kampfer 1
Categories: episodic review, kampfer
Tagged: kampfer
27 Comments »
More!
MORE!!!
DEAR MOTHER IN HEAVEN! MORE!!!
I DEMAND MORE!!!
*BANG*
I originally was going to wait thirteen weeks and then make my first (and only) post about Kampfer, but I decided against it. I just know if I don’t write about it, my readers will just pepper other posts and my mailbox clamoring for Kampfer. And… frankly, if my readers want genderbending magical girl nonsense, by golly, they’re getting genderbending magical girl nonsense. We went through the reign of Mio back in spring… rejoiced in Senjougahara’s abuse in summer… so get ready for non-stop Natsuru in fall. I know you’re excited.
Kampfer is basically a rich man’s Seikirei… similar high school fighting aspect… similar harem aspect… kinda similar genderbending aspect… but different in style and tone. Kampfer is more a harem romantic comedy than a ridiculous, insipid, and jargon-filled battle royale. The story follows Natsuru who receives a doll and thus is given supernatural abilities. Of course, he can only use such supernatural abilities as a girl, so the doll magically gives him the ability to switch genders. It’s like Birdy the Mighty in that regard, without the dual consciousness. Natsuru then teams up with other similar “Kampfers” and fight… for a reason as mysterious to them as The Supporter is to all the Selecao.
(Just as a note, when referring to the version of Natsuru with a johnny, I’m going to use “Natsuru-kun.” The version without a johnny, I’m going to use “Natsuru-chan.”)
I liked how Natsuru sometimes gets the same trembling look in her eyes that Mikuru gets. Though I don’t buy this series for one simple reason. There’s no way a normal, hot-blooded teenaged boy, who wakes up one day discovering that he’s turned into a hawt chix0r, would complain right off the bat. At least he should be like, “I should take a shower first before I start complaining/think of a way of turning back to a guy again.” Besides giant robots, girls falling for obvious losers, hawt bassists, magical girls, and Mesousa, this is one of the least believable anime archetypes. Of course, there’s only one anime that actually got this aspect right: Tower of Druaga. At least Jil, Melt, and Man-Ahmey had more believable reactions after they discovered that they now possess boobs (or johnnies).
(Marina Inoue as Natsuru? She nails the Natsuru-chan voice nicely, but she can’t get deep enough for the Natsuru-kun voice. And, frankly, it’s not easy topping Yuu Kobayashi in that respect.)
(Right now, I’m willing to pencil Natsuru above Mizuho-neesama and Hermione Ayasaki but behind Mariya in the “Wait, I’m so confused” pantheon. I’m just as disturbed as you are in that there’s such a pantheon.)
The beginning sequence where the crazy chix0r chases the lost but seemingly indestructible other chix0r… lifted straight from Mnemosyne. And, much like Mnemosyne, both types of sex organs are involved (but we learn sooner in this than in that).
(But I liked Horie Yui in the bipolar Akane role. She’s sweet and awkwardly shy as the waiting-to-be-unleashed sexy librarian and turns into a crazed cat-like killer the next. And you wonder why I’m writing this post. Besides the genderbending aspect that my readers so vehemently demand, and, really, haven’t had in a while. Besides the Princess Lover-class melonpan involved. Besides the over-the-top ridiculousness. Besides the fact the other shows this season are a stewing soup of mediocrity.)
(The greatest Bakemonogatari arc ever would involve some sort of genderbending oddity. I think I will close down this blog when that happens as there’s just no way we can survive the aftermath of that development.)
There’s a dusting of Superman in this story as well… in the beginning of Superman, Clark Kent always wanted Lois Lane to love him for Clark, but she loved Superman. That’s kinda like Kampfer in that Natsuru-kun wants Kaede to love him for him, but she loves Natsuru-chan instead. It’s one thing to compete against your superhuman and ultrapimp self… it’s another to compete against your… uh… feminine side? It’s not like Natsuru’s life is complicated enough.
(Megumi Nakajima voices Kaede, and I think this explains why Ranka fell for Alto-hime.)
(And, yes, this is the greatest seiyuu collection this season, outside of Queen’s Blade. The animation by Nomad isn’t spectacular, but it gets the job done… even though it could use more pinup shots of Natsuru-chan… though if you have to animate strange, twisted stuffed animals, Nomad is a great studio for that.)
Such a confusing screenshot… oh noes! Run away little girl, run away!
The familiars for all the Kampfers are these disemboweled dolls that look like they’re from the Prestige Sonozaki Collection.
I’m pretty sure all of these characters come from the Imperial Stormtrooper Sharpshooting Institute. Loved how they kept missing, even from point blank range, much like all the peons from Canaan.
(I’m enjoying those Clone War CGI episodes on Cartoon Network, and it’s shocking just how dead aim the Commandos who accompany Anakin and Obi Wan are. They’re able to hit moving targets while doing backflips… while like thirty years later, stationary, entrenched Stormtroopers in Return of the Jedi couldn’t even hit a fat Ewok. Did Palpatine cut funding for his Stormtrooper Academy? What happened?)
Didn’t we have the same scene in Princess Lover 1?
27 Responses to “kampfer 1”
Leave a Reply
yea yea we all know you love gender bending, so no need to hide it.
After all that is why you post about it so soon, any other reason is a lie.
*shakes head*
[blockquote](The greatest Bakemonogatari arc ever would involve some sort of genderbending oddity. I think I will close down this blog when that happens as there’s just no way we can survive the aftermath of that development.)[/blockquote]
Is THAT why Kanbaru wears bicycle shorts?!
Blockquote FAIL
Mako-chan’s #1 on my “Wait, I’m so confused†pantheon.
I’m just waiting to see what Jason makes of Seitokai no Ichizon’s first epsiode…
No, sorry. No amount of fan-service and gender-bending can help this awful show. I’m bailing out faster than an Enron executive.
Remember Natsuru-chan, get on the women-only trains when kampfers are near by.
Natsuru-chan should have so turned into Natsuru-kun and gotten his johnny thrusting while naked during the transformation in that last screenshot…
“Marina Inoue”
Shoulda had Rie Kugimiya for Natsuru-chan and Wakamoto for Natsuru-kun. Shit would be so cash.
I am sorely disappointed that Natsuru-chan did not spend more time EXTENSIVELY examining her new body. Then again, fictional males don’t think the same way as real life ones do…
I have to admit I’m trying some things this season cause gg’s blog was saying how horrible they are. with Inu Yasha back from the dead this should be a good season for long drawn out train wrecks.
Sorry, Kaze, Code Geass is over.
But I have to admit that my reaction to this show was that it didn’t suck nearly as much as I expected it to. The disemboweled plushies are hilarious; just the kind of stupid collectible that would become a “must have” among the less sane members of our society. Like anime fans.
Anyway, I’m in full agreement with Kaede’s tastes. And while we’re on that subject, let me be the first one to remark: No way. None. There really ISN’T a penis on this–sometimes. I’ll accept that….
Like the hair
I’m glad I’m not a woman. I’d be the single most unproductive person on the planet. I’d have a really extensive collection of toys though.
I think genderbending finally broke me when I saw a picture of Touma-kun an Mako-chan and thought “I’d hit them both”…
These older genderbenders confuse on just the sexual level…Mako-chan confuses on a total level.
And he says that I’M broken. Still, I get the impression that Natsuru-kun’s not really into girls all that much, given that he doesn’t seem to react all that well to them – or to himself after he goes girly. That, and these weird dolls look a bit like that one Assassin from Hell bunny from Hayate the Combat Butler.
Reminds me of the webcomic “Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki”, in which, yes, the first thing Yuuki does when he turns into a girl is feel himself up. (The second thing he does is lock his familiar out of the bedroom for an hour so he can spend a little “quality time” with himself….)
>>Didn’t we have the same scene in Princess Lover 1?
Except Princess Lover 1 didn’t bore me like Kampfer did.
That, and lack of Norio Wakamoto.
No post about Needless? Especially episode 13?
I’m also another one who can’t believe Natsuru didn’t take the time to examine and enjoy his new sexually confused body.
To be honest, Kampfer’s first episode felt rushed and rather cheesy… but somehow it has this strange attraction to it… Must be the genderbender…
Personally, I think it’s the cleavage.
For some reason the ED reminds me of Divergence Eve’s. Except not nearly as out of place.
I’m completely expecting Needless one of these days to tell us that Eve is originally a guy who either forgot what his original form was or just plain doens’t want to change back.
You know, I’m not sure which show I find more boring – Kampfer or Seitokai no Ichizon…
Also, while we’re on the subject of boys who turn into/look like/dress like girls, there’s a new 1/8 Jun Watarase figure out from Kotobukiya coming out…
Kukukuku, I knew the second I saw this show on the RSS feed that you could not, would not, resist blogging about it. Nevermind the fact it is almost as vapid as Ninomiya-kun.
I’m on board. I’ll probably fall off once they reveal whatever stupid reason there is for Kampfers to fight. In fact, I hope they never reveal it. Also, they should’ve had Bass for one of the weapon classes.
After all the hate thrown at this show I finally watched it and it earned a spot on my roster for fall. Mostly due to the hilariously repressed-to-the-point-of-it-spilling-out-uncontrollably Akane. Will have to see how it goes, though. I can see this easily taking a nosedive if they’re not careful.