i still think its kinda average...the mood seems a bit slow and not lively enough...but i will give it a few more eps before deciding...imo jun is the only reason im carrying on atm :heh:

[Vexx]

So far this is one of those "on the balance worth some small waste of time" situations for me... once I watch the others I have on queue, if I have a spare moment I'll watch this. Its the same way I discovered Lamune and Petopetosan, by trips and odd glances, so if Happiness turns out to be a durable bit of niceness for the whole series, I've not incorrectly set my expectations.

[DaFool]

I'm watching this show just for Jun, because Jun is just too awesome.

Jun is the perfect combo of masculine / feminine that appeals to guys. He likes to hang out, he's cute and spunky, and he's generous. If only real-life gays were like this, I'd join the queer club immediately. (This coming from a homophobe). Sadly this idealized moe image only exists in the bishoujo game-turned-anime. Real life has exactly the combination of masculine / feminine that turns off guys.

[martino]

Hmm...so in the game, was there actually a path for Jun? I assume that you play as the main chracter(the guy, whatever his name is) and he knows that Jun is a guy...so he would basically turn gay...d'oh

No really, is there a path for Jun in the game???

[NeoSam]

Hmm...so in the game, was there actually a path for Jun? I assume that you play as the main chracter(the guy, whatever his name is) and he knows that Jun is a guy...so he would basically turn gay...d'oh

No really, is there a path for Jun in the game???

If there was a path like that, it would probably be one of the bad paths :heh:

Main character's last words before the game ends: "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo >.< I somehow eneded up with a guy"

LOL :heh:

[Vexx]

I'm watching this show just for Jun, because Jun is just too awesome.

Jun is the perfect combo of masculine / feminine that appeals to guys. He likes to hang out, he's cute and spunky, and he's generous. If only real-life gays were like this, I'd join the queer club immediately. (This coming from a homophobe). Sadly this idealized moe image only exists in the bishoujo game-turned-anime. Real life has exactly the combination of masculine / feminine that turns off guys.

Yeah.. unfortunately (?) I've never met a confident "okay with himself" package like Jun in real life. I have met some very flirty guys who were hilarious but they usually had emotional baggage just under the surface... as far as I can tell, Jun is a completely a character of fiction.

What I can't tell yet is if Jun is a serious transexual --- as in believes he was mis-issued his physical equipment.... or if he just likes to roleplay as a girl because he feels more comfortable with that social role.

[Kisuke06]

I read somewhere a while ago that in the original game there isn't a path for Jun, but there is one in the sequel Happiness! Re:Lucks. But since I haven't played I can't say for sure.

[Cloudnine]

No really, is there a path for Jun in the game???
Not in the original game, but in the fandisc sequel, Happiness! Re:Lucks (はぴねす！りらっくす)

In the sequel, there is a short scenario where Jun gets a hold of a magic wand from a mysterious wizard. From that point all logic goes flying out the window~ ヽ(´ー｀)ノ

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/5493/1fm2.jpg
95% of people who bought the game bought it for yours truly~ (;´ Д `)

[darkchibi07]

Imagine creating a mahou shounen spin-off series based on that! :uhoh:

[relentlessflame]

95% of people who bought the game bought it for yours truly~ (;´ Д `)
In the 5%... :sad:

No, seriously... Jun is an interesting supporting character and all, but I think I'm one of the few who actually enjoys the game/anime for Haruhi's story (and the other characters as well). Although it has a lot of cliches (most do...), it's still a sweet high school romance (with at least a somewhat interesting magical backplot as well - we'll see how it plays out in the anime). I guess all that to say that Jun's fine, but for me at least, he doesn't "steal" or "make" the show, he complements it. Then again, that's the 5%... :heh:

[Vexx]

Add me to the 5% in that Jun provides some nice comedy relief and rounds out the series but the core of the show is indeed the central romance.

[justinstrife]

Add me to the 5% in that Jun provides some nice comedy relief and rounds out the series but the core of the show is indeed the central romance.

I'm with you two on this. Jun adds to the show alot, but he's definetly not hte central theme for me. I'm in this for the romance elements completely.

[Scribble]

I hate to break the chain, but if it weren't for Jun, I'd have dropped this anime completely. I know it's too early to decide, but I don't *really* like Haruhi that much, and it seems that Happiness won't go down the harem path, and it's Haruhism the whole way through. I prefer stuff like Bokura Ga Ita for one on one romances, I usually go for the "shounen romances" for the 'multiple choice' aspect.

But what is it about Jun? Jun didn't have that many lines in the first episode, and he hasn't got a personality which is *that* unique in anime....but he rocks.

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

Hmm...so in the game, was there actually a path for Jun? I assume that you play as the main chracter(the guy, whatever his name is) and he knows that Jun is a guy...so he would basically turn gay...d'oh

No really, is there a path for Jun in the game???

As was pointed out, in Happiness! Re:Lucks, there is a Jun path.
You have a choice. You can either "date" Jun as he is or, via magic, Jun can transform into a girl.

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

http://img439.imageshack.us/img439/5520/492nj8.th.jpg (http://img439.imageshack.us/my.php?image=492nj8.jpg) http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4895/posjuniu3.th.jpg (http://img178.imageshack.us/my.php?image=posjuniu3.jpg) http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/1949/4953ku1.th.jpg (http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4953ku1.jpg) http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3960/1160637367999sz0.th.jpg (http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1160637367999sz0.jpg) http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/5769/42ffjo9.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=42ffjo9.jpg)

http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/7329/444xe9.th.jpg (http://img111.imageshack.us/my.php?image=444xe9.jpg) http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/4662/42bik8.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=42bik8.jpg) http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/2375/45blh0.th.jpg (http://img468.imageshack.us/my.php?image=45blh0.jpg) http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/5339/junjunee6.th.jpg (http://img172.imageshack.us/my.php?image=junjunee6.jpg)

[NeoSam]

As was pointed out, in Happiness! Re:Lucks, there is a Jun path.
You have a choice. You can either "date" Jun as he is or, via magic, Jun can transform into a girl.


I'm intrigued >.< if I ever play the game, I might date him as he is :twitch: WTF what did I just say :twitch: Jun's magical powers are turning me gay as we speak :eyespin: :heh:

[martino]

As was pointed out, in Happiness! Re:Lucks, there is a Jun path.
You have a choice. You can either "date" Jun as he is or, via magic, Jun can transform into a girl.
OMG! I need to learn Japanese (and NO, I'm not gay :) )

[Spuffy]

Episode 3 was entertaining.
I like the different design more and more, especially Haruhi looks quite a bit cuter. But somehow they don't get Sumomo quite right.
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6586/haruhiqr0.th.jpg (http://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=haruhiqr0.jpg)

It's about how Anri got her job at Oasis. Not that fun itself but they way there got me laughing a number of times. Mostly because they finally found out how to use Jun properly.

among the better moments, apart the ones with Jun, I liked the brief flashback about how Haruhi and Anri met and how Anri, with a little bit support form Yuma, got her magic right. And of course Koyukis way of doing advertising is priceless.

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/804/jun1yc9.th.jpg (http://img180.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jun1yc9.jpg)

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/4921/jun2qd3.th.jpg (http://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jun2qd3.jpg)http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/7591/jun3xf7.th.jpg (http://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jun3xf7.jpg)http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/6260/hachijun2dc5.th.jpg (http://img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hachijun2dc5.jpg)http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5978/hachijun1uy4.th.jpg (http://img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hachijun1uy4.jpg)

I like how Hachi wasn't disgusted by his imagination the second time.

[Kisuke06]

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/4921/jun2qd3.th.jpg (http://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jun2qd3.jpg)http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/7591/jun3xf7.th.jpg (http://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jun3xf7.jpg)http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/6260/hachijun2dc5.th.jpg (http://img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hachijun2dc5.jpg)http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5978/hachijun1uy4.th.jpg (http://img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hachijun1uy4.jpg)

Hehe, nobody can resist Jun, not even Hachi. :heh:

[Sinestra]

Its peaked my intrest i like episode one but i think im going to have wait to see at least 2 or 3 before i commit to posting but so far looks like a fun series

[relentlessflame]

I think they're pushing Anri's capacity for magical mishaps even further than they did in the game (or at least, the frequency of them). :heh: It is good to get some Anri character development, though, and this also helps bring the cafeteria into the school life story, along with a bit of Sumomo, and sheds some more light on Anri and Haruhi's friendship/"rivalry". So all in all, it was a good episode. And Ibuki keeps showing up in every episode for her obligatory one scene, which should (rightfully) imply to everyone that she's important, but I hope they don't keep putting that off 'till too late in the show. That being said, perhaps episode 5's title offers a clue that way (who else could the beautiful girl at midnight be...).

[Cloudnine]

I like the different design more and more, especially Haruhi looks quite a bit cuter. But somehow they don't get Sumomo quite right.
Ah~ You noticed that too? There's just something about Sumomo's character that seems a bit off in the anime. Usually she's more brighter, talkative, friendly, and a bit airheaded in a cute sort of way. In the anime, Sumomo follows your 'normal' imouto chara-type. Polite, caring, and sweet, though this makes her an easily forgettable, especially with Haruhi already in top honors for the position.

Episode three was indeed hilarious to watch. Though fanservice has gone up quite a bit (Anri's apron look is to die for~) it wasn't overdone and fitted in suprisingly well with the humor and flow of the story.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6277/vlcsnap305413yl0.jpg
Poor Hachi, always getting the boke end of the stick...

I particularly liked how they spreaded out the important roles evenly with the main cast. Everyone had their own screentime and roles to play and it felt very natural. With Anri as the focus of the episode, there was some interesting development in her character and her relationship with Haruhi. I have to admit, this is pretty good script writing for a series that isn't following the original game script.

The art direction looks fantastic and very refreshing. They even did a decent job this time with Anri's magic (though originally she's a lightning user...) If they keep this up, this could very be a sleeper hit for the fall season~ （　ﾟ ∀ﾟ ）b

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/2258/1mo5.jpg
.......................＿|￣|O

Anri, donmai!

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5633/4or2.jpg
Jun played a bigger role this episode and in Hachi's homo-erotic delusions ^^ Her missle kick is as formidable as ever, sending Hachi flying 30 feet slamming into a wall!

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/527/3ml7.jpg
Best shot of Anri in the episode. She looks so sexy when serious~

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6212/2vm2.jpg
I especially liked how they portrayed their first meeting. Both Haruhi and Anri came to school with expectations, yet the moment they met those expectations were torn down instantly and they became friends.

ah~ Too sweet ^^

[Li Jianliang]

Way too many Jun screenshots from episode 3 ;_; (http://atashi.animeblogger.net/2006/10/i-%e2%99%a5-jun-part-3-of-13/)

The best Jun screenshot, in my opinion, is the one of him in an apron.http://atashi.animeblogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/jun_03/jun03_26.jpg

[martino]

Now here is a difficult question; how will we refer to Jun as, HE or SHE???

[Wandering_Youth]

Heh, I guess you can use both since it's takes place in a magical world and it is anime after all. I'm leaning towards using the female reference since girls rule in the anime world. :p The more pictures I see of Jun the more cuter and adorable she's becoming. I hope they got a full episode for Jun later on.

[Vexx]

I figure if Jun dresses as a girl and acts like a girl.... "she" is as good as anything. Its just one of the inadequacies of English (like not having a plural "you" so each region invents one -- ya'll, youse guys, etc).

[Spuffy]

Ah~ You noticed that too? There's just something about Sumomo's character that seems a bit off in the anime. Usually she's more brighter, talkative, friendly, and a bit airheaded in a cute sort of way.
That is one thing, but also I think (and I know this is a highly personal opinion) the different design in the anime doesn't quite work for her. While the more round faces suits Haruhi and the rest (especially Koyuki) it makes Sumomo look kind of "circular". (We call it "pancake face" here)

http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/3185/haruhigamewu3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/3815/haruhianimeuh2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/8091/susumogamezn6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/5887/sumomogame2et2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/6708/susumoanimebs5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

They should also make more use of her ribbon, it was a nice way of adding to her current emotional state. Sure, it's not as versitile as Sumikas ahoge (which can be used for showing dozens of emotions - without even showing the rest of the body (http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1936/sumikaqt9.jpg)).
In the game it had two modes - the normal non-errected one for when she was feeling normal and the errected when she was anything related to being excited or shocked (like when Yuma bursts out that he is a "sis-con"). In the anime it has always the latter look making Sumomo somehow look constantly non-relaxed.

Now here is a difficult question; how will we refer to Jun as, HE or SHE???
Why difficult? It's a guy and that's it. Guys are being refered to as "HE".

[relentlessflame]

They should also make more use of her ribbon, it was a nice way of adding to her current emotional state. [...] In the anime it has always the latter look making Sumomo somehow look constantly non-relaxed.Well, I think this is mostly one of the consequences of the short length. Seeing as Sumomo's the only one of the four main heroines who isn't a mage, I think her character basically got cut/pared down to its simplest form. So the ribbon became "just a ribbon" and the personality became "just a sister".
If they do give her a character episode at all, I have a feeling that it might only be the context of Ibuki, to try to flesh out her character a bit.So yeah, we'll see if they do decide to develop her character a bit, but I think it's one of those things they just won't have time for in 12 episodes. We'll see...

[White Manju Bun]

Well I decided to watch Happiness after everyone on irc was going crazy about Jun so I figured I had to see what the hype was about. Im behind in this series so its being slowly subbed. Ive only seen epi 1 but since its only 12 epis I think Ill probably stick with it.

@3maids: nice Jun pics

[KJlost]

Patriot missile kick pulls through for me in this episode. :D

[Srin Tuar]

Did anyone else think that the facial gradients were overdone?
I kept thinking all the characters had an upset stomach or something...

[Cloudnine]

In the game it had two modes - the normal non-errected one for when she was feeling normal and the errected when she was anything related to being excited or shocked (like when Yuma bursts out that he is a "sis-con"). In the anime it has always the latter look making Sumomo somehow look constantly non-relaxed.
Hehe~ that was a priceless scene ヾ（´∀｀）ﾉ゛

I completely forgot about Sumomo's ribbon~ It wasn't as pronounced as other characters (Sakura from D.C, Hagino from Canvas to name a few) but it did add to her already high moe factor. Though I could have sworn I saw it move in a scene in episode 2. My imagination maybe...

If they do give her a character episode at all, I have a feeling that it might only be the context of Ibuki, to try to flesh out her character a bit.So yeah, we'll see if they do decide to develop her character a bit, but I think it's one of those things they just won't have time for in 12 episodes. We'll see...
I have that same feeling too. It's a good opportunity since they can kill two birds with one stone. One as a way to introduce Ibuki and the other to show the 'odd' side of Sumomo for some yummy character development~

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/108/1rt8.jpg
I sincerely pray that they animate the lunchbox scene ^^

[Sailor Enlil]

Lol anyone else got a kick out of Hachi's ... yodelling? ... when he took the brunt of Jun's Patriot Missle Kick?
ohoohhhhh.... (http://phalanx99.homestead.com/files/anime/ohohhh.mp3)
I didn't know he was such a great vocalist
Of course I figured it was really his scream slowed down to a fraction of its full speed to add humor to the slow motion of the scene.

[relentlessflame]

I have that same feeling too. It's a good opportunity since they can kill two birds with one stone. One as a way to introduce Ibuki and the other to show the 'odd' side of Sumomo for some yummy character development~

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/108/1rt8.jpg
I sincerely pray that they animate the lunchbox scene ^^
Hahaha! I agree - that scene was way too funny! The way Sumomo identified immediately with Ibuki in the game, and the intenseness of her (what sometimes seemed like 'one-sided') friendship was definitely one of the more interesting counter-balances to Ibuki's character (who seemed a little too 'stereotypical bad guy' in Haruhi's plot alone.) So if they blend the plots like that, that'd be neat. That being said, the whole "only 12 episodes" thing keeps coming back to haunt me. We'll see...

[Eleutheria]

Yeah.. unfortunately (?) I've never met a confident "okay with himself" package like Jun in real life.

That's because nobody has ever seen a transsexual/transvestite that is as pleasing to the male eye as Jun is. There are some "hot" transsexuals but they still have a different aura (atmosphere) around them, while Jun is pretty much perfect.


----

Regarding Episode 3, all of it was incredibly tedious and boring, except for the obligatory fanservice scenes and the boke moments.

They need to either up the boke or dive headlong into the angst.

[Cloudnine]

Lol anyone else got a kick out of Hachi's ... yodelling? ... when he took the brunt of Jun's Patriot Missle Kick?
ohoohhhhh.... (http://phalanx99.homestead.com/files/anime/ohohhh.mp3)
I didn't know he was such a great vocalist
Of course I figured it was really his scream slowed down to a fraction of its full speed to add humor to the slow motion of the scene.
Haha~ that was definately in slow motion when you consider how many revolutions Hachi completed in realtime before he slammed into the wall (I counted 5 in total).

Originally in the game, the missle kick was suppose to be a tag team effort between Jun and Yuma, where Yuma would launch Jun into a head on drop kick at poor Hachi.

Very much like this~ ouch!
http://tainted.curry-fury.com/screencaps/mh114.jpg

[dzer]

Joust wondering, can we expect an OVA or something that whould focus on Jun relationship like reluck?

[dzer]

Now here is a difficult question; how will we refer to Jun as, HE or SHE???

He will forever remain he(trap) to me, altering him to girl was made for players who could not face that they liked him.
And before you ask, yes I'm gay for Jun.

[Skane]

Hmmm... thoughts on Ep01-02.

..) It was bugging me at first on what felt different about Happiness from other Ero-Game->Anime(EGA) adaptations. Reading this thread however, revealed the answer. We are watching the series from the perspective of one of the girls( Haruhi), NOT the male lead. This is a breath of fresh air for me. I like.

..) Is it just me, or does it seem as though the upper half of their faces are heavily shaded? It's like... everybody got sunburnt or something. It was distracting at first, but I have gotten used to it by now.

..) When Ibuki started talking, I nearly fell out of my chair. What is her age again? I thought she was a young girl or something.

..) The magic animation is cringe-worthy. I guess I have been spoilt by MS-Lyrical Nanoha. Same goes for the 'Intelligent Devices'. Their voices sound so... lifeless.

..) I wonder how expired some of those chocolates kept by Haruhi are.

..) Anri is annoying me. I find her character... grating.

..) I am very glad that Haruhi is making rapid advancement, despite her constant hestitations. I get enough spinelessness from 'Harem Loser Males' in most EGAs. It would be criminal to transfer that trait into a girl lead.

..) Is it against the law for sisters to be blood-related to their brothers in EGAs? I can't even recall the last EGA to have a blood-related sister and brother.

..) If Anri is considered 2nd best in her batch... what's the 3rd best like? "Behold! Rain to acid!" Even better... Anri is 2nd best because there is nobody else. :p

..) Only 12 episodes? I got a bad feeling already... considering the current pacing. I thought Happiness would be at least 24 episodes.

..) Jun mortifies me.

Cheers.

[Sailor Enlil]

..) I wonder how expired some of those chocolates kept by Haruhi are.
She probably uses magic to keep them fresh, better than any refrigerator.
..) Anri is annoying me. I find her character... grating.
Yeah me too. In fact I think of her as a much more irritating version of Ayumi Mamiya from Magikano.

[dkellis]

..) The magic animation is cringe-worthy. I guess I have been spoilt by MS-Lyrical Nanoha. Same goes for the 'Intelligent Devices'. Their voices sound so... lifeless.

I think one of the reasons why I'm finding it difficult to get into this anime (despite wanting to so very much, believe me) (also not counting the animation/art quality, which I think is a huge factor) is that for some reason I get the feeling that the voice actors/actresses are kind of just phoning it in. Everything just seems so sedate and monotonous.

And the reason why I'm finding Jun to be the most interesting character is because he actually sounds energetic. Like he's actually, well, the character, rather than someone reading off lines.

[dzer]

That's because nobody has ever seen a transsexual/transvestite that is as pleasing to the male eye as Jun is. There are some "hot" transsexuals but they still have a different aura (atmosphere) around them, while Jun is pretty much perfect..

How about Bridget and Peppo?



..) It was bugging me at first on what felt different about Happiness from other Ero-Game->Anime(EGA) adaptations. Reading this thread however, revealed the answer. We are watching the series from the perspective of one of the girls( Haruhi), NOT the male lead. This is a breath of fresh air for me. I like.

Cheers.

...anime from a girl prespective? Arent there tons of them?

[Spuffy]

We are watching the series from the perspective of one of the girls( Haruhi), NOT the male lead. This is a breath of fresh air for me. I like.
You have Tsuyokiss too, but for the greater good, let us pretend it doesn't exist.


When Ibuki started talking, I nearly fell out of my chair. What is her age again? I thought she was a young girl or something.
Ibuki is supposed to be at Sumomo's age.
Miru (who does Ibukis voice) has kind of two different modes for her. One is the more adult sounding voice she has in Happiness. The other one is lethally cute but she uses that in the Re:Lucks fandisc. (Lolis switching between 'bad' and 'good' back and forth is kind of what she does best, like Yuka in GSS.)
Anyway, this (http://nekomimi.se/ibuki.wmv) is what she sounds like in Re:Lucks (~16 MB)


Is it against the law for sisters to be blood-related to their brothers in EGAs? I can't even recall the last EGA to have a blood-related sister and brother.
Since there usually is a scenario for the sister in these games and full incest might be pushing it for some, it's usually a more distant relative, like a cousin, having the sister role. (To quote something I read somewhere regarding cousin relationships in games, animes etc: "Close enough to make it exciting, distant enough to not being dirty.)
There are a few ones with blood related siblings though. Lamune to name one.


Only 12 episodes? I got a bad feeling already... considering the current pacing. I thought Happiness would be at least 24 episodes.
I'm sure the studio wouldn't have minded making a full season. However there is a reality called funds which usually sets a limit. Even if Happiness! was successfull, it's neither Da Capo nor Fate/stay night so a half season is most likely for a show like this.

[Ashlotte]

Well after 2 episodes its turning out to be a pretty cute show. Biggest things I like are one that skane pointed out, which is the show isnt really told from the males POV.


Oh and jun...Something about him thats too awesome I gotta admit. :heh:

[MeganeShounen]

Hmmm... thoughts on Ep01-02.

..) The magic animation is cringe-worthy. I guess I have been spoilt by MS-Lyrical Nanoha. Same goes for the 'Intelligent Devices'. Their voices sound so... lifeless.


Actually, Paella's voice reminded me of the stoic Alastor. At least they don't feature triggers and gunbarrels. That might be too sci-fi for some, and besides StrikerS would fill in for that.

What DID bother me is about Yuma's family. I've never seen a mother give a Valentines chocolate to her son. The sister? That's fine. But the mother? Unheard of for me.

And then there's that part in Episode 3, in the cafeteria. I got goosepimples back there.

[Matrim]

This has to be my favourite light-hearted show this autumn. Bright colours, good looking girls, almost no moments that make me cringe due to some character's idiocy or bad animation, plus it is actually quite funny. Haruhi is so cute and moe but she does not really behave like a total moron, something that seems to be more than exception than a rule these days...I just love her voice.
As for episode two - how did they manage to arrange those chairs for hours? Talk about slow. Jun slipping away with the girls was a nice moment. :heh: And I was quite surprised that a whole month had passed (I think that was the duration between Valentine's and White Day). But it's time for Anri's magic to succeed at least once, it's getting way too repetitive, though I liked it when she arranged some chairs on the ceiling.

[Skane]

...anime from a girl prespective? Arent there tons of them?
Note the first part of my statements. In an EGA, not anime in general.

Cheers.

You have Tsuyokiss too, but for the greater good, let us pretend it doesn't exist.
Hmmm... never watched that before. I'm fairly allergic to 'tsundere' characters( I can count the number of tsunderes I do like on one hand, with an amputated thumb), and a show completely filled with tsunderes will most probably be extremely torturous to me.

I'm sure the studio wouldn't have minded making a full season. However there is a reality called funds which usually sets a limit. Even if Happiness! was successfull, it's neither Da Capo nor Fate/stay night so a half season is most likely for a show like this.
I don't mind 1-cour animes, but the pace better pick up soon if they don't want the last 2-3 episodes to be... cramped, to put it one way.

Cheers.

[Shikimori Kazuki]

is there a reason for why the main male character doesnt use magic? or is he another different person than the little boy in the childhood time?

I'm just guessing but i think the main male character has a grudge towards people using *magic* or something :rolleyes:

[Matrim]

is there a reason for why the main male character doesnt use magic? or is he another different person than the little boy in the childhood time?

If he is another person then that would go against the dreaded "childhood encounter" cliche so I am all for it. But I really doubt it, he probably decided magic is unfair, dangerous or whatever so he stopped using it.

[martino]

is there a reason for why the main male character doesnt use magic? or is he another different person than the little boy in the childhood time?

I'm just guessing but i think the main male character has a grudge towards people using *magic* or something :rolleyes:
We will just have to see later on...

Maybe something bad happened to him when he was little, and it was because of magic...however this is just a hypothesis.

On a side note:
"I want to make everyone happy with my magic."
-exactly the same line as in DC2

[Orrin]

I guess there's a reason for it but i don't know for certain, I never played Haruhis scenario in the game only Sumomos, Anris and Juns (Re:lucks). But the anime has changed a bunch of things so far, so they might change something about that to.

Anyhow this series is turning out quite good, didn't like the first two episodes that much (being a Jun fanboy and all) but episode 3 was actually very good, even better then the corresponding scenes in the game imo.

The only thing i can wish for now is that they get better at interpreting Sumomo, she's actually a quite lovable character once you get to know her.

[valkyrie1337]

Seriously, they need more Jun in the anime. XD Episode 3 was the best one for me so far, seeing that rocket kick by Jun. ^^ Only one thing bugs me in this anime, and that is the voicing for the "intelligent devices". They need a tad more emotion in their voices, methinks.

[Deathkillz]

We will just have to see later on...

Maybe something bad happened to him when he was little, and it was because of magic...however this is just a hypothesis.


exactally wht i was thinking but i think that he has memory loss of his childhood years cause he doesnt seem to show any signs of knowing any magic at all...

jun = :love:

[martino]

Just to get one thing right, in the "Happiness!" world anyone can learn magic? Or is it just restricted to some people born with a power which allows the to learn it?

[P.G.]

Looking foward for the upcoming episodes.... Yuuma's buddies are funny....
Oh well, about Haruhi.. I was wondering how many valentines had past since she as so many chocolates on her closet...

[Cloudnine]

Just to get one thing right, in the "Happiness!" world anyone can learn magic? Or is it just restricted to some people born with a power which allows the to learn it?
If you consider the fact that there are two departments of the school, the magic department and the 'normal' department, and the fact that Hachi is a normal student that wants to get into the 'magic' department but can't. It gives you a good idea that 'normal' students can't practice magic. Therefore, magic is likely limited to birth.

Ah...~ it's difficult trying not to spoil this series ^^;;

[Kisuke06]

If you consider the fact that there are two departments of the school, the magic department and the 'normal' department, and the fact that Hachi is a normal student that wants to get into the 'magic' department but can't. It gives you a good idea that 'normal' students can't practice magic. Therefore, magic is likely limited to birth.

Ah...~ it's difficult trying not to spoil this series ^^;;

So, magic is limited to birth? When Haruhi said that the boy who saved her inspired her to become a mage I tought that at that time she decided to learn magic.

Well, I have just saw episode 2, very good. As takami showed, you can carry a lot of stuff using magic. :heh:

[White Manju Bun]

^ wow two good points that I didnt even pick up on....I figured the "magic" section was just students who wanted to learn magic but since Hachi cant get in.... well we'll have to see what happens.

I did like how Hachi got stuck with Armi and Jun XD

[Matrim]

I don't think it's such a good point. If one can't get into a Nuclear Physics department in some university because he is not that great at maths, physics and so on that does not necessarily mean that if he had tried harder or was a bit smarter he wouldn't have achieved it. We might say that Hachi was just not smart or diligent enougt to get into the magic section. :heh: But then again the magic section girls don't look too bright either. ;)

[Deathkillz]

but why havent we seen any guys from the magic section yet? so far they have all been girls...sexcism? :heh:

[Orrin]

but why havent we seen any guys from the magic section yet? so far they have all been girls...sexcism? :heh:
Do we really want to see magic wielding guys when we can see mahou bishoujos? ;)

Anyhow I don't want to spoil too much so i won't say anything more then "don't get your hopes up" on that part.

I don't really remember if they give any explanation if anyone can use magic or not, maybe they do in Haruhis or Nayukis scenario.

[Matrim]

Maybe they are obliged to follow the magical girl cliche in this school and not allow boys to enroll. :) Seriously, logically speaking there have to some boys in the magic section, we jsut haven't seen them yet, I guess.

[Shiroth]

Here's me.. waiting for Saito to appear with his wonderful talking sword. *coughs*

So far i'm enjoying it for what its worth, though i do believe it would have been better of with the games musical score.. though i really couldn't have seen that happening.

[Cloudnine]

I don't think it's such a good point. If one can't get into a Nuclear Physics department in some university because he is not that great at maths, physics and so on that does not necessarily mean that if he had tried harder or was a bit smarter he wouldn't have achieved it. We might say that Hachi was just not smart or diligent enougt to get into the magic section. :heh:
Interesting idea, but not a good analogy when you consider that anyone can become good in physics with the right amount of effort and study. Magic however, is an innate ability given at birth, therefore cannot be obtained through other means.

I wouldn't downplay Hachi's abilities if I were you. The perverted mind knows no bounds of logic when it comes to beautiful girls in cute uniforms ^^;;

But then again the magic section girls don't look too bright either. ;)
They just lack common sense~ I actually prefer a bit of eccentricity in characters. Just because the character is an honor student doesn't mean that she has to act like one, and Haruhi is a perfect example of this.

I don't really remember if they give any explanation if anyone can use magic or not, maybe they do in Haruhis or Nayukis scenario.
Nayuki? (Kanon reference?) You mean Koyuki! *koyuki fan outrage* If you've played through her story, there are a few hints to the answer. Haruhi's scenario is the main path and pretty much explains everything surrounding Yuma and magic. If you have the game, I would highly recommend playing it since it's an excellent story~ ^^

[relentlessflame]

So, magic is limited to birth? When Haruhi said that the boy who saved her inspired her to become a mage I tought that at that time she decided to learn magic.Well, it's more like you have a natural "affinity" or engrained "proficiency" at magic, but even if you have the natural talent, you have to study to get good at it. It "just so happened" that Haruhi's decision to become a magician worked out because she also had natural latent ability. As Cloudnine says, this idea will be important later on, but I think that's enough of an explanation without spoiling any of that.

Edit:
If you have the game, I would highly recommend playing it since it's an excellent story~ ^^I agree completely. That (Haruhi's scenario) was the first path I played when the box arrived last month, and it's indeed pretty interesting. While the character/obligation episodes are fine, I do hope they "get to it", because there's a lot of ground to cover (and some characters that have yet to show up).

[Orrin]

Nayuki? (Kanon reference?) You mean Koyuki! *koyuki fan outrage* If you've played through her story, there are a few hints to the answer. Haruhi's scenario is the main path and pretty much explains everything surrounding Yuma and magic. If you have the game, I would highly recommend playing it since it's an excellent story~ ^^
Haha so sorry i think Koyanis Kanon is messing with my brain.

I just took a break from Happiness to play Lost child, couldn't resist it. I will go back and clear the rest of Happiness and re:lucks as soon as I'm done with it. To be completely honest I was going to play Haruhis scenario first, but i guess i got charmed by Anris "tsun tsun" and Sumomos bro-con (shouldn't even talk about how much I like Jun).

Thanks for the tips, I really appreciate it.

[martino]

So now we are left with the question what's up with Yuma. Was he the boy at the start(and why he stopped practicing magic), or not(who the hell is that boy then *outaged*)...

[Matrim]

They just lack common sense~ I actually prefer a bit of eccentricity in characters. Just because the character is an honor student doesn't mean that she has to act like one, and Haruhi is a perfect example of this.

I was mostly kidding. Compared to your average school life romantic comedy characters Anri and Haruhi are not stupid at all. I have absolutely no problem with them thus far.

Interesting idea, but not a good analogy when you consider that anyone can become good in physics with the right amount of effort and study.

I really don't think anyone can become good at physics, some things are just not suitable for some people and no amount of effort would make them good at things they have zero natural affinity for. But that's a bit off topic, so let's stop here.

You know, it occured to me that the boy Haruhi is looking for might be Jun. Of course, this is practically impossible to happen since I see no way for any romantic relationship between them and as we all know in anime a faithful childhood encounter inevitably means a romantic affair later. Nevertheless, it would be one heck of surprise. ;)

[relentlessflame]

You know, it occured to me that the boy Haruhi is looking for might be Jun. Of course, this is practically impossible to happen since I see no way for any romantic relationship between them and as we all know in anime a faithful childhood encounter inevitably means a romantic affair later. Nevertheless, it would be one heck of surprise. ;)Well, except for the fact that, considering the flashback scenes, they look nothing alike. :heh: What Haruhi has to "go on" at the moment is a similar look, and his rushing in to try to save the day in episode 1... and that's about it.

[Matrim]

This is anime, you know. It's not as if the small girl that the main character had made a promise with in Love Hina looked like all those who were considered to be her later on. And for all we know Jun might put on a great amount of make up and dye his hair. :) Moreover, as I said, this is just how I would like things to develop, I know this scenario is as likely to happen as hell freezing over.

[Cloudnine]

You know, it occured to me that the boy Haruhi is looking for might be Jun. Of course, this is practically impossible to happen since I see no way for any romantic relationship between them and as we all know in anime a faithful childhood encounter inevitably means a romantic affair later. Nevertheless, it would be one heck of surprise. ;)
I have to admit, that would be hilarious as a sidestory or as one of those alternative spin offs often appearing lately (Muvluv, Futakoi) ^^

Chances of it happening, probably next to zero ;_;

[Shiroth]

I'm actually suprised that sidestory hasen't already been done. It was one of the first ideas that came into my head after the first episode, and i'm sure i'm not the only one. I'd certainly like to try it out.

[Orrin]

Yeah the chances of that happening is extremely low, especially since Jun is supposed to look like girl even before he started dressing like one according to his scenario.

Too bad tough it would have been a nice plot-twist.

[relentlessflame]

It's a bit of a silly episode, but it does explain a little bit more about the "magical partners" that each of the magicians have, and most specifically about Tama-chan, Koyuki's partner. Especially silly was when the cast members got to build their own Tama-chan - needless to say, they reflected the personalities of their creators. :heh: All in all, it provides a bit of backstory, but not a whole lot in terms of plot development overall. And once again, Ibuki gets her obligatory one (and only one) scene - this is almost becoming a gag! :heh: Next episode looks like a haunted house episode that might flesh out Hachi and the rest of the gang a little bit more (and maybe bring Yuma and Haruhi a bit closer... we'll see).

[Kaoru Chujo]

...You know, it occured to me that the boy Haruhi is looking for might be Jun. Of course, this is practically impossible to happen since I see no way for any romantic relationship between them and as we all know in anime a faithful childhood encounter inevitably means a romantic affair later. Nevertheless, it would be one heck of surprise. ;)I actually think this may be true. Wasn't there a shot earlier (I can't remember when or in what episode) that showed Jun's and the boy's eyes as similar? But I don't think it will lead to later romance. An anime innovation, lol? Game players, please don't tell me.

[Guardian Enzo]

Hmmm - so a "Please don't look at my pee-pee" incident may lead to cross-dressing?

[Srin Tuar]

Hrm, I dont like how the show has been going.

The episode was all about Tama-chan creation and usage.
Not very interesting. The fact that the particular tama-chan we
have gotten to know is killed off is a sortof random event is
sortof random feeling. Not sad enough to get any emotion running,
not funny, not anything. The creation of the tama-chan's scene had
potintial to show us something interesting, but instead they glossed over it.

The whole primary romance has been totally put on ice, its like they forgot
all about it. (any similarities to lamune are long since gone. Which is fine,
not every show has to be the same)

We got to see staves being made... not much plotwise out of that yet.

Yuuma hasnt shown any hint of what his big secret is. (does he have magic powers
or not) Maybe thats not the point of this show. But with no romance, and no secret reason why yuuma has quit magic, I don't know if this show has any interesting angles.

[Orrin]

It seems like I'm not the only one who wasn't too fond of this episode.
I wonder why they did an episode about Tama-chan, she doesn't even have any big role to play in the game. I thought it was plainly silly and not very smart considering that they only have 12 episodes to work with. Why not make it about Koyuki (not Nayuki ;)) and involve Tama-chan a little instead.

At least the next episode looks a bit better, it has absolutely nothing to do with the game but at least it looks funny and Hachi is one of my favorite characters.

Oh and as always, there was to little screen time for Jun and Ibuki.

[Cloudnine]

I'll have to go against popular opinion here and say I actually enjoyed episode four for all it's fluffy fillerness. Even though it did went off track from the main arc and relationship, there was some nice chara-development for Koyuki and the interesting backstory surrounding the magical wands (which will likely play into later events...)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/7229/vlcsnap375554ce1.jpg
Too bad Koyuki didn't use her apron... *ksun*


http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/2555/vlcsnap353905pn1.jpg
One of the features I really like about Koyuki is her spontaneity and offbeat personality. While to many, it may seem like she's a bit off the scale (well yes, she is...) Still, many of the actions Koyuki takes has a meaningful reason behind it, usually stemming from her accurate fortune-telling.

How else would she be able to place the amazingly obvious, yet perfectly placed advertisment? ^^

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/7923/vlcsnap370595ae7.jpg
Mass Sphere-tom production? While Hachi's sphere-tom turned out pretty much what I expected (right down to the annoying accent...), Anri's sphere-tom turned out pretty yakuza-ish which was odd to say the least.

The question that's been bugging me though is Yuma and Jun's sphere-tom. What kind of personality would have emerged from those two if they were animated?

Mystery indeed...

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/9348/vlcsnap429826vk7.jpg
There was some really interesting background story revealed in episode 4, but there was an important point that was left out that should have been explained. A magic wand cannot be created from normal items, but from a precious item that carry important memories of the user. I believe for Anri, it is a quill pen that her parents given her when she enrolled into the magic department.

It is quite possible that the magical wands will play a significant role in upcoming episodes, so a bit of backstory is needed to flesh them out from simple tools to irreplacable partners.

[Deathkillz]

ep 4 was kinda random and i think it acted more like a filler than anything...
i thought that tama-chan was unique :( being able to mass produce the thing was degrading it as an important life long friend...and unlike haruh's or anris' wand it seems expendable...i dnt really like the fact of discarding a partner when you are finnished using it but tama-chan seems to be the case :(
hopefully next ep will be more interesting...i hope a lot of ppl are scared of ghosts :heh:

[Shinova]

NNooooooo Tama-chaaaaan!!!!

[Kaoru Chujo]

In general, I am not as thrilled with this show as I would like to be. Really, Haruhi is the main attraction for me, and I would like to see her romantic relationship take center stage. But I did enjoy ep4. The backstory about how the staves/familiars come into being is important. And the concept of generations of Tama-chans sharing memories (I think that's what was said) is pretty powerful. It's not exactly like discarding a friend, more like each one being part of an eternal chain of being.

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

The image at the end of the first row is animated.
http://img350.imageshack.us/img350/2208/1162061649908bis3628x17vz9.th.jpg (http://img350.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1162061649908bis3628x17vz9.jpg) http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/9810/19702bs6.th.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=19702bs6.jpg) http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3371/c341a725kb7.th.jpg (http://img194.imageshack.us/my.php?image=c341a725kb7.jpg) http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/295/200610221161526048jj6.th.gif (http://img115.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200610221161526048jj6.gif)

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/811/061020jun3oz9.th.jpg (http://img108.imageshack.us/my.php?image=061020jun3oz9.jpg) http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/4365/061020jun2ec8.th.jpg (http://img108.imageshack.us/my.php?image=061020jun2ec8.jpg) http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/6467/hapinesu001xz5.th.jpg (http://img102.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hapinesu001xz5.jpg) http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/132/1160675005631ef9.th.jpg (http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1160675005631ef9.jpg) http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/9663/200610251161758660vt3.th.jpg (http://img111.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200610251161758660vt3.jpg)

http://img333.imageshack.us/img333/8929/sumomoim9.th.jpg (http://img333.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sumomoim9.jpg) http://img333.imageshack.us/img333/5083/k20061027nm0.th.jpg (http://img333.imageshack.us/my.php?image=k20061027nm0.jpg) http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/2755/k20061020jh3.th.jpg (http://img226.imageshack.us/my.php?image=k20061020jh3.jpg) http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/5678/1160886519935rp0.th.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1160886519935rp0.jpg) http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/4939/200610201161337361vh2.th.jpg (http://img177.imageshack.us/my.php?image=200610201161337361vh2.jpg)

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/1027/430yg7.th.jpg (http://img120.imageshack.us/my.php?image=430yg7.jpg) http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/1911/0ac9wt4.th.jpg (http://img129.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0ac9wt4.jpg) http://img330.imageshack.us/img330/194/20776bg8.th.jpg (http://img330.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20776bg8.jpg) http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/3570/20061008116031853577710tj5.th.jpg (http://img129.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20061008116031853577710tj5.jpg) http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/423/2006092933651994x1403po4.th.jpg (http://img103.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2006092933651994x1403po4.jpg)

[Kisuke06]

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7488/1162327896734ha1.th.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1162327896734ha1.jpg) http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/913/1162302430186ej9.th.jpg (http://img264.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1162302430186ej9.jpg) http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9744/1162323118706gx4.th.jpg (http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1162323118706gx4.jpg)

Jun FTW! :heh:

[Spuffy]

At least Happiness! manages to be a good anime version (yes, I'm looking at you, Yoakena)


They changed the way Saya and Sinya are introduced. Hachi wanders the school at night and thinks Saya is a ghost, and then the usual ghost-hunt-at-school-during night starts. But it worked out well.
And the Koyuki apron+tama-chan rush was a brilliant combo.


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6320/h051ll7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/9392/h052we8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hachi is being found knocked out at the stair with his reading material of choice.


http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/9484/h053bn8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8738/h054iw7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Looks like Yuma is enjoying the magazine too...


http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/1764/h055jpghz3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/7527/h056fy5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

...as are the girls, and Jun ^_^

Finally a little bit more Suzuri (I have a slight weakness for Hitomi voiced milfs.)


http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/8517/hap0507mc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Ibuki was a little bit more talktive, but it's such shame it isn't á la Re:Lucks

[Orrin]

This was truly a great episode, probably the best one so far. I was starting to fear that Saya and Shinya wouldn't be in the anime, but this was a great way to introduce them.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4407/bscap048an8.th.jpg (http://img59.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bscap048an8.jpg)
Jun + Tentacles, can't get much better then that ;)

The next episode seems to be the much awaited Sumomo and Ibuki one, I'm looking forward to it.

[Shinova]

At least Happiness! manages to be a good anime version (yes, I'm looking at you, Yoakena)


They changed the way Saya and Sinya are introduced. Hachi wanders the school at night and thinks Saya is a ghost, and then the usual ghost-hunt-at-school-during night starts. But it worked out well.
And the Koyuki apron+tama-chan rush was a brilliant combo.


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6320/h051ll7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/9392/h052we8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hachi is being found knocked out at the stair with his reading material of choice.


http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/9484/h053bn8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8738/h054iw7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Looks like Yuma is enjoying the magazine too...


http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/1764/h055jpghz3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/7527/h056fy5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

...as are the girls, and Jun ^_^

Finally a little bit more Suzuri (I have a slight weakness for Hitomi voiced milfs.)


http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/8517/hap0507mc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Ibuki was a little bit more talktive, but it's such shame it isn't á la Re:Lucks



Oh wow. I LOVE those uniforms. Are they present at any point in the game? Those are so good.


EDIT: So, slightly premature question, but do you guys so far see Happiness as a hit or a miss?

[Orrin]

EDIT: So, slightly premature question, but do you guys so far see Happiness as a hit or a miss?
I like it so far, sure it has some slightly less entertaining episodes but overall i find it entertaining. As long as I don't see it as an adaption of the game's storyline, because it's nothing like it and it isn't quite the same feeling either. But as long as I don't compare it to the game it will most likely continue to be a fun show.

To sum it up in one sentence: As long as Jun has a few scenes now and then I will like it.

[Cloudnine]

Oh wow. I LOVE those uniforms. Are they present at any point in the game? Those are so good.


EDIT: So, slightly premature question, but do you guys so far see Happiness as a hit or a miss?
Sadly, the summer uniforms they use in the anime do not appear in the game. I haven't watched the next episode yet (still at uni...), but it seems like they changed the timeline in the anime. Happiness! originally takes place during the spring, rolling into the second year for Yuma and gang while Sumomo and Ibuki just starting their first year.

I'll post my thoughts on it later once I get back.

[Li Jianliang]

Jun's hair color goes horribly wrong at some point during episode 4:
http://atashi.animeblogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/jun_04/jun04_25.jpg

Juuu~n ;_;

Jun screen captures from episode 4 (http://atashi.animeblogger.net/2006/11/i-%e2%99%a5-jun-part-4-of-13/).

[Cloudnine]

Episode five was good, very good. Sakuga quality and art direction was excellent throughout the episode~ (you really start to appreciate these things after watching yoakena...)

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5365/vlcsnap99232rv2.jpg
Anyone notice the small change in the OP? Koyuki! <3


I had a pretty good laugh at the next episode preview ^^~ While it may look like they're skimping out on the animation budget here, it actually fits in very well with what's coming up next week.

"Sumomo saves the day!"
Written and drawn by Sumomo Kohinata
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7026/vlcsnap111110kg1.jpg
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/4242/vlcsnap111309cn5.jpg
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6148/vlcsnap108145wf2.jpg
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/5650/vlcsnap108247gs1.jpg
*dies laughing* I am so looking forward to next episode!!

[Deathkillz]

EDIT: So, slightly premature question, but do you guys so far see Happiness as a hit or a miss?

atm for me this series is just average...some dodgy moments and sometimes it just bores me but in other its quite funny...but im in it for Jun! :love:

imo ep 5 was great :D best ive seen so far...
Hachi's face when he was knocked out for the first time holding that mag was priceless! i cant stop laughing at his dumbfounded face XD!
but tbh he neva gona get a girl like this...he literally scared Saya to hell >.<
and can Jun be anymore moe? the scream he gave out when the plant caught him made my heart jump with excitement :heh:
and finally the introduction of a male magician ^_^ Sinya has got an amazing want imo...
overall it was excellent and at some places made me laugh really hard :)

[Shinova]

Oh pleasepleasepleasePLEASE keep the "siscon" part!!!

[ccardoso]

Is the male protagonist some kind of god-like magician or what? :D

[martino]

We don't know...YET...

[ccardoso]

Well there are several hits who supports the idea, but isn't there a manga of this story?

[martino]

I don't think that a manga exists, but the anime was based on a game, so anyone who played the game will be able to give you some spoilers. Also if anyone will do that, please stick them into a double or triple spoiler tag, because I'm an idiot :p

[Matrim]

The third episode is so hilarious. I love Anri-chan's cunning plans even though I am waiting rather impatiently for an occassion where they won't backfire. And Yuuma's mother is insane...in a good way. :heh:

[martino]

She is insane...and reminds me a bit of my mom :eyespin:

I read the Wikipedia entry for the game and I learned something more about Yuma.
That boy at the start was him. Apparently he COULD practice magic, but in present he professes that he can use magic. It doesn't say much more.
This episode also enforced the fact that Yuma has got some personal reason for not linking magic. It's always his quote "You won't solve everything by magic", or whatever it goes.

As I said before, we'll just have to watch and see what's exactly going on.

[Solace]

The third episode is so hilarious. I love Anri-chan's cunning plans even though I am waiting rather impatiently for an occassion where they won't backfire. And Yuuma's mother is insane...in a good way. :heh:

I was reading this thread the other day and decided to check it out. Got up to episode 3 and I'm hooked now. I think the background characters steal a bit of the limelight from the rest of the cast but not enough to detract from the overall fun of the show. Yuuma's mother "apologising" gave me one of the biggest wtf moments I've had from anime in a while, but I couldn't stop laughing either. Especially when Jun teaches Anri about waitressing, and the servicing comment got some perverted fantasies going, lol.

I have to say out of all the characters Jun stands out the most. That kind of personality should be criminal, it's way to cute. =) The fact that it's constantly reinforced that Jun is a guy makes it even more entertaining. Would be interesting to know Jun's backstory, but my japanese is too limited to play the games.

[Deathkillz]

This episode also enforced the fact that Yuma has got some personal reason for not linking magic. It's always his quote "You won't solve everything by magic", or whatever it goes.


well i think that if he did used magic before some incident must have caused him to stop and hence he adopted the quote...hmm what can be solved my magic? my guess is that it will involve something that he couldnt save even with magic...

[martino]

well i think that if he did used magic before some incident must have caused him to stop and hence he adopted the quote...hmm what can be solved my magic? my guess is that it will involve something that he couldnt save even with magic...
We know that he has a mother, a sister as well...what about his father? Or did he have another sister? There aren't THAT many options, but I don't really see any of them fitting the reason...
It's quite a hard one to make out.

[suguru]

It seems like a relative dying in some sort of accident, and Yuuma's magic not being able to save them, would fit the bill, but it'll be interesting to see what his reason for giving up magic is.

Although I wonder if he gave up magic completely...I don't think it's a coincidence that Anri was finally able to take down her clones in ep 3 only when Yuuma was standing right behind her--maybe he was helping out subtly, amplifying her magic? Although it could be she just needed the confidence boost from someone standing next to her.

I still like Haruhi > Jun, which puts me in the minority, but I'm really enjoying watching this so far--the cast is all really likeable, and while I can't point to anything about Happiness that really stands out, it's still managed to suck me in. It helps there isn't anyone in the cast I really don't like (like the photographer in Yoakena).

[Forbin]

I agree with your first part of that spoiler Suguru

[Matrim]

We know that he has a mother, a sister as well...what about his father? I think we can safely assume that Yuuma's mother married someone else who is Sumomo's father since Sumomo says he became her brother when she started going to school. Of course, there is the possibility that the mother we see in the anime is actually his stepmother but I doubt it. So it's possible he has lost his father in a magic related incident, though that would be a bit too melodramatic for my taste. Maybe he failed as a magician for some reason (I wonder when students start studying magic in that world, if it's in high school this theory is very much dead) and now wants everyone to stop using magic too because of his jealousy.

I still like Haruhi > Jun, which puts me in the minority, but I'm really enjoying watching this so far--the cast is all really likeable, and while I can't point to anything about Happiness that really stands out, it's still managed to suck me in. It helps there isn't anyone in the cast I really don't like (like the photographer in Yoakena).
I think it's a bit too early to compare Haruhi and Jun (but Anri rules them all :)), we haven't seen that much of Jun, I can't say I like the one more than the other right now. Haruhi is moe but does not get on my nerves, something which is rare these days. And I totally agree with the rest of your post - I don't know either why exactly I like the show quite a lot and not having someone from the cast to annoy the hell out of me is always a good thing.

[martino]

I like Haruhi as well. Don't count us out without asking..tsk tsk tsk

[Deathkillz]

i would like to know about Jun's background and why he enjoys being a girl...mind trauma of the past?
anyways i hope some serious relationship building between haruhi and yuma starts soon :)

[Skyfall]

Hm, im up to ep3 and so far seems pretty decent. Yes, its a cliche paradise, but who cares. Tho im getting kinda annoyed of the "they have seen each other in the past but the boy has forgotten about it" plot. Ok, granted i dont know if Yuuma has forgotten but either way it is getting old. I like Haruhi, shes pretty much the type i like, and her falling asleep on Yuuma's shoulder was cute :)

Seems like something kinda bad has happened regarding Yuuma and magic in the past and he dislikes magic quite a bit... i bet it will be up to Haruhi to chage that. Jun....well i dont care much about him one way or another.

I do feel however that they are going a bit overboard with Anri's (in)ability to use magic.... if she is no2 it makes me wonder if she and Haruhi are the only ones in the magic class. Yuuma's mother is a milf :heh: Seriously, she looks like any of the teenagers there.

I didnt like ep3 much, compared to 1 and 2, but it still was ok. Overall this show, while nothing spectacualr, seems pretty decent to me. I'll definitely keep watching it.

[martino]

i would like to know about Jun's background and why he enjoys being a girl...mind trauma of the past?
Maybe he confessed to a girl, still when he was a boy, and got rejected so he decided that he might have more luck with guys. :heh:

[Matrim]

I do feel however that they are going a bit overboard with Anri's (in)ability to use magic.... if she is no2 it makes me wonder if she and Haruhi are the only ones in the magic class.

A bit overboard? More like a lot, IMO. I guess the idea that when she doesn't try to bite more than she can chew - let's say when given a specific task that leaves no room for improvisation she is actually a competent mage but as I have been saying, it's about time we see her actually making a successful spell.

[Forbin]

A bit overboard? More like a lot, IMO. I guess the idea that when she doesn't try to bite more than she can chew - let's say when given a specific task that leaves no room for improvisation she is actually a competent mage but as I have been saying, it's about time we see her actually making a successful spell.

Anri can also be suffering from the Naruto Complex

I can do it better than anyone. Whoops did I just blow up that building over there?

[Orrin]

i would like to know about Jun's background and why he enjoys being a girl...mind trauma of the past?

I would guess that this will never be answered in the anime, at least i think it would be a bad idea if they did because it would probably spawn alot of Jun fanboys and this show is really about Haruhi.

As many of you probably understand it has something to do with a certain event involving Yuma as a child. It also explains why Jun wants Yuma to get together with Haruhi (or any other girl for that matter), this hasn't really been shown in the anime but he was quite "helpful" in the game.

Juns story is very touching if you ask me, made me feel like any other scenario was just wrong but that's probably just me.
I won't give away more then that right now, if you want to know more about Jun i might write something after the show has finished because we never know what will happen.

[martino]

So was Jun something like a "tragic character" in the game?

[Orrin]

I don't know if I should say tragic, but it's very touching. Jun doesn't exactly have such a high self esteem as one might think, especially when it comes to handling situations involving Yuma.

[Deathkillz]

^ *shock* methinks he could be a gay...j/k ^_^
orrin dont tell us what happens...but you could do the honors after the series is finnished and the truth about Jun isnt revealed :)

[Orrin]

orrin dont tell us what happens...but you could do the honors after the series is finnished and the truth about Jun isnt revealed :)
Don't worry i won't even if anyone wants me to, because if they do explain it in the anime (against all odds) it will surely be a lot better to see it with your own eyes.

[Spuffy]

Finally!
Ibuki, and a lot of it. That summer uniform suits her so well.
I really like what they are doing with this show. The changes form the original work really good. It's still Happiness but there is something new.


Another of those somewhat pointless but so entertaining episodes. Sumomo trying to get friends with Ibuki. And for the first time this show does Sumomo justice.

And what's more, the Ibuki-Jun combo (in summer uniforms) was just lethal.

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1852/snapshot20061109203324nu0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/8884/snapshot20061109203342um2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/1451/snapshot20061109203426il2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/8701/snapshot20061109203434dr5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Jun knows what's good. Don't fight it, Ibuki.

http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/2331/snapshot20061109204808zt2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/7093/snapshot20061109204200wa8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Sumomo's approaches were just so cute. But I still wish Miru could've gone into moe~mode at least once.

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/1728/snapshot20061109203758se2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

And as a bonus there was even a brief (one frame) Haruhi pantyshot.

[Orrin]

I liked this episode quite a bit, Ibuki really needed some attention and she sure got it here. It seems like she will get even more next week considering the title of episode 7. All of my three favorite characters (Jun, Sumomo and Ibuki) got quite a bit of scenes actually, so now I'm hoping for a lot more of the same.

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/1918/bscap055zm7.th.jpg (http://img57.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bscap055zm7.jpg)http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/7051/bscap054hd0.th.jpg (http://img517.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bscap054hd0.jpg)

To be fair Haruhi wasn't the only one giving out some "service" this week.

[martino]

Jun! Now that needs a closer inspection :D

[Deathkillz]

haha! jun going moe over ibuki and feeling her is just priceless! :D
so this ep is dedicated to develop the other charaters...sumomo trying to befriend ibuki is the main theme here ^_^
the gang tried to pull off a bunch of crazy stunts in order to them summon become friends with ibuki...which she is immune to :heh:
sumomo's determination in getting ibuki to have her bentou is cute ^_^ shes such a sweet little girl :)
the conclusion was touching! yess just the way i wanted it to end ^_^ ibuki was finally touched by sumomo's kindness and has given in...

damit jun's skirt didnt fly high enough :p

[ando]

damit jun's skirt didnt fly high enough :p
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/7906/up1246me4.th.gif (http://img293.imageshack.us/my.php?image=up1246me4.gif) http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/179/pa1163091959910zz5.th.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pa1163091959910zz5.jpg)

Anri:
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/231/up148462gn9.th.gif (http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=up148462gn9.gif)

[Matrim]

Episode four was like three times worse than the previous three. Who the hell cares about Tama-chan? The end of the episode was so cheesy - I know Happiness! is not exactly realistic anime but Tama and Koyuki talked and talked and talked instead of bothering to do something about the big monster which in turn waited for them to finish talking. And really, for how long has she had these Tama-chans? It couldn't have been more than a few years, no way all of them to have developed distinct personality in a handful of days of life and for her to remember it all. Rather pointless episode which only served to tell us a bit about the magic wands but this could have taken about two minutes from an episode with a different theme.
Oh, well, at least Anri eating a bit of her wand was funny. :heh:

[Skyfall]

Watched ep4...and bleh....what a waste of time. First two eps were great, 3rd was so-so, but this one down right fails. Can any one explain why should i give a flying rat's arse about Tama-chan and all his 1000 clones? This would have to be the definition of a filler. Nothing of any significance happened. The only good part of the ep was finding out that Anri's staff is edible. And she even took a bite of it >.<, and only worthwhile thing we found out was that wands are created from item that the person treasures the most. (tho i think even this bit of info is meaningless). Ep5 better be good, because ep 4 was down right useless.

[Deathkillz]

yep i think we all thought that ep 4 suxed ass...its just a dumb filler cause the writers ran out of ideas :heh: i really didnt like the idea of tama chan being replaceable...ive always thought that it was one of a kind :(

[stevency]

This spoiler intends to explain the scrcet of tama-chan in the views from the orginal game.

DO NOT ENTER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SPOILED!

THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING, DO NOT ENTER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SPOILED!

This spoiler includes story from the orginal game which explains the story behind replaceable Tama chan.



Tama chan is the cause of the explosion of the school magic section.
Since Tama can be exploed under master command, so it make sense that Tama chan can be replaced in a manner of grenades.

Also, you will find you the fight behind Koyuki and Ibuki later on.

[Shinova]

I thought it was just Koyuki using something especially strong magic. Maybe Cloudnine or someone similar knows better, though considering some of the game-players outrage at that ep, I think it's more chance of it being Koyuki's magic than a Tama-nade.

[stevency]

Well, as a rule of gold, all TV adoption had to be a modified version from the origin game, so it deserves some degree of changes approved by Windmill(the game maker) in order to pack the story into 13 something episodes.

Or how can we explain the differences between TV and game then?

[Skyfall]

Thats nice and all, but i still fail to see the use of ep4 or why i should care about Tama-chan. This is one of those eps you could have skipped and later you wouldnt feel like you are missing a part of the story. And this is extremely bad in a 12 ep show. Take a look at Gift - Eternal rainbow - a perfect example of how to make use of the time available to you. I wouldnt mind a filler or two in a 24 or so ep series, but i am bound to complain about them in a 12 ep series.

[Shikimori Kazuki]

True that, for 12-13 ep. of anime, kinda hard to reveal the whole thing, especially when you're dealing with the game where you can choose many different paths. Sux that Happiness! goes up to ep.12. I look up to Gift, Mamoru and Tokimeki though. It gives time to explain the plot and builds up accordingly. One of the ones I liked very much was Fate Stay Night. It sums up nicely in my thoughts. Up till now in ep.4, there is still no actual *developments* between the Haruhi and the guy (forgots the male's name, spare me ><)

I really enjoyed first ep. but they are really scrubing the surface...no in-depths, guess they gotta do something about it in next one or two ep. :eyespin:

[Matrim]

I don't really care whether it's filler or not - let's face it the last thing I am looking for in this series is some incredibly complex plot and I can't say I am holding my breath waiting for the romantic affair between Haruhi and Yuuma to develop. Any filler would be welcome provided it can make me laugh or at least hold my interest. You could say that episode three was mostly filler too but I loved it. But episode four was just boring, there was almost no character development and it had just a handful of good comedy moments.

[Skyfall]

I'm certainly not looking for any memorable plot here. What i am looking for is mainly romance between between Haruhi and Yuuma. (What else do you expect after all from an eroge adaption ?) and some humour. Ep3 was mostly filler, yes - but at least it was about one of the main characters and the rest of the gang, but ep4 was about some friggin green ball(whose name i will have forgotten after 5 hours) stuck on top of some ones wand pondering about it's life. Yes, if a filler can hold my interest - sure, but ep4 fails miserably at that, simply because i am not interested in Tama-chan in any way imaginable. I felt tempted to FF trough parts of it, which is very rare for me. Having this sort of ep in a 12 ep show is miserable, provided the show was suposed to have any plot/romance planned in it to begin with.(which i think it had - don't tell me you didn't think there would be romance after seeing ep1/2)

[Matrim]

don't tell me you didn't think there would be romance after seeing ep1/2

Even if I had had no idea that it was an eroge adaption I would have thought there was going to be romance about ten seconds into the first episode's opening sequence - after all the first line of the sub reads: "The feeling of happiness. The forecast is sunny with love" and the whole opening just scream "Romantic comedy". :) So I basically agree with you, I am just more interested in the humour than the romance. Yes, episode 4 fails utterly in making the viewers care about Tama-chan - that's not surprising since the atmosphere thus far has been light-hearted enough to make it a challenge for the creators to make the viewers seriously care that much about the main characters, let alone some green ball. If there are similar moments when we are supposed to symphatise with the plight of let's say Haruhi, I really hope the respective scenes will be handled much better.

[Shinova]

Well, as a rule of gold, all TV adoption had to be a modified version from the origin game, so it deserves some degree of changes approved by Windmill(the game maker) in order to pack the story into 13 something episodes.

Or how can we explain the differences between TV and game then?

I was more under the impression that unless you're some software giant like Key or Aquaplus or just really famous like Typemoon, you really have no say as to how the anime will turn out.

[Skyfall]

Well it has to get serious at some point (more or less :p ) - we still need to find out why he dislikes magic so much (and i suspect that part will be a bit dramatic). And i bet we will get some rushed romance sooner or later :p

Offtopic: Matrim, what series is your avatar from ?

[Morikawa Yuki]

Offtopic: I think it's from Simoun.
I am sorry if this has been mentioned before: I wonder why Ibuki seems to be bothered by Haruhi's magic in episode 07. Is her magic special in an important way? (The answer has to be yes, but how and why?). Hopefully, this would be addressed by the anime soon.

[Orrin]

One thing in particular got me curious in episode 7 and it was the preview for episode 8. At first it seemed to be the obligatory beach/fanservice episode, but when i took a closer look I saw somethings that made me jump some conclusions.

First of all there were some scenes with Haruhi that made me believe that her and Yuma's relationship will finally get some attention, not that I care that much since I'm not a big fan of childhood promises.

The second thing was that Yuma and Jun seemed to have quite a serious conversation.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3063/bscap058du4.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bscap058du4.jpg)
This is probably just me hoping for the impossible, but maybe we will get some of Jun's back story in a following episode. It's probably just him helping Yuma with Haruhi, but one can always hope.

[Deathkillz]

^ O.o but jun is never serious...must be something important for him to keep a straight face about it...

well ep 7 gave us a full dose of ibuki! :D
basically the whole ep was about how to get ibuki to be more friendly...the gang then set of on a mini adventure to make ibuki more friendly...this ment dragging her around to various attractions such as having luch together (where she left)...going to an arcade (where she was Humiliated by her inability to play games :p) and finally to the bowling ally where they formed teams and the loosing team would have to go through the penalty game :D

well naturally ibuki and sumomo lost so their punishment was to...do cosplay photos :D but the whole gang joined in with haruhi transforming the costumes and in the end it seems that ibuki made a slight change in attitude...

while this is the basic outline along the way theres some laughs and fun ^^

[stevency]

Episode 8 finally make 1 step forward. Yuuma and Haruhi are getting started.

The swim suit service makes you hot, even outside is deep fall/winter.
Ibuku starts her attacks at Haruhi, I wonder what's up with them.

Next we'll have School festival. Yeah......

[Deathkillz]

wohoo! natsu in ep 8 ;)
jun...hes actually telling yuuma to go out with haruhi...but the question is why all of a sudden?
haruhi has quite a developed rack surprisingly :p she should show it off more often imo ^_^
poor sumomo has her mothers genes for a small rack T_T
the "rubbing suntan on haruhi's back" scene was arousing :heh:

what!? at the waterfall scene it seems that someone is trying to hurt haruhi though a freak accident (a log falling down onto haruhi)...she was saved by yuuma and they leave...ibuki then suspiciously steps out from behind a tree...she seems to be the culprit but ah! thats what they want us to think...imo i believe that ibuki was trying to save haruhi...

at night the guys have a fireworks party and tama chan wtf decides to become a firework and blows himself up intentionally...but dont worry im sure koyuki has a drawer full of those explosive bombs :heh:

oki now ibuki is becoming really suspicious...she realeases a pack of wolves onto haruhi O.o why is she doing this? my guess is that she wants to test haruhi's magic capabilities...

overall its a pretty good ep and the story is moving on into a deeper plot...

[relentlessflame]

oki now ibuki is becoming really suspicious...she realeases a pack of wolves onto haruhi O.o why is she doing this? my guess is that she wants to test haruhi's magic capabilities...Well, they actually do explain it at the end of the episode, but it'll also be an important point in the plot from here on in (based on the game). But for the answer, I'll restrict myself to what they said in the anime.Ibuki caused both situations because she wanted to hear Haruhi's magical spells. The spells are sort of "personalized" to the magic user and so, when she heard the beginning of Haruhi's spells, it supported her suspicion that Haruhi is "that woman's daughter". You'll find out who "that woman" is later on in the show.

[ando]

Jun!:love: Are you really a guy?
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/2198/viploader2d160509pt6.th.gif (http://img120.imageshack.us/my.php?image=viploader2d160509pt6.gif)

Anri.:naughty:
http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/2572/viploader2d159244ai2.th.jpg (http://img356.imageshack.us/my.php?image=viploader2d159244ai2.jpg)

[holyman282]

yes jun is really a guy.... maybe they should do a full panty shot to confirm it lol

[Deathkillz]

Well, they actually do explain it at the end of the episode, but it'll also be an important point in the plot from here on in (based on the game). But for the answer, I'll restrict myself to what they said in the anime.Ibuki caused both situations because she wanted to hear Haruhi's magical spells. The spells are sort of "personalized" to the magic user and so, when she heard the beginning of Haruhi's spells, it supported her suspicion that Haruhi is "that woman's daughter". You'll find out who "that woman" is later on in the show.
well that cleared things up nicely ~thx ;)
oki ep9...
well it starts off with ibuki trying to break through a barrier of some sort and failing...i think she needs haruhi's help to be able to break through it for unknown reasons...

at school jun is in a maid's outfit...*do not fall into the trap*...and looks stunning as usual...
yuuma and maid haruhi goes off together go collect some stuff and finds out about a dance...chance to strengthen their relationship with a dance methinks ;)

*ignores random parts*

haruhi gets kidnapped by the tama chans and into koyuki of fortune telling :D she tries to give her some charms!?
haruhi has a dream at night about yuuma...shes seeing how yuuma's magic seems to be locked away...in shock she wakes up and goes onto the roof for some air...thats when ibuki comes out and casts a spell on her...she is trying to tap into haruhi's mind but is interrupted by anri when she fires at her...

on the day of the festival haruhi disappears off into the woods and ibuki comes after her again...she turns up with yuuma caught in the same spell as in the dream haruhi has and ibuki blackmails her to destroy the barrier for yuuma..
they both have a face off and in yuuma's frustration he uses his magic to break free and to stop everyone...
his energy hits sumomo and he freaks out O.o...oh dear...

next ep looks a lot more interesting with sumomo being hospitalized...

well overall this ep was pretty average besides from the last few minutes of action...well just 3 more eps too go and i hope for a happy end all around ^_^
yuuma seems to be thinking into the past a lot from the preview...