The World of Narue Discussion Thread

[Suwako Moriya]

So after a long time, I finally got around to purchasing the World of Narue. Although I feel bad it took such events to get me to stop putting the series off like I was.

Still what's important is that I have the series and that I have plans to watch it over time. Although given other factors, it's hard to say how quickly I'll get through the series.

Regardless, I figured it couldn't hurt to start a discussion thread and see how things go over time with the series. On a side note, I'm thinking of re-watching another series and thus starting a thread for it as well, but enough about that.

Let's get The World of Kanaka err I mean the World of Narue Discussion Thread started!


ANN Entry (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=2128)

Official Site (http://www.bestack.co.jp/narue/)

Note
As usual, please try to follow these three easy forum courtesy habits when replying... No really, I mean it, please do:
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[Suwako Moriya]

Iizuka finds some poor puppy. Or so it would seem as the puppy is actually a space monster. If only there was an attractive girl with a baseball bat that could save him from this predicament. Ah, and there's one now.

So yeah, Iizuka gets saved by Narue. He decides he wants to thank her. He learns about her being an alien. He then gains a girlfriend. Well, that's one way to start off a series.

During the scene with Narue showing Iizuka something amazing I have to wonder. Are we supposed to focus on the spaceships or her panties? I'll let you decide for yourselves.

In any case, Nanase Narue proves that she qualifies as "love". I wonder if I can count her hair as some form of twin tails. Regardless, it's a strange, but rather fitting hairstyle for her. Or maybe I'm trying to convince myself of that. Either way, I definitely like her. Interesting to be reminded of the fact she's voiced by Noto Mamiko in the Japanese version.

In this episode we're also introduced to Yagi Hajime who is on bad terms with Narue. Problem is Narue is going around claiming to be an alien. A claim that's true, but Hajime herself doesn't believe it. There's also the issue that people are taking advantage of Narue's claim in order to treat Hajime badly. It goes without saying that Hajime is well a bit cranky. Or maybe very cranky.

[The Great Bear]

During the scene with Narue showing Iizuka something amazing I have to wonder. Are we supposed to focus on the spaceships or her panties? I'll let you decide for yourselves.

Ah, yes, the deep questions, the thought-provoking dilemmas that have stumped philosophers for ages.

:P

Just keep in mind that those spaceships are also capable of wearing panties. So, make of that what you will.

[Suwako Moriya]

Just keep in mind that those spaceships are also capable of wearing panties. So, make of that what you will.

Wow. It's nice to know that the rights of Spaceships have advanced that far.

[something]

Hmm, I should rewatch this and follow along. I'm starting to get a little behind on currently airing shows again, but... ah what the heck. Unless you watch it really quickly, I should be able to keep up, and it's only one cour. If there's no Clannad discussion thread started by the end of this week, I'll start one there too, because I guess I can handle two at once plus new shows... maybe. I'll go watch ep 1 now.

[Suwako Moriya]

Unless you watch it really quickly, I should be able to keep up, and it's only one cour.

*Activates super speed form in order to get the sub threads for episodes 02-12 posted in 10 seconds* Hopefully that wasn't too fast for you. If so I can slow it down to 15 seconds. :P

In all seriousness, I actually finished the first disc before I even decided to make this thread. I just haven't gotten around to posting sub threads for episodes 2 and 3.

Truth be told, I want to to spread out the discussion a bit rather than posting everything at once. Although it's more likely to be a bit on the random side. Since I can't really predict when I'll be watching a given episode.

[something]

Episode 1:

- I always loved this OP. Been awhile since I've heard it.
- Narue! And yes, oh yes... NOTO MAMIKO!! It actually doesn't quite sound like her. You can totally hear it in the breath-y, relieved "yokatta", but for the most part the voice is... hmm, I can't think of the word. More towards the cute end than the sexy end compared to her usual voice, perhaps? She's 29 now and so was 23 at the time she did this, so it shouldn't be that her voice changed. Anyway, interesting.
- As a side note, man the CPM video quality is bad, and I never have major issues with DVD video quality. Part of the reason is that I'm on a higher resolution/larger monitor so such things are exacerbated slightly but even so, I don't have these problems with other DVDs. The main thing here is crazy shimmering or whetever in the lines. I don't think I've seen anything that bad before. I doubt ADV will do anything to clean this up, but if they do I might rebuy given that the price is dirt cheap.
- And ahaha holy crap, is that... could it be... Ahahah! Fukuyama Jun!? I'd totally forgotten he was in this. And what a role for him to take. :sd:
- Up next is Yagi Hajime (isn't Hajime an usual name for a girl?) who is Chiba Saeko. It'll be weird for me to keep hearing Birdy when she speaks.
- I just heard a Gotou Yuuko too! Also: Narue is SEXY. And Yagi is bitchy at first but they do a good job showing that both Narue *and* Yagi are outcasts at first. So it's not just that Narue alone is being picked on.
- Gaaah, Narue is love. I like how they show her as really guarded at first, to the point that she assumes he's blackmailing her about the bat. But then she's really quick to open up when he shows that he's not like that.
- Heh, Kazuto tries to act badass and protect Narue and she just trips him. XD Then a nice shot from below for Narue =D
- Narue~~~~! The look on her face when she's happy just kills me.

They sure don't waste time becoming a couple, do they? But that's one of the positives about this show, there's no beating around the bush until the last episode.

During the scene with Narue showing Iizuka something amazing I have to wonder. Are we supposed to focus on the spaceships or her panties? I'll let you decide for yourselves.
Heh, he essentially says as much when he says something about how he was floating in space, seeing the earth from afar, and an alien armada... but something else was capturing his attention. :sd:

In any case, Nanase Narue proves that she qualifies as "love". I wonder if I can count her hair as some form of twin tails. Regardless, it's a strange, but rather fitting hairstyle for her.
Yeah it's a bit odd. Not sure I'd go with twintails, so much as it being along the lines of the wiiiiiiide hair seen on e.g. Yuuhi and Mitsuki in Akane-iro. Though it's a bit different from that too.

[Suwako Moriya]

I just heard a Gotou Yuuko too!

As did I and I was very happy to hear her.

Also: Narue is SEXY. And Yagi is bitchy at first but they do a good job showing that both Narue *and* Yagi are outcasts at first. So it's not just that Narue alone is being picked on.

Indeed. In some ways Yagi does bother me a slight bit, but at least they make sure to give her some form of motivation for her actions. Even if the motivation is a bit misguided.

Narue~~~~! The look on her face when she's happy just kills me.

Can anyone survive that look?

They sure don't waste time becoming a couple, do they? But that's one of the positives about this show, there's no beating around the bush until the last episode.

It also created a nice change of pace. As the usual question of "When will X happen?" gets replaced by "What comes after X?".

Yeah it's a bit odd. Not sure I'd go with twintails, so much as it being along the lines of the wiiiiiiide hair seen on e.g. Yuuhi and Mitsuki in Akane-iro. Though it's a bit different from that too.

Ah, so that would make Narue an honorary ancestor of Yuuhi and Mitsuki. Which is just fine by me.

[EmperorBrandon]

Wasn't sure if I was in the mood to watch, but I decided to anyway, and yeah, I think I am. :) I'll be following along. Going with the Japanese version this time. The English version is rather good, but I prefer the Japanese cast in Narue's case, and I don't think I got to hear it last time I watched (only with the commentary - I think I watched the actual show on its own with the dub last).


In any case, Nanase Narue proves that she qualifies as "love". I wonder if I can count her hair as some form of twin tails. Regardless, it's a strange, but rather fitting hairstyle for her. Or maybe I'm trying to convince myself of that. Either way, I definitely like her. Interesting to be reminded of the fact she's voiced by Noto Mamiko in the Japanese version.

I think it is rather cute. I especially like how she makes that big smile a few times in the first episode. Noto's voice complements it so well.

[EmperorBrandon]

I just heard a Gotou Yuuko too!

As did I and I was very happy to hear her.


Haha, I totally recognized her this time. This role was from way back when she didn't have many big roles in anime (unless it was an eroge adaptation...), but it's a noticeable part at least. The bitchy trio had a few amusing scenes (one in the next episode is awesome).

Ah, I'm reminded the music of the series can be fun. Negishi Takayuki composed it, and the music in the "action" scene was a little reminiscent of Cardcaptor Sakura to me.

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

Let's get The World of Kanaka err I mean the World of Narue Discussion Thread started!

Kanaka needs her own series. Seriously. She's like, the best little big sister ever. :sd:

[Ashyukun]

- As a side note, man the CPM video quality is bad, and I never have major issues with DVD video quality. Part of the reason is that I'm on a higher resolution/larger monitor so such things are exacerbated slightly but even so, I don't have these problems with other DVDs. The main thing here is crazy shimmering or whetever in the lines. I don't think I've seen anything that bad before. I doubt ADV will do anything to clean this up, but if they do I might rebuy given that the price is dirt cheap.
Yeah, the video quality on Narue was abysmal... I spent almost as much time trying to clean up the footage as I did editing when I made my Narue AMV a few years back, and the final script for processing the footage took forever because of how complex it had to be.

I'd LOVE a cleaned-up version of it and would readily re-buy the show to have a better-looking version- Narue is one of my favorite shows. I just wish it weren't so hard to track down the later translated manga (not to mention I think there's probably more of it that wasn't released translated...).

[Suwako Moriya]

Going with the Japanese version this time.

Since I saw it in Japanese years ago, I'm mainly focused on the English version. Although I did do refreshing on the Japanese version after finishing the first few episodes. If I had enough time to kill, I might just watch the episode in English and then re-watch it in Japanese.

I think it is rather cute. I especially like how she makes that big smile a few times in the first episode. Noto's voice complements it so well.

That smile is proof that aliens are more advanced than us. Or maybe not, I just felt like saying that. In any case, I need to get around to the episode 2 sub thread sooner or later.

[Suwako Moriya]

One thing I love about episodes like this is how the advice the friend gives never actually take into account the personality of the girl in question. As if there's no individuality among humans. In any case, the date episode was definitely a lot of fun to watch. Narue and Iizuka make a pretty decent couple so far. Well more because of Narue, but then I tend to prefer to pay more attention to the female half of a relationship.

If the first episode wasn't enough, the second episode makes it quite clear that Hajime's dislike of Narue is rather intense. In some ways, her not believing Narue is an alien comes off as rather silly. Ok, let me put into perspective.

Her logic of "You look too human to be an alien" in of itself isn't that silly. After all, simply claiming you're an alien isn't proof and if an alien can't be told apart from a normal human then it creates a problem. The part where it gets silly is when she starts bringing up examples of what aliens should look like. Examples that are more akin to some child making a random drawing.

[Suwako Moriya]

Kanaka needs her own series. Seriously. She's like, the best little big sister ever. :sd:

Yes, she definitely is. Granted I'm not sure if we can even come up with another example of that.

[EmperorBrandon]

One thing I love about episodes like this is how the advice the friend gives never actually take into account the personality of the girl in question. As if there's no individuality among humans. In any case, the date episode was definitely a lot of fun to watch. Narue and Iizuka make a pretty decent couple so far. Well more because of Narue, but then I tend to prefer to pay more attention to the female half of a relationship

Maruo's advice is hilarious, though it really misses the mark with Narue (who gets her advice from a radically different source). Of course, it was probably going to go well, regardless. Kazuto and Narue make a good couple, despite their worries about things there. I love the part where those mean girls go up to tease Narue about boyfriends and then Kazuto shows up right then. She showed them! :P

[something]

Episode 2:

- GJ Kazuto. Totally don't stop and think for a second that others might not believe you when you say she's an alien. :sd:
- Narue kicks ass. She so brilliantly blows off the bitchy trio. Gotta like the total mood shift when she ditches them and sees Kazuto.
- Even back in 2001, Fukuyama Jun can't act a role without hamming it up. Heh.
- Of course everything on Kazuto's date goes exactly the opposite of how he planned. Narue gets there first! Narue wanst to go into the game center! Narue wants to split the bill!
- Hah, Yagi snaps and Narue is all like "Uhhh, let's pretend we don't know this wacko and gtfo here."
- Narue~~ She has such a completely perfect personality, but not in the "so perfect she lacks character" way.
- Bwhaha, Yagi is to cute when she's not raging at Narue. And what a classically tsundere ine: "I didn't choose to become your childhood friend! We just happened to live next to each other!"

If the first episode wasn't enough, the second episode makes it quite clear that Hajime's dislike of Narue is rather intense. In some ways, her not believing Narue is an alien comes off as rather silly.
It's interesting that her dislike of Narue results in her vehemently denying the very thing that everyone else uses to mock Narue with. If we didn't know better, it'd almost sound like she was defending Narue.

[Suwako Moriya]

I love the part where those mean girls go up to tease Narue about boyfriends and then Kazuto shows up right then. She showed them! :P

That scene was definitely amusing. Now that's what I call timing. I wonder if it wasn't the first time they teased Narue about it.

[Suwako Moriya]

Even back in 2001, Fukuyama Jun can't act a role without hamming it up. Heh.

That makes me wonder. What was the very first role that Jun did where he ended up hamming it up.

Narue gets there first! Narue wants to go into the game center! Narue wants to split the bill!

In other words, Narue controls the flow.

Hah, Yagi snaps and Narue is all like "Uhhh, let's pretend we don't know this wacko and gtfo here."

Wise decision, since nothing good would have come of talking to Hajime. As she was intent on arguing.

Narue~~ She has such a completely perfect personality, but not in the "so perfect she lacks character" way.

Which is good because I prefer characters like Narue. I've never really cared for the "empty-perfect" character.

Bwhaha, Yagi is to cute when she's not raging at Narue. And what a classically tsundere ine: "I didn't choose to become your childhood friend! We just happened to live next to each other!"

Scenes like that are kind of nice. Since they do show a somewhat better side of Yagi. As well as potential to be something else besides angry.

It's interesting that her dislike of Narue results in her vehemently denying the very thing that everyone else uses to mock Narue with. If we didn't know better, it'd almost sound like she was defending Narue.

When you put it that way, it's definitely kind of funny to think about.

[EmperorBrandon]

That scene was definitely amusing. Now that's what I call timing. I wonder if it wasn't the first time they teased Narue about it.

That's an interesting thought, and probably likely too. You can tell those girls have probably been bullying Narue and Yagi for a while.

[Suwako Moriya]

In this episode, Narue gets to visit the home of Iizuka. In turn, we get to see what his mother and sister are like. The sister is somewhat amusing and both seem to like to meddle in things.

Iizuka just had to show Narue one of his favorite anime series. And it happens to be a magical girl series. Heh, I wonder what a full series of that would have been like.

Narue's line about how what's important is not the gift, but the one giving the gift is simple but effective. Plus it makes a lot of sense. Especially when the giver and receiver have a good relationship.

Closer to the end of the episode, we get to meet the Inspector. He essentially wants Narue and her father to leave the Earth and return to Planet Nihon. Narue's reaction let's us know that she was born on Earth. Which makes one speculate a bit. In any case, Narue needs to stay on Earth because her existence makes the world a better place. That's the logic I'd use.

A pretty nice episode over all. *Watches preview* Ah, yes, the next episode will definitely be interesting since it introduces "her" into the mix. Been awhile since I experienced her.

[EmperorBrandon]

In this episode, Narue gets to visit the home of Iizuka. In turn, we get to see what his mother and sister are like. The sister is somewhat amusing and both seem to like to meddle in things.

Yeah, their meddling is quite amusing, as is their initial surprise at finding out Kazuto has brought over a girlfriend. He was also completely unprepared as his room goes, having to hide things and change his desktop wallpaper. Speaking of the computer, Narue freaking out over it was one of the funniest things in the episode.

A pretty nice episode over all. *Watches preview* Ah, yes, the next episode will definitely be interesting since it introduces "her" into the mix. Been awhile since I experienced her.

YAAYYY!!! The World of Kanaka officially starts with the next episode. :beatingheart:

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

*Watches preview* Ah, yes, the next episode will definitely be interesting since it introduces "her" into the mix. Been awhile since I experienced her.YAAYYY!!! The World of Kanaka officially starts with the next episode. :beatingheart:

And a wonderful thing it is indeed! Kanaka is just all kinds of awesome.

[Suwako Moriya]

Speaking of the computer, Narue freaking out over it was one of the funniest things in the episode.

Yes, that fun to watch. I like how it started with her looking at the mouse, picking it up, and then talking into it. Once she did that, a fun ride was destined.

YAAYYY!!! The World of Kanaka officially starts with the next episode. :beatingheart:

Hopefully, it won't be too long before I get around to that episode. Although it wasn't that long ago when I made the thread for episode 3. Ah, I'll decide a bit later. I have a few other things to focus on first.

[Suwako Moriya]

Kanaka is just all kinds of awesome.

And I take it, she also includes elements of "win". It will be curious to see what type of opinion I have on her after this refresher course. So far the refresher course has worked well for Narue. We'll see if it's the same for Kanaka. It has been too long since I've seen this.

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

Kanaka is just all kinds of awesome.

And I take it, she also includes elements of "win". It will be curious to see what type of opinion I have on her after this refresher course. So far the refresher course has worked well for Narue. We'll see if it's the same for Kanaka. It has been too long since I've seen this.

I've always thought of Kanaka as the Skuld of World of Narue, though more on the tsundere side. Actually, now that I think of it, Skuld is a bit of a tsundere herself. :sd:

It's been a while since I've watched World of Narue, myself. I have the CPM set already, but since I pre-ordered the ADV reissue to support the title, maybe I'll give it another rewatch then! :)

[Ty]

Skuld is a bit of a tsundere herself. :sd:

A bit? :P She's old school tsundere though, very tolerable.

[something]

Episode 3:

- Just your average everyday chitchat on the way home and telepotation, aliens, and terrorists.
- Andthen visiting Kazuto's house! Narue Narue Narue~~ <3
- Hah, his mom and sister totally have their minds blown by him bringing a girl home. And such a CUTE girl at that.
- So like, aren't they about 14? Sure 14 year old boys are interested in porn, but wouldn't they tend to, like... hide it? He just had stacks of it all over his room. Does his mom not care? :sd:
- And Narue is totally confused about earth technology. You think she'd have to study it a bit in order to live there...
- His mom is totally enjoying torturing him.
- lol screensavers. I can't remember when I last had a screensaver. But hey, amazing, his printer can print all the way to the edge of the paper!
- Yeah, that's totally what you do when a girl comes to your room for the first time. Ask her if she wants to watch mahou shoujo anime. Also, start at ep 30 and randomly skip from one scene to another. Of course, he's got Narue for a girlfriend, so it won't backfire.
- Yeesh, CPM, these subs are too big for 4 lines at once. Put the background dialog at the top, at least.
- lol at Kazuto's sister battling with him at the door.
- Narue is going to show him her secret spot! Naughty~
- Uh oh, the dramatic conflict! "You must return to space one day!" "No I dont wanna!" "I'll take my leave."

:sd: He didn't push too hard.

Narue's reaction let's us know that she was born on Earth. Which makes one speculate a bit.
I have to wonder (and genuinely can't remember if we find out) if she spent that whole time on earth or went out to space for much of her childhood. I mean, being born on earth she should really be acclimated to the technology, even if it's horribly primitive compared to what she has from space.

[something]

I like how it started with her looking at the mouse, picking it up, and then talking into it.
I suddenly want to put her and Yuki together in a room with assorted computer mice and see what happens.

[EmperorBrandon]

- Uh oh, the dramatic conflict! "You must return to space one day!" "No I dont wanna!" "I'll take my leave."

:sd: He didn't push too hard.

I think the inspector's attitude is never to push too hard, but just to keep pushing a little every now and then. Which of course, never really works. Sometimes I think he just does it to keep up appearances, since it's supposed to be part of his job to keep Galactic citizens off Earth. He backed off when confronted with Narue's feelings this time, which makes me wonder if he does care about them at least a little.

[Suwako Moriya]

In this episode, we get to meet Narue's sister Kanaka. Kanaka who is supposed to be older than Narue. However due to the classic "time moved much slower for me" scenario, Kanaka is only 12 while Narue is 14.

A good portion of the episode deals with Kanaka having to come to terms with everything that's changed. Changes that both confuse her and bother her. Let's just say she has a rather negative reaction to things. In spite of all that, things do work out in the end and the sisters bond.

It's nice that that ship was able to transform and find a place to land. That being said, I think sooner or later someone is going to be like "Wait, why is there an extra building here?". Then again, shows do tend to like to use certain plot elements to get around it.

Narue's line about being born on Earth was a definite clue towards this fact, but this episode essentially makes it clear that while Narue is an "alien", she's also part Earthling. Since her mother is an Earth human. That and since the episode makes it clear that Narue and Kanaka have different mothers, that makes them half sisters.

In some ways, Kanaka's characters gets off to a bit of a shaky start. Even so considering the circumstances and the fact she's only 12 years old, one can't exactly expect her to be a mature adult about things. Her actions near the end and her trying to come to terms does show promise for her.

It goes without saying that I'm rather fond of Kanaka. Sure she's flawed, but sometimes being flawed can be a good thing. So long as the flaws are not extreme. It also helps that she's cute and attractive for her age. Yes, I pay attention to certain things because I can.

In any case, the real series "The World of Kanaka" has finally started with this episode. Although some will of course continue to pretend that this is still "The World of Narue". You know because apparently they like to believe the truth over my delusional fantasies.

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

It goes without saying that I'm rather fond of Kanaka. Sure she's flawed, but sometimes being flawed can be a good thing. So long as the flaws are not extreme. It also helps that she's cute and attractive for her age. Yes, I pay attention to certain things because I can.

In any case, the real series "The World of Kanaka" has finally started with this episode. Although some will of course continue to pretend that this is still "The World of Narue". You know because apparently they like to believe the truth over my delusional fantasies.

How can anyone refuse a face like this (http://ryoohki.home.att.net/misc/avatars/KanakaAv.jpg)? It's just not possible.

[Suwako Moriya]

How can anyone refuse a face like this (http://ryoohki.home.att.net/misc/avatars/KanakaAv.jpg)? It's just not possible.

Well, there's always people who are evil, heartless, and other bad things. However I'm sure Kanaka would be able to convert most if not all of them. At least I'd hope so.

[Garasharp K7]

In any case, the real series "The World of Kanaka" has finally started with this episode. Although some will of course continue to pretend that this is still "The World of Narue". You know because apparently they like to believe the truth over my delusional fantasies.

Well, as Lionel Hutz once said: "There's the truth, and there's the truth." Anyway, Kanaka is love and full of win and all that, and thankfully she doesn't fall into the trap of being one of those irritating little sister types who exist just to cause trouble for the main characters, like say, Maho from Please Teacher (though oddly enough, I liked her too) or Sarah McDougal from Love Hina. For some reason, I like how she calls Kazuto 'Old man' as well.

I'd probably start calling the show 'The World of Kanaka' too, but for one thing - I like Narue more. :) (but just a bit, mind)

[TalonG4]

Kanaka is unbelievably awesome. Partially because she doesn't fall into the stereotype of the bratty younger(older?) sister but also because she's voiced in english by the multi-talented and awesome Rachael Lillis.
Also the fact that she's lonely and feels left behind tugs at my heartstrings.

[Suwako Moriya]

Anyway, Kanaka is love and full of win and all that, and thankfully she doesn't fall into the trap of being one of those irritating little sister types who exist just to cause trouble for the main characters,

Yes, it's a good thing that Kanaka avoids that dreaded trap. In general, characters who are nothing more than obstacles can be quite annoying. Actually in other ways, they can be sad. Since you end up wondering what could have been if the show treated them like an actual character.

[EmperorBrandon]

However due to the classic "time moved much slower for me" scenario, Kanaka is only 12 while Narue is 14.

I was thinking that "Urashima Effect" must really be a bitch to deal with, for all those Galactic citizens traveling on high speed transport, and then I noticed the bit about Kanaka's mother at the end that I forgotten about. Pretty sad... :( Given what Kanaka has to deal with given all of that lost, it's understandable how she acts in this episode. She's still a little bratty but a great younger older sister nonetheless. I love Narue and Kanaka making up at the end of episode - Narue lets loose with that infectious smile again. She really was looking forward to her. :)

It's nice that that ship was able to transform and find a place to land. That being said, I think sooner or later someone is going to be like "Wait, why is there an extra building here?". Then again, shows do tend to like to use certain plot elements to get around it.

Hah, I was thinking that same thing, along with how it was convenient there just happened to be an empty lot big enough nearby. :P

It goes without saying that I'm rather fond of Kanaka. Sure she's flawed, but sometimes being flawed can be a good thing. So long as the flaws are not extreme. It also helps that she's cute and attractive for her age. Yes, I pay attention to certain things because I can.

She was rather mean sometimes this episode, but it's really the only one, and because of a lot of misunderstandings. She's just a little more on the playful side from here on out, but not really a bad girl in my mind.

[EmperorBrandon]

Kanaka is unbelievably awesome. Partially because she doesn't fall into the stereotype of the bratty younger(older?) sister but also because she's voiced in english by the multi-talented and awesome Rachael Lillis.
Also the fact that she's lonely and feels left behind tugs at my heartstrings.

Kanaka is one that has quite an awesome voice in both the Japanese and English versions. Rachael Lillis is probably one of my favorites out of the English cast - she fits Kanaka's personality perfectly with her brattier voice (always liked it - reminds me a bit of Misty but it works well here).

I think it was the first role I heard of Minagawa Junko, and rather interesting in that it's so different from many of her other roles (a lot of which are guys and older-sounding ladies). She sounds rather cute, though. Minajun always seems to sound great with the angry parts. :)

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

Also the fact that she's lonely and feels left behind tugs at my heartstrings.

Indeed, that's part of what makes her so great. You can really feel for her. She may have a bratty streak, but she only does it because she needs attention after being by herself for so long.

Kanaka's reunion with Narue looked like it could backfire at first, but luckily it all turned out okay. They complement each other nicely!

[Garasharp K7]

Kanaka is unbelievably awesome. Partially because she doesn't fall into the stereotype of the bratty younger(older?) sister but also because she's voiced in english by the multi-talented and awesome Rachael Lillis.

Definitely agree with you there. And I really like Veronica Taylor's Narue as well. And while it's only small role, I loved Lisa Ortiz as the bratty VA in episode 10. I'm hiding that as you guys haven't got 'round to that ep yet. All y'all better hurry up and watch it so I can talk about it. It was just awesome. :)

[Suwako Moriya]

Kanaka gets to go to the same school as her sister. However Kanaka must accept being in a lower grade than Narue. It's either that or Elementary School instead.

It seems that school life causes some problems for Kanaka, but lucky for her, she gets to befriend and bond with Hajime. A friendship that started with Kanaka noticing a potential stalker. Which just turned out to be Hajime doing her "alien" stuff. I like Kanaka's request to allow Hajime to see something. That way she wouldn't spend all night out there.

Narue was quite angry with Hajime in this episode. We have her running off once she sees Hajime approaching. We have her angry over rumor between Hajime and Kazuto. Then we have her not approving of the idea of Kanaka spending time with Hajime.

That being said, I get the feeling Narue's angry is more of an accumulative thing. After all, if episode 2 is any indication, Hajime has essentially been treating Narue rather poorly. So one can argue Narue has been reaching her boiling point.

What I find curious is this. On one hand, we've had Hajime treating Narue rather poorly. On other hand, the idea of Narue being angry with Hajime seemed to bother Hajime quite a bit. In some ways this seems a bit contradictory to me.

Regardless, Kanaka's actions near the end do help to patch things up a bit. Nice to see that Kanaka got to have an "elder sister" moment. Hopefully things will go much better the characters in the future.

[EmperorBrandon]

Heh, Kanaka gets angry at the education system. :) I really liked her becoming friends with Yagi, though - that was rather cute. She was right that Narue was acting like a jerk, though it wasn't necessarily unwarranted given how mean Yagi has been to her before. Speaking of which, I think Kanaka is the only one who calls her by her given name "Hajime" - or at least I couldn't remember if any others do (maybe Maruo? I couldn't remember what he calls her - but I guess I'll see).

[something]

Episode 4:

- There's a Narue in his room! You know, there are such awesome benefits to a teleporting girlfriend. You don't need to sneak out to meet her because she can just teleport out any time you're about to get caught in action. On the other hand if she can teleport into your room at any time, it can get awkward. :sd:
- Heh, and Kanaka's first assumption is that Narue is her father's wife. What exactly does she take him for?
- Time is a real bitch in space, isn't it? But I have to wonder, what exactly is the purpose of a freight ship that can only deliver something 15+ years later? "Hey we have this important load of medical supplies, get it to earth!" ...and arrive a decade and a half after everyone is dead.
- And kidnapping.
- So much for the alien presence being covert, huh? Kanaka dislikes subtlety. But Bathyscape turns into a house!
- Narue is also pretty quick to trade her dad for Kazuto. :sd:
- NARUEEE <3 <3
- Man Kanaka is such a brat. Shooting your little sister is not nice!
- Lots of cuteness follows when Narue and Kanaka make up though <3

It's nice that that ship was able to transform and find a place to land. That being said, I think sooner or later someone is going to be like "Wait, why is there an extra building here?". Then again, shows do tend to like to use certain plot elements to get around it.
Wasn't it nice that there just happened to be an empty lot right across from the apartment? :sd: Can't wait until the local residential zoning officials notice what happened.

Oh, and how bizarre is it that Kanaka is voiced by Minagawa Junko!?

[The Great Bear]

Episode 4:
Wasn't it nice that there just happened to be an empty lot right across from the apartment? :sd: Can't wait until the local residential zoning officials notice what happened.

So much for the impromptu soccer games for the local children as well.

Those aliens, always taking what doesn't belong to them :P

[Mr. Nail Bat]

Wasn't it nice that there just happened to be an empty lot right across from the apartment? :sd: Can't wait until the local residential zoning officials notice what happened.

"First that weird-ass Christmas store run by those girls that keep talking about 'Popotan', now this? Who the hell builds so fast, anyway?"

[something]

Episode 5:

- Christ Yagi. I remember her being a bit of a bitch for awhile, but this girl really has issues. She just hurls a basketball into Narue's beautiful face! And doesn't feel even the slightest bit bad.
- But we get to see angry Narue, which is adorable.
- "A stalker! This could be fun!" Uhhh, Kanaka... :sd:
- Ah yes, Kanaka and Yagi. Kanaka seems to sympathize with her. And flying fish UFO!
- More angry Narue <3
- Oh jeeze, it bothers me when characters act ridiculously simply because the plot is trying to make a point. The way Kanaka's classmates instantly switch from "zomg zomg so interested in you" to "boring, what a disappointment" when she can't immediately answer their flood of inane questions is completely retarded and unrealistic. It's like, they need Kanaka to face adversity in school, so they fall back on this cliche. Instant bullying, just add plot device!
- More angry Narue! She's got some major erasing skills. Hopefully this starts some kind of reconciliation between Yagi and Narue. I can't quite remmeber.
- Bwhahaha, furious Kanaka shows off the Minagawa Junko goodness so well.
- "That's all I'm good at, which is why I don't have any friends." I don't know, stalking and attacking people probably turns them off too, Yagi. :sd: Still, I really love the dynamic between her and Kanaka.
- Ooooh, I looove this scene. It's great because, hey, Narue has emotions! Like I said before, she's a perfect girl, but not in a boring "sanitary perfect" way, and this is a great example. She doesn't just brush off any wrong that's done to her, and she'll get seriously angry at someone like Yagi who has wronged her consistently. And it's also great because Yagi gets a serious reality check. She totally deserved what Narue just did to her, and she definitely deserves to feel bad about it. What's good is that she *does* feel bad, and it really drives home that she's given Narue rather shitty treatment and really hurt her feelings.
- Of course, it is a misunderstanding this time (not that you can blame Narue one bit for it), so Kanaka snaps at Narue too.
- lol... "I'm sorry!" "It's okay." SUDDENLY BEST FRIENDS.

What I find curious is this. On one hand, we've had Hajime treating Narue rather poorly. On other hand, the idea of Narue being angry with Hajime seemed to bother Hajime quite a bit. In some ways this seems a bit contradictory to me.
Like I said above, Yagi is pretty dense about this sort of thing. Only by meeting Kanaka did she really come to grips with the fact that, although she gets bullied, she's not exactly been a likable person herself. And when she saw just how badly she'd angered and truly hurt Narue, and how that could cost her her first friend, well, talk about a reality check. I thought it was incredibly well done, although the make-up at the end was as abrupt as many other things in this show. :sd:

[something]

Wasn't it nice that there just happened to be an empty lot right across from the apartment? :sd: Can't wait until the local residential zoning officials notice what happened."First that weird-ass Christmas store run by those girls that keep talking about 'Popotan', now this? Who the hell builds so fast, anyway?"
Hah yeah that came to mind briefly. I wonder what other examples there are...

[Suwako Moriya]

So much for the impromptu soccer games for the local children as well.

It could have been worse. Those children could have been playing when the house landed. I feel bad for thinking that.

[something]

It could have been worse. Those children could have been playing when the house landed. I feel bad for thinking that.
Exactly my thought, except I don't feel bad thinking about it =D

[Suwako Moriya]

"First that weird-ass Christmas store run by those girls that keep talking about 'Popotan', now this? Who the hell builds so fast, anyway?"Hah yeah that came to mind briefly. I wonder what other examples there are...

None come to mind right now, but one has to wonder if perhaps there's a market out there for instant buildings. All you need is a vacant area.

[EmperorBrandon]

- lol... "I'm sorry!" "It's okay." SUDDENLY BEST FRIENDS.

Heh, everytime I come across that scene, I think "Geez... that was awfully fast." :P It's all thanks to Kanaka (oh, and Bathyscaphe dispensing her advice too - for a android/spaceship, she's sure helpful with human relationships... :) )

[Garasharp K7]

None come to mind right now, but one has to wonder if perhaps there's a market out there for instant buildings. All you need is a vacant area.

I'd imagine such things are quite common in a country that gets frequently attacked by giant monsters. And then there are all those alien invasions and robot battles too, so it's no surprise that there'd be a demand for instant buildings. :)

[Suwako Moriya]

For the most part this episode boils down to some cute android named Rin being sent by the inspector to cause problems in the relationship of Kazuto and Narue.
With Rin relying mostly on "Pink Mind Control Waves".

If you ask me the whole thing was a bit on the cruel side, but at least we got to meet a few new characters as a result. Also I'm liking the Hajime in this episode much better than the early Hajime.

[EmperorBrandon]

For the most part this episode boils down to some cute android named Rin being sent by the inspector to cause problems in the relationship of Kazuto and Narue.

And it's somehow the inspector's idea that an ideal dream girl is supposed to be a little sister, too. :P

Rin definitely uses the mind control a lot, though her grip on Kazuto seems to be weaker throughout. She has to keep on doing it to him, and eventually he suspects her. Able to avoid that kiss at the end too - poor Narue had to sit and watch that. Nice that Narue kisses him after the ordeal was over. That was sweet.

Ah, and I'm reminded that I really like Rin's Japanese voice better. Zoe Fries just sounded rather annoying squeaky. Ichimura Oma is rather high-pitched too, but she's pretty cute and sometimes a bit devious on top of it. I love her stopping the truck near the end, and particularly the part where she turns around and mind-controls the driver who's confused by the situation (always amuses me for some reason)

Also I'm liking the Hajime in this episode much better than the early Hajime.

Yeah, it looks like this is the part where she got to explain herself to Narue, which is nice, now that they're friends. It's good Narue has someone around class who's on her side now.

[something]

Episode 6:

- Suddenly some blond girl! Uh, you know, it takes Kazuto absurdly long to start asking questions. :sd:
- Rin has some crappy mind control. It lasts like 3 minutes a shot.
- Narue discovers jealousy, Yagi skips class with her~
- Heh the mind control visual effect is cheesy.
- And yeah, Rin isn't very good at her job. This ep needed more Narue.
- But hah, "Close your eyes and clench your teeth!" ::kiss::

Narue is love. Still, not one of the stronger eps over all.

[something]

And it's somehow the inspector's idea that an ideal dream girl is supposed to be a little sister, too. :P
I guess after living with a meddling older sister he might have wanted a cute imouto. :sd:

[Suwako Moriya]

It's time for a pool episode. A pool episode that's made even stranger thanks an item Kanaka gained. An item that turns out to be a game. I don't have much to say in specific, but it was an amusing episode. Is it bad I was paying more attention to Kanaka than anyone else?

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah, yes, this is the episode where we get to learn about the past of Narue's parent. Mainly her mother. A mother that turns out to be awesome. It makes the fact she's dead even sadder.

Every time I learn that a dead character was "awesome" while she was alive, I star thinking "They must have killed her off because we couldn't handle the awesome".

It's kind of funny how the show hints at a more major story in the background, but so far hasn't really explored it beyond "By the way we have wars" and stuff like that.

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

Is it bad I was paying more attention to Kanaka than anyone else?

No.

I must say though, for a character to be able to command even more attention than the Mamiko Noto voiced lead is quite a feat indeed. :sd:

[Suwako Moriya]

I must say though, for a character to be able to command even more attention than the Mamiko Noto voiced lead is quite a feat indeed. :sd:

Perhaps. Although in my case I've mostly been watching in English this time around.

[Suwako Moriya]

In this beach (Yay swimsuits!) episode, we get to meet Haruna. An attractive girl that happens to be a starship. Don't ask how that works. Still she's in love and has multiple worries. Such as will she be dragged back to the military? Will the guy still like her if he knew the truth?

Well, he's about to find out. For Haruna prepares to face off in epic battle against a Tsunami. Lucky for her, even after finding out the truth the guy still wants to be with her. The guy has good taste.

I like how Kanaka is supportive of her sister's relationship. Speaking of Narue, tragedy struck when Narue lost everything that she collected from the water. Poor Narue, we feel for you.

Oh, and Rin decided to make a random appearance just so we can see her again.

[something]

It's time for a pool episode. A pool episode that's made even stranger thanks an item Kanaka gained. An item that turns out to be a game. I don't have much to say in specific, but it was an amusing episode. Is it bad I was paying more attention to Kanaka than anyone else?
Heh, yeah, not a lot to say about this one other than YAY SWIMSUIT NARUE! Kanaka was indeed very cute too. Sometimes she almost looks like the most mature one for some reason, even a pink frilly swimsuit. I think it's her hair. Narue was damn attractive though, in such a simple swimsuit to boot. Bit of a shame we don't see her in a bikini but it was nice anyway. I do like how Narue is relatively forward in showing her affections, unlike so many school couples. The scene in the rain under the tree where she lays her head on Kazuto is nice, even if he's still pretty typical in his reaction.

And the Bathyscape monster was disturbing >_>

[something]

Episode 8:

- I like Kazuto's reaction to the sliding doors... that slide up. :sd:
- Angry Noto Mamiko is adorable Noto Mamiko~!
- Why is Narue's dad's undercover disguise as a wandering cowboy?
- And she just launches into complaining about her job. Heh.
- "This planet has too many living things!" That can be fixed!
- No wonder they want to pull Narue's dad off the inspection mission, he just blurts out that he's an alien to everyone he meets.
- Narue's mom is insane.
- Man, they were only married 9 years before she died.
- Aw, cute scene at the end with the cake.

Ah, yes, this is the episode where we get to learn about the past of Narue's parent. Mainly her mother. A mother that turns out to be awesome. It makes the fact she's dead even sadder.
Every time I learn that a dead character was "awesome" while she was alive, I star thinking "They must have killed her off because we couldn't handle the awesome".
Like Natsume Reiko damn it! But yeah, another awesome dead anime adult. They must have had Narue right after getting married, if that happened 15 years ago and Narue is 14 or so. So Narue got to know her mother until about 8 years old... well, I guess that's longer than a lot of anime characters.

It's kind of funny how the show hints at a more major story in the background, but so far hasn't really explored it beyond "By the way we have wars" and stuff like that.
Plot? In my Narue? Hells no! But yeah, they hilariously gloss over everything... which is good. =P

[something]

Episode 9:

- Ahaha, the house just up and takes off, literally. That won't raise eyebrows!
- Gotta give a show credit for having two swimsuit eps in the span of three episodes. Still no Narue bikini though. =/ Good thing she looks so good in that plain one piece. Kanaka looks cute again too.
- Kanaka really is mature when she wants to be, isn't she? It's nice how accepting she's become of Kazuto. While he's a bit boring, he's definitely a nice guy.
- Haruna's seiyuu is one I'm unfamiliar with, by name. Touma Yumi. So I was surprised to see she has a very extensive history of roles. Most amusingly, Punipuni in Kurokami. :sd: A lot of her roles are a little older though, so I haven't seen those shows or haven't seen them recently enough to remember seiyuu.
- Haha, oh Narue is totally oblivious to the crowd they gathered.
- I love how Kanaka and Bathyscape handle Haruna.
- Narue's ass, instant kill attack!
- You're a spaceship, but hey that's okay!
- Rin! <3 Also, what an incredibly lenient military. You may have gone AWOL, and be an expensive, high tech piece of military hardware, but don't worry, we'll wait until you're ready! :sd:
- More angry Noto Mamiko! =D

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

It's kind of funny how the show hints at a more major story in the background, but so far hasn't really explored it beyond "By the way we have wars" and stuff like that.Plot? In my Narue? Hells no! But yeah, they hilariously gloss over everything... which is good. =P

Space Ninjas? There's space ninjas? Oh yeah! Space ninjas! Like, be careful of them and stuff, cuz they're out there, y'know? But never mind that, you need to watch Narue and Kanaka! :cool:

[Suwako Moriya]

Plot? In my Narue? Hells no! But yeah, they hilariously gloss over everything... which is good. =P

True. The last thing we need is evil plot taking away precious screen time from Kanaka and oh, Narue too.

[Buckeye]

Plot? In my Narue? Hells no! But yeah, they hilariously gloss over everything... which is good. =P

True. The last thing we need is evil plot taking away precious screen time from Kanaka and oh, Narue too.
Something like this does not really need a plot. It ruins what fun was going on.

[something]

Something like this does not really need a plot. It ruins what fun was going on.
Which is a point that quite a few other similar shows should really have learned. It's always annoying when a cute, mindless, sweet show thinks it needs to get serious in the last three episodes, when that time would have been much better spent with a second onsen episode =P

[Suwako Moriya]

It's always annoying when a cute, mindless, sweet show thinks it needs to get serious in the last three episodes, when that time would have been much better spent with a second onsen episode =P

I never saw the point to throwing together a rushed plot just for the sake of pretending to be deep. Far better for a show to be honest and have people accept it for what it is. The alternative of a second onsen episode does sound much better. Although other ideas come to mind as well. Which ones are dependent on the series in question and what the said series has already done.

[Suwako Moriya]

Narue gets jealous of the voice actress for Magical Girl Number 4. A voice actress that turns out to be quite the brat. Thus, Narue with the help of Hajime starts to make her own costume and ends up entering a contest.

The best part about the episode is that it lead to a lot of Hajime and Narue interaction. Probably the best seen in the series so far. There's nothing like cosplay to bring two girls together in friendship.

On a side note, in regards to the translation, I have to wonder why they didn't just use "Voice Actress". I mean she's clearly female. Seriously it came off as rather odd to me. Mainly because Voice Actor makes me think of guys.

[EmperorBrandon]

Ah, yes, this is the episode where we get to learn about the past of Narue's parent. Mainly her mother. A mother that turns out to be awesome. It makes the fact she's dead even sadder.

Yeah, she was quite awesome - Kanaka even says so. :)

It's kind of funny how the show hints at a more major story in the background, but so far hasn't really explored it beyond "By the way we have wars" and stuff like that.

Wars where apparently robots do most of the fighting and not many get hurt. And apparently Earth is a great place where all cultures get along perfectly (I think the aliens didn't do much studying there). The "story" just seems really silly, thinking that from when I first saw it. The show is more about the characters, though. Narue just seems to brush all of that stuff off, anyway.

[EmperorBrandon]

Heh, yeah, not a lot to say about this one other than YAY SWIMSUIT NARUE! Kanaka was indeed very cute too. Sometimes she almost looks like the most mature one for some reason, even a pink frilly swimsuit. I think it's her hair. Narue was damn attractive though, in such a simple swimsuit to boot. Bit of a shame we don't see her in a bikini but it was nice anyway.

Heh, pink frilly swimsuit goes great with Kanaka. :) Narue's swimsuit is rather plain, but she's always rather cute. I think I rather liked Hajime's swimsuit too, though.

And the Bathyscape monster was disturbing >_>

Hah, I agree there.

[EmperorBrandon]

Well, he's about to find out. For Haruna prepares to face off in epic battle against a Tsunami. Lucky for her, even after finding out the truth the guy still wants to be with her. The guy has good taste.

Haruna's proves herself to be quite awesome (love some of her antics in this episode - she's hot too), so the guy would be a real jerk if he was bothered. Luckily he's not.

[The Great Bear]

And apparently Earth is a great place where all cultures get along perfectly (I think the aliens didn't do much studying there).

Should anyone ever doubt this is a work of complete fiction with no bearing whatsoever to reality, all they need do is concentrate on how Earth is perceived by the Aliens.

[HitokiriShadow]

I watched the first episode of this series some years ago when I picked up the sample disc. I liked it but I never got around to buying it and it fell off my radar. I decided to pick up the set when I found out about CPM going out of business.

Learning that Mamiko Noto voiced the lead played a role in this as well. I'm not sure if I watched the sampler dubbed or subbed, but if I watched it subbed, it was at a time before I payed any attention to the seiyuu or knew who Mamiko Noto was. And watching this episode... I could barely tell it was her. Only in a few lines could I hear signs of her usual voice.

As for the show itself, the one thing that particularly stuck out about this episode was how Narue is putting absolutely no effort into hiding the fact that she is an alien. That's unusual, to say the least.

Narue is a solid lead. I loved how she stopped Kazuto... because he didn't take off his shoes. And then her face when he said he should try the magazines she reads, that beaming, joyful look on her face was priceless.

I can't wait to see more of Yagi. She didn't do much this episode, but I can tell I'm going to like her.

Also, this series seems to like panties.

Episode 1:
- Narue! And yes, oh yes... NOTO MAMIKO!! It actually doesn't quite sound like her. You can totally hear it in the breath-y, relieved "yokatta", but for the most part the voice is... hmm, I can't think of the word. More towards the cute end than the sexy end compared to her usual voice, perhaps? She's 29 now and so was 23 at the time she did this, so it shouldn't be that her voice changed. Anyway, interesting.

It's not that her voice changed. I watched X TV last year in which she played a fairly significant role, and I could tell it was her. Her voice in that role had its usual qualities. And that aired in 2001, two years before Narue.

- As a side note, man the CPM video quality is bad, and I never have major issues with DVD video quality. Part of the reason is that I'm on a higher resolution/larger monitor so such things are exacerbated slightly but even so, I don't have these problems with other DVDs. The main thing here is crazy shimmering or whetever in the lines. I don't think I've seen anything that bad before. I doubt ADV will do anything to clean this up, but if they do I might rebuy given that the price is dirt cheap.

I have a lousy setup and most of my DVDs don't look good. I didn't notice anything particular in this episode, but if that shimmering you mentioned is what I think it is, then I've seen it plenty of times and on DVDs that were supposed to be well done. I need a new TV, but I probably won't get one until next year. I figure if I'm going to get a new TV, I should get an HD one and a good one at that, and that costs money.

[HitokiriShadow]

I like how Kazuto casually drops the whole alien thing on Maruo and acts like its nothing special. "Don't judge people by ethnicity or lifestyle, Maruo" he says. :sd:

Hajime makes some amusing faces and she's rather amusing in general. *checks ANN* Ah, she's voiced by Saeko Chiba, no wonder she sounds so familiar. She's Birdy!

Narue and Kazuto make a cute couple. Their relationship kind of reminds me of the one in another series staring Mamiko Noto, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu.

[HitokiriShadow]

Okay, a lot of anime guys can't seem to keep their porn stash from sticking out from under their bed, but... why does he have stacks of it just sitting out in the middle of his room for anyone to walk in and find?

Hey, those girls on that Magical Girl poster look familiar...

It seems Narue has never seen an earth computer before this. Which is good for us, because her attempt to interact with it and her imagination (and fear) is quite amusing.

So Narue was born on earth. That was unexpected.

[HitokiriShadow]

Narue's reaction let's us know that she was born on Earth. Which makes one speculate a bit.
I have to wonder (and genuinely can't remember if we find out) if she spent that whole time on earth or went out to space for much of her childhood. I mean, being born on earth she should really be acclimated to the technology, even if it's horribly primitive compared to what she has from space.

I'm thinking she probably spent a good chunk of her life elsewhere. Still, just by going to school for a year or two, she should have some idea of how it works. She even says that she's seen the computers and should have seen other people using them and thus have some idea of how they work, even if she never touched them herself.

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

Also, this series seems to like panties.

In this respect, the anime stays quite faithful to the manga. :sd:

[HitokiriShadow]

That wasn't quite the sisterly reunion I was expecting. In fact, it wasn't a reunion at all and that surprised me. The older/younger thing didn't, as I had heard about that before and while I wasn't certain Narue was the series it was in when I started, I was pretty sure it was.

Anyway, Kanaka is definitely a nice addition to the cast. This episode clears up her issues with her sister, so I'm curious to see what kind of role she'll have in the remainder of the series.

[Suwako Moriya]

This episode clears up her issues with her sister, so I'm curious to see what kind of role she'll have in the remainder of the series.

For some reason, I feel compelled to say that Kanaka's role is to be awesome.

[HitokiriShadow]

Well, that was quite a mean way to test whether or not Narue was an alien. And this one actually got a reaction out of Narue for once: she is NOT happy.

"Oh, a stalker, this could be fun" Kanaka and Hajime would be good friend with Haruhi Suzumiya.

Things aren't going terribly well for Kanaka either. Apparently about half of her class are huge jerks. One second they are fascinated with her and as soon as she can't answer a question, they lose interest and hate her.

Narue really shouldn't be calling Kanaka "Onee-chan" at school. That would be kind of difficult to explain.

Man, Narue is pissed.

I like that Kanaka and Hajime are becoming friends. .... Tell us how you really feel, Kanaka.

Ah, drama. While its nice to see Narue and Hajime become friends, I'm disappointed and annoyed that Narue and Hajime made up and became friends so easily.

And sure enough, they onee-chan thing comes up. Though with the way CPM's translation handles it, anyone that doesn't have certain Japanese language and cultural knowledge is going to be lost as to what the issue is.

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

This episode clears up her issues with her sister, so I'm curious to see what kind of role she'll have in the remainder of the series.

For some reason, I feel compelled to say that Kanaka's role is to be awesome.

A fair assessment, I'd say.

[Garasharp K7]

"Oh, a stalker, this could be fun" Kanaka and Hajime would be good friend with Haruhi Suzumiya.

Y'know, I've often wondered what would happen if Narue and Haruhi actually met.

Haruhi: "I'm only interested in aliens, time travellers or ESPers. That is all."
Narue: "I'm an alien. My little sister is actually older than me and one of my friends is really a spaceship. Pleased to meet you!"

I'd imagine such an encounter could either be one of the most awesome things in existence, or it would lead to the utter annihliation of said existence. Either way, I'd want to see it.

[HitokiriShadow]

Yay for cute robot girls. I would say "more" but Bathyscythe or whatever her name is isn't exactly cute.

You gotta love that magical resistance to mind control The Power of Love gives to main characters.

Also, her mission should have ended as soon as she learned that Narue knew what was going on. Her mind control is obviously temporary, so if Narue knows what is going on, the mission is a failure. Mind controlling Kazu into kissing her while Narue watches might be emotionally painful for Narue, but it isn't going to achieve the results they are going for.

[Suwako Moriya]

In this episode, Haruna gets married. Which leads to the major players deciding to get involved with the whole thing. Interesting to see Kanaka's feelings on marriage. As well as learning that Narue wants to be a bride. And we get a quick mention of why her mother died.

Oh, and there's a short bath scene that allows us to see the chest of the younger sister, the older sister, and all the other girls as well. It's quite the important moment.

[Suwako Moriya]

It's nice to know that one side has cute girls and another side has weird looking monsters. As if they want to make it clear who we should be rooting for.

Since the episode involves a festival, we get festival related things. Which includes one of the most important aspects ever. We call them Kimonos! Yeah, I have my priorities straight.

The villain from the first episode decides to return and brings along some friends. Like any good group of villains, they decide to freeze everyone in place so they can focus on their targets.

Ah, it's Rin to the rescue! Rin, who later gives Narue and Kazuto that type of weapon that can be whatever the heck you want it to be. You've got to love stuff like that.

It figures that Narue would turn hers into a baseball bat. Kazuto just has to use the weapon of Magical Girl Number 4. Although he forgot it should be a weapon instead of a toy.

There are times I think the idea of "not harming life" is taken way too far. Seriously there comes a point where you have to realize that some people are just pure evil and beating the crap out of them is the only solution.

Well, at least they managed to capture all three of them. Oh, but wait Ran (who has arrived) has gone berserk thanks to a virus and wants to kill Narue. In the end, Rin shoots her.

After all the drama is over with, the Inspector appears. You've got to love the timing of this. In any case he has a conversation with Kazuto. After that all the "frozen" people start moving again.

I have to say that compared to episode 2-11 and at least a portion of episode 1, this episode felt a bit of out of place. Still I guess they needed to come up with something for a "final" episode and they decided to go the route that they did.

That being said, I do have to wonder. Had Narue gone on longer than it did. Would we have seen a lot more episode 12 type stuff than we did in the series? Or would it have continued to be mostly like 2-11?

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

That being said, I do have to wonder. Had Narue gone on longer than it did. Would we have seen a lot more episode 12 type stuff than we did in the series? Or would it have continued to be mostly like 2-11?

Ah, how I too have wished for a longer series. And now having finally read most of the available english manga (just a few chapters to go in vol. 4), I'd say that were more Narue ever produced, it would have been more like episodes 2-11. Such as the story where Narue and Kazuto get turned into mice and are sent to the future and meet adult Kanaka :blush1: and adult Hajime.

This series is definitely character driven; the plot is an afterthought. And that's just fine by me. :)

[EmperorBrandon]

There are times I think the idea of "not harming life" is taken way too far. Seriously there comes a point where you have to realize that some people are just pure evil and beating the crap out of them is the only solution.

That was from the robots, right? In Narue, I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be a reference to the Three Laws of Robotics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics). They can't because they're programmed not to, whether it's right to do or not, I think.

[Suwako Moriya]

That was from the robots, right? In Narue, I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be a reference to the Three Laws of Robotics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics). They can't because they're programmed not to, whether it's right to do or not, I think.

You would essentially be right on all count. Still it doesn't change the fact that rule can sometimes do more harm than good. I guess there's a pro and con to everything.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah, how I too have wished for a longer series. And now having finally read most of the available english manga (just a few chapters to go in vol. 4), I'd say that were more Narue ever produced, it would have been more like episodes 2-11.

Ah, that's good to hear. Since to be honest I prefer the 2-11 stuff. Not that it matter since with each passing year the chance of more animated Narue dwindles. I think by now its chances have fallen into the negatives.

Such as the story where Narue and Kazuto get turned into mice and are sent to the future and meet adult Kanaka :blush1: and adult Hajime.

Oh that sounds like it has definite potential. Mainly the idea of an adult Kanaka.

[HitokiriShadow]

That was certainly an amusing backstory. Alien comes to earth, instantly knows the language, and wanders around... in a cowboy outfit.

"Our culture is identical. We may be able to discover a way to stop wars!"

Ahahahahaha. Two planets light years apart develop identically (or at least identical to Japan)? Uh, right. And stop wars? That's rich. And really, if they are identical, how would you discover anything that wasn't present in your own world anyway.

"Planet Nihon"? That's almost as creative as the term "Galaxians".

On another note, Narue's mom was pretty awesome.

[Ashyukun]

The manga definitely showed that there should have been more of this animated. The aforementioned story with the mice was a nice balance of humor and drama, and it's a real pity it wasn't animated.

Narue is one of those shows you can tell just got cut shorter than it was supposed to be and probably just didn't sell well enough for them to greenlight making more of it- but we just have to enjoy what exists of it and be thankful that it even got animated in the first place I suppose.

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

The manga definitely showed that there should have been more of this animated.

Oh man... I finished volume 4 of the manga last night, and the final chapter is a Kanaka fan's dream come true. Let's just say that Narue teases Kanaka about what she and Kazuto are going to do on their date that day, and the chapter ends with Kanaka giving Narue permission to have children. It's priceless. :sd:

I definitely recommend to those who wish there was more animated Narue to seek out CPM's manga before it disappears forever. It is well worth the effort. TRSI still has volumes 3 and 4 (and they're in the bargain bin!), but volume 2 might prove more elusive. I got my copy from a marketplace seller on Amazon for dirt cheap, so it is still out there.

[HitokiriShadow]

That was a fun episode.

Kazu was an idiot and Kiriri was an obnoxious bitch (which was actually an improvement over her sickeningly sweet acting).

But Narue gets fired up over making a costume which results in some fun Narue and Yagi time, and that made the episode awesome. Unfortunately, there has been very little direct interaction between the two since they became friends. She was with them for the pool episode but their scenes were largely separate and other than that. Up to this point, they hadn't done anything at all together aside from walking to school. I'm disappointed that it took this long for their friendship to amount to anything on screen.

[HitokiriShadow]

In 5 episodes, we've had a pool episode, a beach episode AND an onsen episode. Most series don't manage to hit more than two of those in two cour, let alone less than half of one.

It's kind of odd that they took this long to mention how Narue's mother died without it being some major revelation. Here its just kind of "Oh yeah, she died throwing herself in front of a car to save Narue, didn't we mention that already?"

[EmperorBrandon]

In 5 episodes, we've had a pool episode, a beach episode AND an onsen episode. Most series don't manage to hit more than two of those in two cour, let alone less than half of one.

Heh, I was thinking about that. I remember Geoduck (I think?) bringing that up one time around here before.

[Ashyukun]

I definitely recommend to those who wish there was more animated Narue to seek out CPM's manga before it disappears forever. It is well worth the effort. TRSI still has volumes 3 and 4 (and they're in the bargain bin!), but volume 2 might prove more elusive. I got my copy from a marketplace seller on Amazon for dirt cheap, so it is still out there.
There was apparently a 5th volume published- but I've been trying to track a copy of it down for nigh on 4 years now to no avail. :(

[HitokiriShadow]

That wasn't exactly the note I was hoping the series to end on, but I wasn't surprised because of course it would be too much for a series to just ignore it half-baked plot in the last episode after mostly ignoring it for the rest of the series.

I knew that retarded "Protect Life" rule was problematic so it was kind of nice to see the series at least acknowledge the kind of problems it caused.

Also, for being "Berserked", Ran was surprisingly unaggressive. She mostly just stood there shouting rather than actually doing anything.

Anyway, it's a shame to see the series end. It was a fun series and I would have liked to be able to watch another cour of it.

[Suwako Moriya]

Also, for being "Berserked", Ran was surprisingly unaggressive. She mostly just stood there shouting rather than actually doing anything.

I wonder if it's possible that might have been some form of resistance. The figuring being that if she kept herself focused on shouting that sooner or later someone might take her down before she could do anything.

[something]

Episode 10:

- Oh that's a fantastic date. Meet up with your girlfriend, the drag her into a store to buy a CD without explaining anything, then make her wait in line for hours without explaining anything, then ditch her at the end because you never told her anything about it being a ticketed event to go see your seiyuu crush. :sd:
- Did Kiriri during her introduction (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t299/anon09876/KMP-DVD00010720-18-26.png) make anyone else think of Minami-ke? Dunno why, but I just saw it in her face (also with her eyes closed) and mouth. Even though the mouth is inverted from the famous Minami-ke style...
- OH GOD NARUE IS SO CUTE! She's just adorable when she's sniffling while talking to Yagi.
- Mmmm, underwear Narue.
- So they have all that reference material and forget the most distinctive parts? =P
- Poor Maruo. :sd: He's not a man at all to them. At least he gets some panties.
- Oh the melodrama. <3
- I hear a Gotou Yuuko again!
- Narue is so sexy Kazu has to get hospitalized. =P
- Ponytail Yagi!

The best part about the episode is that it lead to a lot of Hajime and Narue interaction. Probably the best seen in the series so far. There's nothing like cosplay to bring two girls together in friendship.But Narue gets fired up over making a costume which results in some fun Narue and Yagi time, and that made the episode awesome. Unfortunately, there has been very little direct interaction between the two since they became friends.
Definitely agree that that was the best part. They'd gotten chummy so quickly after the big flare-up surrounding Kanaka that it was almost hard to believe, but we never really got to see them actively hang out together.

Because we get that here, this is one of my favorite eps of the show.

[something]

In 5 episodes, we've had a pool episode, a beach episode AND an onsen episode. Most series don't manage to hit more than two of those in two cour, let alone less than half of one.
Delicious onsen! Naked Narue! They all look petty good, but Narue is the best of all~~ Too bad the onsen part didn't last longer.

The wedding stuff was decent. I got a kick out of Kazu's "oh no, let's not teleport, I'm going to go try to climb rocks and be manly instead!" Easily the most ridiculous part was how the guy's mother is like, A-OKAY with Haruna being an alien spaceship. Usually, "I heard the story from..." would be about something a bit more, well, normal. =P Narue looks so happy though so it's all good.

It's kind of odd that they took this long to mention how Narue's mother died without it being some major revelation. Here its just kind of "Oh yeah, she died throwing herself in front of a car to save Narue, didn't we mention that already?"
Heh, yeah. Normally that'd be, like, the defining moment in the character life. For this show, it's a footnote. :sd:

Ah yes, it's at this point that you realize "wtf only one episode left, how?" Too bad... anyway, time to finish this off.

[something]

Episode 12:

- Delicious yukata (why do the subs read kimono when they're clearly saying yukata? :sd: ) Either way she looks amazing in it.
- Excited Kanako is fun. The animation seems slightly different here and in the beginning though.
- Rin is cuuuuute. I like her better in this ep than in her intro ep.
- Gotta love how Narue has superhuman strength, completely inexplicably.
- And how useless is a combat robot that isn't allowed to hurt things?
- Then space ninja and some silly fighting and a sudden ending. :sd:

Well, at least they managed to capture all three of them. Oh, but wait Ran (who has arrived) has gone berserk thanks to a virus and wants to kill Narue. In the end, Rin shoots her.
I wonder why she was so hesitant to shoot... another robot. Why would the Laws apply there? Also, Ran sure said a lot of "KILL NANASE!" but did very little of it. sd:

That being said, I do have to wonder. Had Narue gone on longer than it did. Would we have seen a lot more episode 12 type stuff than we did in the series? Or would it have continued to be mostly like 2-11?
Yeah, while the ending is definitely unsatisfying (jeeze, ending with a line from Narue about how worried she is?) if it went on longer it might have felt obligated to expand on the "plot" that nobody in could possibly care about. And if we got alien attackers every few episodes, that'd kinda suck. But still, we need more Narue! It's really a shame for it to end so soon.

Alas.

But what we did get is awesome. There's nothing necessarily special or unique but it manages to be entirely adorable through and through.

[something]

I definitely recommend to those who wish there was more animated Narue to seek out CPM's manga before it disappears forever. It is well worth the effort. TRSI still has volumes 3 and 4 (and they're in the bargain bin!), but volume 2 might prove more elusive. I got my copy from a marketplace seller on Amazon for dirt cheap, so it is still out there.
I appear to have Vols. 1-3, and in the past attempts to get 4 all failed. Nice that TRSI has it... but the manga is 10 volumes long [Edit: and... ongoing? is Wiki up to date there? Jeeze, a volume a year...] and CPM is obviously not finishing it, so I guess I'm not too motivated to buy more. Ah well...

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

I appear to have Vols. 1-3, and in the past attempts to get 4 all failed. Nice that TRSI has it... but the manga is 10 volumes long [Edit: and... ongoing? is Wiki up to date there? Jeeze, a volume a year...] and CPM is obviously not finishing it, so I guess I'm not too motivated to buy more. Ah well...

Yeah, I saw that on Wiki too. Still, the four available volumes do have plenty of material not covered in the anime, so it's still worth it. To me, anyway. :sd:

It'd be nice to see the manga license get rescued, though...

[Mr. Nail Bat]

In 5 episodes, we've had a pool episode, a beach episode AND an onsen episode. Most series don't manage to hit more than two of those in two cour, let alone less than half of one.

Heh, I was thinking about that. I remember Geoduck (I think?) bringing that up one time around here before.

Good memory, sir. Yeah, I remember watching this show with Arcturus and we both remarked on the rather high concentration of fanservice episodes in this show. Not that anybody's complaining.

[EmperorBrandon]

On a side note, in regards to the translation, I have to wonder why they didn't just use "Voice Actress". I mean she's clearly female. Seriously it came off as rather odd to me. Mainly because Voice Actor makes me think of guys.

Well, "actor" can be a gender-neutral term, so it's not necessarily wrong. I don't think about it too much, I guess, since I tend to just use "VA" when I'm typing online

[EmperorBrandon]

It's nice to know that one side has cute girls and another side has weird looking monsters. As if they want to make it clear who we should be rooting for.

The funny thing is the "weird looking monsters" are supposed to be helping Earth by keeping the Galaxians off through their terrorism or whatever. They certainly don't look like they're people that would have any sort of noble goal, though, being monster-looking guys that want to kill Narue for doing nothing of any importance (just her and her dad living their lives out on Earth in a rather low-key manner - what's the deal, there?) This episode just reinforces my view that the plot makes no sense :P (I know it's not important to the series as a whole, but it's still silly...)

[EmperorBrandon]

- I hear a Gotou Yuuko again!

Hah, I definitely noticed her in there too. It's very easy given the "kinsoku jikou" overdose I got yesterday.

Definitely agree that that was the best part. They'd gotten chummy so quickly after the big flare-up surrounding Kanaka that it was almost hard to believe, but we never really got to see them actively hang out together.

Because we get that here, this is one of my favorite eps of the show.

I rather liked some of that here.

And dang, I was really looking forward to the commentary here, to see what the VA's were going to say on this episode. And then it cuts off right before it on CPM's release. ARGHH!!!