Kurogane's Anime Blog » Otoboku

Ten Shows of 2006

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:20:53 +0000

I realize it’s a bit late for “Year in Review” posts, but some inexplicable urge just compelled me to write this out. Possibly attributed to my current holiday I guess. In anyways, I suck at ranking things, so this is not a “Top Ten” styled post, but more of a focus list of shows I thought best represented the year that was 2006 for me.

Number 1: Shakugan no Shana.

Shana started off strongly, but disappointingly tapered off towards the ending of the series, resulting in the show being written off as mediocre, a disappointment given that J.C. Staff is known for their quality. However, Shana-chan herself remains strong in the fandom scene and the antics of the tsundere, melonpan-addict loli still garners a lot of fandom around, with the “Urusai! Urusai! Urusai!” trademark line of hers and also the unquestionably funny Shana-tan DVD specials, even managing to fight her way up to the Quarterfinals of the Saimoe’06.

Number 2: Fate/Stay Night

Ahh.. Fate/Stay Night… how awesome it could have been. Alas however, Studio DEEN failed us all, especially on the infamous “mana-replenishment” scene, which got toned down, for the fear of parental objection when the show is inevitably licensed to North America, and replaced with a cheesy dragon. Still, the show had it’s saving graces, mostly in the form of dynamite tsundere, Rin Tohsaka, and her ass-kicking servant, GAR.. Archer. C’mon, HE coined the term GAR.

Number 3: Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora

Given it’s 6 episode run, it’s more fitting that it should’ve been given a full run instead. Yet, this bittersweet romance story between a sick girl and a sick boy, who met in a hospital, did a lot more than what it could’ve done in 6 episodes. It’s an admirably well-done story, and the ED still manages to evoke a tear to my eye when I listen to it.

Number 4: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

Emo facial contortion anyone? Probably one of the most shocking and horror thriller shows in anime in recent times, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni unfortunately also fell in to a steady decline after the shocking first two arcs of the show. Nevertheless, the mystery of Hinamizawa remains a compelling watch, if just to find out the truth in the end, with all the weird theories being thrown out, especially in the final two arcs.

Number 5: Black Lagoon

Unarguably one of the best action anime of recent times, and undoubtedly this year, Black Lagoon was an all-out fun ride of guns, pirates and gangster wars. While the budget undeniably went in to the choreography, the plot was there too and written quite well, whether when it dealt with some serious issues or just as a cause for more guns to be fired and things to be blown up. Black Lagoon is definitely a show well enjoyed by going along with the ride.

Number 6: Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru.

Fittingly, after popularizing the phenomenon of traps, Otoboku is definitely one of the influential shows of 2006. The sordid premise of a guy, forced by his grandparents will, to play dress-up and attend an all-girls school, did particularly well for focusing on the characters that surrounded Mizuho-chan, and while the ending might have been a disappointment to many, I found it a very good one instead, since it didn’t ended on a “forced” note to pair up Mizuho with any of the girls that surrounded him. The performance of Yui Horie as Mizuho will be one of her notable roles in the future, undeniably.

Number 7: NHK ni Youkoso.

A title that deals with a subject matter that strikes close to the heart of many otakus (this blogger included), hikikomorism, the anime adaptation has long been awaited. Initial concerns were raised when it was discovered that Gonzo would be handling it, given their reputation in recent times, but I’m pleased to say that my hopes were not dashed. Of course, the production quality of the show bombed many times throughout it’s run, but thankfully, the story remained solidly one foot in the ground, tackling a lot of social malaise’s that have struck Japan in the aggressive rush to the future, and in the center of it all, Tatsuhiro Satou, a very human character that personified the many negative sides of a human, but yet in the end, still manages to stand back up and face the challenges, slowly but surely. I would also give kudos to the performance of seiyuu Yui Makino as Nakahara Misaki, and I’m looking forward to her future career up ahead.

Number 8: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu

If I had to name a show that represented 2006, no doubt SHnY will be the first name I come out with. There was absolutely no fanfare about the title at all, up to the week it aired, except for a few that noticed it was being done by the gods, Kyoto Animation. And true to their reputation, KyoAni literally created a “Big Bang” in the otaku scene, with the story of an eccentric girl, bored of the world, in search of otherworldly beings to literally bring excitement to the world. She might not have managed to create the excitement she originally aimed for in her own dimension, but in ours, she has definitely spiced up the lives of countless fans, and now rightly claims to be the most marketable brand name in the industry, perhaps only eclipsed by more, commercially focused shows, such as Bleach.

Number 9: Zegapain

Initially neglected by the torrent that was Suzumiya Haruhi, I’m glad to have discovered this little gem by Sunrise, who have, in many ways, disappointed it’s own fans recently. Zegapain, however, shows that Sunrise still possesses a considerable amount of talent at it’s disposable, just don’t let them near the marketing executives. The story and setting of Zegapain is undeniably compelling and exuded an exceedingly melancholic feel, while the clincher of the show lies in it’s main characters, from the spunky Kyo Sogoro, the enigmatic Misaki Shizuno (the best role of Ayako Kawasumi, to date) and the cute and innocent Ryoko Kaminagi (wonderfully done by newcomer Kana Hanazawa). The exceedingly awesome accompaniying OP and ED songs also made Zegapain, all in all, an extremely awesome package to watch.

Number 10: Simoun.

While Suzumiya Haruhi might have been the representative title of 2006, by no means it’s the best show of the year, rightfully belonging to Simoun instead. Sadly promoted as a “yuri fanservice” title, which till now still sticks in the minds of many, Simoun quickly showed a depth rarely seen in anime titles nowadays. The cast was purely all female-voiced, the setting of the series was done wonderfully well, the battle instruments are most probably the most unique ever seen in recent times, and the way the show was presented was absolutely top-notch. Combining the evergreen themes of human suffering in times of conflict and the uncertainty of stepping in to adulthood from youth, Simoun told a very complex story, but yet a very compelling one, once it is understood.

“Just shoot me.”

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:27:41 +0000

‘I don’t care anymore. Just shoot me. No way there’s a penis on this. None. I won’t accept it’

This has been another community blog post by Kurogane. Link to original source.

The Last Dance

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 12:08:49 +0000

NANTO!! Mariya x Takako ending?!

What? The? Hell?!

Nah, joking :P

The last dance.

In the aftermath of the kidnapping incident, Takako is shocked and avoids Mizuho, making Mizuho feel guilty about the fact that he’s a guy was revealed to Takako. Mizuho decides to leave school but wishes to attend the Christmas ball before that and he tells that through closed doors to Takako, and Takako breaks in to tears, confused over her feelings to Mizuho.

The Christmas ball arrives and Mizuho is dressed in black, marking his as playing the “men’s” role, while the rest are dressed in white, marking them as playing the “women’s” role during the dances. Takako is nowhere to be seen though, and Mizuho dances with everyone else first.

Mariya finds Takako hiding away at a gazebo, admiring the snow. After a heart-to-heart talk, Takako decides to go to the ball, in time for the closing event where Mizuho chooses a partner to do the last dance of the ball. While the both of them dance, Mizuho apologises to Takako and thanks her for allowing her to attend the ball, but Takako tells him to stay on, citing that no one else is suited to be the “Onee-sama” other than him. Mid-dance, the spotlight cuts off and the hall turns pitch black, making Takako scared, but someone holds on to her hands, and thinking it’s Mizuho, she decides to confess…. only for the lights to come back on and for her to be face-to-face with Mariya instead, with Mariya telling her that making up with Mizuho and confessing to her are different things (yare yare ^^;;)

The show ends with everyone else asking Mizuho for a dance, and a collage of images of their adventures during their third year, from hatsumoude to hot springs trips.

So Otoboku ends with a ending as ambigious as Mizuho’s true gender but still definitely a happy one. In the end, Mizuho has not ended up with anyone yet, and looks like we’ll have to see what the DVD OVA’s going to be about. I’d wager it’ll just be an omake comedy episode anyways, but I’ll be damned if they made it a “one year later” serious episode :).

Still, Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru was a fun ride while it lasted, and while there was its low moments, but so far, it’s been an above average show. Undoubtably, the main shining factor of the whole series was Mizuho and Yui Horie’s awesome seiyuu work on her, not to mention also the catchy OP song done by her music group, AICE5. I’ll say Otoboku will be a show to be remembered for a long long time to come :).

Onee-sama~~ ♥♥

More Takako is always good ♥♥

This two deserve their own spinoff… wouldn’t mind if the OVA was of them…

Mmm.. kimonos ♥♥… too bad no Takako :(

Taihen desu ne… onee-sama..

They need to animate this…

Same as above

The End :).

Onee-sama.. is.. is a guy?!

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 04:49:03 +0000

Uh.. oh..

This is more of a Mariya episode actually, as the episode starts with her dreaming about a past event where she fell down a cliff and Mizuho saves her, she wakes up at the climax and starts to sneeze. The next day, she’s come down with a cold which obviously worries Mizuho, but Mariya starts to avoid him as her feelings are getting more and more stormy.

In the meantime, Mizuho bumps in to Takako in the library, where an overexcited Takako asks Mizuho to take the part of the male partner of those who don’t have one in the dance night to be held soon under the supervision of the Student Council, to which Mizuho easily agrees.

Attack from the front!

In the end, Mizuho takes Kei’s “Shoumen toppa” advice and confronts Mariya in the form of wiping the sweat off her body which results in Mariya asking him out for a date on the upcoming Sunday. The date comes and they both have fun the whole day, ending with Mariya realising her true relationship with Mizuho.

Bastards!

At school, Takako is returning home late after a day’s worth of hard work and Hisako-sensei, passing by, warns her to be careful since some untoward events have been happening lately. On her way out, Takako is assaulted by two men who want to kidnap her, but luckily, Mizuho and Mariya, coming back from their date, saves her. However, Mizuho’s shirt was ripped at the chest area during the encounter leading to Takako’s realisation of Mizuho’s true gender….

Onee-sam…!

So finally, the secret’s out. I can safely say that Mariya’s out of the running with this episode and the show is heading towards a Takako ending, but it depends on how Takako’s going take the fact that “Onee-sama” is a guy and has been disguising all this while. From the looks of it, it seems that the secret will be made public and Mizuho’s going to leave the school after the dance night, from what the preview says. But logistics-wise aside, I’m more interested to see how would Takako take the fact that her crush and rescuer is a guy who’s been pretending as a girl all this while.

Other things I’d like make note of is how Mizuho seems to be actually not interested in both girls romantically, as he treats them more of friends rather than looking at them in a romantic light. One could say he’s quite a bit clueless about this things. Nevertheless, he still cares for them in his own ways and I was impressed at his martial arts skills when he fought off the two kidnappers.

Mariya is also an awesome character as well, and I’ve finally come to like her a bit after this episode. I can’t deny I felt a bit of springing towards the Mariya camp fo a bit throughout the episode. Kudos to the writers for wrapping up her character quite well in the final closing curtains of this show.

Anyways the final episode is on Christmas Eve… how fitting. Expect me to spend Christmas blogging about this, XD.

Yui Horie, trap, gar and win

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 02:31:47 +0000

Those are the components that make up our lovely Mizuho-chan, which I realized after watching this episode. Yes, Mizuho’s made up of Yui Horie, trap, GAR and pure winnage. It’s undeniable.

The school festival is finally here and everyone generally has fun.Mizuho’s class is doing the planetarium exhibition successfully, Kana’s class is selling assorted accessories and Yukari’s class is a _meido_ cafe.

Meanwhile, Mariya is still feeling irritated and jealous over how much Mizuho has changed in to a stronger and kinder person (ironically, as a woman rather than a man XD). The upcoming play with the Student Council increases her jealousy even more as she discovers the climax is a kiss scene when she offers to become Mizuho’s practice partner the day before.

Before the Student Council’s play, the group watches the Theater Club’s one, with Kana and Kei looking pretty awesome. The play, however makes Mariya more and more irritated and she runs off before it finishes. When the turn comes for the Student Council’s play, she intentionally avoids it by manning the booth at the planetarium.

Meanwhile, the play is going on successfully, with Mizuho and Takako acting in full earnest. An accident happens, however, towards the end, as Takako’s costume gets caught on a nail and ripped half (cleanly, I might add). Shocked, Mizuho springs in to action, covering Takako with his cape and kissing her for real to stop her embarrassed screams. Mariya walks in at the exact moment and runs off in shock.

After the play ends, Mizuho apologises to Takako for the kiss earlier, but Takako thanks Mizuho for not getting her shamed in front of the whole school and runs off to the Student Council office, where her calm facade drops, showing her nervousness. Mariya, meanwhile, is hiding in the church and realizes she likes Mizuho.

Otoboku is definitely going well beyond expectations. The story is nicely developing in to a Mariya vs Takako for Mizuho’s love. Mariya does seem to have the upper hand though, since she knows Mizuho quite well, but I’m still rooting for Takako :P. So far though, Mizuho hasn’t really shown any clear signs of interest towards both, although he should be aware of the changes in both. I wonder who will win in the end….

Anyways, Takako 4TW!

Kawaii nano desuyo~~

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 12:32:17 +0000

Fall arrives and everyone is in the winter uniform, with the OP and ED updated accordingly to (+10 points). Kana gets into trouble with Takako because of her trademark ribbon, which due to her loli size, looks huge on her, therefore Takako thinks she’s breaking the school’s dress code. However, the ribbon is very precious to Kana, who’s an orphan, as she received it from the headmistress of the orphanage that she grew up in, so the ribbon means a lot to her.

With a suggestion from Shion and Mariya’s help, she submits a formal objection to Takako about her decision, which means the student council has to notify the student body and present the case. Mizuho is troubled on whether to side with Kana or Takako, since she thinks both are not doing anything wrong, while thanks to the attention garnered by the complaint, Kana is bullied by her peers, who thinks that she’s misusing her position as Mizuho’s _imouto_, leading to Mizuho to tick her tormentors off.

At the presentation of the objection to the student body, Mizuho resolves the problem diplomatically, by demonstrating that the same ribbon, worn by him, looks in proportion and asks if Takako would have warned him if she was the one wearing it, to which Takako reluctantly replies no and they win the case, earning the gratitude of Kana-chan. After that, Takako wonders if Mizuho is either her friend or her enemy.

Customary Takako Pic.

Kana-chan centered episode, and I agree with Omni that it’s much ado about nothing, since the ribbon isn’t really that distracting or annoying. Kana-chan is easily my third favourite character in the show, since she manages to be loli-cute but not annoying, which kinda happens a lot with the cute-type lolis.

Takako, unfortunately, plays the “bad guy” in this episode, but then, she’s just doing her own job, like Mizuho says. The ribbon does look huge on Kana, y’know :X. Anyways, her soliloquy at the end is seems to hint on something bigger, but I have no idea what.

Oh, and Shion needs to have more lines… she’s like practically forgotten or something. Also, too bad that Kei-san and Michiko don’t get much airtime due to the episode limitations, especially Kei-san… who’s like a more darker and mischevious Yue :3. Man, she would be such an awesome character.

Is it a trap or is it not a trap?

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 09:21:58 +0000

One can only wonder…

After watching this episode, I am now throughly confused on whether Mizuho is really a girl or not, especially after that swimsuit tryout segment at the start. Oh well… fap first worry later. Credits goes to Omni for the pic.

So thus.. why were they trying out swimsuits? It’s summer now in Otoboku and Mizuho faces one of the greatest crisis’s of a guy masquerading as a girl in an all-girls school… swimming class! Of course, it does seem a little easier for him since he doesn’t need to hide the top already, but the bottom proves difficult of course, especially when the school enforces the age-old _sukuru mizugi_ as the official wear for swim class. I must say the administrators know their stuff _hinthint_.

And so… Mariya and Mizuho are forced to think of ways to cut swim class.. which works until Takako (<3) butts in and demands to know why onee-sama is cutting swim class…leading in to a sordid revelation that Mariya is not exactly the best partner to take a nice stroll along bodies of water and she is quite the prankster. Things swing out of hand and they challenge each other to a swimming contest, to the discomfort of Mizuho. The upper hand of this turn of events is we get to see Takako development of course, leading to a tender moment between her and Mizuho. Thanks to Kei-san, the competition turns into something of a fun-filled water event instead and everyone has fun, especially the bickering two.

Takako goodness this episode :P

Y…yu…yurei…!!!?

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 06:49:07 +0000

Oh dear… Takako is so kawaii~~~

I can’t wait for the show to go in to her story. /r/ Takako ending plz! She’s just so cute :D~~

What if….

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 20:08:23 +0000

OH SHI…

… this happened? Don’t really want to imagine what would happen actually, but damn… best fucking eyecatch in a while. I had to pause there for 5 minutes just to catch back my breathe.

So this episode introduces the supernatural element in Mizuho’s harem, Ichiko-chan, hyperactive ghost and onee-sama lover. I swear, I couldn’t recognise Yuko Goto at all at first watch and I got a shock out of it after reading the staff credits. . Man… she can really rap… well, I’m kinda glad to see Yuko Goto expand her profile.

Anyways, Kana-chan was awesome this episode, not only she didn’t bat an eyelid on the ghost story session, she actually told the group about a real ghost story instead. Hell, she even researched about the story of Mizuho’s room and the dead junior. Plus, she didn’t even get scared when Ichiko appeared and actually went to bed normally.

Takako-chan was cute too, in her short 5 minutes. I loved on how she went all nervous and jittery when Mizuho mentioned about ghosts and tried desperately to hide her nervousness and divert the topic. What can I say, that’s just cute :). Mariya too… she’s getting all jealous on all the attention that Mizuho’s receiving.

Let’s just hope what ever happens in the eyecatch doesn’t really happen in the anime ;).

Yappari… onna no ko wa kowai….

Kurogane Shiroikaze — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 11:26:13 +0000

Warning: Fangirlism may cause chibiness.

Yeah… Otoboku is definitely yuri for guys, at least for me that is… I can never hope to sit it out alive through either Marimite or IchiPanniku… they take their yuri too seriously for my own liking.

As some have pointed out, Otoboku is awesome not only because of Yui Horie, but also because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I have always liked this type of shows, as it provides maximum entertainment with minimum commitment. What I love about Otoboku is the whole absurd premise, the over-the-top chibiness-inducing fangirlism, the straightforward style of conflicts (Mariya vs Seitokaichou), Shion-sama’s super-sensitive Trap Radar and her combo with Mariya, not forgetting androgynous Yui Horie as well.

P.S. Fapping does not cause STD’s.