minami-ke, tonari no minami-san

*sniff* *sniff* Wiiiiiiiilson Yamadaaaaaaaaaa!

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We got a plethora of new characters this episode, and I’m hoping that Minami-ke doesn’t develop cast enlargement disease… but as long as we continue to get an occasional story like Chiaki and Yamada, it’s all good. I’m a big fan of simple stories, and while most anime try to pack in the most explosions or the most melonpan or the most moe, it takes something special (other than footage of Chiaki’s thighs, which I hope isn’t the reason they animated this story) to make something simple entertaining. The Yamada story is simple, shows Chiaki’s little girl side, and it had the only conclusion it could possibly have. These simple stories rarely make it into anime… there’s a great early chapter of Muteki Kanban Musume that had Miki walking around town without any dialogue, and it didn’t make it to the anime series… there’s a great chapter of Keroro where Keroro and Fuyuki take the long way home, and they pass by the family restaurant Fuyuki, Aki, Natsumi, and their dad used to eat at… okay, I’m just rambling now.

Funniest Moments

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Hadoken!

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For whatever reason, the Minami boys remind me of Nene’s brothers from Potemayo. This is not a compliment. And who wears ties at home? I can’t imagine a scenario where I’m lounging around at home, enjoying a satsuma tangerine while watching Deal or No Deal, and wearing a tie.

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I’m not a fan of Natsuki. Not at all. While Hosaka, Fujioka, and Mako-cakes have their own gimmicks, I can’t endorse a gimmick where he gets to cop feels and looks at Haruka. I just can’t thanks to petty jealousy.

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See what I mean?

(Now I know what Mion felt like when K1 gave the stuffed anime to Rena. Did that turn out well… ?)

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Kana is awesome. I was disappointed that she didn’t take a bite out of the soap… in a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is fruitbread and 10 is lesbian fanservice in microbial anime, I think soap is a generous 1.1.

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Mob Boss Haruka… egads… she does show her fangs this episode. I kinda like pissed off Haruka. She has the same terrifying smile that invoked great fear and obedience that Belldandy used to have.

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I can only imagine the inappropriate comments concerning Haruka passed out on the floor. I don’t even need to type any examples.

(Though it doesn’t seem right for Haruka to pass out like that… but Kana’s theory about Haruka being a lazy bum might not be too far off… that would be great… a sweet and gentle on the outside but tough and human and demanding Haruka on the inside.)

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Again, I can only imagine the inappropriate comments.

(I did enjoy Kana’s play-by-play description of Haruka’s messed up buttons. We should get John Madden doing a version of that as well… “I want you to take a look at this… BAM! She undoes the second button! And then look here, where I’m circling between the breasts… BAM! There goes the third! The crowd is really into this!”)

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Haruka-neesama is amazing.

(Keep in mind that Haruka is so amazing, out of all the guys who ever stopped by the Minami household, only Fujioka wasn’t swayed by her. Everyone else she has mesmerized like the sirens singing to Homer’s crew.)

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I hate you Natsuki.

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Chiaki kinda looks like one of those Slurm gnomes from Futurama.

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The funniest part of the episode, though, was the love rectangle that formed around Kana. I definitely enjoyed Mob Boss Fujioka. Most of the Minami-ke characters have a primary trait and a secondary (more hidden) trait:

Fujioka: Normal (primary)/Mob Boss (secondary)
Mako-cakes: Chiaki’s competition/Chiaki’s nemesis
Hosaka: Narcissist/Iron Chef
Chiaki: Kana’s nemesis/Innocent little girl
Haruka: Amazing/Mob Boss
Kana: Idiot/Idiot Savant

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And, finally, from last time

Calawain: Even the shirts people wear on this show are funny. Top notch.

Kana’s “I AM BOSS” T-shirt is one of the greats. But it’s still not pantheon class like Aya Hirano’s T-shirt from the Haruhi live event.

SH: at every 30 seconds or so, i had to stop and daydream about the doujinshi’s being created because of hat moment.

I’m just glad that this comment was for a Minami-ke post and not a Gundam 00 post about (H)Allelujah .

Internet Jesus: We got reverse trap sideboob, for god’s sakes. I love this series. I truly do.

I’m enjoying this series enough that I’m debating whether or not to watch the remake (I’m thinking the executives at Kyoto are watching Minami-ke going, “Dammit, we should have remade Kanon right after remaking Kanon“) because if the remake sucked, it would taint the memory of the original. Though could the remake be better? I don’t know. I just hope it’s not a Futakoi Alt-type of re-imagining where Chiaki’s a bookworm, Kana’s pregnant a la Jamie Lynn Spears, and Haruka’s a SMAP groupie.

Haesslich: Of course, the problem here is that Mako-chan’s practically begging to be dominated, the way he submits to just about anyone female, and Chiaki loves doing that to people. Poor boy’ll never, EVER get anywhere with Haruka.

Great observation. I now officially can’t wait for Black Bible: Tonari no Minami now. Wait, did I write that? I mean, I can’t wait for H20: Footprints in the Sand… yeah… that’s it…

Michelangelo: I’m figuring everyone who has watched this episode is questioning his sexual preference…

No way. Unless Haruka is an amazing trap… egads… that’s… that’s… that’s not possible… right? *cowers like Mikuru dodging baseballs*

LOL: The scene when Mako-cakes was under the kotetsu reminded me of Love Hina when Naru hid Keitaro under one and he accidentally poked her thigh (in the manga vagina) thinking it was the switch.

I was thinking about that too… that’s still probably the greatest hidden under a kotetsu moment of anime. They really should put a warning label on those things.

(Dammit, now I’m pondering yet another name change to “Kotetsu Hiding Blog.”)

Kaisos: Damn, that first image of Mako-cakes is cute…

Yep… these are my readers.

33 Responses to “minami-ke, tonari no minami-san”

  1. I disagree with Kana second trait, she might just be the most cunning of all of them! She can and has manipulated Chiaki, Haruka, and even made Makoto into Mako-cakes. For all we know she cunningly is shaping Fujioka into a mob boss that she can manipulate so she can rule the schools under his rein! or it could be a chain of thoughtlessness that just ended up like that. But i like my first theory better!

  2. Er, doesn’t that mean you agree with the second trait?

  3. other than footage of Chiaki’s thighs

    The whole time I was torn between swooning “moé…” over the cuteness overload of that scene or biting my fingernails while chanting in my head “Oh god they are turning me into a lolicon!!! xn” because of my thighhigh fetish.

  4. Speaking of shirts: Natsuki wears a shirt that says ‘baby’ this week. Hmm, I wonder what that one’s supposed to mean?

  5. I wish I were Hosaka.

  6. Hmm… Only 2 more examples, and you can get away with a “Trendspotting: Kotetsu Hiding” post….

  7. This episode can be sumarized as:
    Yamadaaaaaa!!!
    Rare expression!
    Jiiiiiiiiiiii~
    RARE EXPRESSION!
    JIIIIIIIIIII~
    OU MAI GAAD! Banchou-neesama is AMAZING!

    The casual banter between Hosaka and Natsuki, delivered by both in flat bored voices, was rather priceless as well. The increase in cast yet again was rather sudden, but as long as it serves the story as well as here… I think some shows with xbox-HUEG casts could take notes on how to use characters efficiently yet in minimalist style.

  8. (I’m pondering yet another name change to “Kotatsu Hiding Blog.”)

    Are Gurren Lagann and Potemayo not awesome enough for their banner to survive 2007? I don’t think so. Maybe we can compromise.

    (thinks of a Yoko + Nia + Darry + Simon + Kotatsu banner)
    (thinks of a Kyo + Nene + Mikan + Sunao + Kotatsu banner)

    The composition of such an image would be difficult to say the least.

  9. The scream coming from the phone just before the six minute mark…
    I’m pretty damn sure that it’s the dying scream of the marine from Doom.

  10. Ahhh, it’s not from Doom. Now it really started bothering me.
    I’m sure I’ve heard it in some game, though. Some C&C game perhaps?

  11. I’ve always thought Fujioka was a male Haruka, and was wondering when his Mob Boss side would show up. This episode it happened, accompanied by a chain of absolutely hilarious misunderstandings and rare expressions. Score another one for the boys of Minami-ke.

  12. I wasnt satisfied by Chiaki’s kicks, I wanted (to see) more.

  13. this episode was fantastic, but it showed Haruka’s ability to be easily offended, we see this a few times this episode. And Poor Kana she just kept getting the heat for everything!

    The yamada scene was brilliant.

    this was an excellent episode in which we saw different personality traits of the characters.

  14. @w: The first games that crossed my mind when I heard that scream were the UFO series. (Not sure if I get the name right…. You know, the turn-based strategy ones where you had to fight with multi-species alien invaders, study them, reverse-engineer their technologies, and ultimately wipe out their origins.)

    But anyway, I think I’ve heard that same scream from more than one game.

  15. I think some shows with xbox-HUEG casts could take notes on how to use characters efficiently yet in minimalist style.

    First shows to come in mind were School Rumble Nigakki and Nanoha Strikers, then I remembered Lucky*Star and my regrets over not having more Patricia Martin and Hiyori Tamura, introduced way too late.

  16. Any idea what the “Ï€=2h” (“pi equals nee ecchi”) gag was about?

  17. Again, this series reminds me of school rumble, a lot.
    Cast growing? check
    Romance misunderstandings? check
    Fujioka needs a goaty and sunglasses.

  18. “Everyone else she has mesmerized like the sirens singing to Homer’s crew”

    Wasn’t Homer , it was Odysseus (or Ulysses if you prefer).

    I’m Greek thats why i care :p
    but anyway! i love your blog <3

  19. In this episode: Chiaki’s eyes were all the way open.

    What If: Hosaka learned of his kouhai’s faceplant into the heavenly hills.

  20. Yamada’s story reminds me about my childhood; I always liked to kick whatever I found on the street until I couldn’t reach it anymore. Then again, next week will be Minami-ke’s finale, a really sad thing to happen.

    I still hoping for a twist on the last episode, but I guess we won’t get that.

  21. Did anyone noticed that the last Minami-ke episode is gonna be about Christmas, just like the last episode of Ichigo Mashimaro?

    Still, it’s sad to see such a great series ended so quickly. I’d like to see another 12 episodes of this, rather than take a chance with the new ‘reimagine’ series. :(

  22. Isn’t there one more episode after that? Not that Wikipedia is always accurate, but it says there are 13 episodes. The last one will be shown on the 30th of December.

    That said I find this anime quite interesting. I was able to watch it without subs and still find it very funny. I think there was only two jokes I didn’t understand without subs. The soap, only because I wasn’t sure if it was soap or not, and the first conversation between the Minami brothers. Even those moment were implied enough to make your own jokes without understanding what was being said.

  23. I’m thinking Kyoto will redo AIR when their done with Clannad. why else would the director who did Haruhi season 1 not do season 2? What’s bigger than Haruhi then the Key cash cow?

  24. There SHOULD be thirteen episodes – but I do like how they bring in Touma’s family, just to show the similarities and differences compared to our Minami clan; there’s the responsible elder brother, the somewhat idiotic middle brother, and then there’s… well, there’s Akira, who has no analog among the Minami clan.

    Well, the Chiaki/Yamada thing was cute, in the whole ‘Chiaki has more expressions than just indifference and Haruka-worship’. Although the things she picks to obsess about are just… well, they’re terribly wrong. A ROCK? Couldn’t she obsess about something like Haruka-neesan some more, or how her teachers obviously don’t have lives or something normal?

    Also, we need more Touma controlling Mako-chan. The way she handled it in Ep 10 wasn’t bad, and we needed more of that, or the OTHER Minami brothers dealing with Mako-cakes and seeing how they handled the trap. Akira and Natsuki would probably have the most useful responses, given how Natsuki is also now a Haruka-worshipper who got to see more than any other male character outside of Mako-chan… and look at what happened to HIM.

  25. Anyone else here think the series should have focused alittle more on
    good ol’ Fujioka/Shmion and the pale looking French Japanese girl whos
    name has slipped my mind?

  26. Ah, the trivialities of youth. Kicking rocks has always amused me in the past, watching Chiaki do so is no different. Well, almost. As I am nowhere near Mako-chan levels of cross-dressing…ability, my own adventures lacked the cuteness portrayed here. Which is presumably a good thing. Poor boy will have to undergo many many therapeutic check-ups in the future…

  27. Yeah!! You referenced my comment!! I knew someone else had to be thinking the same thing…

    Oh btw, my full comment name is lol_matt. I accidentally pressed “submit” because I was reading your blog while at school and freaked out when the computer lab teacher got behind me…O_o…

  28. While all of you wanted to be Natsuki I got chills down my spine when I wanted to be Yamada. There’s nothing more Bible Black than getting kicked your way to home by a loli in seifuku with a touch of thigh at the end. Maybe some peeking depending on the location of Yamada’s eyes. What other dominatrix cries when you leave after kicking you for a couple of miles? No one that’s who, no one.

  29. You know, when Haruka turned into Evil Bible Black Haruka, I almost creamed my pants.

    Hosaka is still awesome. I still question the series not putting him in every episode half naked and fondling a fish.

  30. The – Best – Minami – Ep – Ever (or should I say For – Now?)
    Just great stuff… never knew I would enjoy a series like this as much as I have.

  31. Looking pissed off is a rare expression? That’s my normal expression! I should probably go in for anger management.

  32. loving Haruka punching Kana , we can see how Chiaki learned to do that.
    Kana needs more beating !

  33. Finally, a Pimsleur lesson showed up:
    tsumaranaimono desu n’ ga, douzo…
    I had wondered whether this phrase ever gets used (a boring thing?).
    I loved that gift of soap bars (though, mightn’t they be expensive scented ones?)

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