something
12-24-2005, 06:07 AM
Well, I went back 6 pages (594 threads), as much as it would show and there was on thread no this. I believe there was at one point but it probably died fast.
Well, I just finished it, marathoned over the past two nights, and I'm impressed. At first I was hooked just because of the over the top fanservicey transformation nonsense. It was so silly and amusing that I had to watch more. But then as episodes ticked by this show actually dug up a hell of a relationship and if not a deep and epic plot, certainly a well-told one.
When I read the premise I wasn't sure what to expect. The first time we see Ureshiko's husband, from whom she is separated in reality if not in legality, I expected him to be come off as a total villian who would, to be honest, be completely one dimensional.
Thankfully that was not the case. The whole concept behind the magical girls (or magical women in this case) not being able to kiss a man seemed trite at first, but when you really think about what that could do to a relationship as time wore on, especially when she couldn't even give him a reason, it really took on a depth that I respected. The flashbacks of their time together further added depth to the relationship. In one flashback, he calmly accepted that perhaps he was moving too fast, so he backed off and didn't press her on it. In another flashback years(?) later, he is far less patient, but very fairly says that, at the very least, he needs to know why. When she can't even give him that much, you really can't villify him for ending the relationship... nor can you villify Ureshiko or course.
Because she's in a horrible catch-22 situation. If she kisses him, she loses her power, a new manager takes over, and possibly gets erased from existence. If she doesn't kiss him, she can protect the existence of the town and thus of him, but can't have a proper relationship, and they both get hurt. Really, there are no bad guys in the relationship. The shades of gray were greatly appreciated.
And all this in a show with some of the most absurdly "erotic" transformation sequences I've seen (Cruje's was, er, so wrong /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif) and a grown woman trying to squeeze into her magical girl outfit from when she was a girl /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif Much like Popotan, blatant (but never vulgar thankfully) fanservice coexists with a quite emotionally mature show. The juxtaposition is both absurd and appreciated.
Anyway, I'm already rambling just on those few points, but the show has a long list of positive features, if you aren't turned off by the early fanservice overload. Tatsumi is, on the whole, a likeable character. He doesn't get too wishy-washy, and at times really steps up in quite impressive ways. Cruje was delightful to watch as she moved from acting like a spoiled brat to really caring about the town, and her classmates were great. The younger green/aqua haired girl in the blue shirt ("wow wow yeah yeah" girll from the OP) was utterly amusing but woefully underutilized, while the slightly older woman with the young girl was enjoyable enough. I don't have strong opinions about the nurse (Valentine)either way, but I can say she didn't annoy me. I'm really not quite sure what happened to her at the end though /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif And, of course, the grandmom was a bit... unique... heh.
The animation was good, the op is catchy (though only in conjunction with the animation), and really my only major complaint isn't related to the show itself, but rather features of the medium employed, which are outside the scope of this discussion. You can ask in PM or something if truly curious /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif
Oh, and the ending is quite pleasing! The scene between Tatsumi and.. Asaba was it? At a party for the latter, where Tatsumi asks Asaba to give him Ureshiko, was very, very well done. Oh, and, I LOVE THE CHICK WITH THE HAND PUPPET! XD BWAHHAHA!
Anyway, this is recommended if you can find it, and I will certainly purchase it, should it get licensed. I hope it does.
Well, I just finished it, marathoned over the past two nights, and I'm impressed. At first I was hooked just because of the over the top fanservicey transformation nonsense. It was so silly and amusing that I had to watch more. But then as episodes ticked by this show actually dug up a hell of a relationship and if not a deep and epic plot, certainly a well-told one.
When I read the premise I wasn't sure what to expect. The first time we see Ureshiko's husband, from whom she is separated in reality if not in legality, I expected him to be come off as a total villian who would, to be honest, be completely one dimensional.
Thankfully that was not the case. The whole concept behind the magical girls (or magical women in this case) not being able to kiss a man seemed trite at first, but when you really think about what that could do to a relationship as time wore on, especially when she couldn't even give him a reason, it really took on a depth that I respected. The flashbacks of their time together further added depth to the relationship. In one flashback, he calmly accepted that perhaps he was moving too fast, so he backed off and didn't press her on it. In another flashback years(?) later, he is far less patient, but very fairly says that, at the very least, he needs to know why. When she can't even give him that much, you really can't villify him for ending the relationship... nor can you villify Ureshiko or course.
Because she's in a horrible catch-22 situation. If she kisses him, she loses her power, a new manager takes over, and possibly gets erased from existence. If she doesn't kiss him, she can protect the existence of the town and thus of him, but can't have a proper relationship, and they both get hurt. Really, there are no bad guys in the relationship. The shades of gray were greatly appreciated.
And all this in a show with some of the most absurdly "erotic" transformation sequences I've seen (Cruje's was, er, so wrong /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif) and a grown woman trying to squeeze into her magical girl outfit from when she was a girl /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif Much like Popotan, blatant (but never vulgar thankfully) fanservice coexists with a quite emotionally mature show. The juxtaposition is both absurd and appreciated.
Anyway, I'm already rambling just on those few points, but the show has a long list of positive features, if you aren't turned off by the early fanservice overload. Tatsumi is, on the whole, a likeable character. He doesn't get too wishy-washy, and at times really steps up in quite impressive ways. Cruje was delightful to watch as she moved from acting like a spoiled brat to really caring about the town, and her classmates were great. The younger green/aqua haired girl in the blue shirt ("wow wow yeah yeah" girll from the OP) was utterly amusing but woefully underutilized, while the slightly older woman with the young girl was enjoyable enough. I don't have strong opinions about the nurse (Valentine)either way, but I can say she didn't annoy me. I'm really not quite sure what happened to her at the end though /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif And, of course, the grandmom was a bit... unique... heh.
The animation was good, the op is catchy (though only in conjunction with the animation), and really my only major complaint isn't related to the show itself, but rather features of the medium employed, which are outside the scope of this discussion. You can ask in PM or something if truly curious /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif
Oh, and the ending is quite pleasing! The scene between Tatsumi and.. Asaba was it? At a party for the latter, where Tatsumi asks Asaba to give him Ureshiko, was very, very well done. Oh, and, I LOVE THE CHICK WITH THE HAND PUPPET! XD BWAHHAHA!
Anyway, this is recommended if you can find it, and I will certainly purchase it, should it get licensed. I hope it does.