Tuesday, August 26, 2008

thoughts: Hatenkou Yugi (anime)

I'm taking on a different format for reviewing anime now. Not that I even really had a specified format to begin with, but the more I think about things, the more I feel like I should just try and be a little less formal about my blogging. After all, blogging is blogging and it's not like I get money to pretend that I'm a professional.


I love teddy bears and all, but this has got to be the best invention in the world. I think Rahzel could carry her entire life in it.

So I know I mentioned that I would try and digest my current anime diet first before moving along. But Hatenkou Yugi was calling on me and somehow, I just couldn't resist and got a little gluttonous.

I spent about two days watching Hatenkou Yugi, also known as Dazzle. The first day I only watched the very first episode, which is something that I do to decide whether or not I will continue to watch a specific anime. If it's good, it'll entice me to continue. If it doesn't draw my attention, then lingering thoughts of watching the rest of it will slowly be left in the dust. And then I forget I even saw the first episode.

Not long after watching the first episode of Hatenkou Yugi, I easily began to watch the rest of it. As it is quite short, being merely ten episodes of fun-filled adventure, I quickly finished it off in one sitting. The title on my sidebar of current anime playlist hasn't even sat there long enough to be significant and I'm a little embarrassed. Though I guess it gives me something to do on this blog every once and a while -- heaven knows I've been slacking on my blogging not even one month into it.

I know little about the original manga, nor of the "strong manga support" that some say this series has behind it. What I do know is that I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series from beginning to end. The pacing was fast and upbeat, the storyline was interesting, and most importantly, I believe that this series plays on its characterizations more than anything. Our three protagonists exhibit a number of diologue, actions, and emotions that could probably tell the story better than the story itself.

I've found so far that I rather like the one girl two guy combination of adventuring trio a lot. Samurai Champloo is another very good example.

For as long as I've watched anime, there have only been a select few with the same type of uniqueness in character creation, witty dialogue, and comedic timing. The telling of Hatenkou Yugi doesn't drag on nor does it present anything unecessarily, weaving each scene smoothly into the contents of the rest of the series. Drama is cut into comedy is cut into the emotional build-up of tragedy like a collage of different colors. Although I must add that the series gives little time to dwell on the injustices that occur in life, even when it gives you time to realize the entirety of the situation.

This is the adventure story I've been waiting for since Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop made their impressions in my otaku-developing heart nearly two or three years ago during my first anime viewing experience. For the series itself, there is no need to explain anything uncessary and it leaves further conclusions to be drawn by the viewer alone. The interaction between the three main characters gives priceless moments of endearment through insult and teasing, and draws the viewer closer to their emotional moments of heartfelt words. It's simply witty and unique. It makes you wish that it wasn't so short.

Everything has to be loud and commanding with this girl. I guess that's why she's so lovable.

I've got to hand it to the creator of Rahzel. She's a new surprise to me every episode. Even with her tragic past and her sudden dismissal by her father to "see the world" after being unceremoniously booted onto the streets, she still holds up quite well for a fourteen year old girl. Instead of sobbing in wait for her father to change his mind and retract his statement, she instead wishes that she could have a companion on her journey, easily accepting that this is what she needs to do now. After all, life needs to be lived right, and there's no point in moping around.

I sort of admire her knack for never really panicking in any situation. Being thrown out of her home onto her a** included.

To top it off, once she finds her new and mysterious companion oh-so-conveniently, she sets up her own stage for creating a fun-filled adventure together. "I'll make this damned boring life more interesting and mysterious for you," she proclaims to the pigment-lacking Alzeid as she is held at gunpoint. After all, even though he'd just been trying to steal money from some unsuspecting fool as part of his "part-time job", he looks bored and like he could use a good adventure, right?

Again with the no sight of panicking... just cause she's got magic powers and all...

Bang!

And so the adventurous little trio is born, although during these first few minutes of the first episode, we know little about Rahzel and her magical powers, Alzeid and his personality, as well as the third companion Baroqueheat and his own role in this storyline. There is no direct destination for these three and Rahzel never announces where she wants to go exactly, but her proclamation of making Alzeid's life much more interesting proves to be quite a feat as we wonder if anything excites the albino gunman at all.

Throughout the rest of the series, we begin to learn about Rahzel, Alzeid, and Baroqueheat -- much less of the latter than the two former -- we begin to relate with them as they travel. Alzeid from the beginning is only looking to seek revenge against a woman with long black hair and blue eyes -- not so much unlike Rahzel's own physical appearance.

Hehe... Alzeid finally couldn't resist. I wonder how long he's been holding that trump joke up his sleeve.

And yet the question remains to be unanswered by Alzeid of what he would actually do if he finally found this woman. Will he kill her? Will he let the idea of vengeance go? After all, our poor little heroine is adamant about keeping Alzeid's thirst for revenge settled at the last part of their adventuring to-do list. Her thoughts on revenge, after all, may reflect a little bit of the tragic incident that incurred when she was just a child -- the loss of her mother, followed by the subsequent loss of her old childhood life when she abaondoned by her birth father.


I often wondered, though they interact very little in terms of their beliefs, whether or not Alzeid took to heart Rahzel's thoughts on the concept of revenge and killing. Killing is killing no matter how one looks at it. Someone will be affected by someone's death and someone will in turn feel sadness or anger, thus leading to the desire for revenge. The cycle continues to repeat itself which is a truth in life itself. As Rahzel holds an innocent boy at gunpoint, she imparts these words to him when he is about to take the life of a person which may in turn cause her to lose her traveling companions. Thus she tells him that she will seek revenge as well and when that happens someone else will come find her.

"This is what it means to kill someone. Do you have the courage to endure ever-greater eternal sadness? Are you prepared to force your sorrow on others?"

As for the person who does the killing, no matter who you are, good or bad, the feeling of having taken a fellow human's life can't be a comforting one. To think that your one action was the one that had decided someone's life or death. Just thinking about it can give a person the chills.

Significant words from someone who knows best.

Baroqueheat's involvement with the other two is not really revealed until closer towards the end, but his various attempts to romance the leader of the trio makes for good entertainment. Even near the end when he choses to leave the trio, a mere slight of Rahzel-approved verbal lashing drives him back into the trio in his role as "the one who loves Rahzel-chan to the death."

He also appears consistently as "the one who is separated from the trio or shows up late giving albino boy and the loud one much needed alone screen time to build their budding (non?) relationship." It's pretty much a given that Alzeid and Rahzel were meant to be our main male and female protagonists and Baroqueheat is really just a tag-a-long, but his presence is still ever welcome.

From beginning to end, I've enjoyed the various interactions between these three characters. Alzeid, though immediately cold and uncaring towards everyone else slowly grows to naturally care for the welfare of Rahzel regularly. His rare and inconsistent quirky moments and sarcastic remarks, and even his even rarer moments of "don't leave me out of the loop" tantrums makes one want to grin and give him a hug. For a cold-hearted killer, he's somewhat of a softy when it comes to Rahzel. The end scene where he's looking for the most suitable birthday present makes one giggle with utmost otaku-ism.

The jokes that they play on each other serve for some cutesy amusement, and when Baroqueheat spontaneously kisses Rahzel, you're just itching to see the subsequent slap-in-the-face scene; but upon seeing the look on his face, it makes you really think. When it seems that Alzeid is about to deliver the same treatment as a means to teach Rahzel a lesson in life, you're holding your breath in eager anticipation. Then you realize that Alzeid was just trying to teach Rahzel a very important lesson about being able to take care of herself and being too overconfident. In this scene alone, you finally grasp just how much Alzeid really cares about Rahzel despite his clipping words and cold demeanor towards her.

With each episode comes a new event for the three to encounter, and with each event comes yet more of the same philosophical life lessons imparted to others and the viewers, all packaged nicely in dazzling colors -- lameass pun intended. Or even the much less strongly believable half-baked philosophies that the characters can come up with by themelves.


There are just some things that they can say with so much meaning and it makes you wonder. At the same time, they show off a part of their personality that makes you understand them even more.

And now, a neat little life lesson-- because every life situation involving a trio must always come across the "who's more important to you" question. Right? O.o
Oh, that's an easy one to answer.

Honestly, who didn't see this response coming?


Oh, I see Alzeid didn't much like that answer. So let's try again.
It makes me wonder what kind of twisted logic Rahzel goes by sometimes. Does it really work that way? Really?


Our heroes help people in need and along with it present to the audience and each other another little part of themselves that can be new and suprising and revelating. Often times these adventures involve poorly animated fights and lots of colorful magic sparkles by our three invincible heroes: Rahzel with her cleverly utilized magic and wits, Alzeid with his level-headed tact and his gun, and Baroqueheat with... well, with his charm and his strength, I guess-- it also helps that the third of the trio has a nice little hand turns into sword weapon.

As this is a fantasy and adventure from the get-go, we don't find ourselves questioning anything about these three. Where did Rahzel get her powers? Does everyone else have them as well? And how come no one gets over exaggeratedly surprised or scared that she has such powers? And then there's Baroqueheat's arm... why does it turn into a sword? Not only that, but how does one young fourteen year old girl go about traveling with two men, much older than herself without getting scrutinized by the public?

I'm glad someone finally voiced this questions. Isn't it a little weird and... well, inappropriate? Even for fantasy genre anime? Not that I'm complaining really...

You don't say.

Makes you wonder how many times they've gotten away without having to answer this question in the past.

Okay, so maybe some uncessary questions can be asked. And others more will come such as that of the mysterious pasts of the three heroes. But by the time these questions have come to surface, the storyline has already moved forward and you disgard these questions for later as somehow, you know they will be answered at some time within the rest of the anime. As far as the presentation of the storyline goes, it seems that jumping back and forth from flashback to present is a common device; utilizing sudden surprising twists without explanation goes along with it as well. After all, if you learn about everything from the beginning, then what's the fun in experiencing an adventure?

Even though I already knew the premise of this manga, I was still a little surprised to notice how Alzeid suddenly uses his magic in order to save Rahzel's life in the nineth episode. How come he'd never used it before? And if he did, why was it never made clear to the viewer? The manga, as I've learned, boasts Alzeid's extraordinary use of powerful magic, much more powerful than Rahzel's which she relies on in practically every episode but the last three. Maybe Alzeid's sudden use is just a way of convey how much more awesome he is now than he was before he revealed his magic. After all, he'd only been using a gun and hand-to-hand combat to get out of situations and the magic was used to save Rahzel when it seemed no other way would work.

Within these ten little episodes alone, the interaction between Rahzel and her two male companions grows lovelier and closer. It is a shame that the series ends so abruptly. There is yet much more to learn about our three heroes, and even the idea of a sequel is left hanging in the air since other characters introduced in the last episode have yet to reveal much more about their own purposes.

This is one of the most memorable scenes of the last episode when Rahzel jumps off of the moving train without even an ounce of hesitation and onto Alzeid. It's so sweet and uber.

Hatenkou Yugi is amazingly fun to follow along with, and the little bits of comedy thrown into it casually make for a few good laughs. On the off-side, had this series been longer than ten episodes, I feel that it might have had room for more and better development. After all, even though I liked the fast paced story telling of Hatenkou Yugi, I didn't much like that so many things were glossed over like a background picture, even though they surely have some significant role in the bigger scheme of things.

Since this is the case then I will absolutely look forward to a sequel to this series. Ten is just quite short for me, and honestly, I don't think I've actually made myself sit through an anime series that was shorter than twenty-four episodes anyway. I tend to like the long, extended form of storytelling, because then you know that you still have a ways to go until the end rolls around.

On a side note, I firstly began watching Hatenkou Yugi for a few various reasons. First of all, I've read a good review of it somewhere, though I can't remember where. Secondly, THAT Anime Blog managed to blog all ten episodes of Hatenkou Yugi even if I haven't read them yet-- I tend to find certain reviewers and bloggers out there in the web world very insightful and will hold their opinions to some crazy high standard until I find somewhere to disagree with them. Lastly, I'm familiar with two of the seiyu who star in this series: Sakurai Takahiro and Kobayashi Sanae.

Takahiro has been a favorite of mine ever since the days of Final Fantasy VII and his portrayal of Cloud-sama in Advent Children. Kobayashi-san has become a familiar name to me ever since I became obsessed with watching D.Gray-man as this female seiyu is quite proficient in voicing young male roles a la Allen Walker. And just as I suspected, while listening to Rahzel's speech, I often caught a little bit of that voice known for Allen Walker in certain intonations and the laughing of her voice. It was enjoyable to think that way. I wouldn't mind finding Kobayashi-san's voice in another spunky, free-spirited young girl, nor as another young boy with a strong will and a gentle demeanor.


On an end note, while the artwork wasn't the best, the characters and the storyline made up for the most of it. Rahzel is your rarely seen strong female protagonist what with her kickass magical powers and her "don't cry if you can fix things by yourself" attitude. She's far from a damsel in distress as she easily overcomes all her troubles even without the help of magic, and attempts to help fix everyone and everything troubling that comes across her line of vision. She might be rash and quick to act, but she is also not all brawns without brains-- she's clever enough to get herself out of situations without having to rely on other people.

Similarly, her male counterparts do well to balance out her loud, justice and adventure seeking personality. Alzeid is cooler and calmer and keeps her from doing stupid things or dwelling on too emotional matters. Baroqueheat is like a bodyguard who will show up to protect her on the off chance that she really can't save herself-- he's also her little whipping boy to do all the messenger running oddball tasks as well as be the medium between her and Alzeid.

The music was well chosen and the themesongs were very catchy and meaningful. Hatenkou Yugi is an anime series that I would bet is one to live purely off of its characters and fast paced storytelling and still live dazzlingly -- pun not intended this time.

Bang!
Echoing her claim from episode one, this is a nice way to wrap up these ten episodes.

Again, if a sequel were to be born soon, I wouldn't mind anticipating each and every part of it.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

spotlight on: Nakahara Aya

As a tribute to few of the wonderful things anime and manga which stand out to me on occasion, the spotlight feature was decided on when I planned this blog. Basically, there are a lot of notable people, situations, manga, anime, characters, etc., etc., and so on that catch my attention and pester me until I realize just how awesome that particular thing is.

The monthly spotlight can be a tribute to anything in the anime and manga world. In fact, there are a plethora of spotlights I've been planning already, but here is the very first one. There is no limitation to what the spotlight can be and I don't even really have a set guideline for how to draft this particular feature.

All in all, I just happen to find something of interest and end up favorite-ing it to the point of obsessive love and doting. It's quite fan-girl-ish and very appropriate for an otaku's anime and manga and shoujo demographic blogging experience.

But anyway, enjoy...




I know very little about this infamous mangaka except that her creation of 'Lovely Complex' is probably one of the best contributions to shoujo manga (and the manga and anime world) ever. As per Nakahara-sensei's Baka-Update's page, I know only that she is female, born on July 28 and loves to read manga as a hobby. A list of her manga can be found there as well.

My personal favorites include (but not limited to):
1. Lovely Complex
2. Hanada
3. Tokimeki Gakuen Ouji Kumi
4. Nanaco Robin

Granted these are all not completely translated and made available to us westerners, I still found what little of Hanada and Nanaco Robin I've read very enjoyable. I think I've basically loved everything of hers I've seen so far.

Her artwork isn't at all ordinary when I compare it to others. Granted, it's not the most beautiful, but it is very pretty. Her bishounen's are gorgeous, her girls are delicate and pretty-looking, and her characters aren't over exaggerated.

The storylines of her manga are very... "real life"-like, is how I want to put it. Her characters can range from all sorts of different personalities: cool, ditzy, rough, weird, cute, and most importantly, REAL.

I absolutely love how her main female characters are not distinctive of how the majority of shoujo heroines are stereotyped. They don't have to be utterly cute and beautiful 100% of the time to be lovable -- a la Koizumi Risa.


As a repeat, 'Lovely Complex' is a prime example of how the main characters are not the normal shoujo manga romance couple. On a physical sense and on a personal level, they look anything but like a couple in love. They are not lovey-dovey all the time, they spend their dates insulting and making fun of each other, and as their trademark, Risa is even 16 cm taller than Otani by the end of the series.

Unlike other shoujo manga heroine, Risa doesn't sparkle with a flowery background and neither does Otani. Risa is not cute by any manga standards, but has her own beauty and charm. She is a very pretty girl with a gorgeous personality. Otani does not fit the description of a bishounen by any standards because he is short and he is NOT charming nor is he handsome. He is good-looking in his own way and has that hidden heart of gold that makes him so likeable. This couple is not typical of cute shoujo demographic romance couples, but they work out very well because of all the development put into bringing them together, and because of their own unique personalities.

As another example, her volume of oneshots, Himitsu Kichi consists of stories with very oddly paired couples. So as not to spoil the surprises, I won't summarize any of the three oneshots I've already read.

Nakahara-sensei has excellent comedic timing and it shows in all of her works, especially in Lovely Complex. She doesn't exhibit slapstick, laugh-out-loud, make them spurt milk out of their nose comedy like most of this genre do. Her comedic presentation is very subtle and weaves itself smoothly into the storyline, making you just stop and think and then laugh out loud when you realize what's going on -- all in the same split second. Sarcasm and the element of obviousness is a huge factor in her works, and she will even throw in a lot of unexpected surprises that just makes your jaw drop.

You will end up commenting, "Huh... that was really funny." And then you will laugh about it and think about it more. No matter how many times you read her manga again and again, those same comedic moments never cease to amaze you.

In the end, for me, it is mostly her storylines and her comedy that make me love her so much. Although Lovely Complex is her most popular, I think the rest of her manga should also be given a chance to shine, because ultimately, they will outshine a good majority of the shoujo mangaka out there.


As an end of post note, I had recently read the first story in Tokimeki Gakuen Ouji Kumi and found it to be one of my most favorite oneshots. I can't wait to read the rest of it and, as another side note, this particular first story will be given a post of its own. After all, the two main characters are also atypical shoujo manga protagonists.

news: Skip Beat! enter Katsuyuki Konishi



In keeping up with the anime news of Skip Beat!, the news of Tsuruga Ren's seiyu has been announced. Of course, I know that I'm probably a week or two late with this information, but either way, I like to mention these things.

Katsuyuki Konishi... When I look at this name, it does not ring a bell at all even though I've probably seen it ten or twenty times in various anime. After all, this voice did significant roles in three of the few anime I've actually seen. In Bamboo Blade, he was the bum-out-of-luck high school teacher and kendo instructor, Toraji Ishida-sensei. In Blood+ he did the voice of romantic chevalier Hagi. And now in D.Gray-man, he is the chaotically insane doting big brother and notable Dark Order supervisor, Komui Lee.

Katsuyuki-san has done a plethora of varied roles, even including many I haven't seen yet, but am a bit familiar with. This also includes a few not so significant roles as hyperactive high school boys, calm and cool authority figures, and the like. I assume he is known for other roles I have yet to be exposed to.

No matter how many roles he has, however, it doesn't change the fact that the three of the ones I know of are kind of... different from the Tsuruga Ren I had in mind. But then again, to be fully honest, he could pull it off, I think. He has the ability to range from serious to dark to playful. I've yet to hear a sarcastic, almost terrifyingly scary temper of his, but I wonder what it would sound like.

Anyway, so the three main protagonists of Skip Beat! have officially been announce.

More news can be found here at The Scrumptious Anime Blog with a cute little magazine scan and everything.

I personally am looking forward to this anime a lot. I'm also secretly wanting to see how the animated version of the LoveMe Section's uniform will look. hehe

Saturday, August 16, 2008

news: what I'm watching

Though I've already made a small list of my current anime viewing diet on the side bar, I figure I'd better give a bit of an explanation as to what it is that I'm actually keeping on my playlist and why it is that it's taking me so long to get to a certain anime.

In a sense, I have a bad habit of being wishy-washy, which sums up why it's taking me so long just to watch all of Amatsuki or Zombie Loan or even Bus Gamer, and move onto the next "old" anime I haven't seen yet, but really want to see.

But anyway, as far as my current playlist is concerned, the anime listed in the sidebar are all of the anime that have caught my attention within the past month or two. While there are some anime that I've watched the very first episode of, I don't count them as part of my current playlist because of the fact that I had decidedly stopped after the first episode so that I could skip back into enjoying the others that I'm currently watching.


D.Gray-man, Natsume Yuujinchou, and World Destruction are currently on my inhaling diet as I am watching each episode as they become available to me. I'm hanging on cliffhangers and transitioning storylines just waiting for the next episode to show itself. Wagaya no Oinari-sama is on a borderline edge-of-my-seat wait, because even if the next episode is available, I probably won't watch it.


Chocolate Underground is one that I'm taking in as a "filler" anime, because each episode is short and sweet -- no pun intended -- though as only four episodes have been shown; I'm a little irate about it not being there when I need something to take my mind off of my anticipation of the above mentioned anime.


Allison to Lillia is one that I'm slowly digesting. As of now I've only watched the first four episodes that comprise the treasure hunting story arc. I intend to watch the rest, but it'll take some time.


As for the rest, I had intended to watch Hikaru no Go as a means of fulfilling my Suzuken-sama quota as I await my Lavi-otaku withdrawal medication in D.Gray-man. But after twenty episodes and then being unable to watch anime for a while because of certain unnamed reasons personal issues, I ended up losing interest (for the meantime, since I'm still looking forward to the Suzuken voice appearance as Shinichiro Isumi).


I'm extremely attached to the Kara no Kyoukai movies even though I haven't really read any of the light novels. I've watched the first two movies available, and even though the third movie is within my grasp, I'm hesitant to watch it as I know it will be some time before I can get my hands on the next two movies. I'm currently purposely putting it on hold until further notice. But mark my words, as soon as I have the chance, I will pounce on the yummy "Garden of sinners" delicacy.


Finally, Amatsuki seems to be coming within some sort of mental barrier whenever I think of watching it. Sure, I already went through the first four or five episodes before stopping altogether to watch something else. But I'm still looking forward to it and want to watch all thirteen of the already viewable episodes that I have. And yet I'm still hesitating. I'm thinking it has to do with my need to first post the already drafted first impression thoughts post on Amatsuki. Until then, I feel like I have no right to watch the rest of the anime in all it's glory.

I'm a little pathetic, but hey, this is how my demented mind works.

As for the dragging plot of Special A, it is irritating me to no end. Granted, I've read what there is to read of the Special A manga and will still follow it, but having done that, it seems that watching the anime is just furious-frustration times two for our beloved little heroine Hikari-chan. I'm about to go kamikaze on her just to ease my own anger at her immense stupidity. Her arrogantly abstract boyfriend fellow male protagonist is not fairing too well on my like list either. I'm a little disappointed to be watching an anime with, not one, but both main characters in which I am secretly planning to throttle.

Other anime listed include some new and some old. xxxHolic has received some good reviews and so I've become quite curious -- that and I've often admired CLAMP's work as one of my favorite's came from CLAMP. Pretear is an anime I am also curious about, even as magical girl anime -- the only of which within this genre I can stand is Cardcaptor Sakura. Anything and everything that is Suzumura Kenichi-sama will be included on this list, even if it isn't already.


Paradise Kiss and Perfect Girl Evolution are two that I have recently added onto my future playlist that may quickly jump into my current playlist. They may just be the right dose of shoujo anime I've been looking for to quench my thirst since Lovely Complex and Ouran High School Host Club.


Finally, Skip Beat! is one I'm absolutely looking forward to when it airs. And on a side note, Saiunkoku Monogatari might just be one of those anime that look so beautiful that I can't keep my hands off of it, but I will end up not watching it for my own personal reasons -- because it is historical reverse harem and those are usually not up my lane.

On a post-endnote, I have dropped Bleach because it became rather bland after the 'Rescue Rukia' story arc. As I started watching the 'Bount' story arc, I started to lose sight of what the main purpose of this anime was -- or rather I realized what the main focus of Bleach truly was. Maybe I'll pick it up again, because obviously there's something about it that is pretty good if it's ongoing and people are raving about it.

Other anime such as The Daughter of Twenty Faces, Persona ~trinity soul~, and Library Wars are still beyond my reach. Until I finish all the other "completed" anime series I've set off to watch, I don't think I'll start these. The first one on this list isn't even completely broadcasted anyway.

What I absolutely want to watch but feel like it is forbidden fruit to the untamed otaku eye is One Piece -- all 300+ episodes of it.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

review: Lovely Complex (anime)

Creator: Nakahara Aya
Director: Konosuke Uda
Studio: Toei Animation

Fansub Group: KissSub
Genre: romantic comedy, slice of life, school life, drama, sports, shoujo
Episodes: 24



Koizumi Risa is a high school girl at 172 cm tall, much taller than the average Japanese girl, while Otani Atsushi is 156 cm, much shorter than the average Japanese boy. Because of this as well as their constant bickering and loud scenes, they are regularly referred to as the "All Hanshin Kyojin", which is a popular comedy duo in Japan which plays on their height difference. The term basically means "The Halfling and the Giant."


Lovely Complex is a very endearing romantic comedy which plays on the distinct height difference of the two protagonists. Koizumi and Otani begin as a comedy duo who make a deal to set aside their differences to help each other in their love endeavors. After their plan backfires, the duo find themselves launched into their very own love story as the main characters when Risa finds herself falling in love with Otani.

As a side note, Lovely Complex is a rare anime in which almost every character speaks in Kansai-ben, the dialect of Osaka, a region in Japan. This is a turn off to many Japanese viewers since Kansai is deemed as a very crude and informal dialect of the Japanese language. Overseas viewers with no knowledge of Japanese, however, will more than likely overlook this fact as it will make no difference whatsoever. The witticisms and charm of Lovely Complex still manages to present itself wonderfully.

- credits to Lovely Complex @ wikipedia

The storyline is fresh, yet typical in its own way. Very rarely have I seen a romantic comedy based on such a petty complex dealing with height, but I guess the average high school student in Japan is a little more sensitive to this partical physical feature of their significant other. Over here in America, I've seen weirder couples with issues more pressing than 14 cm of difference.

But the concept was fun and the jokes were extremely humorous. Fortunately the show didn't overplay the height jokes to oblivion and weaved them into the dialogue and action where they actually mattered. No one sounded like they were struggling to pull something funny out of their ***es. All fun quips and insults were presented like everyday speech.


Koizumi Risa is undoubtedly the main protagonist of Lovely Complex; the viewer follows the majority of the story through the eyes of Risa, seeing her emotional ups and downs as well as her crazy inner mind and idiotic antics. As far as female protagonists go, Risa is actually a very fun character to follow -- she is almost predictably chaotic.

By personal opinion, I find Risa to be a very admirable shoujo heroine and an even more admirable romantic comedy protagonist. She is strong-willed and emotional at the same time, but she never lets her feelings get in the way of her will power to move forward. When I first started watching Lovely Complex, I had never pegged Risa to be so emotionally fragile. She's always so crazy and wild that it would have never crossed my mind just how much the little things about Otani make her tick.

Poor girl...


It's not the end of the world, but a broken heart feels like it for every person.

Koizumi Risa is not typical of a shoujo manga heroine, physically or as a person. By no means is Risa considered cute, no matter how she tries to act it -- which is animatedly portrayed very akin to an old woman's snickering. Risa doesn't come off as a ditzy airhead, and as idiotic as she may be, she's not clueless. She's not the most down-to-earth girl you can find either. Her head is in the clouds consistently whenever she's in her "Love Otani" mode.

In one word, Risa is simply "real." She is your everyday girl. But she's a strong-willed, idiotic everyday girl.

Even though she is rejected, she doesn't purposefully date the next guy who comes along and who happens to "have loved her all along." This is an attribute that I hate about some girls (and not just shoujo heroines): going out with the very next guy who's available just because you're rejected, even though you know, and he knows, and every other person and their uncle knows that you don't even like him. You're on rebound and you're using this guy to get over the first guy. In the end, everyone is hurt.

(Look forward to a more thorough and detailed feature on all the sad and frustrating characteristics of shoujo manga heroines that I absolutely cannot stand... even though I'm currently obssessed with shoujo manga... I'm hypocritcal, I know.)

But I digress ...

Koizumi Risa is as tall as a boy, as courageous as a man, and as strong as any hero. But despite being an uncute girl, Risa is a very beautiful person inside and out. With the right touch of everything, she is an absolutely gorgeous woman. She has pretty physical features, wonderful fashion sense, and a lovable personality.

Yes, because stars are very popular among midgets.


This really is shoujo demographic after all.


Heh, that didn't last long... back to the real anime now, no?

Nonetheless, Risa is human after all and she will make mistakes -- in her case, when she screws up, she screws up bad. I admire this about her: if you're gonna do something wrong, make sure you do it completely and utterly, irrepairably wrong. That's the strong-willed spirit that lets you know that you are still human and that bad things do happen.

Risa has done lots of embarrassing things for the sake of catching Otani's attention. She doesn't hold anything back and just plunges into her courage pool head-on. It is absolutely admirable, because even if it were me, I probably wouldn't have that kind of courage... or idiocy, if that's what you wanna call it.

But love makes people do stupid things.

Risa is a very straight-forward and a very good-natured person. She does what she can for her friends and for herself. Koizumi Risa is predictably very real. These are the strange and moronic antics that almost everyone has done once or twice in their lives. For Risa, they just happen to be an everyday thing.

Um... yea... I guess the no carb fad is out.

I idolize her. She's one of my favorite shoujo manga heroine despite and even in spite of all her faults. She's courageous, because it takes a lot of courage to continue on with your fight even after you've been ungracefully rejected. And she's lovely because even as she throws away her dignity to fall in love, she remains at the peak of her cheeriness and charm.

In contrast to Risa, Otani Atsushi is a guy that I really, really didn't like at first. His first impression was that of a brat and a smartass. If he was just a smartass, I could have forgiven him, but then he also had to be a rude and crass little brat. And he's arrogant too. And then he's short and not at all suited for Risa.

Those were my thoughts, which were very ironically Haruka-ish.

Otani is short. "Midget" is his calling code. And unfortunately for him, this is also where it hurts the most. Because of his ex-girlfriend dumping him for a taller guy, poor Atsushi-kun has been sensitive to this trait of his since the first day giraffes stretched their necks for food. I truly do believe that he harbors grudges on people who are even remotely taller than he is.

But to be completely honest, I don't hate the shortie.

Otani is a cheerful, loud, and outrageously witty person. His redeeming quality is his tendency to have moments of incredible kindness. Despite being an arrogant ass regularly, Otani is actually a very nice guy. On top of all of that, Otani is just as much of an idiot as Risa is and it's no wonder they can get along so easily. It is because of these random moments throughout the series that gradually allow him to grow on you. They easily balance out his crass and rude behavior and makes Otani Atsushi who he is.

I don't especially harbor exceptional feelings for the Midget, however. I like the pairing of Otani and Risa, and I don't hate Otani either. I just don't really care much for him without Risa to help balance out his idiocy... or enhance it.

Do you really wanna know what sensei is thinking right now?


Heh, I kind of want one too...

Like Risa he can be an idiot at times, mirroring his fellow female protagonist completely. He's got a bit more common sense on his shoulders though, and I have to give him props for comprehending situations better than his girlfriend.

I really did learn to like this guy after a couple episodes. But that's not to say I'll ever worship him. He still irritates me (even in the manga) because he still tends to treat Risa like his normal sparring buddy rather than his girlfriend on a regular basis. Of course, this only makes all those times when little A-chan unintentionally declares his love without reserve oh-so-sweet.


Otani is a very easily tempered person and can be rather insensitive in his manner of speech. He also holds grudges, which is a very un-bishounen trait. His take on the romantics of his relationship with Risa seems to be very secretive as he deems it "disgusting" or "uncool" or "embarrassing" to express his love so openly.

It takes a girl like Risa to actually enjoy being insulted by Otani regularly as a form of affection. Some scenes in the manga even suggests that Risa does not prefer Otani to be clingy and lovey-dovey too often either. And then some scenes also depict that Risa wishes Otani could be more loving towards her. Really, make up your mind, girl!

In my personal opinion, I guess the most unforgivable trait of Otani is his casual, cool, unenthusiastic attitude towards the relationship between him and Risa. Most would probably never guess that they are boyfriend-girlfriend save for the fact that they are always together. While we can clearly tell that Otani has feelings for Risa and that he sees her as a very important person in his life a la "I'm just no good without Koizumi," he doesn't act the part very well. At least not often enough.

I've found myself wondering about whether or not Otani has ever considered that one day, because of his cool attitude towards Risa, he'll end up losing her completely when she's had enough of his insults.

Then again, I might just be biased because I don't really like A-chan very much. Maybe there are some of the little things he does for Risa that I can't seem to see or that I can't seem to comprehend. Or maybe this is just how their relationship is supposed to operate, and frankly if Risa is okay with this, then I guess I have no room to complain.

I admit that while watching the anime, I had the sudden feeling that Otani was the type of person who relished the chase that Risa had been giving him. He likes that someone is worshipping him and somehow can't get enough of that feeling -- but this, of course, is very untrue of Otani's personality because we all know and I admit that he is a very kind person who wouldn't intentionally lead Risa on for the sake of his own ego.

Facing off after that second kiss and getting nowhere

Instead, it was really his indecisiveness that killed his good qualities, as this is much worse than purposefully leading Risa on a wild goose chase, unending. While Risa is suffering the "will he ever see me as a love interest" dilemma, Otani just simply could not decide whether he could see Risa as a girlfriend or not. In turn, Risa found that she couldn't push forward or back away and she couldn't even hate the bastard for being so wishy-washy because she knew he was still undecided and that there was still hope and so she promised to wait for his decision.

Honestly, I think I would have already gone crazy and gutted the poor midget. Well, not really, but I can only dream that I have that kind of spontaneity. In reality, I would have just said, "screw it," and moved on. It takes a girl as persistent as Koizumi Risa to keep at her wild chase for as long as she did.

In the end, I find it kind of unfulfilling to watch Risa put her entire heart and soul into chasing after Otani, and all he really had to do is nod or give his consent. The relationship between Risa and A-chan truly hangs on Otani's every word, action, and decision. Risa has every confidence that she is in love with Otani. Otani has every confidence that she is in love with him. But I think that Risa has no confidence at all that Otani loves her just as much.

She's got low self-esteem already because of her height issue keeping her from finding a boyfriend. She doesn't think she has what it takes to hook herself a good boyfriend, and now that someone finally takes the position, Risa just wants to make sure he stays with her, even if it means being an undead cockroach. Sadly, either Risa just needs to learn how to love herself more, or Otani isn't doing something to convince Risa that he truly does feel for her.

Again, maybe I've overlooked a few things. Maybe I'm not seeing the deeper side of his personality. But up to this point, I'm not very happy with Otani. Maybe he'll fair better as the manga progresses as I've yet to read the complete series.

This scene was so cute it gave me goosebumps.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that these two got together. I looked forward to it so much that I finished the whole series within two sittings. They make a great couple, albeit not so loving, and they fit each other perfectly. As they would say, one is just no good without the other. I don't hate A-chan, but I feel like he should at least put a little more effort into the relationship than what I've seen so far.

Maybe it's time for a new hobby.


Hah...?


Lovely Complex is really simply a love story following Risa and Otani from beginning to end. Without them, there is no Lovely Complex. Of the supporting characters, very few have much significance, and the only one that I am exceptionally fond of is the lovely Nobu-chan.

Ishihara Nobuko is the best friend of Risa and has been the stable supporting pillar for the "Risa loves Otani" campaign since the beginning of history. I address her as Nobu-mama religiously if I can because she resembles a wonderful maternal figure to Risa so well. But for the sake of this review, I will dotingly refer to her as "Nobu-chan."

Nobu-chan is in a wonderfully loving relationship with Nakao Heikichi, is a very fashionable and charming young girl, and extremely insightful. Because of her, Risa had been able to bring up the courage to confess to Otani and to keep on with her pursuit.

I like Nobu-chan's personality a lot. She's straight-forward with her advice and her insults as well as her punishments. She doesn't hesitate to tell Risa or even Otani when they've been idiots or when they've done something extremely, unforgivably stupid. And even when she deals her executing "You screwed up, now you think about what you did and fix it" blow, she also willingly returns to her friends to continue supporting them.

Nobu's way...

Nobu-mama says:

"If you weren't such an idiot, you wouldn't be in this situation wondering whether you'd kissed or not!"

(cue frustrated hyperventilation)

"If you just apologized, I'm sure Risa would let it go."

A-chan's thoughts:

"..."

But I think Nobu-mama is at her limit.

The point at which I utterly fell for Nobu-mama was when she refused to believe that Risa had given up on Otani and had moved along to chase after Maity-sensei. When she exclaimed in an outrage, "Mother will not forgive you!" it was wonderful, funny, amusing, and lovely all at the same time. She was even "Okaa-chan" rather than "Okaa-san". It was one of THE main highlights of the entire series.

I think if I had a daughter like Risa-chan, I'd probably get a little fired up too.

The second highlight of the entire series was when Otani spontaneously kissed Risa on her birthday. The third was when Seiko-chin was found to really be male and Otani's good friends are sitting off to the side snickering to themselves, intentionally trying to pretend that they aren't really laughing at poor A-chan's misfortune.

*snicker snicker*

Oh, but there are so many other highlights of this series, I wish I could list all of them.

I'm going to start using this line more often.

While the rest of the supporting cast of Lovely Complex were all very outstanding, I find it unecessary to mention them in depth here. I have little to say about them except that I very much enjoyed their personalities and their interactions. Besides Nobu-mama, the rest of the supporting cast were really of little or no significance to the main plot. But don't get me wrong, I loved their presence and the series would not have been the same without any of them.

Nakao and Suzuki were both typical of male shoujo manga characters as the tall, good-looking, cool boys with their cute and stylish shoujo manga girlfriends. Chiharu-chan was small and cute enough to put in my pocket with her timid and adorable fear of boys.

Haruka was annoying overall; but he had his one redeeming moment where he courageously confesses to Risa and actually gives off a really cool feel. I was starting to think differently of him when he told her his plans to come to her in the future and ask her to be his girlfriend. But that thought changed quickly after his personality proved to be exactly as annoying as he first turned out to be.

This is the only "cool" thing he does all series. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Seiko is adorable even if he is a cross-dresser who is in love with Otani.

Maity-sensei is... well, I kind of get the same feel that Nobu-chan gets from him: freezing cold. I get goosebumps just thinking about him. Although I must admit that despite his lame attempt at being the magical matchmaker, I'm grateful that his presence forced Otani to re-evaluate his feelings for Risa. Also, Maity had his redeeming moment as well when he pwns Otani, not only once, but twice.

Poor A-chan is too late huh...


Head shot... or two heads...

Other side characters introduced were interesting amidst the ending of the storyline. Again, Kohori-kun was nothing more than annoying. Mimi-chan on the other hand was actually quite amusing to watch.



Overall Thoughts:

Every hopeless romantic's dream scene a la Lovely Complex. *sigh*

Lovely Complex had me hooked from the beginning to the end. There were points when I had to force myself to stop watching for the sake of my own sleep.

I personally enjoyed this series so much that I wanted to watch more and know more about what happens to Otani and Risa after high school. I wanted to watch more antics of these two charming characters and see what other obstacles they have to go through. I attached myself to the characters emotionally and it took quite a long time for me to detach myself so that I could move on to viewing something else rather than staring at my endless looping of Lovely Complex episodes.

Hee hee...

Of course, detachment did not stop me from religiously seeking out the manga version of Lovely Complex -- but that bit of info is for another posting.

I will say, in comparison, the anime is a little less specific in certain antics and also changes a few things from the manga. Some changes, I felt, were better.

I prefer the anime version of the "Otani standing on higher steps to kiss Risa to make it look cooler than on level ground" scene over the "Otani telling Risa to stand on lower steps so that he could kiss her without standing on tiptoe" manga version.

I also preferred the anime version of when Risa finds Otani after the results of his exams are given to him. The manga supplies that Risa thinks her congratulations, believing she said it out loud, and then the two move into a kiss which is unceremoniously interrupted due to other issues arising with the supporting cast. In the anime, Risa actually says her congratulations, the two share a heartfelt kiss, the scene fades out and we finally end the anime after another "All Hanshin Kyoujin" display during graduating ceremony.

Really, only these two could manage stuff like this to end their high school careers on.

On other aspects of the series, the manga-to-anime adaptation was excellent; the artwork is justifiably smooth and worthy of Nakahara Aya-sensei's original version. Although A-chan is a bit better looking in the manga than he is in the anime, and more fashionable clothes were presented because there was no school uniform in the manga. I especially loved the voice actor for Nobu-mama and Risa. And finally, the soundtrack is incredibly catchy and the very first opening theme by Temogass is meaningful to the story. Nakahara-sensei's emphasis on a unique, modern style fashion gave the series a very hip and cool feel.

Lovely Complex is overall, a very very lovely experience.