minami-ke ~okawari~, the more you chew it, the sweeter it becomes
Categories: anime, episodic review, minami-ke
Tagged: minami-ke
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“You’ll make a great bride someday.”
rob () wrote:
Hi Jason,
We have your wife.IP: XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
Referrer: http://blogsuki.com/e-mail/
Post over. That’s the perfect storm of comedy considering the subject matter, the recent history, the blog, the audience, and the writer. It just can’t be topped. There’s comedy, and then there’s comedy. This was comedy. Amazingly, it didn’t come from the same person as before.
As great as that e-mail was, it wasn’t the only one in that vein. Here’s another:
Haesslich () wrote:
Jason:We have your meido, and are holding them for safekeeping. Pictures are at the
links below.If you wish to get your meido back, post about Minami-ke Okawari 7 pronto. Mako-chan’s fate hangs in the balance. As you can see, he’s scared and wants help as soon as he can get it. It’s all up to you, now.
IP: XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
Referrer: http://blogsuki.com/e-mail/
Nothing to add. NOTHING.
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Maybe just a “Well, at least he’s not wearing thigh high stockings.”
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OTL.
Funniest Moments
Greatest moment of episode and greatest comedic moment of the season. Nothing tops the image of Uchida in the background as Kana imposes her will on Mako-cakes. Nothing. There’s nothing for me to add. Nothing. NOTHING.
(First greatest overall moment has to be Haruka unleashing her flotation devices. The second, I’m guess, is coming next episode.)
The animation quality of this episode was also comical. Comically bad. The shape of the faces and amount of detail just were not constant the whole episode. It’s like they scrambled to get it done. This scene was pretty much the worst… Haruka’s quality face was just… horrible. I was just glad that they were only making chocolate and not cole slaw.
Other scenes like this one looked just fine, which made the quality faces even more noticeable. Maybe the animation crew went on a collective drinking binge after seeing that the script called for French Meido Mako-cakes. I can’t even type that without a combination of horrors and comedy entering my mind.
The second funniest moment of the episode was everyone pestering Mako-cakes about who he is giving his chocolate to. Nevermind that Uchida is having a near breakdown, the fact he tossed out his own name… well… let’s just say that Celestial Being, True Tears, Garderobe, Angel Mort Cafe, The New York Knickerbockers, Tristain Academy of Magic, and Onimaru Ramen have all submitted sealed bids for Mako-cakes to join their ranks.
Third has to be Kana getting her just desserts. Drumroll, please! Okay… maybe not… OTL.
Haruka with a knife? She’s more moe with a knife, even if she’s stabbing my thigh while I’m screaming in agony.
Oh, another reader sent this image in. Very apt and so true. Too bad his e-mail got derailed in my inbox by rob and Haes.
But Hosaka is awesome. I’m definitely cheering for him to bag Haruka, if only for the h-OVA that’ll follow. Hopefully, it’ll be a cross between the Kim Kardashian sex videos and Emeril Lagasse Live. “I want you to see this… BAM!!!”
See, Belldandy would have made the chocolate from scratch instead of melting chocolate like a fondue. I think in terms of the funniest Valentine’s Day episodes, I still like the chocolate competition between Hayate and Maria… especially when Maria OTL’s after realizing that Hayate’s a better woman than she is. I also like the Mahoromatic one where Suguru gets chocolate from everyone, and everyone glares at him to see whose he’d eat first (hint: not Mahoro’s!). I thought the way he had handled that situation was great. Little did he know six years later, the whole shtick would be ripped off by Tomoya.
(Mahoro made me hungry for shao long bao. If only Kotomi-chan could do the same.)
“Malachai! He wants you too, Malachai! He wants you too!”
Greatest cockblock ever. Only the complete opposite. I’m beginning to think that Fujioka is perfect for Kana as well. He’s like a welcome mat crossed with a puppy. He’s perfect for Kana. Then I realized that it would be the Spice and Wolf equivalent for Simon and Yoko and went OTL.
Of course, for Chiaki, it’s Haruka or bust. I don’t even know what to call a little sister forcing herself on the older sister. And this coming from someone who has no qualms typing “symmetrical twin selfcest.”
And from last time…
Internet Jesus: Chiaki totally wants to bone Fuyuki.
No, see the above item.
Sixten: Chiaki x Fuyuki is going to “happen†before Kana x Fujioka or Haruka x Hosaka. And I want to see it.
Normally, I’d toss that in the “Yep… these are my readers” bin, but I think it’s more fitting for “No, see the above item.” I wonder if at night Chiaki goes to Haruka’s room and watches over her, but I think it would be fantastic if Hosaka actually started dating Haruka just to see if Chiaki would pick the Jealous Half-Sister route, the Chef Girl route, or the Crazy Chicken Girl route for her counterattack. Though I might have to change their meme to “Door #1,” “Door #2,” and “Door #3.” Let’s make a deal!
Syaoran Li: We need more broken characters on Minami-ke, but I can’t think of anyone who isn’t already broken by the Minami family.
The amazing thing isn’t that Kana and company are breaking the other characters, it’s that they’re slowly breaking their viewing audience as well. It’s inexplicable.
sh: I admit I envy anyone who gets to be the meat in a minami sandwich, but dammit at least make a “just as planned†face like anyone else would have!
I could care less what face he made afterwards because I was too busy making the…
… “Kurose” Yoshida face.
(I just keep asking for a whole Shana-tan season much like Mini-Goddess or Fumoffu. It would honestly just be the most awesome thing since Shana inspired a whole new meaning for melonpan.)
Val: I can only imagine what would have happened if it was Hosaka that was invited instead. I can see him thinking about sneaking into the covers with Haruka but then gets stuck inside one of his trademark “Hosaka Fantasiesâ€.
A lot of people have been complaining about the lack of Hosaka fantasies, and I can’t agree more. Hosaka fantasies give the show a much needed change-up. It’s like a pitcher who had four pitches but now only throws two. Just not as effective. Haruka is amazing is a fastball. Hosaka fantasies is the change-up. Mako-cakes would definitely be a slider. And, of course, Hayami and her juice is the spitball.
(Yes, I’m slowly working in more baseball references as spring training starts. Be ready! Who’d ever thunk that ESPN would be required reading to understand an anime blog?)
Then again, Haruka really does resemble a mom with little kids. Hosaka and his fantasies might be the most rational things in the whole series. I can’t call him an idiot savant… maybe a shirtless savant?
(The funny thing about this post was right after I hit “Publish,” the MySQL process on the webserver crashed. The Minami’s have broken their fellow cast members, their viewing audience, and my webserver. That’s a trifecta.)
paparaharaha: My theory is that Fuyuki was being so reserved because he secretly wants to make sweet love to Chiaki. But then again, who doesnt?
Yep… these are my readers.
39 Responses to “minami-ke ~okawari~, the more you chew it, the sweeter it becomes”
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Somehow even with the lack of fantasies, these eps are just getting better and better, alot of which are beating out some of the first season eps. I’m glad this ep made up for the last one which i found to be less entertaining than…. approx 90% of the eps thus far, and I’m counting both seasons.
I’m having trouble deciding if Uchida is trying *desperately* not to burst out laughing, burst into tears, or if she’s trying to keep her head from exploding. Poor girl. :)
I wonder where Kana got a french maid outfit in just Mako-chan’s size….hmmmmm….
(Also? You KNOW Mako-chan kept that outfit.)
I wonder how Hosaka mixed up Valentine’s Day and White Day…isn’t White Day in march?
Also…am, um….am I the only one who’s ended up wishing they looked more girly so they could dress up like Mako-chan?
The supreme irony of this episode, of course, is the fact that, erm, Mako-chan is outdoing the girls in terms of, well, girliness. He’s so broken, yet he doesn’t even realize it yet; it’s like watching a pig happily wallowing in the mud.
See, the first thing I thought of was “You’re doing it wrong — the chocolate should never touch the bottom of the bowl!”
The I realised it was 3am, and I was watching meido-Mako-cakes — with lots of interest. OTL
(also the dive in animation quality better not not be a sign of things to come…)
“the more you chew it, the sweater it becomes” – Is this the latest fad in Japan? Chewing gum that turns into clothing? Or maybe its a typo of “sweatier”…
And this episode has set the bar now, Mako-chan has to have a different costume each episode. My vote goes for the nurse outfit.
Weirdest part was that after i saw: “next time: fanservice” and i could not remember what the episode was about because i had a 10 minute dream sequence involving flotation devices.
O and before i forget, my vote goes to mako-cakes in a bikini!
That baseball reference is obviously for Joba Chamberlain. He only pitches two pitches when he’s in the bullpen, and that’s where he’s starting this season. About halfway through, they’re going to throw him in the starting rotation (if the bullpen thing doesn’t pan out) and he’ll be forced to use all 4 of his pitches.
Minami-ke is probably doing the same thing. About midway through the season, BAM! If ratings aren’t quite up to snuff, they’ll whip out the Hosaka fantasies like a shuuto in the 8th inning.
Damn, I am glad I watched Ookiku Furikabutte so I could whip out a shuuto reference. It only took me like 4 months to find an opportunity to use it.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention Kana’s insatiable hunger for sweets. Seriously, I’m amazed how she keeps her waistline.
Also, Mako-cakes seems to have broken 90% of your readers.
Mako-Cakes can total report to the Nationals or the Orioles just to kick-start that franchise Hell even Kana can coach them to at least the second round. With her crazy schemes and horrible academics she was made for the Job!!!
Does Uchida’s weeping on the floor while the others pester Mako-chan for her man’s name qualify for “orz” status?
And I would submit a Kana scheme as the knuckleball.
Also, whoever put this together distilled the Minami sisters’ personalities perfectly. Kana’s having a blast; Haruka’s a little embarrassed but still having fun, and Chiaki’s wondering how she got talked into another of Kana’s schemes.
Is that Shion in the first blacked-out faces image? Certainly looks like her.
While the comedy in Okawari has risen to the original’s level (bar glorious ep 13), its the animation and black faces that truly keep the original on top.
Also, Uchida is past broken and on her way to becoming a nun.
You know what. Screw it. No friggin’ way there is a penis on that. Screw it all. Screw the underageness. Screw the fact its anime. I want Mako-cakes almost as much as I want Haruka, and I want Haruka almost as I secretly desire Hosaka.
“Miami-ke, we don’t just break our cast members, we break our viewers.”
>>“Miami-ke, we don’t just break our cast members, we break our viewers.â€
Miami-ke? What’s that, a spin-off set in Florida?
You know, that doesn’t sound like half a bad idea….
Mako-chan, a character more tragic than Oedipus. Far more tragic than Antigone. Even more tragic than Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo, Juliet and Shinji Ikari.
In 2108 a winning essay for the Nobel Prize in literature will be titled: The new concept of the tragic hero in the 21st century. Mako-chan and the problems of transsexualism.
I still say Chiaki wants to secretly jump Fuyuki’s bones.
Uchida wins in this episode, though. It took a lot of willpower not to burst out laughing at Makoto.
Also winning is Hosaka. That is one glorious, yet still manly cake.
Ehhhh… actually, Mako-cakes HAS looked a tad better. Yes, blasphemy, I know; but only a concerned Mako-fan would be strict as such. :3
Jason:
As agreed, we are releasing the meido and he should find his way back to you shortly. Unlike Rob, we do not pretend to hold him hostage… nor do we suggest that you’re married to a trap. However, you will be billed extra for the therapy bills accrued by one of our people, after having to take Mako-chan out to shop for more cosplay outfits, including some from the Fumoffu series. In the future, please make sure to buy him the damned outfits yourself and avoid letting him buy frilly socks – they just look wrong.
PS: Haruka in a swimsuit is AMAZINg – she doesn’t bounce overmuch either.
Myssa Rei: The thing is that he protests about his being ‘forced’ into being a girl way, way too much – as witnessed a few episodes ago when he dressed up more ‘girly’ than even Yoshino… and then talked about using the reward money Kana promised to get a dress he had his eye on.
And I don’t think Uchida will become a nun – the way she helped break Mako-chan, and the way she helped enable his descent into transgenderdom… I think either she or Touma will become Mako-chan’s husband.
PPS: We are sending Mako-chan back with the thigh-high socks he requested, along with a pair of black pumps and a feather duster. We’ll be sending you the card of the therapist that we’re billing you for, since we think you’ll need it.
You know what I love about this show is how the breaking of people can be initiated 3 scenes before by just a single line.
For example: “Fujioka’s Valentines day was hell” can be traced all the way back to Kana eatting all the chocolate then ordering Toady #4 (Touma) to buy more. Touma runs into Fujioka and drops the small thought not even meaning to and Fujioka snaps like a brittle twig. Next he spends the ENTIRE day misunderstanding what the heck is going on. and in the end when Kana DOES end up giving him some of her leftovers he thinks its the greatest thing ever… noone seemed to care (or realize) that Kana started that mess… AND THATS JUST ONE EXAMPLE! IT’S ALL BEEN DONE BEFORE! I love this show because of subtle threads of plot like that! Someone can just say something… anything… and it snowballs into somones tourture.
Half of the time I couldn’t tell if Uchida was crying or laughing at Mako-cakes. Maybe a mix of both. Also, it looks like them Fujioka being changed into a pretty boy actually worked out for this episode.
Val: I’m betting on ‘laughing till the tears flowed’, or at least trying not to choke to death on her giggles. I mean, Kana may be Mako-chan’s father, but Uchida’s definitely the mother who enabled Mako-chan, then pushed him on to greater glory. And, each step of the way , she’s been a willing co-conspirator.
I’m just surprised she didn’t run out the door and start cackling like a hyena, myself. Touma and Mako-chan sure as hell had to run after Kana was done with both of them.
I think we need an official name for kana’s inverse cock blocking, maybe it should be called a wadge block?
so…is kidnapped-trap meido a new moe mode?
Mako-cakes is delicious, therefore people must eat him?
Of course Chiaki wants to get it on with Fuyuki. Fuyuki is basically a repressed, nerdy looking male Haruka.
I think Makoto should have given his chocolate to Touma. At school. In Mako-cakes form. “I am a man” indeed.
Mako-cakes is ruined for marriage.
I think Uchida has realised that this has gone far, far, FAR beyond a joke.
I started to get excited when Hosaka finally showed up… you can interpret that however you want.
Dop: Yes. I’m just worried she’s starting to like Mako-chan a bit too much, given how she replied to Kana’s question about how Touma and Mako-chan looked in their respective outfits (‘I’d regret meeting her, in a good way’ for Touma in Mako-chan’s male outfit, versus ‘I’d regret meeting her, in a bad way’ when talking about Mako-chan in Uchida’s).
Val: We’ll interpret it in the most mistaken, shirt-ripping way possible.
JohnG: Nah. It’s better he gives it to Uchida, in school, in Mako-chan mode.
Does anyone else find tha half blacked-out faces this episode even creepier?
My predictions for the rest of the series:
Mako going crazy and giving himself a DIY sex change with Haruka’s meat cleaver…..
Hosaka kidnapping Haruka and force feeding her his creations…..
Uchida and Touma getting together…
Fuykui revealing he is a evil supergenius bent on world conquest (by capturing spacecraft using rockets launched from a volcano)…
Andy
Swimsuit ep just came out. Looking to see how our traps cope with the pool.
Jason, if you’re reading this, Mako-chan strips… in public.
Would you call Yoshino broken? She seems pretty balanced, kinda ignorant to everything but… you know…
I wonder where the hell they got the maid uniform, I mean; as much as I like watching a trap who hasn’t finished puberty yet run around in a maids outfit, it’s a bit unsettling to know that the Minami house has that kind of stuff in it, more than that, it’s Mako’s size…
Of course I should stop thinking about such unimportant things, what’s important here is that Mako-chan is lacking the 5-years later harem anime spin-off he or she sorely needs.
I fear Kana knows some WEIRD cosplay shops, or else has a minion who can do custom sewing. And you KNOW Mako-chan ran home after presenting Uchida with the chocolates in that.
And are you imagining a poor man’s version of OtoBoku or a reverse Ouran situation?
Will Makoto be Makoto or Mako-chan for his harem show? Will the girls dress like boys or just Touma? Is he still going to be chasing Haruka or will Kana or Chiaki step into the Onee-san role? Or is Kana the genki girl and Chiaki the ice queen? Maybe have Fuyuki/Fujioka/Hosaka as a love rival depending on who he picks? Damn, I almost want to watch the hypothetical Makoto harem more than Minami-ke now. Maybe we can see one of the girls whip out a nice childhood promise or the appearance of a previously unknown childhood friend who is subsequently broken by the Minamis.
It seems like a little push is all that’s needed for Makoto to fully break, and I’m not sure if I’d be very pleased or very disturbed. :/
Oddly, the thought that struck me the most while watching this episode was how weird it was to see Hosaka fully clothed. Very, very weird. Also, I’m surprised Haruka wasn’t dogged by a pack of chocolate-hungry males. I know I’d be there.
…
Well, as of Gundam 00 Episode 25, Celestial Being has placed ads in various locations soliciting possible Gundam pilots. Mako-chan’s a natural fit for Nadleeh, more so than Tieria…