Kimi ni Todoke 2 Review

The second season of Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You/Reaching You, depending on translation) is approximately half the length but definitely twice as comprehensive. Rather than another seemingly endless saga supposedly will they/won’t they but more accurately ‘do they even have feelings for each other?’, Kimi ni Todoke 2 sets itself a clear direction, to resolve the main romance in a timely fashion.

With this task in mind, the show was able develop the main characters much more thoroughly, in particular Kazehaya, who came across as far less wooden this time around. The inclusion of a rival for Sawako’s affections seemed to work wonders, almost shaking Kazehaya into a reaction, but ultimately clarifying his position beyond simple friendship, something which the first season was slightly ambiguous towards. Now the only obstacle standing between Sawako and Kazehaya are quite literally themselves and their perpetual refuse to address their feelings. Of course a constant string of misunderstandings doesn’t help matters. This approach requires as much patience as its predecessor. Even so, it’s much more worthwhile since it recognises that relationships are gradual and often confusing, outright rejecting the overused love-at-first-sight concept.

That being said, Kimi ni Todoke is nothing neither new nor imaginative. It is simply an in depth exploration of two well rounded teenagers who will inevitably fall in love. It may not be novel, but it’s certainly focused, which again is a step up from season one. Presumably this is why this season went with twelve episodes over twenty-five, a much more compact and on target run, without being clogged down by useless filler. The show does provide a nice view of everyday school life, emphasising study groups, after school gatherings and celebrating festivals. It’s quaint, enjoyable and nicely animated, summing the anime up as a whole. Without a doubt the sequel is a wonderful improvement.

Rating: 7/10

Hana Yori Dango

Boys over Flowers probably doesn’t need an introduction, it’s a pretty popular live action with Jun Heartthrob Matsumoto, with a sequel and a movie to boot. Not to mention an equally as good Korean remake. The less said about the Taiwanese attempt the better.

Unfortunately the anime falls into the latter category. Granted it was made in 1996, the production is terrible, the characters look tragically dated and the only available version I could find was the God awful English dub. If the plot wasn’t so naff, it would be easy to forgive these faults as simple victims of circumstances, but wowzier it’s bad! I mean Rui is an attempted rapist and Shizuka is flattered? I am so relieved that the live action took liberty with the script and Korean simply copied and pasted. Because I doubt I’d own a copy of DVD if it had stuck to the original plot.

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge - Review

The Wallflower is a little less of a mouthful. It’s also a more appropriate title then the literal translation – the Seven Metamorphoses of Yamoto Nadeshiko. For one, there are no metamorphoses. Don’t be fooled, the ugly duckling isn’t about to get transformed into a beautiful swan. Instead the show is primarily concerned with promoting the acceptation of its lead heroine for the twisted, horror-crazed loner that she is, rather than successfully changing her.

The initial premise might sound a tad dopey, four bishishounen boys, Takano Kyohei, Morii Ranmaru, Oda Takenaga and Toyama Yukinojo (Yuki), are set a challenge by their eccentric landlady, to transform her unpolished niece into a prim and proper lady and in return their rent will be free. Obviously they leap at the chance but let’s not forget that failure will result in triple rent. Under those terms it’s neither fair nor an ideal situation for either party. Of course the setup is complete silliness but still I have to question what kind of an aunt would leave her underage niece in the company of four underage boys and zero adult supervision? The fact that these kids never throw a raging party and trash the place is nothing short of a miracle! I also have to question the notion that young boys can teach a girl how to be a lady?

The four boys themselves are your standard archetypal characters. Headstrong Kyohei fits the main protagonist/potential love interest role well. Ranmaru is your typical womanizing playboy. Takenaga is the rational, smart one. And Yuki is so cute he can pass for a girl and often does. While seemingly passé, the characters are able to come into their own with little force. It’s nice to see stereotypes that actively contribute more to the plot rather then weighting it down.

Enter Sunako Nakahara, the reclusive, scruffy Goth with an unparallel thirst for all things dark and gory. Her back-story is pretty simple, after being called ugly by her first crush during middle school, Sunako locked herself away, shunning all things beautiful, including herself. It’s an excessive reaction but one that is relatable. However it is quickly established that Sunako’s lack of interest in her appearance is not the boy’s biggest obstacle. Sunako doesn’t want to change, she is genuinely happy with the life she leads, absolute solitude with anatomy dolls as her only friends. So as you’d expect she isn’t too thrilled about sharing a house with four beautiful boys or creatures of the light as she refers to them, thus frequently resorting to nosebleeds and fainting fits whilst in their unbearable shinning presence.

Of course, Sunako is neither “ugly” nor incapable of ladylike behaviour when the occasion calls for it, this is established fairly early on, specifically when Kyohei is in need of rescuing from a host bar. Just supporting the notion that Sunako’s lifestyle really is her choice and I kinda like this message. It’s a great reassurance that Sunako doesn’t change in the end. Perhaps interestingly as well, a romance never fully blossoms between Sunako and Kyohei despite sharing all the hallmarks of a true shojo couple including the notorious accidental first kiss. Cinderella doesn’t get her prince, and it doesn’t bother her one bit!

In all, The Wallflower makes no attempt to play it seriously. Its agenda is purely to poke fun at trademark shojo and bishonen themes, rose petals and all. One non-stop riot from start to finish, lucky for Kyohei, Ranmaru, Takenaga and Yuki, they made it out alive!

Rating: 7.5

Skip Beat! Review

Skip Beat tells the story of Kyoko Mogami, a cheery 16 year old dropout, who leaves her small town and heads to Tokyo on the arm of the prince of her dreams, Shotaro Fuwa. While Sho focuses on becoming a famous pop idol, Kyoko struggles to hold down three part-time jobs in order to afford their accommodation and living expenses. Not that Kyoko minds of course, she is, after all, a typical shoujo heroine – obedient, self sacrificing and completely besotted with her love interest. Sho, on the other hand, fails to show even the slightest gratitude or even respect Kyoko as a fellow human being. It’s blatantly clear that Sho regards Kyoko as little more than a servant and Kyoko laps it up every second. Initially Kyoko fits into the kind of anime girl I absolutely detest. And then something wonderful happens…

Once Kyoko overhears the truth, or rather it is painstakingly spelt out to her, a rapid transformation takes place. The weak, boring, doormat archetype becomes a hostile, fiery red-head, hell bent on revenge by becoming an idol herself. The premise itself might seem a little far fetched, but it does take into the context the situation and the characters themselves. After all how does a nobody take on an egotistical superstar? By beating them at their own game, of course!

Not that Kyoko has an easy time of breaking into the industry, she has no real talent to speak of, she lacks essential characteristics namely the ability to be loved, her insane rampages do more harm then good and she is pretty much looked down upon by everyone. Nevertheless people are drawn to Kyoko, her straight talking, persistent yet honest nature enables her to stand out, she has something which makes her likeable, and isn’t that how show business ultimately works? In all, personality and being memorable seems to work in Kyoko’s favour and she is given the opportunity to work her way into the agency.

Skip Beat is far more then a mere nobody-to-idol series, it’s a personal journey of self discovery. Kyoko soon realises that she has spent her entire life being groomed by Sho’s parents to become his wife and run their inn. She acknowledges that because of Sho’s interest in her, she never had any real female friends. And even that she would like to be an ordinary high school girl. As the series continues, Kyoko sheds her past, becoming a stronger and more attractive character, her primary motivation for acting is no longer simple vengeance, through Kyoko still dislikes Sho, he is no longer her sole driving force. Kinda relieving actually, it’s good that Kyoko is able to break free from Sho’s total control, even turn the tables a little, rather then remain dependant upon her hatred for Sho. It’s progressive and powerful, yet so very simple.

Despite a relatively good build up, Skip Beat is unable to deliver a satisfactory ending. It just ends, nothing more. It’s highly probable the creators intended to continue the series with a second season, sometimes these things take a while, or sometimes for reasons beyond our control, they simply don’t happen. Too bad. A romantic triangle between Kyoko, Sho and Ren was on the pangs of blossoming but with no real resolution, it makes the entire series feel left wide open. Aside from this, Skip Beat is a truly refreshing show; it takes utterly no time to get into and to fall in love with.

Rating: 8.5/10