So yea, I’m gonna need a break there to catch my breath after watching that one.

I vant to be…alone

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Who Knew?

OK, better start from the beginning.

Did you do something with your hair?

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After being completely bored with Aoi Hana, I decided I would check if it was genre or story that put me to sleep.  So I hooked-up with this seasons Yuri title, Samameki Koto.  Here’s the standard website blurb:

Sumika Murasame is deeply in love with her cheerful classmate and friend Ushio Kazama. Ushio is openly lesbian but… she’s likes cute girls, and Sumika, top student, class representative, black belt in karate, is all but cute. Even worse, Sumika herself is terrified of endangering her friendship with Ushio and chooses to maintain the status quo, as much as it pains her to hide her feelings…

Sounds pretty standard.  But this show is so much more.

Sounds like a sound pla…WHAAAA!?!

It started strong, as you get a real feeling of the friendship and attraction between the two main characters.  But as we go on, they mix hard hitting emotion with just the right mix of goofy fun. Kazama is an absolute airhead.  Murasame attempts brings a level head to the table and fails miserably dealing with the craziness of the situations around her.  I so wanted Akemiya-kun (see above pic) to have more of a role, but I’m guessing he’ll be regulated to comic relief soon enough.  This is definitely a cast I want to see more of.

We’ll have more about this series as I play catch up, but you have to be aware, this series has it out for me PERSONALLY.

Tell me about it…

You know, Mr Blogger, you have been writing about Haruka’s Secret for 17 episodes now.  I get the sense that you see something in this show, but frankly, I don’t sense the joy in your posts that I see with your other favorite series.  So while the screenshots tell the story of this weeks episode, you and I need to have a chat.  You, my friend are addicted.

Addicted to crappy anime.

They’re coming to take me away, haha…

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Remember that show about the boy that transforms into a girl and battles other girls with either magic, guns or swords, and the mysterious Moderators who arranged those fight?  Well neither do the writers, and frankly, that’s turning out awesome.

THE CAKE IS A LIE!
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A Christmas episode I watched on Halloween?

Exactly

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Kampfer has managed to rise just above the level of stupid I expected for a show of this type. There is much less fan service than one would expect, and hints of a plot behind all the random violence. I think what struck me most is the way they treat the gender bending protagonist. Rather than being a guy taking advantage of his situation, circumstances have him spend most of his time as a girl, and he actually plays the part. Lucky for him, all Japanese school girls are lesbians.

You read that right.

Not a Y chromazone in the house

Episode 2 sets up this situation, when the student council president, Shizuru, is revealed as the first enemy Kampfer.  This is the first sign that the story can rise above the depth of stupid I expected, as we start delving into the fact that no one really knows what the Kampfers are.

Hey, a plot point!

They still fall back on cliche personalities, though.

Tsundere is Japanese for Bitch

Now on to Episode 3.  This show confirms what every guy always suspected. Put a gaggle of females in an all girls school, and the need for testosterone drops to nil. This is revealed thanks to a flimsy excuse by the student council president to enroll Natsuru as a girl on the all girls side. The twist here is Natsuru is not so good at maintaining his transformation, and thus, hi-jinks ensue.

This is making me blush

I should point out there is no fighting in this episode, at least not with guns or swords.  Instead, this is developing into a first for me – an all girl harem show (so much for swearing off yuri).  First you have Sakura’s hot, hot pursuit of Natsuru.

What is she trying to say here?

Then Akane stakes her claim, though I’m still not clear if she is after girl Natsuru or boy Natsuru.

Subtile

What makes all this overt sexuality work is the fact that Natsuru sets records for densest anime character of all time.  Where talking white dwarf levels of stupidity here.

What was your first clue?

Shizuru’s solution to this is to start the rumor that Natsuru is already dating…Natsuru?

The question is not Why, but HOW!

Apparently breeders are no fun, and he quickly looses the interest of most of girls, but not Sakura.  She challenges Natsuru for the affections of Natsuru.  That’s right – Natsuru is his own rival.

Love square with three people?

Oh the psychology papers I could write about this show. There is always a slight lesbian undertone in any female ensemble cast, going all the way back to Sailor Uranus in Sailor Moon. Sometimes it’s implied, sometimes explicit, but in this case, it’s completely played for laughs. I suspect once the joke wears out we will be on to new things, like the love square between Sakura, Natsuru, Natsuru, and Akane. And we still have one more Kampfer to go, I’m guessing another red to balance out the sides.

Airhead cat lover with a yakuza fetish?  Sadistic childhood friend?  Reverse Trap high school yakuza boss?  Animators and writers who must be on acid?

You had me at acid.

Sense – this makes none

The plot this week introduces a new character, and again I have a new favorite.  Ichinose, to spoil the fairly obvious reveal of this episode, is the newest unintentional love interest for Kousaka.  I refer to her as a reverse trap – rather than the guy who looks like a girl, she is a girl who looks like a guy.  The method of the reveal is also pretty obvious.

The Japanese are a very clumsy people

Even the inflection in her voice changes depending on the situation.  Nothing like a bi-polar yakuza member to add to the fun.

The rest of the story has plot points that include the cliche

How many episodes will this go on?

The unexpected

This is not how you react to finding yourself in a Yakuza stronghold

To the WTF?

No.  God No.

The visual style of this show lands it firmly in the area of gag anime, with bizzare visual twists and turns like those below.

You can’t resist my Geass!

An important ecological message.

Also, I am convinced all Japanese people are muppets

There is a felt shortage in the Far East

While episode 4 renders in the background for mobile viewing, I find I has a dearth of information about Kimi ni Todoke at my disposal.  The first volume of the manga reached my door today, and it extends well beyond the broadcast stories so far.  I also have easy access to scanlations, which would take me all the way up to the current point where the manga went on hiatus.  And the anime is coming fast and furious.

Same stuff, different medium

Here’s my problem – even from the back cover snippet of the US manga, I know what’s coming soon in the anime.  Sawako is going to attract the ire of a rival, and we’re right back into what I call “combat” for shoujo manga.  I know the hero will come out on top, but I’d rather see people getting stabbed in the back with an actual knife than the emotional knives at use here.  But for this show, I have the opportunity to peak into the future, and find out how this ends.  Will it be a triumphant showdown with the tormentors?  A devious plan to trick the tricksters?  How low will they take Sawako before she fights her way back?  These are all things I could find out right now, at the price of the emotional impact that makes one watch or read this kind of story.  The degree of emotion is where I have been burned before.  If the rise from the depths doesn’t match the lows suffered, I’m left disappointed and angry (KimiKiss).  If the return is strong and powerful, I’ll feel elated and excited (Toradora).  It’s a crap shoot, and I have loaded dice.  Should I throw them?

Sorry, OS X NEEDS to add this as a feature or I’m going Windows…once I learn Japanese.