Ladies vs Butlers

[Rating: 6.5/10]

Genre: Ecchi, School, Comedy

Hino Akiharu enrols in a boarding school that trains students as maids and butlers to serve the upperclass students. However his rebellious appearance stands out and he always seems to find himself in the most misunderstood situations. Akiharu also finds himself caught inbetween the rivalry of his childhood friend Saikyou Tomomi and her academic rival, Selnia Flameheart. I think this series will either provide entertainment with the cliches abound or turn off viewers due to the cliches and unbashed amount of ecchi fanservice. Top nudity and lots of panty shots and sexual references litter the show. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would, then again, I don’t watch much anime in this genre so it was something different for me. The last harem series I really enjoyed was Love Hina back in the day and even that was much tamer than Ladies vs Butlers! While I think it was a tad too gratuitous with the sexual references and a little degrading in terms of how girls were portrayed (what’s with the girl who keeps randomly stripping) , I quite liked the characters, who weren’t that flat – I especially liked Tomomi, who makes a great antagonist and I was secretly hoping she would end up with Akiharu even though I knew how things would end. She was not oversexualized as some of the other female characters were, and had more brains and street-wise smarts than the rest of the girls. Frankly I didn’t care much for Selnia, she struck me as rather bossy and arrogant, also very naive. Akiharu was a pretty decent main character, the misunderstood and generally dense sort and generally nice. I think he was really tolerant of Selnia despite her judging him from the start.

This anime is definitely not for everyone and has lots of things that could turn one off, but I found it quite enjoyable in terms of the mindless entertainment it provided.

[Rating: 8/10]

Based on the blog ‘Belle de Jour’, this tv series tells the story of Belle (or Hannah), a high class call girl and the ups and downs of her profession and how it affects her personal life.

This series plesantly surprised me, and I found myself marathoning the first two seasons, and was happy when I found out there was a third recently. It wasn’t hard as catching up with other series as each season was neat and compact, at less than ten episodes, which was one of the major selling points for me. I have read a little of the actual blog that it was based on, but I found the tv show much more entertaining and the script less wordy and to the point. Hannah/Belle is a very real and practical woman, and her job aside, it is easy to relate to and sympathize with her. I commend Billie Piper bringing the role to life, and Hannah is definitely a character I will remember. I think one thing that I like about Belle is that she is game for most things, but sensible enough to know her limits and does not do just anything. She is also very independant and witty, though one might say it is part of her job, I like how she is adaptable to different situations and is able to relax people. The secondary storyline with Bambi, her ‘mentee’ and Bambi’s relationship with Byron (introduced in season 3) was cute. I found Bambi a bit annoying at first but she did grow and mature in the series. I think it was a pity the editor, Duncan, turned out to be such a prick because he and Hannah really looked like they would go far. I preferred the two of them together than Hannah and Ben (Ben was a nice guy but I didn’t really feel much for him, aside from his concerns for Hannah).

While the adult themes in this series does not make it family entertainment, I think it is very enjoyable and tastefully done. The show did not glorify being an escort but tried to portray it as a job. It has a nice balance of drama, humour and romance that would sit down with many people well, if they can get pass the somewhat controversial topic.

[Rating: 7.5/10]

Genre: Josei, Romantic Comedy

A 33 year old highschool teacher who has prided herself for leading a successfully independent and not depending on a man finds herself in an unexpected spot when she offers her home to a new substitute teacher at school until he finds one of his own- previously he had been doing random jobs and living in manga cafes. They have to keep it a secret as though they aren’t romantically involved will be improper if anyone finds out, especially considering that he is ten years younger than her.

I’ve never really been fond of olderwoman/youngerman stories, for example Kimi wa Petto, which didn’t really appeal to me, but this one had an adorable pulling card by the name of Koike Teppei. I tend to like older Japanese actors but he is one of the exceptions, though he’s really not that young either. And Maya Miki was in the show as well, but other than that I wasn’t familiar with most of the cast. The show turned out to be a pleasant surprise and actually one of my favourites for this seasons of strong contenders. I’m glad I decided to give Ohitorisama a shot because I ended up liking the two lead actress Mizuki Alisa and Matsushita Nao. I actually felt sympathetic for Matsushita’s character because though she says she was acting for selfish purposes, she was actually pretty helpful. And I’d like to say that she’s really pretty. I haven’t found a Japanese actress particularly attractive since Kuroki Meisa in 1 Pound no Fukuin (how gorgeous was she in the final ep~). I think the romance was pretty realistic in this one as there was no love at first sight thing, just a simple mentor-mentee relationship and they were really compatible. I’m also glad that the main couple did not get married in the last ep because while I like them, it’d just have reinforced that you need to be married to be happy. I’d actually be interested to see an SP of some sort of what happened after Shinichi returned from his new placement. And Sawai’s developing relationship with the other guy. It’d ba funny if Sawai became the next ‘Ohitorisama’ though I doubt it. I think what made this show likeable is that it was in a romantic comedy style compared to angst which is prevalent in older/younger pairings (whichever gender combination, Kimi wa Petto was one of them, and there’s series like Majo no Jouken, Kou Kou Kyoshi and Kamisama, Mou Sukoshi dake. Also it did not have a dragged out story which was an issue with me in the others. KKM and KMSD were good, but they were also among the first few dramas I watched, so I have no idea if my thoughts would change if I rewatched them.

That said, I do recommend Ohitorisama, I think Akiyama-sensei makes a great role model for young women in terms of her outlook on life~ loved the narration bits as well~ come to think of it she reminds me of my mom in some ways.

Genre: Shoujo, Comedy

Mendol is the story of three teenage girls who have made many unsuccessful attempts at auditioning to become pop idols. One day they witness a crime and find themselves on the run for their lives. An eccentric producer agrees to help them but the catch is they have to hide their identities and debut as a boyband. How long can they keep their secret before they’re found out?

This show is nothing but teeny bopper cute, from the three girls to their relationships with the other people in their pop idols lives (strangely their families are never shown though, which would’ve been more interesting I reckon). Despite their life threatening situation, the main suspense was about the girls trying to keep their secret identities. Fans of genderbender type anime would probably like this as their is a bit of identity crisis going around the various characters, from the trio, to their interesting producer, to the so-called romantic entanglements they got into. One particular relationship reminded me alot of the movie starring Amanda Bynes, She’s the Man, as a young man falls in love with one of the trio and starts questioning his own sexual orientation. Sure, there’s other dorama such as Hana Kimi but at least HK had more plot and characterisation to it. I tell you that was a parody of shounen-ai type fan service if anything. The surprising bits were the references to f/f relationships. Like the producer and her assistant, why on earth was there unbashed bdsm reference in a teenager’s show I have no idea. I just cannot fathom out what kind of audience this show was catering to.  There were plenty of this a certain group of audience would like and plenty of others the same people would find somewhat squicky… which is why I used the word spoof earlier, because it was just so random. I highly doubt it was meant to be serious in any way (although it was interesting going behind the scenes of how an idol group is debuted, it’s no walk in the park, they were practically busking at first). Even though I’m not a fan of yuri, I have to admit the cutest relationship was the one between Kai and Rei.

Still, it was an entertaining romp no less. Plus the songs were not bad, I like the one in the opening sequence. I think they’d have made a better girl band because their pseudo-masculine voices were rather strained. If there’s a special ‘x-years in the future’ ep I wouldn’t mind watching it just to see what happened.

[6.5/10]

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Carrying off from where the drama series ended, this special involves the resurrection of  Tenjo Night, android boyfriend extraordinaire, by a scientist with her own personal agenda. However, Night’s reunion with Riiko does not go as planned… what has happened in the time he was away, and why does he seem to have lost his most recent memories?

This was a nice conclusion (well, I don’t think they’re making another one are they?) to the series. It was sad how it ended but I felt it was much more realistic than for Riiko to end up with Night, who is afterall a robot. Soshi is an awesome guy who was very patient and understanding throughout the whole fiasco, and has similar interests and passions as Riiko, so they’ll fit very well together. I’m just a little sad there wasn’t a wedding scene at the end. And leaving Night there like that, poor boy. The government weapons plot was unecessary I found, but the subplot of the scientist (forgot her name) and Jun?, her past lover was quite touching, especially the flashback video scenes with the time capsule. This is a brief review but it was nice to see the good ol’ cast together again.

Love Shuffle

[Rating: 9/10]

Genre: Drama, Romance

When there is a power failure, four individuals find themselves stuck in a lift together. While waiting for the electricity to start up, they start talking about themselves and their love lives, forming a unlikely bond as a result. In order to answer the question of whether there is really only one fated partner for each person, they decide to put their relationships to the test and play “Love Shuffle”, whereby they exchange partners for a week.
For what started out as a seemingly romantic-comedy bent drama, it actually got pretty complicated in the last few episodes. But I loved every minute of it. The premise of the story itself is of course a little ridiculous because in real life a random bunch of strangers wouldn’t exchange partners, but it wasn’t as scandalous as I thought it would be. I think that anyone watching this drama would rooting for a particular pairing in the drama, and the shuffle revealed a whole bunch of possibilities you wouldn’t have thought of. I was delighted when the three pairings I was rooting for actually happened in the end~ It was surprisingly layered with quite a bit of backstory on the characters, so certain individuals I did not like at first I actually grew sympathetic towards and sparked a new liking in me.

The selling point for me and what got me to watch the show in the first place is the cast. Many big names, but good actors~ Tamaki Hiroshi, Karina, Matsuda Shota, Tanihara Shosuke… I could go on… they all brought their characters to life and it was impossible to really dislike any of them! The members of the love shuffle all had amazing chemistry with each other and didn’t try to jump into each other’s spotlight but shone in their own way. Extra brownie points go to Yoshitaka Yuriko who played Kairi because the stone blank face and playing someone with a psychological disorder must have been challenging!

Probably the best romantic drama I’ve seen in a while, and I really recommend this to anyone who loves love stories with a bit of bite.

[Rating: 9/10]

Genre: Shounen-Ai, Comedy

The main story follows the misadventures of Misaki, a high-school student as he ends up living with Akihiko Usami, a famous novelist who is a longtime friend of his elder brother’s when said brother gets married. To Misaki’s  horror, Usagi starts to develop a more than friendly liking towards him. Hilarity ensues as well as some romancing ensues! Also, there are two other stories revoloving around ‘forbidden’ relationships of some sort. The stories arcs are entitled Junjou Romanticist, Egoist and Terrorist.

My review will be focused on the second season since it has been awhile since I saw the first one. Though I just read the earlier manga volumes which I pretty much the same, let’s just close one eye to that first~

So in the second season Misaki finds himself in deeper water than he can thread with the unexpected appearance of Usagi’s elder brother and father. His true feelings for Usagi get put to the test and as he comes to realize that he is falling in love with Usagi. While Junjou’s plot is pretty formulaic, one great thing about the series is that it’s one of the few shounen-ai (boys love) stories that is not overly angsty and ends with someone dying. It is rather lighthearted and heartwarming actually, to see the three relationships develop. You’ll find yourself rooting for one of the pairs at least. My favourite story is the relationship between Hiroki Kamijo and Nowaki Kusama~ Hiroki was just adorable and Nowaki is a very likeable character, their story was more believable and realistic than the other two, and they had great chemistry that didn’t seem forced. Miyagi and Shinobu was a little squicky I’m not really into shota (underaged relationships)… their age gap was even greater than Usagi and Misaki. I do like the main pair except Usagi’s sexual urges got a little overbearing at times… but he’s an awesome character though. It’s hard for me to describe. The manga is much more explicit with sex scenes than the anime, which was rather toned down in comparison. I also like the character designs, and voice acting plesantly suited the characters as well. It’s one of those light-hearted slice-of-life stories that is fun to watch and doesn’t get boring, even for someone like me who isn’t that into shounen-ai series.

Skip Beat! (anime)

[Rating: 8/10]

Genre: Shoujo, Comedy

Kyoko Mogami is an ordinary teenage girl who discovers that Sho Fuwa, the childhood friend she has a crush on is only using her to do his dirty work. Sho is an upcoming pop idol who aims to make it to the top of the charts. Angered by his deceit, Kyoko decides to show him up by entering showbiz and beating him at his game! Will she succeed?

Skip Beat is awesome, not even for me to give it a perfect score but I definitely recommend it~ Based on the manga (and quite a good adaptation at that!) the characters couldn’t have been animated better. The dialogue and comic timing is sharp and witty, there will be something in every episode that makes you laugh, want to facepalm in exasperation, and feel for Kyoko’s misadventures that usually turn out all right in the end. The biggest appeal to me is that all the main characters are not stereotypical shoujo characters, they all have pretty solid characterization and back stories. Even though I this Sho is a bastard, at times I couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic for him. I’m a huge Ren x Kyoko shipper and hope that there is a second season or that they’ll at least end up together in some way in the manga (which is still ongoing). It also presents the hardwork, stress and tensions going on behind-the-scenes of the seemingly glamorous world of acting and celebrities in a pretty realistic light. The voices behind the characters carry some big name talents such as Miyano Mamoru (Sho) and Katsuyuki Konishi (Ren) as the two main male leads, everyone’s talents complimenting each other nicely.

A great anime which has the potential to hit it off with many anime fans as while it is a shoujo anime for girls, the romance is not played up and doesn’t take center stage. It is more of a coming of age show (on Kyoko’s part) and an ‘insider’s’ look into the entertainment industry in Tokyo.

[Rating: 8.5/10]

Genre: Romantic Comedy

While the movie revolves around the romantic entanglements of nine individuals, the main story is about a woman who is unlucky at finding love and ends up getting a dose of reality from an unlikely source.

The first thing that comes to mind as I search for the right words is Love Actually. Why? Because all of the nine main characters are connected to each other in some way, although I must commend that the connections were much better established than in Love Actually. I didn’t expect there to be more than one story when I heard about the movie, but I’d glad it turned out that way, because I loved the other stories much more than the main one. It was just that the ‘main girl’, Gigi, was pretty annoying. Clingy and in denial of being clingy, and at times she was a little stalkerish. But let’s not dwell on what I didn’t like~ My favourite story was of Beth and Neil. The proposal at the end was so cute, and Neil was just the perfect boyfriend… the scene at her family home was so touching! If I were Beth I think I wouldn’t mind not getting married. He was just so comitted to her and sweet, and it was one of Ben Affleck’s best performances ever~ My other favourite character was Conor, Anna was just so selfish I was so glad she didn’t end up with him or Ben, even if Ben is a jerk. It was quite disappointing because at first I was hoping he’d patch up his marriage with Janine. Janine was probably my favourite female character after Beth. She remained collected and strong after what Ben put her through (the scene with the poor construction worker was funny), and I was glad the script let her remain a single mother instead of matching her up with someone at the end. The scene where Janine shifted all of Ben’s clothes downstairs was kinda epic. You go girl! I found the movie was actually pretty realistic in depicting relationships. It was a romantic comedy yes but rather toned down for one (didn’t really exaggerate things) and was steering more towards a drama about relationships with romance intwined. The script was also very sharp and funny. Drew Barrymore had some of the best lines in the film, but it was a pity her character didn’t get enough screen time to develop. I’d be interested to see what became her meeting with Conor~ One of the best romantic films for the year I reckon~

Mei-chan no Shitsuji

[Rating: 6/10]

Genre: Shoujo, Romantic Comedy

Mei is a simple girl enjoying her life with her schoolmates and helping out with her family’s little ramen shop. But all that changes when one day, a man appears at before her and claims that she is the heir of the rich and influential Hongo family, and he is her butler! She is forced to transfer to the prestigious St. Lucia Academy where all the students are filthy rich and have their own personal butlers as well! Mayhem and adventure ensues as Mei tries to adapt to this new world most girls only dream about, and has to quickly filter her friends from her foes as someone seems determined to stop her from succeeding the Hongo line.

Predictable but still packed in enough to keep me watching. It was like watching a trainwreck, only it was funny. It was the manga and a couple of the cast members that made me decide to watch it, but alas even some wonderful actors could not save it. Not that it was terrible but it could have been so much better. Lucia (or Shiori) was one of the most annoying and detestable characters I’ve ever come across. She’s like a psychotic bitch in a wheelchair, and why is she in a wheelchair when she can stand and walk? I know she’s supposed to be somewhat weak of body, but still… And her butler, Osamu… I didn’t like him at first but in the end I was abit confused at whether to still dislike or pity him. Mei was pretty likeable for a main character but I was a little peeved that she forgave Lucia so easily! Why do shoujo heroines have to have such pure hearts of gold? Even though I prefer mercy to vengence, I’d still be somewhat peeved at someone who tried to kill me repeatedly, and Mei for a good part of the show was more or less willing to hand over the Hongo title if Lucia had just came out and told the truth! Shibata, as a friend said, was probably the sanest person in that loony bin, though I can’t seem to get into Sato Takeru despite liking his character. I found Rhito quite disappointing, although I do love Mishima Hiro’s acting, but drama Rhito was kinda pathetic, although I suppose you can’t blame the guy for being put in such a difficult position. I wish he was more confrontational though… a bit too broody I guess? (though that might not be the right word) My favourite mistress/butler pairings were Miruku/Daimon, and Izumi/Kiba (slowly becoming an Iwasa Mayuko fan), though the former in a non-romantic way, since Miruku is a kid. And I’d have loved to see a little more about the twin Hongo butlers, Sakon and Ukon. They could have potential side-story development lol.