Finishing Gilgamesh

Warning PG-13 for language. OK, that rating alone dates me, but, at this point, I don't care. Also, there is a heavy spoiler alert, since I was disappointed by the ending, and ranting would be pointless without referencing the worst of the work.

Gilgamesh follows the children of a scientist who destroyed the world in an event called Twin X, because it occurred on October 10th. The scientist Madoka discovered ruins in Mesopotamia that pointed to a complex and ancient civilization. The world beat a doorstep to the site, opened a lab called Heaven's Gate, and began making scientific discoveries at a dizzying rate. However, Dr. Madoka found that continuing research at the site would eventually destroy the world, so research was stopped. Just as the facility would be shut down, Dr. Madoka made contact with a lifeform Tear that originated with the ruins and initiated the Second Impact, I mean, Twin X.

During Twin X, all digital technology failed, and the sky became a vast mirror. The destruction of information technology caused widespread chaos. In the ensuing years, societies picked up the pieces, but could not put it all back together again.

It is in the milieu that Madoka's children, Kiyoko and Tatsuya, are on the lam from debt collectors on one dark and stormy night. They find a derelict mansion inhabited by three bishounen in dark clothing. The bishies are attacked by psychic delinquents who turn out to be the siblings' saviors. The bishies turn out to be monsters spawned by Tear, the being that caused the accident. 

The psychic delinquents work for a Countess cougar in black, who was at Heaven's Gate during Twin X. The children become entangled in a struggle between Tear's children, called the Gilgamesh, and the past.

I started watching the series last year. I was drawn in by the complex personalities and refreshingly realistic character designs. They pulled off the rare feat of pulling off sexy without resorting to caricature. The well done English voice performances were the final ingredient that brought the flawed cast of Gilgamesh to life.

For the first two-thirds of the story, the characters moved through a post-apocalyptic world colored with a moonlit palette and mirror for a sky. Combined with the character designs, these touches created a palpable moodiness that did not grate. Add in the mystery and action and there was plenty to like about the first two-thirds of this series.

However, there were definitely signs that all was after Twin X. The post-apocalyptic world, random crosses (despite the allusions to the Mesopotamian mythology), and unfolding mysterious past pointed to Evangelion influences and the strong possibility of an opaque Eva-like ending. In addition, the director unabashedly paid homage to the European art house inspiration that informed the mood. While some of these were draws, they pointed to some possible instability at the core of this production.

The biggest warning sign should have been the anti-matter, shape-shifting, psychic, kung fu hippies who were bent on the destruction of humanity and stole the wardrobe to the French remake of the Matrix. They are called the Gilgamesh. True to form, the audience finds out that humans must be cleansed and a new race reborn.

During the first third, Tatsuya joins the Countess' psychic kids in their struggle against the alien Gilgamesh. Then the Blattaria joint in the fight. These armored goons scream Establishment. In the end, they end up rampaging and killing civilians pointlessly and then getting the stuffing kicked out of them by the Gilgamesh. And the main characters attempt to stand up for mankind and don't succeed in deed or in word.

The writer runs through the entire argument of whether humankind is worth saving in less than five minutes, then kills off the main characters. The Countess, the last surviving protagonist, embraces the end of humanity. Hundreds of millions of years later, a new human hatches. Her first action is to kill her parent Tear with a tuning fork.

So the writer concludes that whether or not humankind is worth saving, it is screwed. By killing off any character who valued human feeling and emotion, he largely bypasses that conundrum. The birth and murder at the end affirms that humans are indeed a fallen species. The attempt at cleverness has been duly noted, but cleverness just doesn't cut it after the preceding buildup.

The pessimistic judgment passed on the characters' fates points to no redemption, no future, and no additional insight into humans. The ending turned out to be a sophomoric spasm of angst against humans, akin to what is felt by 99.94% of adolescents. The finale can be summarized as: humans suck and are screwed. This adds nothing new to the conversation.

I am quite good at doubting my fellow man and despairing, thank you very much. My first impression of the ending was that it was pretentious, presumptuous, preposterous bullshit, except that would be an insult to bullshit. Manure can be used as fertilizer. This ending was sterile and denuded of the human complexity that made the first part of the series so appealing.

Sample the first part series if you want appreciate good visual style and character creation. Skip the second half if a pointless ending ruins a series for you.

Natsume hits the Spot

A great story with an unfortunate name, Natsume Yujincho [1] is the story of a boy who inherits his grandmother Reiko's book of yokai (spirt or monster) names and her ability to see spirits. In the past, this power made Natsume an outcast, but he meets a powerful yokai Madara and begins to interact with yokai and humans. The series is organized into single and two episode stories, where Natsume usually encounters a new yokai or human and becomes involved with their problems.

While the premise of an object of power and spirits is familiar, as anyone who's seen Ghost Stories can atest to, the magic is in the delivery. True to its shoujo roots [2], the story focuses on the characters' emotions. Unlike most modern manga, the central feelings and theme is not romance, but estrangement and fellowship. The main character Natsume attempts to connect to the yokai and people around him despite his fears of rejection. He finds that helping others is a good way to get to know others, but wonders if he is just using those he helps. While there is introspection, the author manages to keep it from becoming an angst-fest.

Overall, the animation and character designs are delightful. The stories are well plotted and are written with real feeling. It is clear that both the original author and the anime writers believe deeply in this work. This isn't an enervated re-hash like Hajime no Ippo, where the only new energy came from the Engrish theme song.

Despite the name and the sense deja-vu with the set-up, Natsume Yujincho is a winner. Better yet, Viz is releasing volume 1 in English in January 2010.

[1] Available via Crunchyroll, which is now one of my favorite websites.
[2] The original was a shoujo manga written by Midorikawa Yuki and published by Hakusensha under the Lala imprint.

Aoi Hana the Animation II

Note: this post assumes knowledge of the Aoi Hana manga. [1]

This morning, while unable to sleep, the word "idyllic" came to me as my thoughts touched on Aoi Hana. Despite my railing against remakes, the Aoi Hana anime [2] has made a fan at me in 45 minutes. During my last post, I wrote about the light and the colors. Here are some samples, taken from Crunchyroll, of a scene with dappled light and the glare of a lamp beneath a curtain.

Dapples of light on the protagonist: Akira Okudaira.

Glow during the night.

Scenes from ordinary life are transformed into moving art. So far, the direction is nothing short of inspired. This is in contrast to jaded anime that take the otherworldly and make it utterly mundane.

The voice acting matches the characters well. I didn't like Akira's nasal voice too much during episode one, but it transitions well from the past to the present. It also matches her genki-ness. She also managed to pull off the emotional scene when Akira comforts Fumi.

Left - manga, Right - anime

This scene also serves as a good reference point between the manga and anime style. While much of the character designs are the same, there are differences. Akira's face is longer in the anime, making her look older. Her hand is also slimmer and her fingers are smaller. This makes her look more feminine rather than boyish. Typically males have a larger hand to body ratio. Kojita, the character designer of Someday's Dreamers, also used larger hands to emphasized a boyish energy and naivete. This is clearly shown in the picture culled from his website [3].

Note the hand size, which is prominent in this portrait of a tomboy.

Also, Shimura's usually leaves out the background. This economy boosts the impact of the character's closeness in this scene.

The two frames also show the two interpretations. The anime emphasizes Akira's facial expression, while the manga takes a more subtle approach. Note that Akira's hand sinks into Fumi's side with greater pressure, while her brows are unfurrowed, expressing more puzzlement than in the animated version.

This image also shows that both versions have a lot to recommend, and I look forward to their releases on this side of the Pacific.

= = =

[1] The early volumes of Shimura's work were scanlated by Kotonoha & Lillilicious. Lillilcious has been the sole scanlator lately. In another note, Lillilcious also fansubbed Maria-sama, which was the inspiration for this blog's name.
[2] Available thanks to Crunchyroll and thank you, thank you, thank you!
[3] Kojita site: http://www.tuchinoko.com/

Impressions of ToraDora!

I'm lucky that I see a dentist these days (after a five year hiatus), because this series had enough sugar to rot out my entire mouth. ToraDora was sappy, melodramatic, and predictable, but it was an unabashedly, energetic romance. It was also the highlight of many of my weeks.

I read a movie review in the local paper praising the show the Mentalist. I've never seen the show myself, but the series was not as well reviewed as some of its competitors, because it was not shocking or surprising enough. The reviewer pointed out that most critics are looking to be wowed or blown away. Instead, the Mentalist tries to delight the audience, which the director said was the goal.

I've used the word "entertainment" as a disparagement. More precisely, it was "just entertainment". While ToraDora certainly wasn't deep, there was a color and vibrancy that helped me unwind at the end of the week. Maybe there was more to it for me than another drama. Or maybe in my narrow worldview, I need a bit of "just entertainment".

As for the show itself, it starts out with a klutzy and violent Taiga (tiger or tora) putting a love letter in the bag belonging to Takasu Ryugi. The homebody Ryugi is often misunderstood, because of his gangster like looks. When Taiga breaks into Ryugi's home to burgle back the letter, their bizarre relationship begins.

The show featured several good voice talents including one of my recent favorites Kugimiya Rie who also played Shana in Shakugan no Shana, though fans will probably know her more as Eric Alphonse in [1]. She filled out Taiga's eccentric character to the T. Her Taiga interplayed well with a well played Ryugi.

Hori Yui plays a bizarre softball player Minori, who is Taiga's best friend. Her strangeness is complemented by the equally bizarre Kitamura, who is Takasu's friend. Most of the comic relief comes from the eternally single homeroom teacher. The cast is joined by a two-faced beauty Kawashima Ami, who helps to exemplify (the cliched) theme of honesty. They are all ably voice casted.

Despite the cliches in the plot, the pacing is energetic and quick. The early episodes feel rushed, but are functional. The haste makes sense, because the nuances are fully fleshed out in the novels. At first, I was a bit putoff, until I watched the first episodes of the Hajime no Ippo anime, where the frames were directly ripped from the pages of the manga. I swore that I could have seen the scotch tape protruding from the ends of my TV screen.

While the art was good and the animation was saved for the right spots. The voice talents are really what make the series work. They convey the exuberance of first love and youth with just the right touch of sarcasm and humor that works if you're in to soak in a light story of pure romance.

[1] You can look it up in animenewsnetwork.

Spiral (into Confusion)

Warning: spoilers galore.

Just to clear things up, this is the anime series released by Funimation back in '03 or '04. This is not Junji Ito's visually grotesque horror series "Uzumaki" or a veiled Narutard reference. Spiral refers to a story that focuses on kid prodigy Narumi Ayumu. He's has some of the detective and piano playing talent of his older brother Kiyotaka. Despite these abilities, Ayumu is always overshadowed by Kiyotaka's genius, though Kiyotaka disappeared two years before.

Before disappearing, Kiyotaka left behind his (hot) wife Madoka and younger brother with a mysterious message that he was going after the blade children. Soon enough, an attempted murder happens at Ayumu's school, which draws Ayumu into the mystery of the Blade Children.

The first two episodes draw on the Victorian tradition of mystery. One of the mysteries is literally a closed room. By a traditional mystery, I mean a mystery that can be solved by all of the clues and testimonies present, without the benefit of modern forensic technology. Usually there is a catch to the clue or testimony. The detective solves the crime using primary deduction, observation, knowledge, and psychology, with a helping of subterfuge.

The episodic murder mysteries give way to the larger mystery of the Blade Children, who engage "Little Narumi" and his plucky ally Hiyone in a series of games of life or death. These matches are a test to see if Ayumu is up to breaking the meee-sterious curse that surrounds the Blade Children.

After the introduction and tests, the story introduces the Hunters who are out to exterminate the Blade Children. Tantalizing hints are dropped and angstful lines are spoken about the destiny Blade Children and the role that "Little Narumi" has, but it adds up to a hanging thread.

If you are looking for a coherent, well-structured story and a distinct ending, look elsewhere. I found that the mystery was compelling and the ending was upbeat, even if it left the plot incomplete. If pressed, I would rate this as a watchable 2/4 for an otaku, because the plotting in some of the individual arcs were good. However, the eanly arcs of Death Note pulls off the match of wits with more skill and panache.

As an Evangelion fan, I tend to look through at post '96 works of anime through the lens of Eva. Here, I saw a young man wrapped in doubt living with an older hotty. He cooks, he plays an instrument. His major conflict is against his self-doubt, though he must act because of the mysterious curse. He even says that he doesn't value himself. While Ayumu isn't quite the basket case that Shinji sometimes becomes, the elements are there. These character developments made the series interesting for me. However, if you're not into the doubting anti-hero, then I recommend moving along.

Also as an Eva fan, I want to say that the successes of Eva does not excuse writers from creating an ending. The Eva anime series' strength relied on the honesty that Hideaki Anno invested in the characters. He put out pieces of himself. I believe that the postmodern ending was the best ending he could give, because he had not come to a resolution to all of the conflicts within himself. And it just barely worked. While it created an enduring controversy, it was not one of the strengths of the series. I liked the series in spite of the bizarro endings, not because of them. Other authors should take note and beware.

While the ending of Spiral was more upbeat and strongly suggested that Ayumu hand gotten over his crush on Madoka for Hiyone, it still left the mystery of the Blade Children and their fate completely. unanswered. Consider yourself warned, especially if you put a lot of stock in a story's ending.

According to the wikipedia article, the story of the manga continues the story. Hopefully, Yen gets the rest of it out.

Chaos;Head - Bits 'n Pieces

Last time, I established a baseline anime that fell under the barely watchable category. That sets up my impressions of the Chaos;Head anime. There were numerous, promising pieces there

• The opaque mystery reminiscent of Lain
• Paranoid atmosphere like Boogiepop
• Eva-elements including the Rei-like singer named FES
  
• A long haired tsundere
  
• good female character designs
  
• whacky blades.
  

It was like a dating sim with swords. In fact, it's roots are a dating sim with swords, as I found out after posting the first draft of this review. And it does little to rise above the limitations of that genre.

The opening episodes were unappealing, to put it mildly. In Evangelion, the weak anti-hero Shinji was drawn along by the extraordinary events. Chaos;Head's main character is portrayed as a sniveling, disgusting otaku. As a fanboy and video-game playing otaku myself, I mean disgusting when I say it. Takumi has delusions about a game gal being his wife and plays an mmorpg all the time, then spends two episodes fending off the come-ons by a pretty student by the name of Yua Kusunoki.

The only reason why I continued watching was because I knew that she would betray him and the blood would start flying. I had read the first chapters of the manga scanlation [2]. When the audience gets a taste of gruesome New Gen crimes and Takumi is accused of the killing by Yua, the series begins to get off of the ground.

The opaque mystery gives tantalizing hints, but instead of letting them unfold, the answers are dumped into the otaku viewer's lap like a bucket full of ice. The ending is so full of tropes that it even had the evil council that was actually lame and the random evil corporation. I'm convinced that listing "megalomanical plot" or "apocalyptic project" in the investment information packet must add at least 50 points to the gain on the IPO.

As I was saying, there were elements there, such as the singer Fes. She's a bit like Sister Creep from "Swan's Song". She's crazy when the world is sane, then is the best equipped to handle the craziness when the crap hits the fan.

There's a gorgeously animated scene where the long haired tsundere whips out her blade with Soul Caliber effects. There's also the voice actress of Kawashima Ami playing the sweet girl, who seems to betray Takumi.

In the end, it never integrates the tantalizing pieces into a work that's greater than its parts. The 12 episode work overall achieves half of a step above Yukikaze and can be entertaining in a looser fanboy kind of a way, but there are better works out there.

My gut instinct tells me that the Chaos;Head anime owes some of its mix of atmosphere and mystery to Paranoia Agent [3], but I haven't actually seen Satoshi Kon's work, so I can't comment.

[1] Fansubbed by m.3.3.w Fansubs
[2] Scanlated by SCX-Scans
[3] Drawn from trailers and comments of people that have watched it.

Baseline

My usual baseline for bad is Battle Fairy Yukikaze. I watched it fairly recent, and it managed to leave an impressively bad taste in my mouth with weak characterization, random plot elements and an unfathomable man-man-machine love triangle. Even more incomprehensible was the remake, which changed some of the planes to women, as if the audience wasn't bludgeoned numb by the mecha-sexual symbolism already present in the unfortunate anime. In the credits, I was horrified to find out that the half-assed storyboarding was a second look based on a manga.

One particular scene compared unfavorably with the GI Joe episode when Shipwreck believed that he had returned home from the war. The main character in Yukikaze thought that he was being treated at a friendly base, which had actually been taken over by the JAM. The aliens tried to seduce him having the mannequin-like nurse shove his face into her chest. I had a hard time figuring out which was worse. That scene or that the wooden nurse was not out of place with the rest of the cast. BTW, I watched that scene in Japanese and English, and writer didn't give either versions much of a fighting chance.

There are works that are worse than Yukikaze. Princess Army Wedding Combat comes to mind, as well as the middle of the drawn out Tenchi TV series. However, Yukikaze establishes a sharp baseline for barely watchable. Some kitsch is simply so bad that it goes so far that it hyperspatially warps from bad to mockably good, kind of like an Atari enemy going off the screen. Yukikaze manages to avoid this and just remains plain bad.

Sister Soldier

For the longest time, I hesitated in watching a show about nuns with guns. Between the price and Hillary Haag's voice, I decided to give "Chrno Crusade" a try and, ye, it was good. The series is uneven, but very good.

At the outset, the tone and the animation of the series changed drastically from episode one to two. The pilot episode was deliciously dark and moody with drained bodies and a monstrous demon. The smooth action and detailed animation won me over. During the next few episodes, the series looked like it was going to settle into a monster of the week slugfest, with a kid sidekick (Azmaria), and ominous overtones, but still formulaic. This was reinforced by the introduction of gadgets like the Gospel round.

My expectations were pleasantly shattered, when the story ramped it up with the Prophecy of Fatima and continued to grow in size, until it encompassed a rebellion in the realm of Hell and an assault on Heaven itself.

Despite the DBZ inspired battles between the Devils, the sincerity of the series and pitch perfect voice acting carried the spirited series to the level of definite quality.

Fancy Lala: Bits and Pieces

In the shadow of Cardcaptor Sakura lies a maho-shoujo series called "Fancy Lala" [1]. Unless you've had a strong dose of shoujo in the past, I recommend staying away from this series. Otherwise, please read on.

The TV series opens in the neolithic era where a young girl meets a strange middle aged man and then escapes an attack from a pair of towering saurian monsters. The attack becomes dream for a dreamy third grader named Shinohara Miho. She draws manga and dreams of fame. In an early scene, Miho buys screen tone, which is cut out and glued to a drawing as shading. The young protagonist also bears an uncanny resemblance to Fukuzawa Yumi from "Maria-sama ga Miteru" or Mihama Chiyo from "Azumanga Daioh".

Miho & Lala

Miho meets the strange man from the neolithic era again and receives a pair of plush toys as a gift. Once home the plushies come to life and give the girl a magical board that can create clothes for her and transform her into her older alter ego Fancy Lala. Lala is discovered in a fashionable sector of Tokyo by a talent agency and begins her adventures in the world of show business.

My first, second, and third reason for watching this series were (ranked in order of importance)

1. TAKADA AKEMI
Lala again

2. TAKADA AKEMI
Ayukawa Madoka from "Kimagure Orange Road"

3. TAKADA AKEMI
Painting called Moon on her Pierrot website

Her character designs captured a following during the eighties with "KOR" and "Maison Ikkoku". Her depictions of women are often beautiful, sometimes sensual [2], but always evocative. In "Patlabor", her designs brought the misfits of the SVII to life.

As for the series itself, the first episodes are spent setting up the series. While they look quite good, the plot and dialogue do not stand out. The end is open and leaves the audience with a sense of loss. The middle episodes have some gold nuggets.

During a publicity shoot, Lala's gay make-up artist [3] tells her that adolescents on the cusp of growing-up can become sensitive to what they loose by leaving childhood behind. A later episode explores this idea when she remembers a teddy bear that she discarded as a child. These scenes are directed at the adults and contrasts Miho the child and Lala the grown-up. They remind me of the theme of growing-up in Pokemon, when Ash let Pikachu choose whether he wants to evolve to his next stage or not. There are other instances when Ash bucks the conventional wisdom other trainers and let his Pokemon grows-up the way that they wanted, which is a metaphor for children growing-up. In both series, the moments were sparse, but welcome.

The clock episode, the student teacher, and some of the other episodes display noteworthy animation with creative camera angles and direction. However, the overall series does not rise much beyond have good scenes and episodes to appeal to a larger audience. If you want to see old school character designs and animation, this is a good one to check out. Give this one a pass otherwise.

As a side note, the Italian opening [4] is ridiculously good.

[1] summary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fancy_Lala
[2] As opposed to the loli trends that are in demand these days.
[3] I am not making Komi-san up.
[4] The Italian versions are sung by Christina Avena.

Lovely Complex 14

Blogger’s Note: I’ll get back to the earlier episodes. Please bear with me.

Summary

Lovely Complex has reached about the halfway point and the third year has begun in episode 14: A Killer Crush on Maity! [1] In episode 13, Otani and Koizumi capped off their second year with an Umibozu concert. Otani managed to catch a fever right before the concert, and Risa visited her bedridden friend. She met his parents, and they talked.

Risa was thunderstruck when Otani revealed that he didn't have any attractiton to Risa. He said: “Even though the two of us are alone in this room right now, I don’t feel a thing.” Moments later, Otani leaned close to Koizumi, brushed his lip against hers. This light kiss seemed to contradict his earlier words.

­ Otani puts the moves on Koizumi?

Otani recovered in time for the concert and when they met for the concert, Koizumi showed up with a surgeon’s mask, which signified that she was sick. Otani seemed ignorant of where she might had gotten the cold, which was his lips. He then revealed that he did not remember the kiss. Koizumi fell into the black pit of despair.

Another family watches powerlessly as their child is enslaved by otaku-dom.

The first fresh scene from episode 14 displays the horrified faces of the loving Koizumi family coming to grips with their daughter transforming into an otaku. She specifically indulges in the smooth, suave electronic seduction of a dating sim character known as Cain-sama. Risa eats up Cain-sama’s canned lines with gusto. Even as she tries to escape into her fujoshi fantasy land, the images of Otani’s denials gnaw at her still.

Risa becomes a full blown fujoshi.

Risa drags her carcass to school the next morning. Nobu excitedly tells her that they are all in the same class: Risa, N2, Chiharu x Suzuki, and Otani. Risa spazes out at Otani’s name. When the real McCoy shows up and starts joking as usual, Risa jumps down his throat. Nobu beats a hasty retreat, leaving Risa alone with Otani. He confronts Risa about her foul mood since the Umibozu concert.

Risa grabs him by the collar and demands her first kiss back. Otani is taken aback by the tearful request, moreso because he can’t remember the alleged smooch. After pretending to call for an ambulance, he tells her to pull it together and stop hallucinating. In short, our short friend is throwing napalm on the fire. Koizumi predictably explodes.

Risa readies for her guest appearance in the next “Devil May Cry”.

Risa spaces out while walking with Nobu and Chiharu. Nobu asks Risa if something happened at Otani’s place. Risa hysterically denies it. They are interrupted by a bishonen trying to get by the hallway. The newcomer is the spitting image of Cain-sama.

Legacy of Cain-sama: Shojo Reaver

The smitten Risa moves aside, but the mysterious stranger does not go quietly. Instead, he smooths Risa’s furrowed brow with the tip of his finger, warning her against wrinkling her cute face. He entreats her to smile, just like Cain-sama.

Risa is moved. Chiharu is stunned. Nobu undergoes hypovolaemic shock [2]. Nobu is not sure why she feels so cold, until Risa squeals “Cain-sama”. Much of the remaining female studentry is as drawn to him as the male students are repulsed. Risa waxes on about his tall, glacial good looks. Chiharu points out that Cain-sama is the diametric opposite of Otani. Risa doesn’t deny this; rather, she declares that Cain-sama is the One for her.

Risa is still mooning over Cain-sama during the year’s first homeroom, when Otani asks about her syrupy mood. She reveals that Cain-sama said the she was cute. To Otani, Cain-sama is just a video game character. Coupled with her earlier allegations of a kiss, Otani is chilled to the core.

Otani fails his SAN check.

The familiar homeroom teacher waddles in and immediately picks out All Hanshi-Kyojin as his class reps again. They contest the nomination in stereo. Nakano-sensei interrupts them by announcing that there is an assistant teacher for homeroom. It is none other than the beautiful Cain-sama who reveals his true name as Maitake Kunimi or Maity. The girls go wild. Nobu and Otani are creeped out.

Risa's senses go on an extended vacation.

Caught by Maity’s spell, Risa volunteers to be a class rep and volunteers Hanshin as the other nominee. The class enthusiastically accepts. The teacher calls them All Hanshin-Kyojin. Risa objects until Maity approves of it, and then she eagerly embraces the name. Otani becomes physically ill at this point.

Nobu begins intervention, demanding to know if Risa has cast aside Otani in favor of a hollow dating sim character. Risa laments that she could reset if it were a game. Nobu swiftly chastises her for being unrealistic, but beneath Risa’s fujoshi madness is a growing fatigue at Otani’s refusals and rejections of her.

Risa walks home with Otani after an eventful first day. Otani asks her about what’s been eating at her. She tells him to drop it. He then remembers to give her a souvenir Umibozu towel from the concert. Though she is happy about the gift, she feels worn down by the pendulum of push and pull with Otani.

Koizumi in doubt.

In English class the next day, the girl go ga-ga over Maity-sensei while the guys are grossed out. Maity calls on the slumbering Otani. Nobu tries to awaken him, but to no avail. Maity blows into Otani’s ear. Otani screams in primal, soul-wrenching horror at the queer ambush.

Maity’s Super Flaming Critical-Strike Rose-Scented Assault

After class lets out, Maity calls Risa to help out as class rep. Risa zealously agrees. Nakao tells his teammate that the coach is out, so Otani skips on class rep duty to organize the basketball club.

Risa isn’t happy about being stuck with the work by Otani and wonders why she’s drawn to him. She stops by the gym to complain to Nobu. Nobu steps up in Otani’s defense and informs Risa that Otani is the new team captain. Risa is again impressed by his resolve and focus. Risa leaves a message for Otani that she’ll be in the classroom. As she leaves she still wonders why she’s drawn to Otani, but frames the question in a positive light; there are too many reasons to pin any one down.

Otani on the mind.

While alone in classroom, Risa reminisces about the strange guy she’s fallen for and the good times. Otani shows up tired. Risa expects him to help; he complains about her dragging him back into the role of class rep. She answers that she would have felt bad for Maity if there were no volunteers; the name sends him into convulsions. The needle digs deeper as she jibes about the ear-blowing incident. Risa enjoys teasing him.

Otani turns serious and tells her not to go for a “cold” guy like Maity. His words lead Risa to believe that he wants to stake a claim over her. They make her happy, but she refuses to get her hopes up again. Just when she’s mulling over her thoughts, Otani remembers what happened during the sick visit. He reenacts the event by bringing his face close to hers.

A dramatic re-enactment.

She flushes at the possibility that he recalls their first kiss. He describes each detail, until his face came close, then he drops the bomb: he saw a grain of rice stuck in her hair. Koizumi digests this revelation for a moment. Instead of a kiss, the dumbass got close to make a crack. She tells him that she ate quickly to visit him, which is why the rice ended up in her hair.

Rice, rice baby.

He apologizes about the rice, but it was his brutally honest words that wounded her: “Even though the two of us are alone in this room right now, I don’t feel a thing.” Compounding the pain, he accidentally kissed her and raised her hopes in spite of the harsh words.

Otani says what any man would say in this situation: “Huh?”

Koizumi grabs him and kisses him. When he freaks out, she knows for certain that it was all a paradox-laden bit of vulgar shojo magick [3]. With her built-up hopes demolished, she declares that she’s finished with loving Otani and flees from the classroom. Otani is stunned. He follows her from the classroom door, but doesn’t follow. She barrels past Maity-sensei with tears flooding her eyes.

Maity looks thoughtfully at her retreating back. Otani sinks into his own heavy and perhaps dark thoughts, while Koizumi is at the end of her rope.

Direction of Tomorrow

Commentary

The series has slowed down, not in time, but in the movement of the story. The plot has ebbed and flowed with Risa’s emotions and hopes. This has not made the comedy fans happy, but is a necessity to develop and ultimately move forward the shojo storyline. Being shojo these days means that emotions are paramount, and unless Risa is annealed by fires and hammers of rejection and struggle, her happy ending will be too easily won.

While the end of this episode was melodramatic, it was built up well by genre standards. Risa was made to hope and brought the audience up with her fond memories, which all came tumbling down with one grain of rice. The dramatic end also sets up the next episode.

In the defense of Lovely Complex, this IS her first love and her self-esteem is at stake. She is painfully aware of her height when it comes to boys and his rejection doesn’t help her self image.

The scene still maintains some of the humor that has brought it this far. After Otani tells Risa about the rice, she screams “I am Japanese! Rice is a staple in my diet! I eat plenty of rice!” The outburst was well timed as are many of the jokes in the series.

While Risa has donned the angsty role, Nobu picked up the comedy mask. Her super-willies at Cain-sama’s phoniness are the perfect foil to Risa’s fujoshi gushing. She also serves as the bridge between Otani and Risa. When Risa didn’t know about his captainship, Nobu filled her in. And logically, she would know about Otani through Nakao. When Otani wanted to know about Cain-sama, Nobu gave him the scoop on Risa’s illness. The directors have expanded Nobu’s role, and the voice actress and the animators have stepped up to the challenge.

Episode 14 also introduced a new opening and ending sequence. At first blush, the new music can suck a golf ball through a garden hose. Despite the audios, the visual maintain their quality. The opening is more dynamic and has a flying scene reminiscent of the Karekano opening. The ending visuals are a real treat and shows series of painted stills. I would guess that they emulate oil colors on canvas. I’m not certain, but these images ARE emotive.

Clean Closing Shot

= = =

[1] KissSub fansub.

[2] Symptoms of hypovolaemic shock:

· Cool, clammy skin due to vasoconstriction and stimulation of vasoconstriction.

· Rapid and deep respirations due to sympathetic nervous system stimulation and acidosis.

· Hypothermia due to decreased perfusion and evaporation of sweat.

· Thirst and dry mouth, due to fluid depletion.

· Fatigue due to inadequate oxygenation.

· Cold and mottled skin, especially extremities, due to insufficient perfusion of the skin.

[3] Vulgar vs coincidental magick. Vulgar magick was a flagrant disruption of reality and invoked an immune response from reality. What we saw was definitely an entropy rote known as Accidental Kiss. Reference: Whitewolf’s Mage: the Ascension 1^st Ed.

Lovely Complex 5: Seiko Time II

Summary: Episode 5 “Send Forbidden Love Flying” [1] starts with a recap of Seiko pecking Otani on the cheek. Risa was left stunned.

Risa tries out the powers that she acquired from the Great Old Ones.

The next morning, we find Risa glumly accusing Otani of being ‘shameless’. They exchange taunts. Otani’s jibes land on the mark, and Risa is reduced to screeching nonsense at him. Seiko’s affection has also gone to Otani’s head. He declares that small men have joined small cameras, computers, and phones in the limelight. Well, he can always dream.

"Small is in!" he proclaims from a tall place.

Risa is irritated by Otani as she and Nobu head to the physical exams. Nobu points out that Seiko is the only girl that considers him cool rather than cutesy. Risa is surprised by Seiko’s boldness; that’s the first public kiss she’s seen.

Risa and Nobu meet Seiko in the hallway. Seiko continues to gush about Otani. The girl’s intensity weirds out Risa and Nobu. Seiko asks Risa to support her pursuit of Otani. Risa agrees, but has second thoughts afterwards.

The Seiko Horror Picture Show

During the physical, Nobu comments that Seiko is sex kitten, which is the opposite of Risa. Nobu also tells Risa to do her best. Risa colors and demands what she needs to do her best at. She snarls at Chiharu, when Chiharu calls her up for a measurement. [2] Risa quickly apologizes and steps on the scale to be measured. She disparages her height, especially when compared to the petite Seiko. Thus it is the absolute wrong time for her timid friend to report that the giantess has grown 2 cm.

Risa wants a redo, on her whole skeletal structure.

Otani has grown 2 mm and gets pissed. He bolsters his ego by referring to Seiko’s declaration to him. N2 calls him a little pervert as Seiko shows up to meet her man. He happily meets Seiko at the door. Nobu warns Risa that Seiko will end up with Otani if Risa doesn’t act. The Kyojin stubbornly refuses to admit her feelings for the Hanshin.

The meeting leaves Otani insufferably smug. Koizumi trips him, which triggers another All Hanshin-Kyojin dispute. During the argument, Risa notices that Otani is wearing her gift. Her mood brightens when she finds that he likes the wristband. He wears it during practice.

Seiko unexpectedly joins Risa and Nobu in watching the BB practice. Seiko calls out encouragement, which distracts Otani. Risa warns him about the incoming ball. Otani stubs his finger. Seiko freaks and drags Otani to the nurse’s office. Risa is perturbed when Seiko slithers her arms around Otani’s arm. Nobu narrates of seduction in the infirmary. Risa tells her to knock it off as one of the team members approaches Nakao with information about Seiko.

Nobu’s does a good Seiko impression.

In the infirmary, Seiko is acting out Nobu’s perverted fantasies. However, there is an unexpected twist. Nakao’s teammate reveals that Seiko is actually named Seishiro. The damsel in distress was actually a tranny in trouble; Seiko is a guy. Risa busts into the infirmary to find Seishiro half-naked and Otani aghast. Otani fails his constitution check and faints.

Otani is a self-proclaimed sinful man.

The next day, Otani tries to put the incident out of his mind, while his friends try to contain their laughter. When Otani demands to know what’s so funny, and they can't hold it anymore. Risa indulges in schadenfreude in response to Otani’s earlier arrogance, but the prevailing feeling is relief. The feeling surprises her.

Nobu and Risa meet Seiko on their way to watch BB practice. Seiko declares that she must have been simply born into the wrong body. Seiko apologizes to Risa for insensitively asking the second year to support her relationship. The freshman astutely reasons that Risa must like Otani as well, since she gave Otani the nice wristband.

Otani just might be avoiding Seiko.

Risa once again denies it. She argues that it would be strange for a giantess and a midget to go out. Seiko counters that her feelings for Otani would even be stranger.

Seiko fears that Otani might find her disgusting and might be avoiding her. Risa assures the freshman that Otani is a little confused. Seiko is relieved and declares that they are rivals for Otani. Seiko hasn’t given up, not by a long shot. Risa protests the rival label, but to no avail.

Magical Pretty Soldier Seiko-chan declares war on her nemesis: the Kyojin.

Later on, Risa is down and slouching. Nobu points out that she might be hung up on the 2 cm, because she like a shorter guy. Risa’s traitorous eyes immediately turn toward Otani. Seiko bursts into to the room to glomp onto Otani. She is dressed as a cheer leader. Otani is in disbelief over the girl part. Seiko doesn’t catch onto his sarcastic tone.

Risa observes the exchange. Before she found out that Seiko was guy, she admired Seiko’s petite attractiveness and boldness. Even after finding out that Seiko is a guy, Risa still admires Seiko’s unrelenting spirit. Risa quietly berates herself for hiding her own feeling for Otani, because of her height. In the face of the divide that Seiko is trying to cross, Risa’s 16 centimeters is a small distance to cross.

Inspired by Seiko’s outfit, Nobu convinces Risa to join the cheer squad for the Sports Festival. The pair approach Seiko about the squad. In the course of the conversation, Nobu asks Seiko “Say, why do you like Otani? Wouldn’t you prefer someone stronger and more manly?” Seiko replies that Otani is plenty manly and adds that the difficulties he’s faced over his height might make him more sympathetic toward her own struggle with gender identity.

Though the leading question was ostensibly aimed at Seiko, Nobu’s eyes look straight at Risa. Risa admits that Otani is kind. Seiko agrees and glomps onto Otani. His three basketball fan girls are present.

In the next scene, Risa finds that the three basketball followers have cornered Seiko and are grilling her. They state that Otani and Seiko could not possibly being going out. While this is true, the tone and proximity make the words cruel. The words echo the comment they made about Risa. Risa confronts the three on Seiko’s behalf and the three girls retreat.

Hunter & quarry.

Seiko tries to ignore the painful words, but is cut to the quick. Just as she is sinking into despair, Otani comes to rescue her with kind words. He does state that, though, that he won’t become Seiko’s boyfriend anytime soon.

The Sports festival arrives and Otani finds out that the guys are wearing the mini-skirts, while the girls are dressed in gakurens. He runs to avoid dressing in drags. Risa hunts him down and carries him back to gym to fulfill his duty in the cheer squad. More importantly, she decides that she going to let herself be embarrassed about being next to a shorter guy. After many denials, Risa admits that she likes Otani.

Let Lovely Komplex Begin!

Commentary: Lovely Complex continues to solid characters and laughs. Nobu looked like another pretty sidekick in the manga, but her voice actress plays her like a hardened veteran of many campaigns of the heart. Her kindness and offbeat sense of humor, that makes her compatible with Risa, are well developed. Her ability to sink an octave with Risa, then switch it back up around the guys also plays off of Risa well.

The seiyuu and the character designer have made me into a Nobu fan.

The emotive Nobu.

Episodes 4 & 5 introduced Seiko in a dramatic fashion. Like Haruka and Kanzaki, Seiko looks like a rival at first blush. However, the story introduces Seiko to further stoke the fire under Risa's tush. Risa may be half of Hanshin-Kyojin, but the internal thought are Risa's and the perspective is also Risa's.

Kanzaki made Risa think of life without Otani and how much he meant to hear. Koizumi also rejects the tall and handsome Haruka, because height is a hangup, but isn't the main motivator for her affections. Finally Seiko's struggles inspire Risa and remind her of how kind Otani is.

The author used the three almost rivals well to the run up to the first main event; Koizumi's romance with Otani.

[1] KissSub

[2] This is Chiharu’s fate, to quail at Risa’s fierce and bizarre turns of mood. It must have been some strange stroke of fate that this shy girl fell into the clutches of these weirdos.

Lovely Complex 4: Seiko Time I

Summary
At the end of episode 3, Haruka declared his intentions to Risa and claimed that Risa liked Otani, though Risa has not admitted this to herself. Otani and Risa also made up over his refusing her “giri-choco”. Episode 4 “Kiss! I’ve fallen for you!” [1] starts two months later.

Otani & Risa. A typical teen drama scene drifting by at 5 cm/s.

Koizumi Risa and Otani head to the opening assembly for their second year beneath a shower of cherry blossoms. Otani is still lethargic from spring break. He yawns extravagantly, which touches off an All Hanshin-Kyojin exchange. A scream interrupts their comedic routine. The duo see a girly-girl being threatened by a scarred mongrel.

Damsel in distress? Inquiring otaku want to know.

Answer during the next episode.

Otani calms the cur with his presence. His bravery impresses the damsel. Koizumi comments that he’s hopeless with women, but is gets along with men. These words also affect the new girl for some reason. The damsel thanks him and asks for his name, but he tells her not to worry about it. By the end of his oh-so-cool response, the girl has fallen in love.

Risa and Otani press onward toward school. They find that All Hanshin-Kyojin are together again. Nakao x Nobu (N2) share their class, while Chiharu x Suzuki are paired in the class next door. Risa comments that it’s the same old comedy routine, but admits she may feel a little differently about Otani this year. Otani points out that Haruka has completed transferred.

Summoned by his name, Haruka appears out of the blue and as blue as blue can be. Otani leaves Risa to be cornered by her annoying friend. Nobu saves Risa, which is what girlfriends are for. [2] The girly-girl shows up at Maido High as the crew enter the gym for assembly. She gushes that her savior and love is her sempai.

Their homeroom teacher has returned as well. He immediately shoehorns the two into being the class reps. Risa and Otani protest at first, but Otani quickly throws in the towel. He considers it to be a continuation of their first year. Though Risa protested openly about being the giant of the comedy duo, she warms to the idea of being near Otani for another year.

Et tu, Nobu?

The class reps are ordered to help with the freshman introductory ceremony. Otani tries to sneak off to basketball practice. When Risa stops him, Nakao reveals that Otani is a starter. Risa is duly impressed, but still drags him along for menial labor.

The class reps are pressed into cleaning the gym. Nobu stops by to chat with Koizumi. They see the first years and reminisce about their introductory ceremony, when Nobu showed up in casual clothes. The past repeats as a teacher rounds on a first year for dressing casually; it’s the damsel in distress from before. Nobu identifies her as a fashion rival. Otani’s new fangirl quickly reveals herself to be an airhead, or a reasonable facsimile of one, and immediately pisses off the strict teacher further. Risa creates a distraction to save the freshman.

Got enough sugar and spice, honey?

The freshman thanks Risa and recalls the her from that morning. Risa is struck by the girly-girl's cuteness. Otani stops by before heading off to the BB team; he’s done his time. Risa notices the girly-girl going ga-ga over Otani. Koizumi’s a little surprised.

The encounter with the fashionable freshman femme leaves Nobu shaken. She drags Risa shopping on the next Sunday. [3] While Nobu delves through the outfits, Risa gets a wristband for Otani to congratulate him for becoming a starter. She pictures his smiling face when he receives the gift. Risa gives it to him during the next school day. He’s in disbelief, but happily accepts the present after some rough joking. Risa is bothered that his reaction is sharply at odds with her imaginary shojo moment.

Otani thru RisaVision ver. 2.0

After school, Risa complains that she wants to be more feminine to Nobu. Nobu observes that Risa sounds like a “maiden in love”. Girly-girl shows up, and Nobu’s fighting spirit begins to burn. Nobu befriends the freshman after the girly-girl gives a single complement for the veteran's bracelet.

Otani’s fangirl wants to talk about clubs, but Risa and Nobu are members of the go-home society. The talk turns to the BB team. Nakao is dressing in black [4] for a mystery demo. The fangirl’s cuteness both impresses and depresses Risa.

The next day, Risa and Nobu sneak out of self-study period to see the BB team’s demo for the freshman. [5] The club president claims that even a shorty, like Otani, can dunk after joining the club. Nakao in a black suit, but without a black background, hauls up Otani to the hoop. Nobu is mortified by Nakao's role in the lame stunt, while the freshmen are amused. Otani is bothered by being called a shorty, but does his best to drum up business for his team. Otani's fangirl is blown away by the faked dunk and removes all doubt that she’s a certified airhead.

Nakao’s Kage Ninja Techniques.

Risa lets Otani know that she wasn’t thrilled by the embarrassing display. Otani gets defensive. He explains that they were trying to get more tryouts, because most newbies drop out. Risa needles him about their “lameass” tactics, when the girly-girl shows up to stick up for her man. Risa reminds Otani who the girl is.

Otani thru Girly-girl Vision

The girl is a little disappointed that Otani doesn’t remember her, but glosses over it. She praises her man on his awesome slam dunk. Otani introduces himself, and the girly-girl reveals that her name is Kotobuki Seiko. He praises her as cute. Every word incite’s Seiko’s passions until she kisses Otani.

Seiko crossing the Revlon Rubicon

Seiko declares her love. Everyone is stunned by the development. The strange girl wants to be Otani's friend after kissing him. It gets worse for Risa as Otani, after giving Risa a sidelong glance, accepts Seiko’s friendship.

Risa reacts.

Commentary will follow after Episode 5.

Footnotes:

[1] KissSub fansub.

[2] I had a friend who made the mistake of going out for coffee with a guy from her gym. After “hi”, Mr. Gym proceded to lay out the first two of his five year economic plans. This took up about 14 mins 55 sec out of the opening fifteen minutes of the encounter. She text messaged her friend, who called with an “emergency”. Instant save.

[3] Monday to Friday are school days as are most Saturdays. They are in their street clothes, which means that it's probably a Sunday in the anime version.

[4] This is a reference to Kasou Taishou, which is a variety show. People perform skits with special effects created with people with black suits. Matrix ping-pong and the Pet Shop Boys’ Flamboyant video are famous examples of this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasou_Taishou

[5] Is Chiharu skipping too?

Lovely Complex 3

Haruka who?

Synopsis

The start of episode 3 “A Guy you Like, or A guy from the Past?” [1] backtracks to Otani and Risa gushing about the Umibozu concert. Risa is ambushed by a passerby. After the initial shock passes, the fashionable teen introduces himself as Fukugawa Haruka, who was a childhood friend. Risa's memory unzips the data as shown on the progress bar at the lower right of the screen.

Risa OS Loading....

Haruka moved overseas as a kid. As she enthusiastically greets Haruka, Otani gets morose and leaves. Risa wants to stop him, but vacillates as Haruka continues chatting. Haruka ignores Otani's presence.

Otani Blues

Though Xmas ended on a down note for Risa and Otani, they don't seem phased by it when they meet with their friends for a New Years shrine visit. Otani asks if Risa has grown taller. She isn't thrilled by the jibe, but they fall into pace after the couples pair off. Risa asks Otani about his non-existant progress with Kanzuki. Otani responds by asking about Haruka. Risa replies that Haruka is just a childhood friend. She wants know if he cares. Otani responds that she started the thread by bugging him about his ex.

Risa chants. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

Risa prays to the Great Old Ones for a boyfriend, and spies Kanzaki perusing shrine amulets. She pushes the unsuspecting Hanshin at his ex. He runs the last few steps to greet Kanzaki. His ex mistakens Risa as his girlfriend. They explode into a storm of NOs.

Risa declares that she will support Kanzaki getting back together with Otani. Despite the comedy team's half-assed assumptions and full contact argument, Kanzaki manages to spit out what she wanted to say to Otani: that she didn't choose Baba the Giant for his height. Koizumi is mortally embarrassed.

Risa begs Otani for forgiveness, but Otani waves off her apology. He thanks her for helping him hear Kanzaki's message. More about this in the commentary.

Kanzaki confesses, but to what?

A month or so later, Valentine’s day rears its ugly head. Nobu and Chiharu are planning chocolates, when Risa shows her ugly-face. Not that she is inherently ugly, but that girl's face has muscles that Jim Carey would envy. Nobu tells Risa that she should make apology chocos for Otani, because she made an embarrassing mistake over Kanzaki. Otani saunters into class listening to a vintage Umibozu album. He and Risa go to Umibozu-land and the peanut gallery comments on what a fine couple they would make.

As they head home, Nobu tries to draw Risa into their group bake again. Otani jibes that no one would want chocolates from an amazon like her. Risa unexpectedly takes his comment to heart and bugs out. Otani offers to take her chocolate. Koizumi doesn't want his pity. Otani responds that he just likes sweets. The mood lightens a bit as Otani puts in a request for chocolate cake.

Don't pity the Deep One

A little while later, Koizumi is watching Otani’s practice. His fangirls ask Risa if they are an item. Risa denies it. The three girls cruelly agree that Otani would never date such an amazon. Risa concludes that Otani will probably get sweets from the fangirl trio and won't need hers. Nobu is split between sadness and exasperation, when Haruka springs a surprise attack on Koizumi. Otani is distracted by the sight of Koizumi getting glomped again and in pummeled by a stray pass.

Haruka-shojo-secret-bishonen-koi-attack-O!

The next day, Otani asks about Koizumi again about her relationship with Haruka. Koizumi describes Haruka as a crybaby, and wonders why Otani is asking. Otani again denies any real interest about her background. Otani invites her along to look for Umibozu CDs. Nobu interrupts them with a chocolate cake recipe. Otani quips that he should prepare stomach medicine, and Koizumi denies that she'll bake a cake for him.

Things seem to be going well between Hanshin and Kyojin, until Haruka springs another ambush. Otani is finally introduced to Haruka. Haruka declare that Risa is a beauty, which she laps up this praise. Otani is called a midget, and Nakao holds him back. Haruka proceeds to declare that Risa is his personal hero. Risa & Co. are dumbfounded. Haruka drags off Risa in the ensuing confusion. Otani belatedly protests.

Haruka vs Otani Round 1

Otani is still smarting about Haruka’s comments the next day, when the model-esque Haruka shows up to school with Risa’s lunch and a fresh barrage of low blows at Otani. Risa drags off Haruka, who isn’t even a student yet, to prevent bloodshed.

Their classmates comment that Risa’s attractiveness comes out next to Haruka, while Otani merely makes her look like a sideshow attraction. He takes umbrage that they would reinforce Haruka’s opinion and snaps at Risa when she gets back, which is a nasty surprise for Koizumi.

Haruka vs Otani Round 2
"Your words scratch the back of my eyeballs."

Risa carries her ill feeling to the girls’ group bake. The girls interrogate her about Haruka. Risa responds that isn’t thrilled about being considered a “hero”. Risa finishes the cake with mixed feelings.

Sugar, spice, and human sacrifice.

Another quick cut brings Risa to Valentine’s day. She presents Otani with a cake. He adopts a bratty attitude and refuses it. Their argument draws a crowd. First, they deny to the rubberneckers that it’s chocolate. When that ploy fails, Otani claims that the chocolate is for Haruka. Risa agrees out of exasperation and stalks away with the cake. Otani glares at her back and then turns away. Unlike their usual tussles, this leaves an ill feeling in the air.

After school, a dejected Risa meets Haruka on the way home. Haruka declares that he will treasure the cake like all the other Valentines chocolates that he received from Risa in the past. His strange hero worship irritates her, but she asks Haruka to keep her company. She's still blue over Otani’s refusal.

Hot Osaka Nights.

They hang at the arcade until nightfall. Haruka calls Koizumi “cool”, which she denies. Risa counters that she’s just All Hanshin-Kyojin, which her admirer blames on Otani. Haruka sadly concludes that Koizumi likes Otani, which she still denies. The outing ends with Haruka telling Risa that he likes her.

Otani apologizes to Risa the next day. Risa accepts and tells him that the chocolate wasn’t a romantic one (intended for friends or co-workers: giri-choco). We are left with the image of Haruka being crushed by the discovery of the choco-giri.

Finish Him!

Commentary

By the end of episode 2, Koizumi's feelings toward Otani edge toward romance. Otani's fits of jealously are small, but are present. The shojo romance trajectories seem to be set. However, if Haruka's presence is any indicator, it promises to be a bumpy ride. Since I read the manga and seen the future episodes it is one.

Haruka's presence is interesting for a romance story. He puts himself forth as a contender for Risa, but he is not truly a rival. Otani isn't romantically inclined toward Koizumi (yet). Haruka's modelesque and rude presence adds to the height hurdle. This hurdle looms large to Koizumi mind.

Another interesting point is Koizumi's insecurity. She feels insecure about the cake and about what the girls think about her and Otani. Risa reflexively denies Haruka's admiration, and it doesn't seem like false modesty. Lovely Complex continues to build one of the best rounded set of characters since M. I. or Adachi's Katsu!

Nobu's role improves in the anime. In the manga, I got the sense that she didn't exist unless Risa needed her or for an anti-Otani gag. While the anime plays her small motions up, and she comes across as a caring friend, but also one with her own needs (for Nakao) and preferences.

As for the Kanzaki scene, the manga built up this scene more. Otani's misgivings about hearing Kanzaki out are more pronounced and his thanks to Koizumi and her mortal embarrassment are fleshed out more in the manga.

Episode 1 covered about two months through the summer to the next semester. Episode 2 skipped fall to get to the romantic winter holidays and covered about 4 months. Ep 3 went from Xmas to Valentine's day, a jump of 1.5 months. The anime chugs along at its own consistent momentum and continues the set-up that was begun in the previous episodes. Fortunately, it does so with the continuing wit and quality.

[1] KissSub fansub version.