Muteki Kanban Musume was the only summer season series that I picked up and it’s been buckets of fun. While I like all the characters in the cast, especially the antagonism between Miki and Megumi, I eventually voted for Kayahara-sensei in the current AoMM poll. Apparently Jason is surprised that she’s in the lead. After all, she’s only a supporting character, doesn’t feature in the OP and doesn’t even have screentime for half of the series (1-3, 6-8). But almost every time she appears (出った～～～!!!), I had a good laugh. Right from the start, with the use of TV static – and I just love The Ring parodies since the original movie scared me shitless. Plus she’s got the oneesama factor.

The humour from Kayahara-sensei comes from her gloomy state which can be ramped up to positively creepy (especially when she’s trying hard to be friendly) and it’s hilarous how it’s completely reversed by ramen. Good noodles soothe the vengeful spirit. Just like how good bah chor mee (minced pork noodles) soothes the loli-siscon.

Kayahara-sensei has fairly cordial relations with Miki, Ohta and Miki’s mom, but Megumi completely misunderstands her identity. First impressions do last apparently. I love how Megumi just *doesn’t* get it that Kayahara-sensei is just creepy and not actually a real ghost.

Although Miki is “invincible” she can’t defeat her mother (without the help of alcohol). Similarly she shows a healthy respect to Kayahara-sensei because of her status as a teacher and a customer. The Facial Sumo competition also showed how Miki was defeated outright by her and that instead of fists, the bribe of ramen had to be offered up to secure the piggy.

In addition, Kayahara-sensei saves a worn out Miki from Megumi by just being there and is also the whole gang’s only hope of escaping from the enclosure with her Sadako-like ability to scale walls. I do enjoy how Miki treats her as a completely normal person and is filled with admiration of her creepy abilities rather than horrified by them.

Earlier on in her debut episode, Kayahara-sensei shows how seriously she takes the Warrior of Justice aspect of being a teacher by being worried about the absent Suzuki and then by attempting to get Megumi to shed her anger at Miki (and then her fear of Kayahara-sensei). We see this again in Ep 9 when she charges in on the scene of Miki bullying Ohta. Except it’s so weird that she just has to withdraw. I can soooo see Miki’s interrogation technique being effective on some fellow anime bloggers.

Though she doesn’t give very good advice about raising children or building character. It’s either that the Onimaru family mental makeup is so way off the median profile or that she’s ingested too many fashionable pop psychology theories that passes for educational policy in many countries these days.

Again she proposes a flawed hypothesis – this time, about who can ride animals. Fortunately it’s disposed of by falsification later, otherwise Miki will always be able to rub it into her mom’s face. Anything that gives Miki over her mom is Verboten.

I really thought that Kayahara-sensei was going to pull off another stunning victory out of nowhere against Miki again. But the ghost picture joke was just too good to pass up.

Again LOL at how Drunk Megumi is not afraid of her at all even though she still thinks she’s a vengeful spirit. And how easily Megumi subverts Kayahara-sensei by the promise and taste of delicious ramen which completely destroys any of her sense of responsibility as a teacher. I wonder if she becomes even creepier if she’s served with bad ramen? Really hope for and looking forward to a second season!

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

Stripey was pimping the Negima 2 trailer to me on one of my visits to the den of siscon a few weeks ago and we both nodded appreciatively at this particular sequence. Having grown up watching lots of Hong Kong-made martial arts TV series which were, more often than not, adaptations of Jin Yong novels, it’s always a pleasure to see a good martial arts sequence. Especially since many of the HK-made series were mind boogling in their awfulness.

In the scene captured above, Asuna (I remember her name correctly) whips up such serious momentum into that attack and I really liked how the animation shows her throwing all her power right from her torso, up the shoulder, through her arm and projected from her weapon. Yet what I liked most was the rootedness of her lower body to the ground at the moment of release. Anyone whose ever had to hold a horse stance for an extended period knows how difficult is, much less combining offensive power with stability on your feet.

Taken out of context, it looks like Miki is smiting a lolicon but if you’ve seen the episode, it’s at the Nya guy’s desperate request to kill the momentum of his charge after he saves Wakana-chan from being run over by a Conveniently Timed Truck which is hired by studios whenever they need a truck to suddenly appear out of the blue. Which didn’t even stop to check if they were ok as it is probably responsible for all the near misses in anime, what a nerve! But then again it’s probably the same truck with Osaka’s shoe on the top so I guess I can find some forgiveness in my heart. In any case, Muteki Kanban Musume has been a real treat not just because of the really funny cast of OTT characters and the excellent excelleeeent voice acting but also the fighting. I find myself wanting to shout: ‘Onimaru ryuu souhei jutsuuu!!!’ sometimes.

The above scene is a wonderful showcase of Miki’s stopping power (and use of the ramen delivery box for fighting that recalls Shampoo from Ranma 1/2) – again, the scene is composed in such a way that shows a good understanding of a stance that combines power from the arms and upper torso and stability from the legs which is essential from being thrown away by the ongoing object or your own attack.

Of course, here’s another chance for Yuki praise and worship. Absolutely loved how her pose simply says, with her characteristic determination: ‘You shall not pass.’ Or as Sun Zi puts it: Immovable as the mountain (不动如山). It’s not a martial arts precursor move (though she does some fantastic blocks and jumps later in that scene), another one of those martial arts movie clichés is that a skilled pugilist will often be able to tell the level of another’s skill from mundane things like the potential opponent’s standing posture. Less skilled warriors are, of course, unable to read the signs and are then often trashed to demonstrate our hero’s correct assessment.

Always great to see good rendering of martial arts moves in anime!

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.