As an anime fan, I find I tend to be loyal to the studios that create shows I love, and whenever KyoAni, Shaft or Sunrise release a new show, I’m usually there, ready to watch and blog about it here. One series I’m enjoying is Sakura Quest, a show from P.A. Works about a girl named Yoshino who leaves her rural hometown to try to get a job in Tokyo, though she’s unsuccessful at finding work…until she gets a call from a talent agency with a job offer to work for the tourism promotion board of a small town. It’s very similar to Hanasaku Iroha, being the story of a girl on a journey from Tokyo to a rural area, growing into her new career as the story progresses. One reason I like the show is that J-List’s hometown of Isesaki is similar to the town in the series: we have not one but three girls (collectively known as Miss Himawari) who promote local products and tourism along with both our yuru-chara mascots. The other reason is I like the show is, if I close my eyes I can imagine the Shirobako staff are making this anime, and I’m supporting them by watching. So if you’re a fan of P.A. Works, join me on a Sakura Quest!
One of the more specialized areas of any culture is its comedy, and learning to appreciate Japanese humor in its various forms frankly took me a few years. One of the core elements of Japanese comedy is 漫才 manzai, a formal stand-up routine that involves two men, the boke (“dull-witted”) who sets up jokes in a purposefully clumsy way, while the tsukkomi (“thrusting in with a witty comment”) reacts with verbal sharpness. This straight man/wise guy dynamic is not unique to Japan, and such famous pairings as Laurel and Hardy, Penn and Teller, the Blues Brothers and even R2-D2 and C-3P0 follow this hallowed tradition. The boke/tsukkomi dynamic shows up in anime a lot, and the best boke chara in a long time is Satanichia from Gabriel DropOut, the demon girl who’s always haughty and stuck up, and always gets smacked down by all the smarter characters (and dogs) around her. So, who is your favorite boke or tsukkomi character in anime?
Great news! Our newest “H” game is Nympho Sensei Ryoko, and it’s going to be shipping out to everyone on April 26. It’s a great game in which you play the part of Ryoko, a teacher who’s seriously concerned about her students, ah, “education.” There are tons of scenes and endings to explore. There’s still time to preorder and get 10% off! See the game here, or visit the official Nympho Sensei Ryoko website for more info!
