(L+CR) Kiniro Mosaic

[winhlp32]

That was awesome. They literally stretched 4 panels of manga into half an episode. It's easy to tell Studio Gokumi is putting a lot of effort into this adaptation. Very much looking forward to episode 2.

[Seiryuu]

Message to those who make anime with English-speaking people: before you finalize your script, have at least one NATIVE English speaker look it over and tell you whether any of it sounds weird, and have someone coach the voice actors in what words to emphasize etc. One of the reasons it sounds so weird to me I found is because they emphasize strange parts of what they say. That may be just as big as the way they screw up the grammar.
I also found it a little funny that the foreign girl is so very much shorter than the Japanese girls. I thought the average height in Japan was low compared to other countries. My grandfather's shorter than me (and I'm average at best), and whenever he went there on business his feet always hung off the end of the beds.
Also, is it true that British people don't take many baths? I know they're not known for good dentistry, but I don't recall hearing about bathing issues. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised to find foreigners showing a little reluctance to bathe in Japan, since the process is much more complicated than what we normally do in the States. Still funny to see this girl come expecting so much "Japanese" and find so much of it is quite Western now, except for certain areas. I wonder if she knows about the bidet. I recall another show where a girl curiously pressed a button then ran out screaming.

[Marina2]

@Seiryuu

Not sure if you ever heard English in any other Japanese anime before, but English in this anime is VERY good compared to English in other show. They already tried hard with pronunciation here considering that Japanese people usually had a problem pronouncing English word.

I think I heard someone said that anime staff hired language teacher for the first ep.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

...One of the reasons it sounds so weird to me I found is because they emphasize strange parts of what they say. That may be just as big as the way they screw up the grammar....

The cadence of a sentence is one of the biggest differences between Japanese and other languages. Japanese can learn English grammar, and how to read, from books and from teachers who have learned from books. But they need either a native English speaker or an unusually accomplished Japanese to teach the pattern of emphasis in an English sentence. And it works the other way around, too, for English-speakers learning Japanese.

But I have to say that I agree with the people saying the English here is far better than most of the English we hear in anime. Just not perfect, and since there was comparatively a lot of English in ep1, it got a bit off-putting.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to pass on that I read in an interview with Tanaka Manami, who plays Alice, that she spent a year in England during high school. In a 2011 interview, she mentioned that she was a student at Waseda University in Tokyo, one of the top schools in Japan. She says she already liked the Kin-iro Mosaic manga and was really thrilled to get the role.

I found these things out researching a characters/seiyuus page for this show. The page gives pics of the main characters and their seiyuus, with info about the seiyuus.

[Master_Yoma]

I finely got around to watching this and it reminds me a lot of Ikoku Meiro no Croisée this seems like it going to be real good

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

Also, is it true that British people don't take many baths? I know they're not known for good dentistry, but I don't recall hearing about bathing issues.

The bath (as in fill up a tub with water and soak in it) is stereotypically known as a Japanese thing that is not commonly practiced in other countries. It's not that the people in other countries are thought to not bathe, they just aren't believed to do it in the same way. Showers are a common alternative.

[chaos_animagic]

"Japanese Girls are so Scary"

LOL, Alice is so cute.

[Saber Cherry]

Originally Posted by andyjay729

I was wondering how many average British people still drive Morris Minors (equivalent to Americans driving '57 Chevies, I guess) until I saw the article about the B&B that Gokumi based Alice's house on. I was also impressed to read that even the quilt was real! Nice work, guys. Will be following. I always enjoy a good culture-clash show.

I visited England about 2 years ago, and I was shocked at how accurate this anime is. Just viewing it made it obvious that the creators had experienced the same environment that I had, down to the inside of a house; there's no way it could have been gleaned from reading or watching travelogues.

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

But I have to say that I agree with the people saying the English here is far better than most of the English we hear in anime.

I will also say this is the best English I've heard in anime. And I was not put-off by the quantity; I thought it was cute. I can't imagine any blond English family being that fluent in Japanese, though

[takai]

This was so HNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG.

But seriously, very cute, charming, and funny. I'm excited to see more.

All dat engrish.

[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 2:

The second episode is very great and on par with the first one. Our little main heroine Alice adapts her new life when living in Japan, and is able to learn a lot of new things that were reminiscient of a foreigner being in another country but for some reasons he/she like it. She's very excelled in English lessons since it's her native language after all, and she begans befriending Shinobu and her classmates for the first time. Deep interactions ensues, and Alice have to make sure she'll never forget her first trip to Japan. The animation is smooth and fluid, the comedic expressions are great and Alice is adorable with her bunny ears. I find it hilarious when Yoko is acting as a prince to Aya, but the latter denies since they are both straight and yuri is always a subtlety to this series. We can hope that the next episode will have Karen's first appearance so it'll deliver a lot of surprises and more tender moments.

[Random Wanderer]

...Is that Yukari Tamura I hear in Shinobu's sister?

This episode felt much much more 4-koma-like than the previous one. I could feel the breaks between comics.

I can has Aya now pls? I like her.

[EroKing]

"Nani kore?"
That killed me

[SQA]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

...Is that Yukari Tamura I hear in Shinobu's sister?

This episode felt much much more 4-koma-like than the previous one. I could feel the breaks between comics.

I can has Aya now pls? I like her.

Yup, Yukarin sighting.

Aya is fun, haha.

[kentasaiba]

Aya wa moesugiru

[Kaoru Chujo]

Yes, cuteness is enough. Excellent episode, again.

[DXMichael]

Another good episode. I'm really liking the characters, I see that there's a fifth blonde character in the ending so i'm wondering when she'll make her appearance and if she'll be as likeable as the others (I hope she is )

Good comedy, awesome cute kawaii moe hnnngggg scenes Can't get enough of the anime

[Sol Falling]

Predictably, the second episode didn't live up to the first one...it felt much more obviously like a 4koma adaptation, and the appeal of the original gags/punchlines didn't carry through. I'd say that pacing is the most vital element for a good 4koma adaptation, but going from the second episode it doesn't look like Kiniro Mosaic excels in this aspect.

Gonna stick with this one no matter what (loved other Kirara properties like Hidamari Sketch, Kill Me Baby, Yuyushiki, not to mention that Studio Gokumi are the hands behind one of my absolute favourite series, Saki) but I can't deny that this episode didn't live up to expectations. Hopefully, however, the adaptation will only get better from this point.

[alunde]

I too hope they will manage to show the girls interacting a bit more smoothly.

One thing, looking at the lengths of their hair and proportions of their faces, I wonder if it's been more than a year since Shibobu's visit to England, both girls look more mature (in a girly sort of way...)

[winhlp32]

Shinobu's outfit. All the talk about hair. The English. The sudden sentimentality. The ED baking and dancing. And it looks like from the next episode preview Karen is coming. This anime is perfect.