Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo [spoilers to end]

[something]

Well, I went back 6 pages (594 threads), as much as it would show and there was on thread no this. I believe there was at one point but it probably died fast.

Well, I just finished it, marathoned over the past two nights, and I'm impressed. At first I was hooked just because of the over the top fanservicey transformation nonsense. It was so silly and amusing that I had to watch more. But then as episodes ticked by this show actually dug up a hell of a relationship and if not a deep and epic plot, certainly a well-told one.

When I read the premise I wasn't sure what to expect. The first time we see Ureshiko's husband, from whom she is separated in reality if not in legality, I expected him to be come off as a total villian who would, to be honest, be completely one dimensional.

Thankfully that was not the case. The whole concept behind the magical girls (or magical women in this case) not being able to kiss a man seemed trite at first, but when you really think about what that could do to a relationship as time wore on, especially when she couldn't even give him a reason, it really took on a depth that I respected. The flashbacks of their time together further added depth to the relationship. In one flashback, he calmly accepted that perhaps he was moving too fast, so he backed off and didn't press her on it. In another flashback years(?) later, he is far less patient, but very fairly says that, at the very least, he needs to know why. When she can't even give him that much, you really can't villify him for ending the relationship... nor can you villify Ureshiko or course.

Because she's in a horrible catch-22 situation. If she kisses him, she loses her power, a new manager takes over, and possibly gets erased from existence. If she doesn't kiss him, she can protect the existence of the town and thus of him, but can't have a proper relationship, and they both get hurt. Really, there are no bad guys in the relationship. The shades of gray were greatly appreciated.

And all this in a show with some of the most absurdly "erotic" transformation sequences I've seen (Cruje's was, er, so wrong [img]/images/graemlins/stunned0.gif[/img]) and a grown woman trying to squeeze into her magical girl outfit from when she was a girl [img]/images/graemlins/sweat000.gif[/img] Much like Popotan, blatant (but never vulgar thankfully) fanservice coexists with a quite emotionally mature show. The juxtaposition is both absurd and appreciated.

Anyway, I'm already rambling just on those few points, but the show has a long list of positive features, if you aren't turned off by the early fanservice overload. Tatsumi is, on the whole, a likeable character. He doesn't get too wishy-washy, and at times really steps up in quite impressive ways. Cruje was delightful to watch as she moved from acting like a spoiled brat to really caring about the town, and her classmates were great. The younger green/aqua haired girl in the blue shirt ("wow wow yeah yeah" girll from the OP) was utterly amusing but woefully underutilized, while the slightly older woman with the young girl was enjoyable enough. I don't have strong opinions about the nurse (Valentine)either way, but I can say she didn't annoy me. I'm really not quite sure what happened to her at the end though [img]/images/graemlins/sweat000.gif[/img] And, of course, the grandmom was a bit... unique... heh.

The animation was good, the op is catchy (though only in conjunction with the animation), and really my only major complaint isn't related to the show itself, but rather features of the medium employed, which are outside the scope of this discussion. You can ask in PM or something if truly curious [img]/images/graemlins/sweat000.gif[/img]

Oh, and the ending is quite pleasing! The scene between Tatsumi and.. Asaba was it? At a party for the latter, where Tatsumi asks Asaba to give him Ureshiko, was very, very well done. Oh, and, I LOVE THE CHICK WITH THE HAND PUPPET! XD BWAHHAHA!

Anyway, this is recommended if you can find it, and I will certainly purchase it, should it get licensed. I hope it does.

[Dagger]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm still hoping for this to be licensed. It was a fun & surprisingly meaningful series, and it covered a lot of ground, considering its length. The only character I had a particular dislike for was the woman who got together with Ureshiko's husband. But in the end it's not as if she caused any lasting harm, so whatever.

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Oh, and, I LOVE THE CHICK WITH THE HAND PUPPET! XD BWAHHAHA!

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That hand puppet could have an entire series to itself. [img]/images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif[/img]

One other relationship that I thought they handled very well was Tatsumi's quasi-romantic friendship with the manager of his track team. Rather than making some huge production out of it, the script addressed it naturally and gracefully.

I really connected with a lot of the more sentimental aspects of the show, especially the sense of community and family.

[something]

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Dagger said:
The only character I had a particular dislike for was the woman who got together with Ureshiko's husband. But in the end it's not as if she caused any lasting harm, so whatever.

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Yeah, and I wonder if they're actually even *together* aside from it being her job. Now that he's signed on wih Tatsumi's company, I wonder what's next for her.

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That hand puppet could have an entire series to itself. [img]/images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif[/img]

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I'd so buy that. I mean, as long as the girl came with it =P

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One other relationship that I thought they handled very well was Tatsumi's quasi-romantic friendship with the manager of his track team. Rather than making some huge production out of it, the script addressed it naturally and gracefully.

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Heh, by making him totally clueless XD I have to wonder if she's truly happy, but the show didn't really indicate that she was marrying her childhood friend for the hell of it and nothing more, so I assume she'll be fine. It's not really the type of show to end any particular character's story on a FULLY depressing note -- there's just lots of emotional turmoil along the way.

[pianocello]

Just finished this. A real pleasant surprise - this must be the sleeper hit of the year. It's like watching Please Teacher with a more likable and decisive male lead. Other than a few spots where the animation quality dropped , this show has some of the best character developments and interactions I've seen all year. The BGMs by the way, remind me of Azumanga Daioh's BGMs. Oh...and I think Cruje's transformation scene must be one of the most erotic ones ever. I wonder how many of you <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>came </span> when watching it. [img]/images/graemlins/shy00000.gif[/img]

One thing I'm a little puzzled about - the creation of the town etc. - Does that mean that the people there are not <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>real? </span>

[golthin]

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piano_cello_conducting said:
One thing I'm a little puzzled about - the creation of the town etc. - Does that mean that the people there are not <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>real? </span>

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<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'> They are real! If you leave the town before the new manager resets the town, you will still exist. The town and everything within it is a creation of the ring.</span>

[Melazomah]

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disarm said:
The animation was good, the op is catchy...

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I'm in love with that song. The OP theme Home &amp; Away was performed by Melocure, a music duo unit that comprised of Hinata Megumi and the late (and great!) Okazaki Ritsuko. According to Wikipedia(Japan)'s entry on Melocure, Okazaki Ritsuko had only recorded her chorus part in Home &amp; Away before her untimely passing. The vocal performance of Hinata Megumi was later recorded and dubbed to Okazaki's chorus recording in order to complete the song. This is one of the CDs I'll be picking up when I'm Japan in the coming month.

[Njr Scrawl]

Kikuko Inoue as Ureshiko's seiyuu got me trying this series. The voice of my favourite magical women.

Can see this as a R1 license, Geneon or MB.