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roriconfan · 2011-01-18, 18:26

REVIEW TIME

Ah, so close and yet so far. This show began as something yelling masterpiece and in the second half turned into simply a funny way to spend your time. But I got to hand it to Noitamina; they have their way of making even a simple story to look exciting.

The story is quite simple actually. It is about an old apartment building where a group of geek women in their 30’s spend their lives doing their geeky hobbies and running away from anything that has to do with cosmetics, posing, beauticians, and general anything that has to do with making you look hippy. That is the core theme of the show actually; the beauty we all hide inside us. It is quite a refreshing take I must say as 99.99% of anime have protagonists that are uber beautiful girls, ultra handsome boys or ridiculously cute children. This show is the only one I can remember in the latest years that didn’t attract me with sexy or moe characters but with the premise of NOT being all that. It’s not like the characters are ugly as hell but I for once was never attracted to their bodies. And what makes it even funnier is how the core theme IS ABOUT BEAUTY.

Another thing is the otaku culture aspect of the show. It is not so much about anime as it is about old movies and retro series only someone well versed to what was going on decades ago will get. So although all the women in it are otakus, they are not the anime type. One adores traditional Japanese dolls, another one adores trains, others old people, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms lore or jellyfish. And guess what; IT IS EQUALLY CREEPY. Also, unlike today’s state where even otakus have large communities, their hobbies are not accepted by many (none else for all we see in the show) and thus it is not as if they can go find some group to feel just like home. They are as isolated from the rest of the “normals” as otakus were up until 20 years ago. So it not the same as in other shows like Genshiken or Ore no Imouto.

Yet another thing about this isolation part is their anti-social behaviour. Acting quite agoraphobic (but not as severe as hikikomoris; although there is one of those present as well) half the main problem of the show is dealing with the outside world. They are afraid of normal people, their modern fashion, make ups, office suits; heck they are afraid of working. It has a vibe familiar with Welcome to the NHK in this regard; which makes it interesting as there aren’t many shows dealing with the subject.

So basically this is a show about people who are afraid to face the modern world, who have a very low esteem of themselves, who are all isolated in their lonely hobbies, eating away their lives in some crummy apartment, still living off their parents’ allowance or doing minor chores for the local market. Sounds like a terrible kind of people to like; isn’t it? Well, not exactly as the show makes it clear that they are simply afraid to tap into their real potential, because of the very negative image they have about themselves. It also makes sure to point out how they keep blaming everybody else in a way that clearly frames them in the end. So no, it’s not trying to advertise how cool it is to love trains while being locked in your room for 10 years. It is not deifying any hobby like Ore no Imouto did with eroge or YuGiOh did with card games. It is the exact opposite.

The conflict of the story is basically a redevelopment plan issued by some politicians, which involves tearing down their apartment to make a hotel. The sons of one of them are indirectly involved in the lives of the women, as well as the schemes of a Black-widow type of woman, who uses her sexuality and really dirty tricks to have her way. Basically, the villains are the rich folks and this woman with her cheap entrapment skills. The thing is, the women in the apartment are passive and inactive; it takes the son of the politicians to get them to shape. Who is also another thing I liked.

Kuranosuke is the dreamy pretty boy of all corny romances. Rich, handsome, outgoing, cheery, and above all feminine-looking (why women love this shit is beyond my knowledge; pseudo-lesbianism just doesn’t cut it enough). Women are chasing after him and even fight one another for his affection. And this is why he got so fed up in all that, he now cross-dresses. Before you think anything weird, I will clarify he is completely straight and has done the jiggy-wiggy with girls a thousand times already. He doesn’t dress like a woman because he got bored of being male but because he wants to disguise as something women won’t chase after. He even finds that geeky apartment full of women stuck in the past and isolated from the world as his ideal haven. So he has all the reason to help them raise money or be active in order to protect their life style… which ironically means to change their life style.

Indeed, all the measures the women need to take because of his advises have to do with “fighting fire with fire”, becoming active, dressing fashionable or interacting with people in order to get support and raise money. All again are not deified in the show and that is what makes it so good. There is no “fashion clothes are cool” moral message, neither is “money and sex appeal move the world”. It is all closer to “make use of what you are good at in order to protect your life style and at times be willing to compromise a little”. It all makes perfect sense and in fact, half the times they actually fail to do it right. It’s not like in those endless stupid teen movies where the complete dorky rookies beat the snobby elites in their own game or something.

Which leads back to the “beauty” aspect of the show. Each woman is really good at something and all they are doing to help themselves is using their talent as their own personal beauty in the same way the black-widow is using her sexuality to have her way. They do need to occasionally dress as their hated enemies, the hipsters, but they never forget who they really are… and practically never change.

This is a thing that will feel bad for most as character development is close to zero for the entire cast. We get to learn a lot about them, especially Tsukimi since the story is shown through her perspective. But by the end of it, nothing has really changed for them. The conflict seems to have passed like a breeze and they are all back to their initial selves, something that will not feel right and practically does count as a major negative. No real romance is resolved, no real life changing events take place, no buildings collapse. It’s as if we watch an established lifestyle defending itself before going back to how it was. It kind of reminds me of another anime, the Wallflower; where these bishounens were trying to beautify this creepy girl with also low self esteem and again by the end of the show NOTHING had changed at all. The themes were of course far simpler and the story even more invisible but the lack of progress in a show about beauty is just infuriating.

This is where the anime failed to be a real masterpiece for me. It does offer some sort of fairy tale ending, where evil is vanished and the world is as happy as it was in the beginning… without the prince marrying the peasant girl. Which is a shame; there were many interesting sub plots going around and none led to anything. All the women remain the same two-dimensional cardboards, repeating nothing but stuff that have to do only with their narrow-minded hobby; it can eventually tire anyone. I know many don’t mind characters being the same caricatures all they in comedies; nobody complains why Gintama or Son Goku never smarten up. Yet in this case the rather realistic setting was made in a way to expect development.

Artistically speaking, the show is excellent as everything is made to look eye catchy without being sexy or moe. It has its moments where it does go to those territories but not for a moment I cared about how cute or erotic they are; it is all nothing compared to why and how they do it. Where it is really good is how it visualizes the emotions of everyone; from how they turn to stone because of anxiety, to making tributes to other shows, to having dream states of abstract backgrounds. Voice acting is equally great, each having a distinctive and funny or serious tone when it needs to be. The soundtrack is weird and different, quite successful in taking you in the mood of the show.

Story and characters are good only in theory. We have many interesting personalities and life situations that require lots of willpower and talent to get through, all with rather reasonable realism. Unfortunately, the lack of development for the characters, and the completely easy way all problems were resolved and life went back to normal, really felt bad as an aftertaste. I mean, NHK also had a simple ending but after the sometimes life threatening events the characters faced, you felt a lot closer to them even if they didn’t change a lot. Here, everything goes away like a calm ocean stream. It’s just not memorable.

It is a very enjoyable show; far above the average anime and its tired copy-pasted formulas. Its themes are great, the visuals are fine, and the characters are funny and dramatic. It will please most of us but the chances of rewatching it or remembering it for years to come is questionable because of its refusal to end with a bang … or a marriage, a murder, a turn around and generally something to say it wasn’t all for nay. I wasn’t expecting the ending of an ugly duckling turning to a swan but I sure didn’t like Cinderella going back to her cabin and dusting ash even after her prince helped her wear the glass heel.

Animation: 9
Sound: 9
Story: 5
Character: 6
Value: 4
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 7/10

2011-01-18, 18:26	Link #436
roriconfan Banned Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Thessaloniki - Greece	REVIEW TIME Ah, so close and yet so far. This show began as something yelling masterpiece and in the second half turned into simply a funny way to spend your time. But I got to hand it to Noitamina; they have their way of making even a simple story to look exciting. The story is quite simple actually. It is about an old apartment building where a group of geek women in their 30’s spend their lives doing their geeky hobbies and running away from anything that has to do with cosmetics, posing, beauticians, and general anything that has to do with making you look hippy. That is the core theme of the show actually; the beauty we all hide inside us. It is quite a refreshing take I must say as 99.99% of anime have protagonists that are uber beautiful girls, ultra handsome boys or ridiculously cute children. This show is the only one I can remember in the latest years that didn’t attract me with sexy or moe characters but with the premise of NOT being all that. It’s not like the characters are ugly as hell but I for once was never attracted to their bodies. And what makes it even funnier is how the core theme IS ABOUT BEAUTY. Another thing is the otaku culture aspect of the show. It is not so much about anime as it is about old movies and retro series only someone well versed to what was going on decades ago will get. So although all the women in it are otakus, they are not the anime type. One adores traditional Japanese dolls, another one adores trains, others old people, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms lore or jellyfish. And guess what; IT IS EQUALLY CREEPY. Also, unlike today’s state where even otakus have large communities, their hobbies are not accepted by many (none else for all we see in the show) and thus it is not as if they can go find some group to feel just like home. They are as isolated from the rest of the “normals” as otakus were up until 20 years ago. So it not the same as in other shows like Genshiken or Ore no Imouto. Yet another thing about this isolation part is their anti-social behaviour. Acting quite agoraphobic (but not as severe as hikikomoris; although there is one of those present as well) half the main problem of the show is dealing with the outside world. They are afraid of normal people, their modern fashion, make ups, office suits; heck they are afraid of working. It has a vibe familiar with Welcome to the NHK in this regard; which makes it interesting as there aren’t many shows dealing with the subject. So basically this is a show about people who are afraid to face the modern world, who have a very low esteem of themselves, who are all isolated in their lonely hobbies, eating away their lives in some crummy apartment, still living off their parents’ allowance or doing minor chores for the local market. Sounds like a terrible kind of people to like; isn’t it? Well, not exactly as the show makes it clear that they are simply afraid to tap into their real potential, because of the very negative image they have about themselves. It also makes sure to point out how they keep blaming everybody else in a way that clearly frames them in the end. So no, it’s not trying to advertise how cool it is to love trains while being locked in your room for 10 years. It is not deifying any hobby like Ore no Imouto did with eroge or YuGiOh did with card games. It is the exact opposite. The conflict of the story is basically a redevelopment plan issued by some politicians, which involves tearing down their apartment to make a hotel. The sons of one of them are indirectly involved in the lives of the women, as well as the schemes of a Black-widow type of woman, who uses her sexuality and really dirty tricks to have her way. Basically, the villains are the rich folks and this woman with her cheap entrapment skills. The thing is, the women in the apartment are passive and inactive; it takes the son of the politicians to get them to shape. Who is also another thing I liked. Kuranosuke is the dreamy pretty boy of all corny romances. Rich, handsome, outgoing, cheery, and above all feminine-looking (why women love this shit is beyond my knowledge; pseudo-lesbianism just doesn’t cut it enough). Women are chasing after him and even fight one another for his affection. And this is why he got so fed up in all that, he now cross-dresses. Before you think anything weird, I will clarify he is completely straight and has done the jiggy-wiggy with girls a thousand times already. He doesn’t dress like a woman because he got bored of being male but because he wants to disguise as something women won’t chase after. He even finds that geeky apartment full of women stuck in the past and isolated from the world as his ideal haven. So he has all the reason to help them raise money or be active in order to protect their life style… which ironically means to change their life style. Indeed, all the measures the women need to take because of his advises have to do with “fighting fire with fire”, becoming active, dressing fashionable or interacting with people in order to get support and raise money. All again are not deified in the show and that is what makes it so good. There is no “fashion clothes are cool” moral message, neither is “money and sex appeal move the world”. It is all closer to “make use of what you are good at in order to protect your life style and at times be willing to compromise a little”. It all makes perfect sense and in fact, half the times they actually fail to do it right. It’s not like in those endless stupid teen movies where the complete dorky rookies beat the snobby elites in their own game or something. Which leads back to the “beauty” aspect of the show. Each woman is really good at something and all they are doing to help themselves is using their talent as their own personal beauty in the same way the black-widow is using her sexuality to have her way. They do need to occasionally dress as their hated enemies, the hipsters, but they never forget who they really are… and practically never change. This is a thing that will feel bad for most as character development is close to zero for the entire cast. We get to learn a lot about them, especially Tsukimi since the story is shown through her perspective. But by the end of it, nothing has really changed for them. The conflict seems to have passed like a breeze and they are all back to their initial selves, something that will not feel right and practically does count as a major negative. No real romance is resolved, no real life changing events take place, no buildings collapse. It’s as if we watch an established lifestyle defending itself before going back to how it was. It kind of reminds me of another anime, the Wallflower; where these bishounens were trying to beautify this creepy girl with also low self esteem and again by the end of the show NOTHING had changed at all. The themes were of course far simpler and the story even more invisible but the lack of progress in a show about beauty is just infuriating. This is where the anime failed to be a real masterpiece for me. It does offer some sort of fairy tale ending, where evil is vanished and the world is as happy as it was in the beginning… without the prince marrying the peasant girl. Which is a shame; there were many interesting sub plots going around and none led to anything. All the women remain the same two-dimensional cardboards, repeating nothing but stuff that have to do only with their narrow-minded hobby; it can eventually tire anyone. I know many don’t mind characters being the same caricatures all they in comedies; nobody complains why Gintama or Son Goku never smarten up. Yet in this case the rather realistic setting was made in a way to expect development. Artistically speaking, the show is excellent as everything is made to look eye catchy without being sexy or moe. It has its moments where it does go to those territories but not for a moment I cared about how cute or erotic they are; it is all nothing compared to why and how they do it. Where it is really good is how it visualizes the emotions of everyone; from how they turn to stone because of anxiety, to making tributes to other shows, to having dream states of abstract backgrounds. Voice acting is equally great, each having a distinctive and funny or serious tone when it needs to be. The soundtrack is weird and different, quite successful in taking you in the mood of the show. Story and characters are good only in theory. We have many interesting personalities and life situations that require lots of willpower and talent to get through, all with rather reasonable realism. Unfortunately, the lack of development for the characters, and the completely easy way all problems were resolved and life went back to normal, really felt bad as an aftertaste. I mean, NHK also had a simple ending but after the sometimes life threatening events the characters faced, you felt a lot closer to them even if they didn’t change a lot. Here, everything goes away like a calm ocean stream. It’s just not memorable. It is a very enjoyable show; far above the average anime and its tired copy-pasted formulas. Its themes are great, the visuals are fine, and the characters are funny and dramatic. It will please most of us but the chances of rewatching it or remembering it for years to come is questionable because of its refusal to end with a bang … or a marriage, a murder, a turn around and generally something to say it wasn’t all for nay. I wasn’t expecting the ending of an ugly duckling turning to a swan but I sure didn’t like Cinderella going back to her cabin and dusting ash even after her prince helped her wear the glass heel. Animation: 9 Sound: 9 Story: 5 Character: 6 Value: 4 Enjoyment: 8 Overall: 7/10