hontou ni Stripey Insists Sisters Cry Oniichan Now

Mermaid fail, Encore passes, Dash FTW

Seto no Hanayome

Koji Oe wouldn't mind a second season. I'm not so sure. I felt that, wrt the OVAs, the franchise has lost some of its charm.

The reintroduction of the cast was somewhat tedious and the thing I particularly took exception to was how Gouzaburo has reverted back to Nagasumi-hatin' - this takes away from his reluctant acknowledgment of the latter as his son-in-law. It would have been so much more interesting if Gouzaburo could have transitioned to become conflicted (as full acceptance right away would be both implausible and less fun).

A few further gripes. The meido cafe was completely predictable, you just knew that things would end in utter devastation. On the introduction of new charas, Saru's sister was a lot more fun than the seaweed girl from the latter half of the Gi OVA.

But my main reservation is the whole one step forward, one step back vibe; it points to stalled dynamics, vicious cycles, gags getting old and stale, School Rumble syndrome if you will. Seto no Hanayome hasn't plumbed those depths yet by far but the OVAs were not a promising glimpse into its future.

Ichigo Mashimaro Encore

Erica's review pretty much covers everything of significance so instead of regurgitating my agreement, as a fellow member of the Cult of Miu, here's the screencaps of the scenes she mentioned:

The role assignment in the afterlife was really appropriate. I don't really know my Japanese mythology that well - who would Miu be?

This really was proof of friendship. First, Chika actually bothers to reply. Second, her reply above was such a dry witty putdown. No wonder Miu sees her as her best friend.

Best 'we are lesbians' line.

Nobue-nee-sama joins the ranks of Minami Kana, Bruce Springsteen and Suntory coffee-based drinks.

However I've never really liked Matsuri. While she makes a good partner with Ana to contrast against the Chika-Miu duo, she's just so pathetic. I struggle between feeling sad for her and shaking her while shouting 'Get yourself together!' whenever she blubbers. And there was quite a bit of Matsuri in the park scene and then the Who's Better Best Friends!? competition (though Miu's mockery made the latter quite entertaining).

Pani Poni Dash!

I shared Washi's surprise at 'how familiar it felt.' The premise was nonsensical but (1) even the cast commented so, (2) it was as good an excuse as any for how hilarity ensued, and (3) the kick the can contest didn't make sense in of itself but it provided the context and structure, making sense of everyone's actions during the OVA.

Characters were reintroduced and familiar gags were replayed with a verve and flair that had plenty of justified confidence that the memorable cast was indeed memorable. This velocity allowed the madcap events of the contest to speed through the time of the OVA, all the while with a wink, a twinkle in the eye, a tongue firmly in cheek as the ending unfolded with its multiple twists and turns that had a surprising bite, a LOL flavour and texture followed by an 'Ah I should have known' aftertaste sprinkled with otaku references, udon torture, Jackie Chan and Al Pacino (Heat?). And lots of eye catches and fan service.

Good stuff. I certainly wouldn't mind another OVA like that.

Related posts:

1. Disgrace upon the tanukis of Hontou Ni-Land
2. Boarding Blassreiter
3. Ichigo Mashimaro 03