Giji Harem – 02

I can already tell this is going to be one of those seasons where the Patron Pick ballot is fit to bursting rather than one where I have to scramble to scrounge up candidates (they tend to be one extreme or the other). A very crowded bubble, in other words. Giji Harem likely to be among them isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it would be a disappointment. I was hoping this was one I might be able to commit to early on, but the first couple of episodes have been more okay than outstanding.

It’s been pointed out that Hayami Saori was a bit of an odd choice for Rin, and I confess that becomes more apparent the longer one watches. Hayami does tend to be one of those seiyuu whose voice you always recognize – a persona rather than a chameleon. And her characters-within-a-character are probably more similar than they ought to be (I admit, I can’t always tell which one she’s supposed to be). I can’t help but think about what someone like Aoi Yuuki could have done with this role, and it would have made a pretty big difference.

That side, Giji Harem is charming enough. Rin and Eiji are nice kids and they’re good together, but there’s a certain spark – both comedic and romantic – that’s a bit lacking. On the other hand I do like that not much time is being wasted making it clear what Rin’s true feelings are. She does everything but tell Eiji flat out and while there are times he’s on the money enough with his teasing to make me wonder, he seems to be genuinely oblivious to the anvil-like hints she drops. This harem conceit is a useful safety net for both of them, but it’s not getting harder and harder for Eiji to tell which character is dropping those hints on his head.

There are some good gags here, as there were in the premiere – the umbrella thing was a cute and clever riff on a huge romcom trope. And the bit where she changed his clothes when he was sick (while BokuYaba obviously did it first and better) did offer the chance for Eiji to reveal something of himself in his reaction. Which was not overly bothered, and curious which character it was that had his clothes off. I’m on the fence in a much different way than I am with Roshidere – I lack strong impressions either positive or negative here. It’s all just sort of mildly pleasant, but at some point relatively soon Giji Harem is going to have to show more than that in order to keep me invested.

 

Senpai wa Otokonoko – 02

Senpai wa Otokonoko is yet another one which seems destined for the bubble. And for yet another set of reasons. I can point to a lot of niggles I have with this show but the most serious is that from my perspective it’s trying to have it both ways. In the most important sense possible, with Makoto’s character. If it wants to be a puerile comedy with him as an object, fine – I wouldn’t watch it but it would be honest. I don’t think it’s trying to be that, though. It’s presenting itself as a sensitive look at his challenges in life, but then playing the fetish card whenever it wants to goose things up a little. I frankly find that more irritating than if it were simply straightforward trash.

The big development this week was the introduction of Makoto’s mom (if Dad is around there’s no acknowledgement of it). She’s pretty much the stock big bad of the piece, horrified when her son asks for a cute pink bag instead of a blue one with dinosaurs on it. Makoto makes it clear that she brooks nothing remotely feminine in him, so around the house it’s strictly show biz. It’s certainly an interesting reversal – a boy dressing as a girl for school and keeping it secret from home. Now, I find it very hard to believe that a Japanese school would allow this to happen (not to mention why does he have a private shed to change in?), but dramatic license I guess.

Unfortunately, as easy a target as she is, I don’t think the mother is especially unrealistic in her attitudes. And the story of how Makoto deals with that could be a very interesting one, but Senpai wa Otokonoko just gets bogged down in so much other nonsense. All the chibi interruptions are an irritant and they’re way overused. And Aoi is, frankly, incredibly annoying. I also can’t figure out what Ryuuji’s deal is supposed to be. He’s obviously in love with Makoto and in denial but the stuff like him pushing him to exchange LINE info with Aoi (which clearly made Makoto uncomfortable) and sending her to his house (where she almost blows his cover) is just weird.

Ultimately, though, what most grates on me is the way the series lingers on stuff like Makoto at the pool, with Ryuuji and Aoi fussing over his shirt being unzipped. You can’t aspire to elevate his dilemma it life and objectify him at the same time – pick a lane, stick with it. I find the series’ treatment of Makoto kind of cringe-worthy at times to be honest, and that undercuts its appeal (and credibility) more than anything else. I’m thinking one more week to make a conclusive call on just what sort of show this is, but I’m not hugely optimistic.