So this is my first review, and it is on I My Me! Strawberry Eggs.
*SPOILER ALERT*
At the beginning I was really put off by this anime, and I would be lying if I didn't say it was corny and trying very hard to be sentimental, which it did achieve to an extent. I think I would have liked it a lot more if they would have went with an innocence route and not put in the creepy fan-service. It is rather uncomfortable to see direct panty-shots and cleavage of fourteen-year-old girls.
Even so, I decided to watch it any way due to the awesome concept
...
of an ambitious male youth cross-dressing as a female to become a teacher at a sexist woman's school. (Still kinda creepy, but...)
It was interesting to see how this kid's viewed each other too. The girls had been brainwashed by the principle and vice-principle to hate men, and then the boys boycotting the school for gender-equality, because they were oppressed and forced to be the school janitors. The anime did express slight homophobia though, which I'm not happy about, but oh well.
But the corniness dropped away as the anime progressed. It was like a slap in the face when they discovered he wasn't a woman and actually Bra Man-san. I knew they would take it like they did. They assumed he was a filthy pervert. It was good they remembered him with appreciation at the very end there, though, and realized he wasn't. I actually really liked the ending. It ended appropriately and realistically. I hope him and Fuka will get together someday when she is older.
the art wasn't that good. It really could have been better, but It's easy enough to adjust to. It's just that vintage style I guess.
The voice acting was alright. I really liked how masculine the male lead's voice was. It made it funny when he used a female's voice. As for Fuka, her voice was incredibly annoying at the beginning because all the 'wahs' and 'uhs' she was making every time she stumbled made her sound like a baby, but I became used to it.
I feel like the music could have been better, but it set a certain feel for the anime so it still worked. It was really pushing towards sentimental, especially the opening. It did work well at the emotional parts, though.
As for characters, I think they could have fleshed them out more. Especially Fuka. They also didn't really touch much on the side characters. A few of them were just there.
At first I really didn't like Fukae. He was a jerk to everyone he didn't like. And I didn't get why the Karate girl fell for him. When she tried to punch him out, he overpowered her and said she'd never be able to defeat him because she was a woman. Wtf? But he really redeemed himself in episode twelve, and showed a lot of emotion. I liked him after that.
I didn't like Fuka at all at the beginning, but she grew on me. Sure she tried hard at everything, but I just didn't like how helpless and defenseless they made her. I feel like she would be the first one to die if zombie apocalypse happened. Even so, she was certainly not weak. She chose to speak up for Hibiki, in front of her entire school. It was also brave and sweet how she decided to stay in the burning building beside her unconscious teacher. That is an intense love.
As for the Hibiki, the male lead, they made him a really good person. Caring about heart over body, comfortable enough in his masculinity to cross-dress, caring about his students, protecting them, etc. And he became the most popular teacher in his school because he was so awesome. It just really made me uncomfortable how he fell for innocent fourteen-year-old Fuka(even though his mind was in an innocent place most of the time, despite the fan-service-y world around him)Though, he knew it was an inappropriate love, and didn't go for her in the end, so that's good.
And I really, really loved the land lady! Who knew she was actually a man!(?) She was a badass, and kept the two creepy perverts in line. She was so tiny, yet was probably the toughest character in the show. And she was amazing in her mecha motorcycle.
Lastly, the principle was sexist and horrible, but the vice principle was worse. I hated her pathetic obsession over exposing Hibiki as a man, and their plot to drive all the boys out of the school.
Overall, I liked this anime, and recommend it. It confronted concepts like gender and homophobia, and ended on a bitter-sweet note, It was a good anime, and so I give it a well-earned 7.
Oct 19, 2013
I My Me! Strawberry Eggs
(Anime)
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So this is my first review, and it is on I My Me! Strawberry Eggs.
*SPOILER ALERT* At the beginning I was really put off by this anime, and I would be lying if I didn't say it was corny and trying very hard to be sentimental, which it did achieve to an extent. I think I would have liked it a lot more if they would have went with an innocence route and not put in the creepy fan-service. It is rather uncomfortable to see direct panty-shots and cleavage of fourteen-year-old girls. Even so, I decided to watch it any way due to the awesome concept ... |