animu catch-up pt2

Here's the continuation of the mini reviews from yesterday.

This is also useful for me as there was no DVD rental this weekend and I didn't watch any films at all, so I don't have a review for you. I'm pretty sure that due to the timings I'm not going to have a DVD rental over Easter either, which is actually a bit rubbish, as it's the ideal time to watch a film.


Omamori Himari

See, one of the problems with being me and writing these reviews is that my tastes are kinda broad.

How to explain that better?

Basically, what I mean is that while I really like the flagship shows, I also really like some of the trashier ones too. So, while I love things like Eva and BeBop and Eden of the East or the Ghibli output - things that really show off the power and the strength of anime, stuff I'd happily sit anyone down in front of or that I watch and go "oh yeah - that's why I love anime!" - I also love things like fan service strewn harem shows.

If you hadn't guessed, that's exactly what Omamori is. And I'd say it's a pretty good example of the breed, although given how extreme fan service has become in recent years (shows like Kanokon are borderline hentai), this is actually more 'innocent', if that's the right word. But it works.


Chu-Bra!!

Now here's a tough one. Especially given what I was saying above about harem shows.

See, this is a show about underwear.

More specifically, it's a show about young girls wearing underwear.

And there's a line there somewhere. See, one of the difficulties with anime is that pretty much all female characters that aren't 'grandma' types always look a lot younger than they actually are. It's part of the style - the simpler lines and flatter shading just tends to make them look younger.

So it's easy to watch something like Chu-Bra and think the girls are very young. They're not, they're age appropriate to be starting to become interested in more adult lingerie, but only just.

So that's fine as it goes, but the other issue is the intent. If this was a show aimed at girls of a similar age, possibly aimed at providing them with genuine advice about how to wear correctly fitting underwear, then you could kinda understand that.

But it isn't. This is clearly a show aimed at men. And you can easily tell that because of the lascivious camera shots and the way the show is framed.

And that's where the problem with me being honest about liking a "broad range of stuff" comes in, because I actually found I quite liked the show. See, the thing is that although it's clearly got ecchi things on its mind, it does also have the genuinely good advice in it too and, what makes it a good show, is that the characters and the story are quite well done.

Of course, I'm sure that won't stop all those who have a more prudish take on things decrying the show, and in a way they have a point. You could easily have done the exact same stuff without the fanservuce and it would have been just as good.


Hanamaru Kindergarten

Hmm. I have to admit I wasn't sure what to make of this.

Basically, it's a show about a guy who goes to work at a Kindergarten. As in a lot of countries, teaching is a profession dominated by women, especially teaching younger children, so this is an unusual job.

The basic idea of the series is somewhere along the lines of a slice of life comedy. It basically works, although I have to admit a bit of an issue with how it portrays Kindergarten. It's a rose-tinted view of the world, to say the least.

I think overall it basically won me over.


Kaito Reinya

This was another oddity. Stylistically, Kaito looked a lot like a kids show, but a lot of the gags and content is distinctly adult.

It didn't really work for me, I have to say - the stylistic thing really jarred for me. I don't think it help that they were very short episodes as well, as it never really felt like it got anywhere before the credits were rolling.