OK… here’s a truly unique comedy… one in which the main character isn’t really a character at all: Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto (DVD / BD). Sakamoto may be the titular character, but this is a classroom comedy where most of the class makes up an ensemble cast of relatively ordinary people. The comedy comes from their reactions to the enigmatic, caricature that is Sakamoto.

As an example, we get to know the mother of one classmate, the thug life of several others, and the dreams / hobbies / fantasies of several others, but we never even get Sakamoto’s first name. We know nothing about his family life, or even if he has one. We never see his house, or anywhere he goes besides the school. He may as well be an alien from outer space, or a shared delusion. It’s really all about how the ordinary people of the class react to the extraordinary Sakamoto. To that end, the comedy is hit or miss. There’s a lot that’s amusing, sometimes simply for its novelty, but very little is laugh out loud funny. The art is adequate, but plenty of things not essential are relatively crudely rendered. The music is forgettable. What sticks with you after the show ends is the premise: How do mere mortals react to a deity in their midst. To that end, it’s a fun show. Others have said it’s hard to take large doses of this at once, but I had no trouble bingeing the whole 13 episodes in a weekend, 9 straight on Sunday. It’s a good show, and despite the initial negative reactions of some classmates, never truly mean spirited. In fact, it’s not only pleasant and likable, but heartwarming. Sakamoto’s presence enhances the lives of all around him without him really trying or them even being aware of it. It’s not until the end that the class even realizes it, expressed in the 13th episode OVA which is half clip show and half new material. But even the clip show part is played for the comedy it’s worth.

This isn’t the best comedy and it’ll be very taste specific, but for people who appreciate it, it’s truly worth a watch. Watching this show puts me in mind of Cromartie High School which came many years before and is quite different, but in some ways similar. If you’re a fan of comedy and of the unusual, give this a try… it may become one of your favorites.

Get ready for some H-A-P-P-Y…! Myriad Colors Phantom World is probably best described as a fantasy slice of life. The main cast is one guy and four girls, but it’s not really a harem anime. There is some fan service, but it’s generally minor and only really becomes an issue in the OVA. The show follows a group in a high school club who use special abilities to protect people from “phantoms”. What they are is never fully explained, and these aren’t save the world scenarios, more like save the pet rabbits. So, there’s no heavy drama, no high stakes, no real enemies, and all that makes this show… nice. That’s right, nice. And no, that’s not a bad thing. There’s a little romance, a little action, a little drama, but mostly it’s character and happy-happy fun times.

It’s not easy to binge this whole thing. There are 14 episodes (including the OVA) and I was able to handle 4-5 at a time. That’s about a movies’ worth at a clip. Every character gets a story and the group gets several to coalesce and bond. It’s generally a good time for everyone involved. Even the group’s curmudgeon comes around and gets their happy on by the end.

So, this is a great anime if you’re recovering from the drrrrama, or want something mellow to relax to. Because it’s new it’s a bit pricey, especially for a 14 episode run. If you usually go for dramas or comedies or action or fan service, it is none of those things… but it’s so nice and fun and pleasant that it may be the thing you need between all of those things. Give it a try. I’m sure glad I did.

Today: Gate!

So… Gate is a relatively recent release from Sentai Filmworks and as such it’s available separately on DVD and Blu-Ray. I went with Blu-Ray here due to the minimal price difference, but I’m betting the DVD video quality will be effectively the same.

This is an “ordinary people” (all be it, soldiers) go to a fantasy world sort of story that mixes a bunch of things up… there’s a harem element (though the fan service is minimal). There’s a good bit of adventure mixed in with some military geeking-out, and unfortunately there’s political intrigue.

Some reviews will point out the very heavy bias toward the JSDF (Japanese Self-Defense Force). Basically, every other organization (from foreign governments to various parts of the Japanese government and media) are dis-honorable louts, but you can ignore a good bit of it and pretend it’s an idealization.

Still… I think the series is at it’s best in the first half… where they’re exploring the fantasy world. The second half gets bogged down in political machinations and a civil war. These things are all reasonable extensions of the events that proceeded them, but really didn’t do it for me. I would have much preferred seeing Itami and his crew continue to explore either the fantasy world or Japan.

The combination of Itami’s professional soldiers and the eclectic array of local inhabitants makes for an interesting dynamic that I’d really like to see put through more situations and adventures. There’s a second season (half the length) so I can only hope that reproduces the first half rather than the second half of this series.

All in all, the current price for this series if pretty high for what you get. I was bored and looking for something new and different, and don’t regret this one… but if you’re not itching for it, I’d suggest holding off… I can’t see how they can justify the list price of $99 for the BD ($69 for DVD)… The BD is under $60 at present… which is still a bit high to me… I would expect in a couple of years it’ll be in the $40 range (which would be totally appropriate).

Anyway, in spite of the less enjoyable second half… when (if) the second season becomes available I’ll probably buy it if only in the hope that it’ll continue the first half formula. Check it out if you like reality meets fantasy stuff.

Along with Monster Musume, I also received Rio Rainbow Gate (Reshuffle). 

This is a re-release of Rio Rainbow Gate with a new English dub. Since it’s only 13+1 episodes I watched it this week as well. I have to say this is relatively inexpensive for a “new” release (at least the English audio track is new which is quite an expense for a licensee). Compared to Funimation pricing… where a 13 episode series is listed for $60+, this is very reasonable. I stuck to DVD since when it comes to most anime, Blu-ray is unnecessary in my opinion.

Anyway, this turned out to be a delightful series. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot, and don’t get me wrong, reviewers out there are probably not going to be impressed… but it’s light and fun (mostly) and a great way to pass some time (assuming you have some time to kill). It starts off episodic but half way through we get a villain who completely dominates the remaining episodes. On the bright side, there’s a satisfying conclusion, and the angst is relatively limited… although the tension is high from episode 7 to the end (not counting the bonus OVA), episodes 8 & 9 are where the real drrrrama is found.

Frankly, I was hoping it would keep it’s “mindless fun” / episodic nature throughout. That’s what I was in the mood for when I started it, and for the first half it looked like I was going to get just what I wanted. The fact that it changed tone half way through is not really shocking, a lot of anime do this… and that doesn’t make it a bad series in any way. I’ll definitely watch it again in the future. However, I’ll almost certainly favor the early episodes for the “feel-good” nature they exude over the angst-y second half which you’ll want to watch in a row together to reach the happy ending.

I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant about the gambling aspect of this show. I’ve seen some anime that have sacrificed entertainment in the name of near slavish accuracy when portraying some aspect of the story or setting… and I’m not a fan of gambling. I can understand and appreciate the technical merits of most games of chance where the goal is to manage or manipulate the system to tip the odds in your favor, but I find it barely interesting as an academic exercise and certainly not entertaining. Fortunately, this show effectively treats the gambling like a “magic black box” where winning and losing is not determined by probability management, but magic, spirit and/or will power. In other words, the gambling is a flashy and fun backdrop for, and setting to explain the competitions, but nothing more. So… the other side of that coin is that if you’re a gambler (or even just a fan of gambling) you may be offended by the way gambling is portrayed in this anime. I can’t really say since that’s not me, but I could imaging it may rub some people who appreciate the technical aspects of things like poker the wrong way.

So… to sum it up: Episodes 1-6 are light and fun and really easy to watch. Episodes 7-9 get progressively heavier and darker despite what I think is a clear effort to retain the up-beat feel of the first half. There’s just no way to tell the story they wanted to tell without it being depressing and unpleasant at times. Episodes 10-13 climb back up to happy, but it’s an up-hill battle. To be fair, the whole show has tried to ratchet up the tension at times all the way throughout, and the 7-9 arc is a reasonable progression of that. It’s not bad, and as I said, it pulls out and the mood improves as the series continues to a happy ending.

Finally I’d like to comment on the fan service (which is present throughout). In the early part, it’s played for laughs. All the girls know all about the pervy casino owner and put up with his ridiculous requests in a sort of sisterhood of those-who-must-endure-the-dirty-old-but-effectively-harmless-man. Again it comes off as harmless if a bit weird fun. While the fan service continues throughout, it’s so overshadowed in the second half by everything else, I barely noticed it… Objectively I know it was there… it just loses it’s appeal (and it’s comic effectiveness is reduced) as you wade through the drama taking place.

Well, that’s it. I did enjoy the series. Now that I know what I’ll get when I re-watch it, I’ll be sure to re-watch when I’m in the right mood for what it provides. That’s the whole point after all. First runs are always a gamble… you get what you get, rarely is it exactly what you want. In this case it wasn’t what I wanted but it wasn’t bad either and I’m sure I’ll want what it offers again at some point in the future. I do wish it didn’t go quite as dark as it did though. Anyway, c’est la vie.

Today: Monster Musume… or Everyday Life with Monster Girls… 

So… this is new, and I just received it and decided to sit down and try it out this weekend. I have to say I enjoyed it very much. It’s fun and light and easy to watch, making it perfect to pop on and forget about the crazy stuff going on in the real world for a while.

I have to warn you… it’s very heavy on the fan service. This is a full on harem slice of life anime with a single male (lead). The rest of the cast is female and while they are “monster girls” (meaning they are part human mythical creatures) the focus is entirely on their familiar female anatomy.

There’s a lot of great anime without fan service (or where it’s minimized)… but when I’m in a dark mood… this sort of thing helps me escape from reality very effectively… so, sorry that that’s been the subject of the last several posts. Anyway…

The lead is not clueless (like Natsuru from Kampfer or most other harem leads) and there’s no “mission” or overarching story line… it really is a slice of life comedy where the main focus (plot-wise) is on demi-humans trying to live ordinary lives in the human world, and what they have to deal with to effectively succeed at that task.

I’m not sure if this will stand the test of time… In 10 years will I be re-watching it every 6-12 months? I don’t know… probably not, but I’ll probably re-watch it multiple times in that time period. I’m glad I added it to my collection and certainly don’t regret the purchase.