shoujorater

[shoujorater]

[SR] Kenka Banchou Otome: Girl Beats Boys

Otome + martial arts + man-tourage = KENKA BANCHOU OTOME

 If you’re up for another reverse harem show, this one’s it. Because this series is an otome (usually a video game series that targets a female audience and features hot anime dudes), there’s a lot of emphasis on establishing character relationships with our female protagonist and the cast. (* ^ ω ^)

 Note: I’m an experienced reverse harem watcher, so I went in without much knowledge on the game(s). I’m only focusing on the anime episodes.

Story

SURPRISE! Your new boy twin pulls off his keikaku by guilting you, a martial artist, into the all-male academy he’s supposed to attend. Because he’s MUCH more feminine, he offers to replace you in your all-female academy. Yep, all in the first five minutes of meeting him. How does that make you feel? Shocked? A little thrown off? Me too.

I’m assuming that everything was explained in the game because they briefly narrated information before introducing more guys. I’m also guessing that this is either promoting the game further and/or humoring the people who’ve played it?

Although the concept of cross-dressing and concealing the other gender is not new to any media industry, the premise is interesting. Hinako (who masquerades as her twin Hikaru) challenges a long-standing idea that men are more violent and physically capable than women. However, I have yet to see her suffer a major defeat. (I’m on episode 10 as of now.) Hikaru also gains a man-tourage as she beats up hot dudes and then befriends them. This trope is common for otome media, as love interests become unlocked one by one to keep the audience’s interest.

 Another common trope in otome series is how female protagonists have generic personalities so that every audience member can live through her eyes. Surprisingly, Hinako says WAY more than the average “umm..” and shows resolve in her emotions.

For the quality of story execution, I’ve gotta point out that the OP song sounds like white noise to me. Maybe they were lacking a budget (10 min episodes btw)? The OP sounds like any other reverse harem OP -- all the voice actors singing, a bunch of drums and guitars, and a style of melody you gotta credit to the composers who pump out anime idol music.

There will be some parts where you’ll scream at your screen, “DUH, she’s a GIRL!!!” (I would tell you how ridiculous this gets, but that means spoilers, so EPISODE 10.) (￣□￣」)

Here’s my thoughts for personalites in otome media. An otome must get down at least two “types” of guys to encompass everyone’s romantic interests. I like to call them Day and Night characters (because neither are completely good nor evil). Day represents optimism and fiery passion, while Night represents aloofness and coolness. For example, compare Totomaru to Takayuki. Totomaru is extroverted, courageous, and boisterous; Takayuki is reserved, independent, and prideful. As we progress through the series, we can see more variations of Day and Night characters. (Rintarou, Night. Yuuta, Day. Etc.) I’m plenty sure there’s more room for character development in the game(s), so I won’t rate this part too hard.

Visuals

The soft art style and pastel colors are definitely appealing. I liked how the all-boys academy was literally covered in thug-themed graffiti because it really reflects its brute students. (I’d definitely give up if I had to clean that.)

FIRE, CHANGING COLORS. In the OP? Seriously? It reminds me of how I used to dick around with Microsoft’s built-in video softwares from the 2000s. Y’know, that one filter that plays around with colors. (￢_￢) Plus, I can’t skip the OP because there’s new plot in the middle of it, followed by fire, followed by more plot, followed by -- HOLY MOTHER OF GREEN FIRE! And now it’s PURPLE! (￣ ￣|||)

The animation’s smoothness was average. There is a noticeable amount of recycling between episodes, especially when the characters narrate in their respective isolated rooms. (I bet some of them were flipped.)  

For the most part, the character designs were distinct. Yuuta’s hair really reflects his idol status. I found Rintarou’s haircut a little generic. The uniforms are fine, and I can see the tiny bits of personalization in each one of them.

 Also a note about the voice-actors: damn, Takayuki. I’ve never heard Shouta Aoi’s voice lowered SO DEEP. (Look up songs sung by Mikaze Ai. They have the same voice actor, and I’m a BIG fan of Shouta Aoi’s singing voice. I guarantee you’ll notice a difference.) ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ

TL;DR

Though the series revolves around physical fighting and building a man-tourage, Kenka Banchou Otome is one of the most mellow anime shows I’ve ever watched. If you’re familiar to otome media, I encourage you to look at this series. If you’re not, you may be a bit confused but still enjoy it anyway.

Premise - Interesting, has more potential.

Quality of Execution - Okay.

Character Distinguishment - Good.

Aesthetic - Good.

Quality of Animation - Has potential.

Character Design - Okay.

[shoujorater]

[SR] Kabukibu!

One of the biggest highlights of this series is KABUKI. It’s a big refresher, especially after looking through other animes that have meshed together popular genres. 

Although this anime series falls into many common tropes and stereotypes, it is a light-hearted and fun one to watch. I definitely recommend watching if you’re up for the good kind of cringe and just seeing characters grow without extreme plot tension. (⌒▽⌒)☆

Story

After crying manly tears the first time he watched live kabuki, the protagonist wants to bring it some modern hype. He’s downright rejected by literally every ideal recruit. But like any other main protagonist, he’s gifted with ULTRA PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE! ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ Surely enough, he gets MOST of the people in.

For the most part, I understood what the anime was trying to say -- guy gets a club, people join, they perform, and as a result, they mature as individuals and appreciate kabuki as a whole. Occasionally there will be moments of uncomfortable vagueness (dialogue segments are rushed, idle characters, etc) that are quickly washed away as soon as the good parts come.

The characters are easily distinguishable by their appearance and respective tropes. (For example -- protagonist Kurogo is the cheerful, optimistic and dedicated dude who brings everyone together. His partner in crime Tonbo is soft-spoken, observant, and deductive.)

 As Kurogo recruits the cast one by one, some characters will do VERY QUICK 360s in their episodes while others take MUCH longer to see a change in heart. (This probably occurs to reflect realism -- after all, not everyone is flexible and free.) 

The shared passion of these characters -- and especially how Kurogo influences these people to become passionate -- definitely kept me going.

Visuals

This anime series’ mellow slice-of-life vibes reflects the “standard anime style.” (No unfamiliar hues, styles, etc.) The aesthetic definitely contributes to the easy-going mood this series has to offer.

There were SO many scenes featuring a voice actor speaking as the camera pans on a still image. On top of that, many segments were reused (one part even in a television, so watching anime in, an anime). Though this series did not have the smoothest animation, the aesthetic remains fine.

Being a slice-of-life series (plus the fact that characters acknowledge unnatural hair colors), I’d say it’s pretty okay. I’d say that Kurogo’s character design lacked much creativity, but it reflects his average personality. ヽ(ー_ー )ノ

TL;DR

Kabukibu! is a relaxed and light-hearted anime series. Though it has more potential in story execution and visuals, the emphasis on kabuki serves as a refresher to the industry.

Premise - Good.

Quality of Execution - Okay.

Character Distinguishment - Good.

Aesthetic - Great!

Quality of Animation - Has potential.

Character Design - Good.

(This is my first anime review EVER!  I know it’s not shoujo even though my blog’s name is...whatever. (*´▽`*) Thank you for reading! Any support will really go a long way!)