This was the first ever Keroro episode I picked up and was hooked straight away even though it was unsubbed. The opening of Keroro as a weird parody of the Little Matchstick Girl was just gut-busting and the rest of the first half had loads of Natsumi and Koyuki so I was well chuffed. Basically Natsumi gave her Valentine’s chocolate to 556, instead of Saburo-senpai, by accident and she tries to get it back with the help of the other girls.
A note on the OP. Nice, energetic tune but not so good for singing on the way to school. (;^_^) I particularly liked the scene where Natsumi is looking at a happy Koyuki with the sub-title of the song lyrics reading: “Love is, after all, about give and take.” :)
Moa = Angol Moa; Peach = Momoka; Summer = Natsumi; Snow = Koyuki!
Koyuki’s :3 smiles were just sooo cute.
So all’s well and ends well. I know 556 isn’t a bad person but characters like him just irritate the hell out of me. I actually pumped my fist in the air and shouted “Yeeessss!!!” when Gai got killed in Nadesico. Yes, I am evil. (;-_-)
Also Koyuki, at least in the anime, seems to suffer from Tomoyo Syndrome i.e. she loves Natsumi but actively supports Natsumi’s love for Saburo (Btw why is he called Mutsumi Hojo in the manga?) - it might be interesting if she was more hostile towards him e.g. Chikane against Souma in Kannazuki. I haven’t seen most of the episodes preceding this so I’m curious to know if my gut feel that anime Koyuki is less aggressive than manga Koyuki (repeatedly cops feels of Natsumi during bath time) is correct… Akira Ishida renders Saburo’s voice a wee bit too similarly to Nagi which somehow just flags Saburo as No Good. Well, at least he doesn’t seem to have any interest in Natsumi.
Keroro picks up a stone of super bad luck from an alien courier. Shit happens. And just when I thought this was a job for Yurie Hitotsubashi, the super lucky alien who ordered it, arrives to collect it so that he can be more normal. What a wanker. Maki maki maki maki… My first impression of Mamiko Noto’s voice acting of Moa was that it was more Ana Coppola than Shimako Toudo. Felt a bit weird that her gentle tones were used for a kogal but her voice just has this ability to grow on you and in the end, it really did fit well, particularly when she addresses Keroro as “Ojiisama” in that “Hey, sugardaddy!” sort of way.
The ED was pretty catchy as well and I liked how they paired up the five aliens with their respective human best friend or love interest. In the Keroro / Fuyuki case, if you look at the OP, it could be both. LOL
Some notes regarding manga Koyuki:
(Note: I’ve only read up to vol. 10 of the manga.)
There seems to be a bit of a love triangle between Natsumi, Koyuki and Mutsumi. Koyuki loves Natsumi, Natsumi loves Mutsumi, and Mutsumi thinks that Koyuki is a hottie. Koyuki attacked Mutsumi the first time they met and has been generally uninterested in him since.
You are right; Koyuki is far more aggressive towards Natsumi in the manga. She’s nowhere near as obsessed as Momoka is to Fuyuki, but she’s often on-hand for a grope and a cuddle. And there have been a few times where she thinks about certain actions earning points with Natsumi. ^_^; As for the way Koyuki treats potential obstacles between her and Natsumi… well, I won’t drop spoliers, but I will say that she will deal with that obstacle.
Mutsumi 623 thinks almost all of the girls he runs into hotties.
It’s more fun if you imagine him as Nagi, egging them to fight for his love.
W4 - I’ve just received Vol.1 of the manga and it’s definitely more ecchi than the anime. Will have to wait a few more volumes before Koyuki appears though. T_T
jason - I dunno, I guess that might make me dislike him even more! Playa! I’ve just seen Ep 5 and he seems like quite a nice guy. Even if he still has that Evil Nagi voice…