The Scoreboard: Sarazanmai

As everybody else on this planet, I have an opinion. As many people do too, I like to write about it. Share it generously. And I am excellent at keeping score (mentally), so I will try tallying up my fondness of things according to balance.

Sarazanmai

Japanese folklore is fascinating, so I am automatically drawn to related entertainment. This time, it was kappa in the series Sarazanmai. Kappa are fascinating and probably some of the more well-known creatures. They often have tortoiselike shells, webbed fingers and a dish on their head. They are also very fond of cucumbers and live near the water. Generally, I have seen kappa be depicted moreso as mischievous than actively harmful, but with all these creatures their behavior is definitely on a spectrum.

Sarazanmai is a series by director Kunihiko Ikuhara, whose Penguimdurum series has similar vibes to this one, who is clearly quite the eccentric fellow. The main characters are three boys in middle school: Kazuki, Toi and Enta. Kazuki and Toi are best friends, Enta transfers to their school. However, all three have their own secrets that they hide from the world and each other. After a chance encounter with the kappa prince, all three are also turned into kappa to defeat otter zombies and earn dishes of hope which can fulfill their own wishes.

It is quite the chaotic story that would have probably benefitted from a longer runtime to spend more time with the boys and learn more about their backgrounds. However, even with all of the things that are happening at the same time, the otter zombies are created by two homoerotic and homoesxual policemen that work for actual otters, it is clear this director has an idea of how everything should come together.

Something that really shows the director’s vision, is the way the fights are being depicted. The kappa prince can only turn the boys into kappa by extracting their shirikodama. According to Wikipedia, the direct translation of this is “buttocks-wee-ball” and according to folklore it is to be extracted from the anus. In the series, this is a recurring action, much like a magical girl transformation sequence, complete with sound effects. The policemen also have their own sequence whenever they spring in action which is also highlighted by a not so subtly sexually implicit sequence. To top it off, each zombie also gets their shirikodama extracted from the anus which results in a thick stream of water that then engulfs our kappa boys. You can probably imagine the ambiguities that is depicting.

Even though the above may sound off-putting, when the series is focusing on the boys it is very heartfelt and has some important lessons to teach. The balance between the more eccentric antics and sincere parts is actually quite well-done and I did get invested in the characters. Thus, I would rate it as a fun experience to learn about Japanese folklore in a modern look and learning some important lessons on the way.

The Scoreboard: Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

As much as I like epic stories, I tend to not always have the patience for them. I prefer to know there’s an end, that I’m not left wanting more when I don’t know it’s available or going to come at all. This is why I tend not to watch longer anime series. However, I may make an exception if they’re already finished and highly rated.

So having taken a break from anime and coming back after about a decade, makes it easy to bingewatch some series that had seasons years apart from each other. Such is the case with Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, that I remember coming out when I still watched anime more actively, and only had a sequel a whopping 15 years later. When it came out in 2010, there were already discussions if you could actually classify it as an anime, since the visual style is much more westernized and it clearly draws a lot from western culture as well.

The overarching story is quite meaningless and just serves to establish some basic rules. Panty and Stocking are sisters and angels, sent down to earth because of their bad behavior and under the guard of priest Garterbelt they need to defeat monsters so they can collect enough coins to go back to heaven. Besides these three characters, there is a geeky love interest for panty, a kind of monstrous doglike behavior that can swallow almost everything and a pink convertible that Panty and Stocking drive on and through most anything on their adventures.

Panty is a blonde sexbomb, taking the sex there very literally since she is always busy in bed or just finishing business in bed. Stocking is a straightfaced goth lolicon who can eat any amount of sweets that are available. Garterbelt is secretly a BDSM freak that loves to make money on the side whenever possible. Both are named after their weapons which they take out in a magical girl-esque sequence that is one of the few ‘traditional anime style’ parts in the series. Antagonists in the form of demon sisters Scanty and Kneesocks, and later angel brothers Polyester and Polyurethane arrive.

By the sound of those names and the above descriptions, you can guess you are in for a wild ride. Most episodes in the series are divided in 2 or more parts, that generally have little overarching storyline. However, they compensate plenty with wacky antics, experimental visual styles and a direct brashness that complements their juvenile humor. It is a series best watched in doses so that all of the poop, pee and sex jokes do not accumulate too quickly, but it is a unique series that probably makes you chuckle or scratch your ears every episode. I rate it a fun mix of east and west with a hefty side of raunchy humor.

The Scoreboard: The Twelve Kingdoms

The Twelve Kingdoms

Additionally, a period of sickness may allow me to breeze through the episodes as the binge watching that I generally abhor. But I must confess after finishing The Twelve Kingdoms that I do think parts of it are best consumed at once.

Stories about normal, possibly unhappy, people getting transported to a fantasy world where they have to grapple with new purpose and responsibilities have become really popular in anime over the past 15 years. Called isekai in Japanese, literally meaning different world, it’s a genre that I’m slightly hesitant about. Of course, nothing is more attractive than a premise that any of us may one day be swept away and turn out to be destined for something bigger than we could have ever imagined, but I can tend to struggle with these stories if I cannot sufficiently sympathize with the main character on its new journey.

And I did have some trepidation after the first few episodes if Nakajima Youko would be bearable as a heroine. She’s a serious, smart but also very obedient high school student who is suddenly attacked and then transported to another world with Twelve Kingdoms, based on ancient China. She accidentally involves two classmates as well in her adventure, one who’s always had a dream she would be a ‘chosen one’ and another who’d much rather return to his comfortable life alone. Youko meanwhile learns to stand up for herself, face fears and difficult choices, and quickly enough becomes a heroine you can actually root for.

The series seems to have adapted most of the main storylines contained in the original light novels. This means there’s basically 4 different parts with partly overlapping characters, but mainly independent storylines. The parts about Youko take up the bulk of the series. The beginning which shows all of her trials and the revelation that she’s a queen of one of the kingdoms, and a middle section which shows her quelling an uprising shortly after ascending the throne. The other parts are much shorter and deal with other rulers.

The world of The Twelve Kingdoms is rich and dense. It’s clearly based on ancient Chinese civilization, although the writing is not all existing Chinese characters, with a highly stratified hierarchy and a Heaven that decides it all. Rulers of the kingdoms are chosen by auspicious, mythical creatures called kirin. If a ruler starts to enact policies that are not beneficial to its kingdom, the kirin will get sick and eventually die, leading to the death of the ruler as well. Then a new kirin will be born who will choose a new ruler.

It’s a bit of a pity that the kirin look more like a dog-unicorn hybrid than the legendary hooved chimerical creature it actually is with a dragon’s head. But the show has a nice, albeit dated, look to it and clearly depicts the different kingdoms. Instead of being all about grandiose battles and adventures, the series is mostly interested in political scheming and human interactions. This sets it apart from many other entries in the genre and makes for an interesting perspective on the world, although it does move at an uneven pace sometimes.

It also feels like the story could have benefitted from some more room to breathe, especially the two shorter parts of which one just ends without any resolution. It seems that the continuation of that story happened long after the series was finished and the cop-out was unintended, but it’s still quite frustrating.

All the same, The Twelve Kingdoms sweeps you off of your feet to a different world and time, offering a rich and immersive experience. I rate it, not as deadly as becoming a courtesane to the royal court and much more enjoyable to watch.

The Scoreboard: A Sign of Affection

A Sign of Affection

Love is one of the most universal topics and I am a sucker for a sweet romance. This anime has heaps of sugar, many pastel-colored backgrounds, twinkling eyes, but it somehow manages to not go totally overboard with its elements.

The main character is Yuki, a sweet, timid deaf girl who’s just entered college. By the way, I am also a sucker for college romance. My very first anime series and one of my all time favorites is Honey and Clover, set in an art college. This college is more nondescript, but it is always nice to have more mature characters at the heart of a story.

Yuki takes the train one day and is asked something out of the blue by an enthusiastic stranger. She signs that she cannot hear, but he does not seem to notice. Before things get too awkward though, a young man gently intervenes and helps the stranger out.

It is a typical meet cute, heroine gets rescued by her hero. And for a series so romance-focused, things happen surprisingly drama-free. For the main romance, that is a good thing since it shows Yuki building trust with Itsuomi, him being fortright about putting effort into learning sign language for her sake, and both clearing up misunderstandings swiftly and enjoying to spend time together.

There is a bit more drama involved with the secondary characters, especially Yuki’s overbearing and overprotective childhood friend Oushi and Itsuomi’s high school friends/love triangle Shin and Emma. Although this provides some meat to the plot, and in Oushi’s case some actual growth, Shin and Emma’s case ties up a bit too quickly for all the setup that was done.

The other romance between Yuki’s friend Rin and Itsuomi’s cousin Kyoya also does not really get enough time to fully flesh out the development from friendship to romance. Both are nice characters, feeling are involved, but there is no episode reserved for their plotline.it honestly feels like a missed opportunity because Rin as a popular girl and Kyoya as a weary date-avoidant guy seem to have some interesting backstories.

Although I really enjoyed the series as is, I do think it would have benefitted from some extra episodes. Not only because the main couple is hella cute and it would surely be enjoyable to spend more time with them, possibly allowing for Yuki to be less tense with Itsuomi as well (yes I love me some smut), not only to flesh out the secondary characters more, but to also highlight Yuki’s experience as a deaf person in Japanese society more. We do not see her taking any classes, she does not reminisce a lot about the past, we do not know a lot about her fanily or why they did not learn sign language and although she gets a part-time job, we never see how it goes for her. These would all have been very relevant topics that could also naturally develop the bond between Yuki and Itsuomi.

Although it may seem the series came up short, I would say that is only the case since it was so enjoyable. I wanted to explore, learn and see more. Alas, maybe I will pick up the manga or a second season could be made.

I rate it very sweet and nice, good to watch if you want to reminisce about your first, current or future lover.