otome wa boku ni koishiteru 1
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Tagged: otome wa boku
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All that matters is beauty. And padding.
When I first learned of Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru, I was excited because Mariya seems to have top tier melonpan, but overall, it didn’t look like a high impact series. I figure it was at best a Strawberry Panic but more likely a Da Capo. But, after watching the first episode of Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru, I ended up enjoying it. It’s a lightweight show that you won’t confuse with Mushishi or Black Lagoon, but it does what it sets out to do… and it does it well.
Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru has a very simple premise that can only happen in anime: someone dies and wills that her grandson Mizuho “change” and attends an all-girls school. And, with help of his childhood friend, Mariya, he reluctantly accepts. It turns out that Mizuho becomes a knockout– only in anime can such a ridiculous premise occur. (America’s best attempt? Juwanna Mann. *Shudder*) Mizuho’s transformation is even more impressive than Randall’s in Pretty Face— he needed surgery.
Anyway, the first episode is about Mizuho’s first day at Seiou Academy where he ends up being worshipped as a goddess. (Between Otome wa Boku, Negima!?, and Strawberry Panic, do guys go to school in Japan at all? I’d like to see an anime about a girl who has to attend an all-boys school.) The girls at the school all quickly accept Mizuho because of her looks– yes, it’s sad when the hawtest girl in school is a guy with push-up cleavage. It’s also kind of a disturbing message… “Hey, you’re kinda weird, but it’s okay because you’re hawt!” Still, it’s definitely four kinds of fun to see all the girls fawn over Mizuho, and it’s entertaining because of Mizuho’s awkwardness… and the fact he’s extremely cute when he’s screwing up trying to act like a girl. I must be drunk or something to type out that previous sentence.
Nonetheless, the show doesn’t have a layer of pretentiousness that I sense with a few other recent shows. It doesn’t pretend to be more than what it is. It’s light. It’s fluffy. It’s simple. It’s slice-of-life devoid of conflict. And I enjoyed it.
Seiou Academy Stock Report
UP Horie Yui… for some strange reason, I was fixated with Mizuho’s voice. Thoroughly enjoyed her performance punctuated by the wonderful stuttering when Mizuho tried to use the bathroom. “Onna no ko onna no ko onna no ko onna no ko…” It’s the new “Uso da!” I notice that Horie Yui has major roles in three series this fall season– I hope she doesn’t tire herself out.
(Bonus that the OP, Love Power, is sung by a chorus of the seiyuu, Aice5, which also did Inukami‘s ED. The animation for the OP/ED, though, needs to be improved.)
UP Mariya… and you wonder why I enjoyed this episode. Mariya is the bringer of such conflict as “let’s turn Mizuho into a girl,” “let’s teach Mizuho what a girl feels like,” and “let’s spoon Mizuho in our pajamas.” Needless to say, I like her train of thought.
I always like the moe agitator-type of characters (more on this concept in a future post, maybe), and I think Mariya could potentially carry Otome wa Boku better than Siesta trying to carry Zero no Tsukaima because of Mariya’s ability to stir the pot and get others involved. Sadly, Mariya is giving out Kotori/Nayuki-type of vibes– not good. So far, she’s the most entertaining cast member, and I hope they won’t completely forget about her in the coming episodes.
(The first scene where you hear two people talking in hushed voices and the background shows imagery of lips and fireworks, I wasn’t thinking “Hey, it’s a girl crossdressing her childhood friend.”)
UP Mizuho… I don’t care anymore. Just shoot me. No way there’s a penis on this. None. I won’t accept it.
(Let me put it this way… in the last scene where everyone is spooning Mizuho, she’s wearing kinda loose clothing, but obviously turned on by Mariya’s teasing. Wouldn’t it be very obvious that Mizuho is a man at that point? And if Mariya really wanted to keep it a secret, is it really smart to try to seduce him?)
(The scene where Mizuho leaves the toilet seat up… that’s how Patty’s… or was it Selma’s… fiancee got found out that she was really a man in There’s Something About Marrying, Simpsons season 16.)
UP Kana… provides the necessary kawaii factor. The ears remind me of Chiyo-chan. The interaction with Mizuho remind me of early Shizuma and Nagisa interaction.
DOWN The evolutionary Strawberry Panic? I think not. While Strawberry Panic succeeded in branching out from the traditional harem audience (horny guys), Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteiru seems to aim straight at a traditional harem audience. It doesn’t have the same shoujo-ish feel that Strawberry Panic had, though this is only the first episode and is subject to change. Still, while Strawberry Panic 1 had Nagisa in her nightie, it’s nowhere the fanservice and moe levels of Otome wa Boku‘s pj party.
DOWN Mizuho’s introduction… didn’t I just see this exact same “uncomfortable squirm leading to silence leading to shouts of ‘kawaii!’ in Negima!?? I think it would have been funnier if the class started peppering her with questions like, “White or black?” “What are your three sizes?” and “Do you like to be rubbed with strawberries?” Okay, maybe I am drunk.
UP Next episode… while the show isn’t perfect (lapses in animation quality, ridiculous premise, lack of plot), I’m looking forward to more. What it does have going for it is that it’s simplicity: Guy trying to be a girl. Fanservice hijinks ensues. Simple. Just the way I like it.
30 Responses to “otome wa boku ni koishiteru 1”
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I just watched this episode, and thanks to those SD faces I probably won’t be sleeping very well tonight. .
There’s a completed manga where a girl attends an all-boys school: hanazakari no kimitachi e, or Hana Kimi for short. It’s a shoujo, though, as can be expected. I can’t believe it hasn’t become an anime yet, as I believe it was quite popular.
-Mizuho… I don’t care anymore. Just shoot me. No way there’s a penis on this. None. I won’t accept it.
I’d shoot you for mentioning Juwanna Mann, but I won’t even if it ruined my violence high from “The Departed.” Since this is all in the realm of pretend you could pretend that Kururu made a sex change ray gun if it will preserve what sanity you have left, or you could try hynotic suggestion and go on pretending its yuri.
I agree with most of your sentiments on simplicity and Mariya and I look forward to how much confusion this most convincing of cross dressers shall cause. As for me General Order no 12 (4 for Army and Air Force) stipulates that I am to oppose all hippies, and Mizuho had hippie hair. No amount of Horie Yui or hawtness can change that…I think.
As to why Hana Kimi hasn’t gotten the anime treatment yet, I have no idea why. However, as an armed promoter of equal rights I would support “girl in all boys school.”
Also, Mizuho’s transformation can’t be any more ridiculous than the one in Ai, Mai, Mi! Strawberry Egg.
Think there’s a drama being produced? Aired? Dropped? Taiwanese? that’s Hana-Kimi.
Unlike most series this season, this one only needs a small(er) portion of a person’s brain to understand and enjoy. Having a nice sense of moe/loli/yuri/trap-chan also helps a lot.
And yes, show a picture of Mizuho to any unsuspecting person and the first thing that they’ll say is “hawt”, not “trap” nor “guy”. (You can also try this with Watarase Jun.)
i’m afraid this might turn into a soap opera like strawberry panic 1 did, but other than that it looks promising
i had exact same train of thoughts about penis and FMF sandwich ; ;
out of the 2 cross dresser, i think i prefer凖more ~~ crossdressing by choice > crossdressing by force in my standard… we need add yubisaki milktea to the mix
>> Eleutheria Says:
Think there’s a drama being produced? Aired? Dropped? Taiwanese? that’s Hana-Kimi.
i think that’s Hana Yori Dango (Meteor Garden), not Hana Kimi
Hana Kimi has a limited male audience, it’s a reverse harem minus fanservice, all focus on emotion and character development and all that, that’s prob what keep it from animed
>>Wouldn’t it be very obvious that Mizuho is a man at that point?
Mako of Boku no Futatsu no Tsubasa fame has methods of keeping such things in check, why wouldn’t Mizuho?
Yesss! Finally someone else who appreciated the simplicity of it all, I was starting to fear I was the only one who had praise for this show.
And yea, there is no way that Mizuho is a guy, Kana leaped into “his” crotch are and remarked nothing!
Chibi was just weird though…*shudders*
Yeah!
A slice-of-life series with hilarious issues… what else do you need to enjoy it?! Ohh well, maybe a little ecchi things…
so Jace , you agree with me that it is a crime to have made him this cute
>> Mako of Boku no Futatsu no Tsubasa fame has methods of keeping such things in check, why wouldn’t Mizuho?
Mako is a hermaphrodite. Mizuho is a man. There’s a distinction.
>>>The traditional harem audience (horny guys).
So it’s true that nobody watches adult anime anymore?
Seriously, though. If I had a penny for any h-game or h-manga being heavily watered down for regular TV viewing (as oppose to just being true to itself and going all “H”-ed out), I’d rival Bill Gates.
This crap has got to stop.
Fap first worry later.
This series needs a lot more “gokigenyou” and a little less “ohayo gozaimasu”. Also, I didn’t hear a single character utter the word “oneesama” until like, past the halfway point. What kind of girls’ school is this?
That aside, this series doesn’t seem to want to create drama, at least not yet. Right now, the only thing it really does for me is puts a smile on my face, which is fine by me. WATCH.
@wp:
Not yet animated, but I’ve heard that Hana Kimi has a live action series running under a different title. Sort of like Hana Yori Dango becoming Meteor Garden.
>>Mako is a hermaphrodite. Mizuho is a man. There’s a distinction.
They both have penises and they can both keep them in check.
You forgot how Mako kept its in check. Mizuho doesn’t have that option.
Or, ya know, there’s nothing wrong with being Bisexual. Evrybody wins!!!!
Hey I just heard Mikuru’s VA in this show!
>>> Hey I just heard Mikuru’s VA in this show!
aye, 高島一å : 後藤邑å on the official website, but i have no clue who that is
i don’t think she is officially introduced in the anime yet, but one of the girls that “ahhhhh” during basket ball game sounds awfully famaliar
that’s just my guess though
It’s illegal in fourty two countries world wide to make a lead male character that feminine. I mean seriously, aside from her oversized ankles *comparitively speaking* somewhat larger stature, and sort of masculine face I wouldnt be able to tell the difference.
When the other girls in the show find themselves inevitably find themselves attracted to mizuho should we consider them lesbians or heterosexuals? Mizuho really walks along a fine line.
Mizuho apprently gets a handjob from Mariya in the game before the pajama party starts, which explains why he wasn’t exposed.
Damn you for cutting that out!!!
this is japan and any dude with a penis can be refered to kashimashi and get that matter settled though
i do have to say one thing what is he gets NRBs? lol that would be…err funny
*falls of chair laughing at the idea*
note: NRB stands for…uh…well most guys should know…if you dont the you havnt realised you get them almost every days and a the “N” stands for “no” and the “R” stands for “reason” add the “B”…well you can figure it out
I know Mizuho is a “guy” but come on. its freaking impossible. gets me turned on specially thanks to Mariya and her toying Mizuho
um u said u wanted to find an anime where a girl has to dress like a guy? well there is this one anime called Ouran High school host club but it isn’t an all boys school it is just that they first think she a guy but find out afterwards that he is a she!!! =) anyways thats all i wanted to tell u ==”
Wheee… archive diving…
> This series needs a lot more “gokigenyou†and a little less “ohayo gozaimasuâ€. Also, I didn’t hear a single character utter the word “oneesama†until like, past the halfway point. What kind of girls’ school is this?
They agree with you, apparently — cue a few eps on precisely that subject =)
wow this show sucks, DO NOT WATCH! IT’S JUST for losers who just want to see ecchi, it’s not funny it’s NOT romantic, it’s just dumb