There are so many things I love about this series that I could wax rhapsodic all day, but that would be cruel. In sum – it’s a show that does a wonderful job creating believable, complex characters and putting them in situations that stress the hell out of both them and us. In other words: adolesence, more or less. It’s amazing how this show could make me sweat without putting any of the characters in physical harm. The first gender-bender play being a great example – it was a top-notch episode all around, but the tension was unbelievable.
Some have criticized this series for depicting the kids as too mature, and not placing Shu and Yoshino in the crossfire for more abuse. Not surprisingly I don’t see it that way. These kids are pretty messed-up people, as most middle-schoolers are – they just don’t happen, for the most part, to be especially malevolent and cruel above the norms of the demographic. Chiba, many fans’ favorite, is certainly as troubled as you could want – she’s in love with a gender-confused boy who’s in love with another girl. As if that weren’t enough, she’s built Shu up into an elaborate fantasy construction, a cross-dressing Peter Pan. Her love for him seems possessive and selfish, as she rarely seems to consider how her actions make Shu feel. But then Chiba generally sees the world through an excessively self-focused view, and has expectations for everyone else’s behavior that can’t possibly be met. This seems to be setting her up for a lifetime of disappointment – I hope not.
The major characters are pretty much all great – none of the them are throw-away constructions, even the baffling bully Doi. Each of them is given a fully-formed personality, complex and unique. Mako-chan lacks the courage and cuteness of Shu and hates him for it, though he probably loves him too. Chi is a beacon of positivity who talks her way through everything, no doubt covering a lot of insecurity. Her BFF Momo seems nice enough, but shows her true colors once Shu shows his. Maho is a troubling one – not the best sister, certainly jealous of her brother being cuter than she is, she can be cruel and demeaning. But there’s seomthing there – an essence of protective love that only rarely shines through. And then there’s Anna, who looked at first like a minor supporting character but revealed herself to be an odd but kind-hearted soul, and the object of Shu’s second crush. Even the adults aren’t left out, especially in the form of Yuuki – there’s never been anyone quite like her in anime, and she’s quite the role model.
Of course this is really a series about Shu and Yoshino. I adore both, though I’d argue that she didn’t get as much opportunity in the spotlight in the anime as she did in the manga. These two really do operate as a sort of unit. They share something vital but socially unacceptable, and who knows where they (especally Shu) would have ended up without the other for support? In the end I really believe they’re soul mates suffering from bad timing. When he was ready, she wasn’t – and when she caught up, Shu had moved on. As much as I love Anna no one can understand Shu like Yoshino, and vice-versa – and that counts for a lot.
I knew as soon as the bridge scene played in episode one, to the strains of “Claire de Lune”, that we had something special on our hands. This was a class production all around – both original and adapted music, animation, pacing. AIC Classic is not a legendary studio and this was a director with no track record to speak of, but it all came together – I could easily have seen this coming from Production I.G.. I would also commend the staff for choosing a real boy to play Shu. While there were complaints that his voice was breaking in the first episode, those who stuck with it came to see that this was the perfect choice. There’s a degree of realism in casting a talented child actor (see Naoto Adachi from Seirei no Moribito or Aoi Yuuki from Kurenai) that an adult just can’t match, especially when the character is male. The whole cast is terrific – a mix of kids and newcomers with some solid veterans, but not an all-star cast by any means.
0utf0xZer0
April 5, 2011 at 8:03 amYou know, this show managed to connect with me somehow in a way no other Noitamina block show has. Usually, I like Noitamina stuff but it ends up playing second fiddle to something else because I just don't care as much about the characters as some other shows.
Here, the ensemble cast – and especially Shu and Chi – really managed to capture my attention and made things extra gripping. As unique as this show is, it really reminded me how I felt watching shows like EF and True Tears and why I'm such a fanboy for those shows. And I think I'm going to be disappointed with the show's lack of commercial success to a much greater extent than Fractale because of that.
That said, I do have to note that I actually did find the show quite confusing at the beginning. I can't help but wonder if the show might have gotten better ratings had it done a better job establishing "who's who" earlier on, as it took me a few episodes to figure it out.
Might read the manga, although my schedule tends to discourage me from picking up "lump sum" kind of free time projects (ie catching up on 100 chapters of manga). Also, somehow I missed the fact that Mari Okada was involved with this and Fractale despite her involvement with Hana-Saku Iroha being a major reason I am so totally pumped for that show.
admin
April 6, 2011 at 8:44 amI'm pumped for it too – maybe more than for any spring show.
I have to say, I didn't pick up the manga till after I'd watched maybe 5 episodes, and I wasn't too confused after about 5 minutes. But maybe I'm being too forgiving because I love the show much – and because that first ep may be my favorite debut episode of any series in a couple of years.
Anonymous
July 6, 2011 at 2:35 pmI loved this series and I really didn`t question how the first episode played out. I go by the mind set that everything will be established to me later on. But I love how we are given a sense of who they are and that is what won me over. I loved how complex the characters were and I think the reason they didn`t suffer from ìntense bullying is because they hide the fact about their taste in clothing and they also had supportive friends. They even had yuuki who is their guide through these harsh periods in their lives. They were bothered with all the angst that comes with going through adolescences. The fact is they are what they are. They are unsatified with their sex and they hope to change it in the future but for now they have to deal with what they have.
I will end here but overall I agree with you 100%
admin
July 6, 2011 at 4:39 pmNice to see Hourou Musuko get some love, three months after. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Nyara♥
February 25, 2012 at 4:24 amI love this show too, is my favorite of all times. And I agree in almost all with you. Thank you for covering this one.