minami-ke, birth of mako-chan
Categories: anime, episodic review, minami-ke
Tagged: minami-ke
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I love you Mako-cakes.
I lost many calories laughing to this episode. It was great. We got the right combination of fanservice, violence, jealously, craziness, ridiculousness, and comedy for a traptastic episode. The Minami-ke poll that is currently running is a nice dichotomy of Derailed by Darry’s readership. You could say that the major, at least for this blog, camps of preference are the Haruka, the Chiaki, and Kana. With this episode, I should have tossed in Mako-chan, as the accidental trap as in “Wait, wha– WHA?!?” Of course, there’s intermingling and divided loyalties, but the basics are the same: the benevolent melonpan, the DFC, and the crazy psychopath. Looking back on some of this blog’s favorite characters, they all pretty much fit into those categories. And looking back on some of my denials, yeah, Minami-ke hits this blog’s demographic nicely. So which camp are you in? Or is it too hard to decide? Or do I need to add the Mako-chan option?
(Definitely no surprise to me that Haruka is currently leading with Kana and Chiaki closely trailing. The melonpan contingent has always been strong, as have the crazies. And for whatever reason, the DFC crowd has been growing.)
(I think for my next thin slicing post, I’ll start using the “Minami Meter” and judge shows based on the Haruka, Kana, and Chiaki content on a series. For example, Higurashi would rate highly on all three meters. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be a great series, just it will be watchable for whatever reason for this core audience. On the flip side, Mushi Uta would be ranked low on all three meters. It doesn’t have the same appeal.)
Also, here’s the declaration of war from the second Minami-ke series, Minami-ke ~Okawari~. From what I understand, it is a remake/re-envisioning of this first series. Having them so close, it’s making Kyoto look like slowpoke.jpg for waiting four– gasp!– years for Kanon. Can someone explain to me why the hair/eye colors are different now?
Funniest Moments
If you were a guy (I’m guessing that encompasses 95% of this blog’s audience), would you crossdress to see Haruka strip and fondle your man boobs in a department store changing room? Do I need to make this a separate poll?
(There are times like right now when I question myself, “Wait, why am I still writing this blog? Don’t I have more productive hobbies like curing cancer, tutoring under-represented minorities, developing sustainable fusion, negotiating peace in the Middle East, digging the financial industry out of subprime mess, helping Chris Hansen with this TV show, or managing my fantasy NBA team?” I probably do, but I don’t have the motivation… and I really, really should trade Gilbert Arenas…)
The blaxploitation music playing during the bra shopping scene… did not expect that. Just did not.
Feeling is mutual, Chiaki… feeling is mutual… according to the poll right now, I think a solid 40% of the readship would jump at the chance to be alone in a changing room with Haruka without a shirt on…
Haruka-neesama is amazing. So amazing that sparkles fall from she stands. She’s like the Minami Jesus.
Haruka-neesama is amazing. So amazing that Mako-chan was willing to go trap for her. I don’t blame him. And I don’t blame anyone for trying this to get epic Haruka fanservice.
(Gotta love how she casually strips. When she said that she doesn’t know what “funny things” were a few episodes back, that meant “Clinton Portis takes stripping very seriously.”? Because she obviously would be a tier one on Clinton Portis’ ranking system.)
Kana-neesama is amazing. Amazingly awesome. I can’t believe Kana is the mastermind behind Mako-chan. While it’s definitely fueled by her desire to make Chiaki’s existence a more miserable one, it was a genius plan that led to Haruka fanservice, Haruka potentially getting caught with a shouta, and the birth of a new Mizuho-neesama. A willing one at that!
(Seeing Kana pull this off… I can’t think of a sports equivalent. The closest we can come is if the Knicks win the NBA championship with Starbury as MVP this season after truck party and Isiah and Starbury fistacuffs on the company plane.)
Poor Kana… she didn’t get the same reaction Haruka got. That must be a tier on the amazing scale. If you manage to get a shouta crossdressing, that’s pretty much the pinnacle of amazing.
Enjoyed Chiaki’s radar mode. If Kana’s 100% and is the top bar, can you think of another anime character who would rank in the 90-100% range? I’d say Lulu, the entire cast of Koi Koi 7, K1 Maebara, Anty, and the writers of Dragonaut. I’m probably leaving out like 1,000,000 more.
He’s picking on a little girl! I think Uchida should be upgraded form 50% to 90% on Chiaki’s radar… I mean… after being tossed down on the mat twice by Makoto and catching Makoto shopping for women’s clothes, she should have been like Nene blackmailing Mudo into becoming her slave in Potemayo. Probably not a coincidence, but didn’t Mudo enjoy crossdressing as well? At some point, might be easier just to list anime characters who aren’t a 90+% on Chiaki’s radar.
And, finally, from the last amazing episode…
Kaisos: >>“Boobies. Are. Good.â€
That should be the official slogan of every anime blog.
Ah! A Haruka fan! Though some would beg to differ. Though I find it funny that this slogan is proposed on a blog whose name is derived from a DFC.
Paparaharaha: Am I the only one who think Chiaki is by far the hottest girl in this episode? Followed by Chiaki’s friend in the pink swimsuit, then Chiaki’s friend in the green swimsuit, then Kana, then Maki. Haruka barely registers on the radar. Anyway, this episode was great. Cant decide which sister is my favorite though, hard picking between Chiaki’s great body and Kana’s entertaining personality.
A Chiaki fan! See, Minami-ke hits Derailed by Darry’s target audience right on the spot. (But if you were gunning for YTAMR with that one, you need to bring it stronger.)
Haesslich: Ah, I can see why sensei’s in lust with Haruka-oneesama. Belldandy’s personality combined with Mikuru’s body = win.
Belldandy is no slouch. I think Haruka is closer to Belldandy proportions than Mikuru ones… Haruka fills out her school uniform while Mikuru threatens to dissolve each and every cotton fiber. I’m not too hot on a Haruka/Belldandy comparison… Bell is kinda oblivious to happenings around her while Haruka is very good at defusing situations around her. She managed to get out of writing down an explanation for “funny things” that would have made Jimmy Carter proud. I got thinking that Haruka is more like Yakumo, but then it dawned on me: she’s more like the beautiful meido Maria, right down her Maria’s soft side for trap Hayate.
(Must resist urge to photoshop the Superman “S”…)
sixten: But never fear, one of the boys will be back next episode – with the trap potential of the unfinished second Death Star orbiting the forest moon of Endor with the Emperor on board personally overseeing the final stages of its construction.
An episode about a trap, and I didn’t even break out the “I don’t care anymore. Just shoot me. No way there’s a penis on this. None. I won’t accept it.” line. I feel like I’m slipping, or it’s because Haruka was so amazing this episode that everything else is just pancakes.
Taltos: And I want a Chiaki Rain Charm…now. Despite living in the area of California where it nearly never rains. Bah, protection never hurts. Especially a cute one.
Are you sure you just don’t want a cute loli tied up in your room?
eviltrain: Referring to your last screencap… it occurs to me suddenly that I worship the same thing as 11 year old girls. This is either strangely disturbing or super moe.
Yep… these are my readers.
(11 year old girls AND 11 year old boys. Does that make you feel any better?)
22 Responses to “minami-ke, birth of mako-chan”
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extrapolating on the minami meter, it fits perfectly with ams… bell, urd, skuld……. hmmmmmmmmmmm.
This episode makes Minami-ke my favorite show of this season. :D
I hate your spam protection, I’ve re-written this 3 times.
Now I’m feeling uninspired. I’ll sum up my previous two posts. Why has nobody mentioned the 24 references? Mako-chan is awesome, I’m surprised he wasn’t given away by Haruka’s “killer techniques” as a boy his age would undoubtedly have more than just a red face after that and he was wearing a skirt. I had to give my vote to Chiaki though, the teruterubozu is a stunt that’s only been surpassed by imoutoinabag. I think this is definitely closer to being the next Azumanga Daioh than Lucky Star was.
I’ve always thought that if Minami-ke were to solely feature the sisters, without Kana the show would pretty much end up the same as the Aria eps featuring only Akari and Alice: boring as hell.
Gotta love how the Chiaki Terminator doesn’t recognize his enemy. Mako chan sure is even a better side character than Itsuki. And he is not a homo side character. He is not! I think I’m in love.
KyoAni remakes Minami-ke
http://akibakko.net/149083
Just as planned.
“If you were a guy (I’m guessing that encompasses 95% of this blog’s audience), would you crossdress to see Haruka strip and fondle your man boobs in a department store changing room? Do I need to make this a separate poll?”
Do you even need to ask?
“…helping Chris Hansen with this TV show…”
Might want to rethink that one. You’d be potentially losing, uh…29% of your audience.
And breaking down the Minami-meter looks to be fun. Let’s analyze.
Haruka: Melonpan + Yamato Nadeshiko + Subtle Manipulation
Kana: Crazy + Genki + No Modesty
Chiaki: DFC + Global Tsun/Laser-Guided Dere + Evil Genius
Let’s compare A!MS’s Norn-ke. Most the bases are covered in some way or another, but not in the same way. Belldandy certainly has the Yamato Nadeshiko qualities of Haruka-neesama (and then some), but as noted, she’s a bit imperceptive at times, and she’s not really the melonpan center of the series (but she’s “no slouch”).
Urd-sama is the melonpan center of the series (and then some), and misses out slightly in the Crazy and Evil Genius departments, but has a lock on the No Modesty (at least among regular characters).
Skuld-chan is the token DFC, and the Crazy, and the Evil Genius, and the GT/L-GD (complete with fixation on the YamaNade nee-san), so yeah, she’s pretty much a crazy Chiaki. Of course, if you factor in All-Woman Skuld, she pretty much covers all the bases, all by herself. Very impressive.
And just for good measure, we’ve got a massive, fanservice-friendly supporting cast, ready and eager to fill what’s missing (and, uh…then some). Megumi is the Genki, and between Chihiro and Peorth, whatever kind of manipulation you fancy is more than covered.
TRAP YOURSELF TO COPE A FEEL.
If life was so easy as to get the trap-on whenever I feel like getting some fan-service or fondling.
If this was Chris Hansen who would they arrest:
None: both are minors.
Mako-chan: he not only tricked Haruka, he actually got the trap-on to do it and enjoyed. Double sin according to Jerry Falwell and triple that according to Lifetime TV since all men are beast no matter the age.
Haruka: for not saying “You got the bra let’s go for matching panties.”
Both: I got no good explanation.
I’m fascinated by the fact that I got the 24 references only because I saw the 24 references in Lucky Star – I’ve never actually seen 24. I’m watching American TV through the filter of Japanese TV despite living in America – something is wrong here.
I’m going to have to rewatch my DVDs of Azumanga Daioh and Strawberry Marshmallow just to keep myself from becoming unreasonable and declaring “All comedy animes are lame next to Minami-ke”. And even after the rewatch I’m still expecting Minami-ke to score higher than Marshmallow and on par with Azumanga.
What makes Minami-ke so good? Sure, the sisters are amazing, but nobody can deny the awesomeness of the Marshmallow and Azumanga girls either. I’ll say it again: it’s the boys. Without the boys, there would be no one to fall in love with Kana and be misunderstood. There would be no father figure for Chiaki to snuggle up with. There would be no one to have My Wife delusions about Haruka. There would be no one to fill Kana with suspicion or Chiaki with jealousy. And there would be no trap. You couldn’t get the same result with an all-girl cast.
Marshmallow had only one boy in the cast with a name: Sasazuka. Doumu has taken the boys of Minami-ke and made far better use of them than they did with Sasazuka. And wasn’t Sasazuka hilarious even with his limited screentime?
On an unrelated note, maybe the increase of the DFC-loving readership of Derailed might have to do with Lolitron going on indefinite leave following abq’s blowing a loli fuse. The sad readers of Lolitron looked for a funny, well-written, regularly updated, and lolicon-friendly blog, and there is no better blog with those qualifications than Derailed.
~Okawari~ I won’t believe it, but I’ll accept it anyway. Great episode!
….and yes, you probably should start helping Mr. Hansen (I think the success rate would increase two-fold)… ^^
This episode was the best so far, couldnt help laughing half the episode. Nothing is perfect though, as I hate Makoto for denying me a Uchida pantyshot… Twice! Still, great episode and I hope they countinue with Mako-chan unexposed (as in caught by Chiaki or Haruka) for more episodes.
An episode about a trap, and I didn’t even break out the “I don’t care anymore. Just shoot me. No way there’s a penis on this. None. I won’t accept it.†line. I feel like I’m slipping, or it’s because Haruka was so amazing this episode that everything else is just pancakes.
Well, as great as Mako-chan looks, he’s just not up in the ranks against the likes of Mizuho-neesama. See, Mako-chan PASSES as a girl, but he does not EXCEL as one.
It was a tough pick between Haruka-neesan and Chiaki, but the loli won out on strength of character, wierd moe and “Don’t worship me!”
DFC didn’t come into it, and I think you’ll find the same is true for a lot of those 29% of votes. I’ve heard her called “mean-spirited” but Chiaki’s mix of cynic and naivety is just fun to watch.
More like if Jerome James suddenly shows up fit and starts putting up 20 and 10 every night with 2 bpg and strong man-to-man defense.
The backround music really made the scenes. Especially the Chiaki Radar
and Mako-chan reverse trap scene(s).
Porn funk AND Terminator scan remix in my Bible Blac-ke?!
Awesome, pure awesome….but how come Wong didnt notice the Terminator BGM o_o;
Haruka’s closer to Belldandy than Maria though – she lacks the latter’s tendency towards violence, something that got seriously toned down in the anime. She possesses the same quality of gentleness, one who’s a little oblivious to some situations even as she handles the overadoring/possessive little sister well. She’s warm, she’s kind, she’s perfect, and sweet.
Mmm… Haruka-neesama.
Sixten’s right, the boys are utilised very well. loved Mako-chan’s confident declarations that he’s too manly to successfully cross-dress (and then successfully cross-undress).
The melonpan contingent has always been strong, as have the crazies.
Way to categorise the readership.
Mako-chan needs to work on “her” language … even dear, clueless Haruka will eventually figure it out if he keeps on with the “ore” and so on.
I’m not sure about that “second season.” What’s with the color changes? They look like player 2 versions…
Episode seven is made of win!
“Mako-chan is so cute….” somebody has to said it right?
About the language… Didn’t Ayu use “boku”? Doesn’t that make it or her normal or oh SHI-. Forget it.