Kampfer 04
Summary:
The Cultural Festival is coming - the only time of the year when the whole school (and not just the library) is actually co-ed. After finding that he is running for Ms Seitetsu Academy, Natsuru rushes over to the girls' side to protest to Shizuku who demands a backrub in exchange for letting him off the beauty competition. Her attempt to kiss him is interrupted by Kampfer Akane but the damage she caused negates his backrub payment.
While shopping with Akane for some outfits, Natsuru is joined by Shizuku and he learns the trials and tribulations of a bra that is too tight. Sakura then joins them for karaoke practice, ending up with a three way competition which Natsuru calls a draw. Left alone, Sakura demands an answer to her confession but in lieu of an erection Natsuru's bracelet glows; he flees the room and is forced to rely on Shizuku's transformation to stabilize his Kampfer form. After yet another argument with Akane, Sakura declares that she will take part in the beauty contest in order to confess to Kampfer Natsuru in front of the whole school.
Reaction:
This was largely setting the scene for the beauty contest and I found the innuendo between Shizuku and Natsuru for the backrub to be rather predictable and tiresome - gimme some hot and bothered Akane innuendo anytime! As such, I fully second Naz's call for her to "keep it that way".
While I understand the excitement of the boys' side of being able to mingle with the girls during the cultural festival, it also assumes that the girls are not raging lesbians during festival time; judging from Sakura, I'm not entirely sure of that. Speaking of whom I really have to give it to her for her persistence and her lack of shyness - when was the last time I saw a haremette pursue a harem lead so persistently but, critically, as non-psychotically?
What Others Are Saying:
- DS asks a good question: "why does the fighting just stop?" - because it's Moderated?
- Aizen favours a Natsuru x Akane ending. While Akane is my favourite character, I don't think she makes a good pairing with Natsuru while he's still completely and utterly besotted with Sakura. He also asks a good question as to why Natsuru does not take the obvious route with all the girls. I have an answer: Given his reaction to his own breasts, I doubt very much that he has discovered the joys of tribadism.
- Calawain's favourite character is Shizuku. At first my reaction was 'WRY?' as she is not all that gay but extrapolating from his fanboydom of Mistress of the Under the Bridge Fu Alphard-oneesama in Canaan, it makes perfect sense! Crusader's references of 'boy-type' and 'girl-type' remind me of the (not so good) ole days of Ranma 1/2. Which Epi's gravatar also recalls, it seems that the Rumiko Takahashi is still there in some of us.
- divine's anticipation that "Next time it looks like the beauty contest is in full swing and things won’t be pretty" roused much LOL in me. Does this qualify as Kabitzin geass (pun) humour?
- If A Day Without Me hadn't corrected my earlier misconception about the gender of the author of GAR GAR Stegosaurus, this very detailed bra-buying guide would have been set off a "Is he a Mako-chan?" alarm. Not that there's anything wrong with being a Mako-chan, just sayin'
- The gentlemens doth protest too much? Crusader's qualified praise: "This series might be garbage, but it is so much fun" and Author's evaluation: "For such a trashy show, Kampfer is oddly well plotted, and the delicious mystery is set up impressively." (emphases added) Nobody sounds surprised that Kampfer is not going to be a classic but why did we decide to give this series a chance? Does the element of (pleasant) surprise have something to do with the general positive reaction to this series thusfar?
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October 27th, 2009 - 18:36
A guess about the root of Crusader and Author’s very, very guarded praise of Kampfer: I think perhaps this is an outgrowth of the boom in endless, formulaic shounen that saturate the anime market. There is -so much- anime out there that is just not worth the time investment necessary to watch it, So much so that there’s a general backlash within the community over ‘non-classic’ anime.
Hence, the tendency is to pull away, and pretend that we’re above a guilty pleasure or two, or a fanservice feast when putting our opinions out there for anoymous legions of people who just LIVE to froth about how terrible the anime they hate are.
I know I’m assuming a whole lot here-But this has been on my mind for some time. There’s a tendency to pre-empt people who hack on series that I’ve seen a lot, like ‘I know it’s crap but…’ or ‘For such a shitty series…’ that makes me sad.
Most everyone enjoys movies, yet few people’s lists of Favorite movies are Full of Films like ‘Gone with the Wind’ and -no- ‘Die Hard’s, or ‘Earth Girls are Easy’ sharing space with them. Why should continously acknowledging that it’s no ‘Akira’, or ‘Ghost in the Shell’ be a prerequiste for enjoying lowbrow humor, fanservice and a silly plot? So long as it uses the tools it has well, we should be unashamed to enjoy it for what it is.
I think I got carried away there. Sorry ’bout that. ^^;
October 27th, 2009 - 23:16
Actually I hated the Akira movie. LOL
October 28th, 2009 - 02:12
Yeah, me too.
But everyone calls it a classic. Somehow, I think that reinforces whatever point I was trying to make, though. 
October 28th, 2009 - 15:17
I do see some flaws in Kampfer, but I am willing to forgive a lot if it delivers on what I want from it. That said I think it’s appeal is fairly narrow and it’s not the most well funded production of this season. Besides it’s too early to give a final verdict.
October 27th, 2009 - 21:03
Sorry, but for me, Shizuku outshines the entire remaining bunch altogether. Yes, part of it may be that I’ve got a weakness for darkhaired beauties, but Shizuku’s biggest appeal is her mixture of being fiendishly smart and very teasy-playful at the same time.
I’m not quite sure how someone can be an Akane-fan, whose constant hardwired trend to misunderstand whatever airhead Natsuru says in some kind of lewd way is objectively repetitive, and at the same time criticize the fairly interesting and probing flirting by Shizuku as “predictable and tiresome” – Zyl, what are you thinking? ^_^;
Compared to the fairly childish bickering between Akane and Sakura, Shizuku is on an entirely different maturity level. Also, at the going rate, her relationship with Natsuru offers alot more room for development compared to the alternatives. So, at least when it comes to me, definitely give me more Seitokaichou. I’m rooting for her to be the one to act instead of talk next episode, when it’s going to be about the faasto kissu.
October 27th, 2009 - 23:15
The alternation between Shizuku’s moaning and Natsuru’s pushing was what made me roll eyeballs wrt Shizuku and I never really managed to recover for the rest of the episode after that. I can see where you’re coming from but after that scene, her smartness felt like smart aleckness and her teasing malicious rather than evil playfulness. I am interested in why she’s being FRIENDLY with Natsuru despite on Team Red and her backstory wrt the Sakura dimension but just can’t find it in me to like her as a chara at this point.
October 28th, 2009 - 00:12
First,
THIS. I couldn’t have said it any better myself. However, I do find Akane very amusing as well, as her crazy fantasies are not TOO overdone or overused.
Well, remember, she said initially that she wants to find out the WHY. WHY are there Kampfers, why do they fight. But she was content at the time to just fight it out and ask questions later… until she got defeated. So now she’s content with just causing mischief for Natsuru while she bides her time.
Yeah, I agree that the whole back rub scene was just a bit over the top and even I was rolling my eyes. But I tended to focus on the mischief that followed, with her toying with Natsuru and Akane. I guess that’s the fanboy in me :p
Really, I’m finding it hard to NOT like any of the girls so far. Sakura is probably the lowest on my list, but even she isn’t too bad, because, as you said, she’s not just sitting there passively hoping that Natsuru will fall for her. And yes, I’m counting Natsuru as a girl… my mind is so broken by this show D:
October 28th, 2009 - 05:21
I’m not quite sure how her moaning to the massage would make her smart-aleckish, but… ^_^;
Now, why wouldn’t she be friendly? She was just SPARED by Natsuru. She also found out that he cared enough for Sakura (Shizuku’s childhood friend) to let her go. Shizuku also tries to find out more about the “what’s that all about” background, and so far, killing other Kämpfers (which she has done alot before) didn’t seem to get her any closer to the answer.
At least I consider it logical that she’s curious about him. And she enjoys to twist other peoples’ tails. Also, she hasn’t really harmed Natsuru afterwards, just the opposite: By enrolling “her” she gave him a safe haven to retreat to should he transform. And by spreading the “dating the male Natsuru” rumor, she managed to get the Yuri hordes off him. Also, by her schemings, (s)he can spend more time with the girl of his dreams, Sakura (it was Natsuru’s own fault and thickheadedness to let Sakura see him with Akane on top, WITHOUT trying to dispel the misunderstanding).
Shizuku hasn’t been hostile towards him since, and if anything, her teases are more impish than malicious. And most importantly, incredibly fun to watch ^_^
October 28th, 2009 - 07:11
It wasn’t the moaning per se but the attempt at innuendo which was, in my book, the only attempt at humour in the whole episode that fell utterly flat on its face. It’s great that Naz was able to skip over it lightly but it was a big drag on my momentum for the rest of the show.
Gah, I didn’t know about the latter bit.
At the very least I need more background from the anime on Shizuku before I can move to empathy and perhaps even beyond.
October 28th, 2009 - 12:17
@Zyl: Well, what about the moaning and pushing between Natsuru and Akane when he’s trying to buy a bra? Seems I’m not the only one who can overlook the silly things :p
October 28th, 2009 - 17:35
@Naz: Yeah, Akane x Natsuru bra-pushing moaning was pretty trashy too but I’ve already slotted Megane Akane as a Silly Girl already so it wasn’t that jarring.
October 28th, 2009 - 15:27
I quite like Ranma 1/2 it occurred at time be fore the interwebs made more anime available. The only thing I truly detested in that series was Happosai.
I didn’t much mind Shizuku’s sweet nothings during the massage, but at least it generated a delightful response from Akane. Even if Shizuku is in pursuit of Natsuru Girl-type, I shall cheer on Akane to the bitter end for Akane’s love runs deeper. Praise be to Akane for attempting to doll up Natsuru Girl-type for a night of Akane and Natsuru Girl-type that went on forever and ever. May Lady Liang Qi and Mistress Kuroko guide her.
October 28th, 2009 - 17:36
Even more so if it’s Kampfer Akane x Natsuru Girl-typu!!