Akazukin Cha Cha Thread

[Suwako Moriya]

Since I've been watching through Akazukin Cha Cha, I feel I should create a thread for it. I figure why not and it helps with motivation. Also it would be a nice change of pace for me to comment on an older series. At least older than what I'm used to commenting on. Let's see how well things go shall we? I don't have time to comment on each episode on an individual basis. Plus it's a bit late now anyway. Thus I will rip off something's recent Simoun thread and give comments about a large chunk of the series at a time instead. What chunk is being spoiled will be obvious from the "subject" line. I'll make the first reply in a short bit.

[Suwako Moriya]

As indicated from the subject line this post concerns episodes 1-24. Thus anything up to the point of episode 24 is fair game for discussion here. In these episodes we get a mixture of the following. Chacha's interactions with friends, rivals, and family. As well as of course dealing with the fact the Evil Lord is trying to kill her. Hence the "Holy Up" stuff. Episode 24 is a turning point since it's the moment where things are discovered. Such as Chacha being a princess. Not exactly hard for the viewer to guess, but it was something that the characters in the show needed to discover.

To be honest the "Holy Up" stuff has so far up to this point been kind of repetitive. It has a sort of tacked on feel to it. It seems to mainly be there to make sure Chacha survives each episode no matter enemy she ends up facing. Still on the positive side the outfit is kind of nice. Plus these scenes are more often than not kept short. Making it more akin to a finishing move than anything else.

Thankfully however most of each episode involves the fun character interaction between the cast. Chacha is quite the competitive girl as she both competes with Yakko and Marine. The interaction and personalities of the various characters lead to some fun moments. Although the "just passing by" characters look quite familiar. Yeah Seravi is quite uh strange. In any case I'll comment on some of the characters.

Chacha: So here we have a girl famous for screwing up her spells. Often involving a lot of word play jokes. She's a rather cute character and quite fun to watch. In part because of it's kind of fun to see what she's trying to do vs the actual results. As a lead I rather like her.

Yakko: Ah yes the girl that has fantasies about marrying Seravi after of course becoming his student. Hence her rivalry with Chacha. Part of the fun with her is the tendency to make and rely on potions often with mixed results. Plus if one likes the idea of a red hooded girl then surely a black hooded girl would be awesome as well.

Marine: Sure she has some issues such as not putting two and two together when it comes to what Riyaa actually is. However in spite of that I like her for some reason. Maybe it's the fact she's pretty and it helps that she's a mermaid. She's the type of character that one likes in her part because of a slightly selfish nature to her.

Orin: Ah yes the ninja girl, she's kind of cute and does have her moments. However when compared to Chacha, Yakko, and Marine... Orin kind of falls behind as she has yet to make as strong an impression on me. Still she has definite potential.

Dorothy: Her rivalry with Seravi can be quite silly sometimes. Even so there are times she can be fun to watch. Although I have to say in some ways I kind of like her apparent younger look. Talk about a drastic change in design.

Others: Rascal is quite the teacher. Sure his whip stuff is a bit crazy, but his heart seems to be in the right place. Riiya and Shiine are decent in the context of the role their given. Although it's clear that Riiya has the edge. Also Seravi is quite character. Oh and the Evil Lord needs a less generic name if you ask me.

So far Akazukin Chacha while filled with some repetitive elements has been rather fun to watch. Although I would like to see more of certain characters. More focus for Orin. More time spent in mermaid form for Marine. More Yakko-chan of course. Plus it will be interesting to see just how things move forward in the next set of episodes.

Truth be told I've seen past episode 24, but I figure that 24 makes a good cut-off point for the first post. My plan is to later make a post concerning 25-50 and then 50-74. Which should make a 24, 25, and 25 divide. With of course the OVAs being in a separate post. Either way that's the tentative plan right now. Although things could change and it will take time to progress through the episodes even with giving the series higher priority.

[Spirit Of The Stage]

Having watching this series several times - I definitely have my opinions on the characters and the series in general. Mild spoilers ahead but Chacha isn't really a show that can be spoiled too much anyway...

In order of favourites of the core 8;

Chacha - Yakko - Orin - Riiya - Seravy - Dorthy - Shiine-chan - Marine

Chacha is such an amusing oddity - a little red riding hood with magic, pun gags about 5 years prior to Excel Saga, a bundle of cuteness and hilarity whose relationship with all the main cast is extreme unlike and makes her likeable to all. On the other side we have Yakko, who is the black hood, but whilst at first being the rival to Chacha and she had her fair side of tricks, Yakko is one of the few characters in Chacha that actually GROWS as a human being. Whilst she still has her 'I'm in it for Seravy and myself' attitude for pretty much all the series, she does gain humanity whilst still being hilarious and hey, when she switches her partner in crime from Marine to Orin, she's a winner in my book. Orin-chan is so, SO ADORABLE...she doesn't come across as annoying as hell unlike the other outside female (sorry KO, but you'll see why I cannot STAND MARINE) - the interesting difference between Orin and the rest of the girls is she's actually competent. She's a good fighter and actually helps out in battle a lot more to help Chacha-tachi than Yakko/Marine do on a regular basis (and the classic cute line between her and Yakko during their first meet...)

Orin: Ninja arts - smoke bomb! (Shot of Yakko helping fan the smoke) Er...sorry to make you do this Yakko-san...
Yakko: Y'know, you're a slave driver for someone who looks so nice... :P

The guys? Riiya easily the favourite - gotta love the dumb mutt. He's so comic and idiotic, sure he's got a bottomless belly but at least he cares about Chacha and has a heart of gold. Shiine-chan is surprisingly ecchi for what is a 'kid's show' (though I find Chacha more amusing that most shows full stop) - he like a lot of the cast gets a tad annoying with his whole fantasing 'Chacha-san!' Yakko and Marine are also like that vocally whilst Orin is like that but meekly, but Shiine does have the benefit for having the sight to care for others, Orin and even Riiya.

The adults? Seravy and Dorothy are what Ranma and Akane would be if they were magicians. And in a fairy-tale world. And other stuff. O.K, but you get the idea. Dorothy is always trailing behind Seravy (surprised Yakko hasn't apprenticed under her, aside from the fact she's obsessed with Seravy) but I feel for her, especially Seravy's doll and blonde fetish. The episode with Ser/Dor as kids was priceless and the Student/Teacher relationship between Seravy and Chacha is surprisingly decent as Seravy does try to be a good teacher for Chacha, but he's too perfect and Chacha's too dense. At least he's amusing.

However, apology for fans of her...I HATE MARINE. I cannot stand her - her obsessive Riiya-kun and her stupidity for not recognising Riiya in mutt form - yes, it's a running gag and normally I'd stand of it...IF MARINE HAD EVEN ONE OTHER REDEMING QUALITY ABOUT HER.

She doesn't. She's selfish, egotistical, steps on people's feelings, thinks she's god's gift to the earth - even her partner in crime Yakko calls her a bitch (no wonder she became friends with Orin if Marine was her closest pal previously) - she has no hesitation of leaving people to die for her own sake (and Riiya's even when he couldn't care less) - Chacha, Yakko and Shiine and even Orin have had to suffer from this girls' selfishness that I just wanted Orin to slash her up and Seravy's to serve up mermaid sushi. She reminds me of Kodachi from Ranma, one of the few other characters that I truly despised...for most of the same reasons.

However, Marine-bashing aside, Chacha is very amusing. It's a bit long and there is a lot of 'monster/magic of the week' episodes and it's hard to recommend for people who want a good plot. However, it does come with a lot of comedy, mostly great main characters and side characters and even some side villains (Rascal-sensei was awesome, and Que the vampire got to be in 3 eps - he was easily the best of the comic villains). Sadly, we never got a conclusion to if any of the romances occured, but if I was a betting man, put your money on the mutt to be with Chacha and Dorothy with Seravy. To make everyone (well me) happy, stick Orin with Shiine, Yakko with Pickle (the one ep character who liked her) and Marine to sink to the bottom of the sea. Everyone's wins. :)

[Isuzu Inugami]

Chacha: So here we have a girl famous for screwing up her spells. Often involving a lot of word play jokes.

I love her look of horror when she screws up a spell. Also her absolute obliviousness to being part of a love triangle. But my favorite is when she accidentally gets drunk and is charging around terrorizing everyone on her fire-breathing dragon/dinosaur.


Yakko: Ah yes the girl that has fantasies about marrying Seravi after of course becoming his student.

Her personality is delightfully evil, until the instant he shows up. One could get whiplash with how quickly she goes to fawning cuteness.


Marine: Sure she has some issues such as not putting two and two together when it comes to what Riyaa actually is.

She's kind of amazing in this regard. She's my favorite nonetheless.


Dorothy: Her rivalry with Seravi can be quite silly sometimes. Even so there are times she can be fun to watch. Although I have to say in some ways I kind of like her apparent younger look.

You and Seravy! She's going to get pissed at you too, now.


So far Akazukin Chacha while filled with some repetitive elements has been rather fun to watch. Although I would like to see more of certain characters. More focus for Orin. More time spent in mermaid form for Marine. More Yakko-chan of course. Plus it will be interesting to see just how things move forward in the next set of episodes.

It's been a while since I watched it, but "moving forward" scarcely seems the point of Akazukin Chacha. I almost get resentful of attempts to create an overall plot. :p

[meganly_chan]

It's been quite awhile since I've seen Akazukin Cha Cha (and even then it was only the first 30 or so episodes), so I may not be much for commenting :)

I think Riiya is my favorite character on the show. I love his blue hair, his voice is so cute, and he's a sweetheart to boot. Frankly, of Cha Cha's two rivals for love, I think he should win :) Besides, in shoujo don't the "bad boys" usually get the girl, anyway? ;D

Yakko and Marine can be annoying, but I like Yakko slightly more because she's just so messed up in the head. She does realize that Seravi is at least 20 years older, right? XD

Dorothy is probably my second favorite character. How could you not like her?

[Suwako Moriya]

Orin: Ninja arts - smoke bomb! (Shot of Yakko helping fan the smoke) Er...sorry to make you do this Yakko-san...
Yakko: Y'know, you're a slave driver for someone who looks so nice... :P


Ah yes that scene was quite fun. Especially since you'd think such a movie is something a ninja is supposed to preform on her own rather than require help from others.

[Suwako Moriya]

It's been a while since I watched it, but "moving forward" scarcely seems the point of Akazukin Chacha. I almost get resentful of attempts to create an overall plot. :p

So I'll take it Akazukin Chacha is an older example of the ideal of not wanting the plot to get in the way of things. There's just something interesting about series like that.

[Suwako Moriya]

She does realize that Seravi is at least 20 years older, right? XD

In the case of Yakko-chan, I would hope she realizes that. Still this is anime the world where age gaps don't matter. Come to think of it, I do have to wonder how old the characters are supposed to be. I would assume probably somewhere between 12-14. Then again I get the feeling the ages may vary among the students more than normal.

[Ashyukun]

To be honest the "Holy Up" stuff has so far up to this point been kind of repetitive. It has a sort of tacked on feel to it. It seems to mainly be there to make sure Chacha survives each episode no matter enemy she ends up facing. Still on the positive side the outfit is kind of nice. Plus these scenes are more often than not kept short. Making it more akin to a finishing move than anything else.

It's been a while since I've watched much of this show, but from what I remember hearing back when I first started watching it (like a decade ago...), the Magical Princess Holy Up/transformation and such were not part of the original manga- it was added in when they decided to make an anime out of the manga to try and capitalize on the massive popularity of Sailor Moon. As I understand it, in the manga she got by in that she was bumbling but extremely powerful (the OVAs are a good example of this- she screws up but does so in spectacularly overkill fashion) and was just very fortunate that her screw-ups actually worked.

I need to go back and actually finish watching this at some point... but that's the case with several older shows, unfortunately.

[Isuzu Inugami]

It's been a while since I've watched much of this show, but from what I remember hearing back when I first started watching it (like a decade ago...), the Magical Princess Holy Up/transformation and such were not part of the original manga- it was added in when they decided to make an anime out of the manga to try and capitalize on the massive popularity of Sailor Moon.

Yeah, that's about it, although the Holy Up sequences were also selling toys. I have old VHS fansubs taken off TV, and the commercials are there for toy bows and so on; and when the sequence adds another element, you can bet a new toy is on sale. :knowitall:

[Spirit Of The Stage]

Orin: Ninja arts - smoke bomb! (Shot of Yakko helping fan the smoke) Er...sorry to make you do this Yakko-san...
Yakko: Y'know, you're a slave driver for someone who looks so nice... :P


Ah yes that scene was quite fun. Especially since you'd think such a movie is something a ninja is supposed to preform on her own rather than require help from others.

To be fair, that's one of the few times Orin takes a shortcut - normally she's so frikkin awesome Naruto and Sasuke couldn't even touch her. When Chacha is the 'strongest magician in the world' who do her classmates nominate for a decent match? Orin. And her reply...

Orin: 'I...there's no way I could hurt Chacha-san...'

CUTTTTTTTTEEEE! That's why Orin rules - she actually LIKES Chacha despite her being a rival for her own love interest (Shiine-chan). Yakko is my favourite over her because she's so over the top and fun (and gets more screentime) but Orin is a much more reliable friend and fighter.

[Spirit Of The Stage]

It's been a while since I've watched much of this show, but from what I remember hearing back when I first started watching it (like a decade ago...), the Magical Princess Holy Up/transformation and such were not part of the original manga- it was added in when they decided to make an anime out of the manga to try and capitalize on the massive popularity of Sailor Moon.

Yeah, that's about it, although the Holy Up sequences were also selling toys. I have old VHS fansubs taken off TV, and the commercials are there for toy bows and so on; and when the sequence adds another element, you can bet a new toy is on sale. :knowitall:

Pretty much - the entire first Demon Lord arc of Chacha isn't even IN the manga, never mind the Holy-up sequences - so yes, it was a cash-in, but at least the characters and comedy made it an amusing cash-in. :)

[Spirit Of The Stage]

She does realize that Seravi is at least 20 years older, right? XD

In the case of Yakko-chan, I would hope she realizes that. Still this is anime the world where age gaps don't matter. Come to think of it, I do have to wonder how old the characters are supposed to be. I would assume probably somewhere between 12-14. Then again I get the feeling the ages may vary among the students more than normal.

Yakko, the perfect example of the Pretty Sammy way of thinking...(Age doesn't matter in love...I think it matters a fair bit...)

Still I'd say Yakko has a better chance than Doris at least...:P

I think age wise if I remember on a wesbite, Chacha-tachi are 11 or 12, Orin is a year younger and Marine/Yakko are a year older but don't quote me on that. The adults I think are in their late twenties (That being Dorothy and Seravy, not sure about Rascal and Barabaraman...)

[Suwako Moriya]

I think age wise if I remember on a wesbite, Chacha-tachi are 11 or 12, Orin is a year younger and Marine/Yakko are a year older but don't quote me on that. The adults I think are in their late twenties (That being Dorothy and Seravy, not sure about Rascal and Barabaraman...)

The idea of Orin being younger does make sense and would confirm the idea that the ages of the students vary a bit more than a traditional school. In the case of Marine, I figured she'd have to be around 13 at least if not 14. Would I live if I explained why? Still one thing I have to remember about anime is age can be misleading.

Even something as simple as development may not be enough of a clue. Since sometimes a 10 year old girl end up being noticeable and yet a 17 year old girl is well flat-chested. There's also the problem of the clothes they wear can make a huge difference.

[Suwako Moriya]

I was originally going to make this after watching 49, but given how 49 ended it seemed like 50 would make a better cut off point. And well it does. In any case not much new to say on the characters. Save for the fact Orin has made a stronger impression on me recently. In any case the general comments are as follows.

First, I have to love how Beauty Serene Arrow goes from Chacha's main attack to essentially her method of calling on her new weapon. Which makes the transformation scene even longer. Nice to know that Piisuke beyond his initial appearance only comes out when it's time to be slashed around as a weapon... Not much to say on the bird shield other than it being well a slight change of pace.

Second, in terms of the eight legendary warriors, I'm not sure if I should be shocked by the fact it suddenly happened or if I should have expected it all along. Still the candidates it involves sort of make sense. Especially in the case of Seravy. Although I think in the case of some of them it's less because of Chacha and more because of someone else involved.

Third, I just love how Yakko can be considered one of the most selfish saviors ever. Yeah save Chacha from falling into love because you think she's doing on purpose just to be taken care of by Seravy. Yeah Yakko is certainly a strange girl in that regards.

Fourth, it seems even the "major" battle had its silly and strange moments to it. Go figure on that one. So the best way to beat an all powerful evil lord is to use a stronger version of the attack you been using for several episodes in a row. Well whatever works in the long run. Still I was kind of hoping for a new attack to be used.

Fifth, I am completely convinced that Dorthy has it bad for Seravy. Wasn't sure at first, but the more I watch of the series the more convinced I become that is the case. Those two could make for a potentially interesting couple if you ask,

Sixth, while Marine's shell is kind of cute it's nice to see her show off other things besides the shell on occasion. Although I do have to wonder what the defensive stats of the sell would be in RPG terms. Okay I'm probably the only one. Actually I'm sort of surprised she didn't use the shell in the final battle.:sweat:

Finally with the Evil Lord defeated in 50, it will be curious to see what 51-74 will involve. Hopefully more of the fun and silly interaction between the characters. Either way I think it's about time for a change of focus in some regards.

[Zeether]

This series never got licensed, right? I read on ANN that it was dubbed in Spanish :knowitall:

[Suwako Moriya]

This series never got licensed, right?

I can't speak for other countries, but this has yet to be licensed in the U.S.

[oldsteranimefan]

This series never got licensed, right?

I can't speak for other countries, but this has yet to be licensed in the U.S.

Cha Cha was never licensed for R1 distribution, but I do know that some Cha Cha episodes were dubbed in English for English speaking TV viewers in some Asian countries.

Back when I ran a college anime club I had a friend that had the largest anime/ Asian film collection I have ever seen (over 8000 VHS/LDs/DVDs all legal) he spoke fluent Japanese and had a lot of money and he wanted to license/translate/distribute Cha Cha for R1. Around 1998 he hired a lawyer in Japan to make inquiries with the R2 license holders about acquiring the rights to the series, and after several months of frustration and spending several thousand dollars he gave up. He told me that there were just too many issues dealing with the various rights holders, especially with the music rights (SMAP).

In the anime they never really mention the ages of the characters but many years ago I read some of the fan translated manga volumes and if I remember correctly Cha Cha, Riiya, and Shiine are about 12 1/2 at the beginning and Marin and Yakko were slightly older around 13-14 at the start, with Orin being slightly younger, just about 12.

[Suwako Moriya]

He told me that there were just too many issues dealing with the various rights holders, especially with the music rights (SMAP).

Ah yes of course, music one of the licensing hells from what I've been told in the past. That's just depressing to hear and in some ways may be worse than the fact the show is now 14+ years old.

In any case it's good to get information on how old they are in the manga and those ages would probably make sense for the anime as well.

[meganly_chan]

Back when I ran a college anime club I had a friend that had the largest anime/ Asian film collection I have ever seen (over 8000 VHS/LDs/DVDs all legal) he spoke fluent Japanese and had a lot of money and he wanted to license/translate/distribute Cha Cha for R1. Around 1998 he hired a lawyer in Japan to make inquiries with the R2 license holders about acquiring the rights to the series, and after several months of frustration and spending several thousand dollars he gave up. He told me that there were just too many issues dealing with the various rights holders, especially with the music rights (SMAP).

Ah, that sucks. And the fact that's it's as old as it is doesn't help much, either. Curse you, SMAP *shakes fist* Now that I think of it, Hime-chan no Ribbon also features music from SMAP. They even had a "guest appearance" in one episode *sigh* Another anime lost to the music.

[Suwako Moriya]

Another anime lost to the music.

I'm not even sure I want to know how much anime is murdered by the music. Also sometimes I wonder who I should direct my anger at in such situations.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Curse you, SMAP *shakes fist*

Well, apparently it was a problem in Japan too, which resulted in a non-SMAP version of the OP being used for the home video version... so SMAP shouldn't be the obstacle anymore, one hopes.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, apparently it was a problem in Japan too, which resulted in a non-SMAP version of the OP being used for the home video version... so SMAP shouldn't be the obstacle anymore, one hopes.

So wait does that mean the music that SMAP was effecting was mainly just the opening? If so then I think losing the SMAP version of the opening would be a small price to pay to get the series licensed. Granted there is still the problem of the age and who knows what the licensing cost is? It could have gone down, but it could have also gone up...

[Spirit Of The Stage]

Well, apparently it was a problem in Japan too, which resulted in a no
So wait does that mean the music that SMAP was effecting was mainly just the opening? If so then I think losing the SMAP version of the opening would be a small price to pay to get the series licensed. Granted there is still the problem of the age and who knows what the licensing cost is? It could have gone down, but it could have also gone up...

Is this the part where we knock on Nozomi's doors loudly and beg pretty please? With Kodocha, they got rid of the SMAP opening (and the reference to SMAP unfortunately in the first ep, which was very weird in the Japanese) so there's no reason why Chacha couldn't be licenced...

...except is the same rules applied to the voices? Riiya is played by SMAP member Shingo Katori so that could be the HUGE stumbling block to Chacha's licence if that was the case.

[Isuzu Inugami]

With Kodocha, they got rid of the SMAP opening (and the reference to SMAP unfortunately in the first ep, which was very weird in the Japanese)

That wasn't SMAP, actually, but I forget who it was....

so there's no reason why Chacha couldn't be licenced...

...except is the same rules applied to the voices? Riiya is played by SMAP member Shingo Katori so that could be the HUGE stumbling block to Chacha's licence if that was the case.

Oh crap, I forgot about that. I don't know, maybe that's the problem. Garrrr, I want Chacha licensed!

[Suwako Moriya]

Oh crap, I forgot about that. I don't know, maybe that's the problem.

I can't say for sure it's the problem, but the idea a VA could have so much power just because he's part of a music group which apparently is being cranky is depressing. There's got to be some solution. The way I see the idea scenario for Chacha would be this. Sets with around 25 episodes each for $50 each. However that would require a low enough licensing cost and may kill any chance of a dubbed version unless the license cost was very reasonable. Either way the series would definitely not work as singles.

[meganly_chan]

Wait a minute, you have to buy rights to use the voice actors?? Never heard of that before - I don't understand how a member of SMAP being in the cast would warrant some kind of extra hurdle. And Riiya's voice is one of the coolest in the show ;____;

I would definitely put up with a SMAPless anime (in regards to songs), but my memory is a little rusty - when did SMAP ever sing anything for Akazukin Cha Cha? I thought both the OP and ED (the first ones, anyway) were done by a woman? I think a dubless set, maybe two or three at about $50 each, would work great!

In the case of Hime-chan, you'd have to cut out a whole episode (probably more) because of them, including taking the singing out of the OP and ED, and that would kinda ruin everything.

[Isuzu Inugami]

I don't understand how a member of SMAP being in the cast would warrant some kind of extra hurdle. And Riiya's voice is one of the coolest in the show ;____;

Probably it doesn't, but then again who knows what sorts of weird licensing contractual clauses he might have spun for them to have him as part of the cast.


I would definitely put up with a SMAPless anime (in regards to songs), but my memory is a little rusty - when did SMAP ever sing anything for Akazukin Cha Cha? I thought both the OP and ED (the first ones, anyway) were done by a woman?

They sang the first OP, but for whatever reason it wasn't allowed to be put on the home video release, so that was rerecorded by a woman (I forget who.) So if you can get your hands on a version recorded off TV, it will have the SMAP opening. It's too bad, because I like the SMAP version better--it's a bit peppier.

[Suwako Moriya]

So if you can get your hands on a version recorded off TV, it will have the SMAP opening.

To be honest I can't remember if I ever heard the broadcast version of the song. The version I've been watching is clearly DVD based. I can't say one is better or worse than the other. However I can say the DVD version is fine enough.

[Isuzu Inugami]

To be honest I can't remember if I ever heard the broadcast version of the song.

Well, there's always MooCube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttEtHUvHHbM&feature=related) to the rescue.... It's fat and boy-band-y.

[musouka]

Unfortunately, my all time favorite Akazukin Chacha character doesn't appear until the OAVs, even though I adore Chacha, Riiya, and the rest of the gang.

The anime was pretty amusing, but I always preferred the manga. The manga just begins to really hit its funny stride right as the anime ends--I can still remember how hard I laughed when I got the volume introducing Seravy's dad. Plus I think the magical girl focus detracts from what Chacha is really about: a bunch of dumb children doing adorably, hilarious, dumb things.

Ah, as an aside, I loooove the SMAP version of the opening, and was really bummed when the other version didn't have it. Yes, it's a cheesy boy band song by a bunch of guys who haven't even worked out how to harmonize yet, but both it and the Hime-chan no Ribbon OP are such a nostalgic part of my childhood...

[Suwako Moriya]

Plus I think the magical girl focus detracts from what Chacha is really about: a bunch of dumb children doing adorably, hilarious, dumb things.

It also doesn't help that the Holy Up stuff is rather repetitive and lacks variety. So in some ways I kind of agree with what you're saying even though I am rather fond of magical girls.

[Suwako Moriya]

Let's see so we get the end of "Holy Up" (Yay!), Best Magician Challenges, and episodes that seem to be focused on playing around than anything else. Which made for an interesting change of pace. Granted you had things like the "Assistance Boomerang", but at least it was a bit more varied in regards to what it did. So you more than just the same energy attack over and over again.

It seems the series was fond of introducing characters who after being introduced mostly went into the background. It was also kind of funny to see the various villains appearing casually in the final episode during the err wedding. Go figure on that one.

In any case I would say over all while I still rather like Marine by the end of the series my fondness for both Orin and Yakko increased quite a bit. Yakko definitely improved and became more interesting as the series progressed. While in the case of Orin her presence became strong and stronger. Which helped make me more fond of her. So I guess both Orin and Yakko are giving Marine a run for her money.

The series definitely has one of those life goes on, but you can probably guess how things will eventually proceed type endings to it. Which makes sense for a series like this, but you can't help but think "Just a bit further". I would say as a whole this series was pretty good. Sure it could have been a bit more structured in certain regards and done more with certain characters. However what matter is it was fun. So all that's left now is the OVAs sometime in the future. Which means just three more episodes left. I'll save them for a separate post later.

[Suwako Moriya]

All right decided to go ahead and wrap up the OVAs. Short, but fun is the best way to describe them. Popi the main focus of the OVAs was kind of cool in some regards. Not much to say beyond that, but it was only three episodes. Hmm perhaps one day I'll read the manga. Just depends on how successful my reincarnation is.:sweat:

[gsilver0]

Chacha!

One of my favorite shows!


I still need to track down the second DVD box set (I have 1 and 3).


Chacha and Riiya are my favorite characters, but one thing that I had a lot of fun with is just how evil Seravy appears to be, beneath the surface. Sure, he's a nice guy most of the time, and teases Dorthy a lot (but not too bad)... but then there are the occasional glimpses of his true personality, especially later in the series.

I also own the manga, but my Japanese totally sucks and I haven't gotten too far into it.

[Suwako Moriya]

but one thing that I had a lot of fun with is just how evil Seravy appears to be, beneath the surface

Ah yes Seravy is quite scary sometimes. Granted that's probably an understatement.

[Spirit Of The Stage]

but one thing that I had a lot of fun with is just how evil Seravy appears to be, beneath the surface

Ah yes Seravy is quite scary sometimes. Granted that's probably an understatement.

If all else fails, sick Yakko or Doris on him. That usually works...:P