asread atones for Okawari with Okaeri
Ever since SHUFFLE! I have been watching asread's career with great interest. But Minami Ke Okawari was a big disappointment, not so much due to the art or animation but because the humour compared poorly to the first season by They of the Cabbage Love, Doumu. The three Minami sisters just seemed off-kilter; Haruka alternated between being hapless and mean; Kana was unlovably stupid; Chiaki was too bratty.
I was arguing with Stripey that Ga-Rei Zero has been disappointing. Because Kagura was whiny - definitely not a Good Job from Minorin here. The middle part was just dumb. See also #2-5 in Baka Raptor's post. *But* having just read tjhan raging on the manga (which I didn't pick up because I thought the art was fugly), I'm starting to think that Ga-Rei Zero was another case of asread being able to make the most out of rather poor source material so I'll still give it Good Job overall. But not as far as declaring it the top series for Fall 08.
However balance has been restored returned to the Force in Minami Ke Okaeri! Everyone is lovable again - at least for the first four episodes that I've seen. I'm wondering who should I credit/blame? Okawari shared the same director and series composer as SHUFFLE! - Hosada Naoto and Suzuki Masashi - could it be that their forte is eroge conversion? They scored a lot of points in my book by going for the non-obvious ending. But without another asread eroge conversion to test this hypothesis against, it's hard to say this way or that. Ga-Rei Zero was a joint effort with AIC Spirits and I'm too lazy to track down whose staff did what. Anyone more industrious? Details, on ANN, are still scant about the team behind Okaeri but I hope the asread team led by director Oikawa Kei will keep up the Good Job!
Picking one favourite moment from each of the four episodes thus far:
The pen divination scene was nice especially Kana's wonderful potential future husband. (This must be totali's geass at work, dammit!) Honorary mention for Haruka's hair toss in the OP. Yes, Oneechan x Hair toss = WIN.
Devil Chiaki and Curry Fairy Song has captured the hearts of moyism, Kurogane and Suguru but forcing myself to choose one, Hosoka is Dah Curry Man. What I especially liked how it serendipitously helped Chiaki out of her pinch and that she, with real childlike innocence, actually took to this weird but essentially harmless display pretty well rather than having the more grown up kimochi warui response.
Ringo no Hako (Box of Apples) is something I could totally relate to. There was a potluck get together at my home when everyone, and I mean everyone, brought Old Chang Kee curry puffs. We had over 40 freaking curry puffs. And no beer. No beer!! Enough to make grown men weep. ;_; Anyway, loved the mystery before Uchida opened the box. And it stood up very well to rewatching. Including the aftermath for Uchida and Touma. Aaah, Uchida is so lovably stupid that I'm never tired of her. And I could just about start to believe that Mizuki Nana voices Touma from the way she skipped into her house, full of anticipation of the pudding from that store beside the station. Well, until she used the ore pronoun again. *cue Index glass shatter eyecatch*
Doggy Kana, Chiaki, Haruka and Touma FTW. Taiga has just got to see this. Of course, this leads to the Iron Claw scene that the OP has previewed already. Iron Claw is indeed the proper waza of the Oneesama! Do you know of any other users besides Tama-nee and Haruka? Honorable mention also for Kana's ominous speculation that Haruka could like Natsuki and Chiaki's initial OH SHI- D: reaction.
I dearly hope the goodness can be sustained right till the end of Okaeri and keenly await the return of the One, the Only, the Mako-chan.
Related posts:
Recent Comments
- Sora no woto 10 (2)
- Sora no woto 9 (3)
- Zyl: @ Kherubim re:...
- Sora no woto 8 (6)
Series & Themes
Maki Maki Blogroll
- atarashi prelude
- moe check!
- moe moe rabu
- byakuya
- tenka seiha
- yuribou
- the banzai! effect
- incredible nothing!
- wakaranai
- yuri goggles
February 1st, 2009 - 15:13
Curry Fairy = Pure Win! *lol* This series has been pretty good though.
February 1st, 2009 - 15:38
Curry no Yousei was hard to forget and did prompt me to make some curry. Nevertheless I also found “LET”S BE FRIENDLY” to be quite entertaining.
So far it seems to be a return to form though the return of Mako-cakes is sure to cause quite a stir.
February 1st, 2009 - 16:34
Let’s see. SOLA’s Shiho Matsuri used it to wake up Yorito. The first time I saw it was by Kenshiro in Hokuto no Ken, but I guess you are not interested in that. I believe Ayukawa Madoka from Kimagure Orange Road used it once.
February 1st, 2009 - 16:40
Unfortunately our discussion on GRZ was cut short by the untimely disruption.
Still not yet sure how you found the parts after Mei’s resurrection dumb since the way the plot unfolded thereafter is actually coherent given the circumstances. As I mentioned, Erica’s point on Yomi’s failed succession of the clan could be explained in so many ways. For us who are used to power struggles in our previous organisations or from HK triad movies 
, we know that the ousting a successor who is not a ‘pure-blood’ of a long-standing clan is simple and often guaranteed (especially when the power behind the unnatural succession is already 6 foot below). Plus given the circumstances of Yomi’s father death, pinning incompetence on the wielder of Shishisou is all to easy.
On the point of the organisation instantly recognising Yomi as evil compared to Mei, you’d need to watch the series for yourself. Mei was still masquerading after her ‘resurrection’ but Yomi made no effort at all to conceal her newfound powers for murderous ends.
February 1st, 2009 - 19:30
AstroNerdBoy, I was a bit surprised that chocolate was included though.
Crusader, yes, I’m sure if Japan sends Hosaka on LET’S BE FRIENDLY diplomatic missions, they’ll either have more wars on their hands or lots of friendship treaties just to get Hosaka to GO AWAY. LOL
maglor, you are so right that I so not want Fist of the North Star WRT to delicious oneechan iron claw.
Stripey, it’s the evil forces of SingTel and Starhub at work, I tell you! Yes, I grant you that the way it unfolded was coherent. So good job that they didn’t contradict themselves outright. But I was just perturbed that the hyper-competent organization portrayed in the early eps turned out to be a bumbling one so quickly too. One possible explanation is that they are all secret Mei fanboys.
Your analogy to HK triads is well taken but the comparison is not a good one. This isn’t just a bunch of gangsters but an established, experienced and well-resourced super secret government agency. I don’t think I’m asking too much to expect more from them in terms of security, intelligence, counter-intel etc. In short, I think we just had very different expectations. I was probably not as ready to go with the flow, my sceptism already being bolstered by Aroduc’s grumpy commentary. LOL
Most importantly, I also felt cheated. Yes, CHEATED of the delicious yuri that the show could have had so much more. Ok, I’m not so hot about Yomi x Kagura as a couple but Jinguuji x Kiri would have been absolutely fabulous. Esp after their combo fight agst Yomi (I just loved the peg leg and wheelchair swords!). Baka Raptor said that if Kiri was hetero, he was the King of Spain. Likewise I say that if she’s straight, I’m the Pope. Where was my goddamn Jinguuji x Kiri yuri fan service? It’s not like there wasn’t a precedent for it. *grumble grumble*
February 1st, 2009 - 20:29
The last picture scares me.
February 1st, 2009 - 20:58
February 2nd, 2009 - 05:49
Brittania shall be mine.
I just want to know who it was to come up with a studio name like asread. I mean really.
February 2nd, 2009 - 09:55
@ Stripey,
Well, that merely increases the distance of control & control by one degree. My assumption, particularly from Jinguuji, is that they are also formally part of the government. Mei was considered a freelancer on the outside of this gov apparatus so I also assumed that everyone else was inside.
Anyway I thought this was supposed to be a Minami Ke post? Just hurry up and finish that draft of your GRZ review already so we can have a proper discussion over at your side!
@ totali
Not if you get geassed by Kabitzin first and start breaking out involuntarily in orz-inducing puns all the time!
February 2nd, 2009 - 15:33
I think that says it all, since I was alright with Okawari (not as good as the first season, but not really bad either) and I thought Ga-Rei Zero was awesome (and the fact that everyone in the organization didn’t get what was happening with Yomi only heightened the sad inevitability and “Me against the World” attitude she had at the end). And I really like the humor in Okaeri better than the first two (where people were already like “OMG Minami-ke’s back!”). We still have several episodes to go, so it’s all good either way. :3
February 2nd, 2009 - 15:45
Okaeri Episode 5 showed up. Mako-chan has returned, and Fujioka’s going the Hosaka route of “LET’S BE FRIENDLY”.
Episode 6 brings back the pink swimsuits and twintails for Haruka at the beach, following the story in Chapter 38 of the manga. Which means no Mako-chan.