NO WAY DOBASHI SMILED! HELP~ In all seriousness, Dobashi/Terai episode!

Minnie: Even though Hatsukoi is my main anime and I am usually consistent in blogging them, I have two of my episodes taken by my fellow bloggers. I am very grateful to them for sharing in the Hatsukoi joy with me. However, it is time I type up a blog entry for my most anticipated anime once more! Miss me guys? Even if you don’t please read my entry~

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Caught! You have been caught! >sounds like Punked<

Minnie: Ah. I believe Hyakko has finished airing and it is about time the subbers are catching up on episodes. Hyakko has the same problem as Kuroshitsuji I swear! Anyways, I might not sound too enthuiastic about this review because I am going through something right now. But by tomorrow, I should feel better. Anyways, is this the Sensei’s centric episode? I hope so.

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Ah! New character? Sort of. You'll see.

Garrick: Heh. I’m back. Forgive my (probably) lack of enthusiasm as compared to Minnie’s normal reviews, but… for various reasons that I don’t even fully know, I’ll be reviewing this episode. Whether Minnie decided to make this into a team review, or decides just to watch the episode is up to her. (more…)

Episode 6: Suzume's Ultimate Weakness!

Minnie: Great news everyone! After the last post, we are up to 100 posts now! This is post number 101! In order to celebrate this (or not), I am writing a double episode review for Hyakko. Isn’t that neat? Or is it just a coincidence that Hyakko decides to release both of its subbed episodes at once? No matter the reason, I am happy to get a dose of plotless comedy this week after all the dark stuff I’ve been watching. Yes, Skip Beat, you count as dark stuff. Haha. The episode starts off with Sensei…

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Action, Humor, Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi (robots)... what doesn's this anime have?!

Minnie: Hello one and all! I must say that even though I don’t track this anime like the rest, I’m pretty shocked to find it being subbed so slow this week. It seems like forever before this episode makes its appearance. I’ve been looking forward to this episode somewhat because of the appearance of Miss Delinquent, who seems like my type of character. Again, I have no idea if my partner will be reviewing this or not. He’s been gone for a long time… I don’t know what’s the deal with him and real life. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to review this since he likes this anime more than I. In any case, the episode starts off with a quote which really means to look past the exterior of others and appreciate them for whatever their personalities may be… cute or not…

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Suzume is... flexible...

Minnie: Hyakko is updated very fast this week! I am impressed! I should really pay more attention to dates. I want to compare update dates each week for different animes to see which ones are out faster than the others. Isn’t that fun? Or is it I have no life whatsoever? Moving on, judging from the title and the beginning, this episode is probably about food, the cafeteria, and a bit more on the other minor characters. Like I said last episode, they are very colorful characters and I enjoy meeting those female characters again. If the story revolves only the main four, I don’t think I’ll be too excited, no offense to the main four especially my love Torako. I want to see if I’m right or wrong…

Garrick: Actually, that’s a ratehr good idea. I’m wondering if there’s a trend in release time for subs. Anyhow… I don’t even know how you could ever think that the anime would be soley around the main four. With the semi-introduction of other characters in the last episode, I’d feel ripped off if they didn’t use them in the story. And I would agree, having a story based just around those four could be repetitive, but I’m sure I’d enjoy it.

Minnie: I must admit. Although Hyakko isn’t the most exciting anime I’m watching this season, it’s very cute and it delivers what it is good at- portraying the lifestyles of students on campus in an exaggerated, humorous manner. This episode up to where I watch to so far focuses on the cafeteria. After Torako decides that she must eat in the ladies’ dining room after seeing all those bentos, she manages to bring Ayu with her. Suzume just tags along. In any case, they meet Tatsuki there who again is not delighted at all at Torako. Before they order, they buy it through vouchers. I must say that is a pretty efficient method. And with that extra combo size too! If I weren’t on a diet, I would eat 1.5x the amount too. The menu is nice too. I want to go to that school. XD In the end, everyone ends up with the combo size except for Tatsuki. I’m betting anything that Suzume and Torako actually wanted the combo size and clicked the button themselves. Ayu is at the receiving ends of Torako’s tactics again. Tatsuki saves herself in time.

Garrick: Oh, I’m seeing time and time again, Haruhi Suzumiya in Torako. The way she whimsically presses the “Large Portion” button for Ayu made me laugh. But, even more Torako-like is the way she presses it for herself, yet knows she can’t finish it. The way she instinctively presses it (and everything else she does) makes her such a hilarious character. Oh, and did I mention that Ayu is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE? The wat she gets stressed out over having too much food is adorable! Of course, I know Minnie probably wouldn’t agree with me.

Minnie: The point the next scene is trying to make I believe is to show the differences among the girls in regards to food. Torako and Suzume eat like… starved children. Ayu eats in a ladylike and very cute manner. We don’t get to see Tatsuki eat but we know she prefers Western food over Japanese food (I think?). Oh, and we also learn that Ayu and Torako are average eaters while Suzume has a bottomless stomach. No surprise there. Not only do we know about their tolerance for food, we know about their figures too. Suzume and Torako look flat-chested. Ayu and Tatsuki look more full in that department. In any case, it’s ‘fat’ and Suzume wants some of that. XD I guess she didn’t think the fat Ayu was thinking about was elsewhere…

Garrick: Oh, wow. This scene made me laugh, but in a way, this type of scene is like… EVERY comedy anime. But, well, it was cute. Suzume’s awesome just the way she is.

Minnie: Art class continues with this concept of figures. I guess we get to know more about the girls’ figure as well as their artistic abilities? We are introduced to Komi or previously known as Ms. Smiles by me. She takes pictures and seems to always be smiling. Since they are one person short in the class, Komi joins Torako and Ayu. Tatsuki and Suzume are the other pair if anyone’s wondering. There’s one thing I really really like about this anime and it is the character designs. All the characters are very colorful, almost as much as their personalities. We get to see that very well right now with Bi-chan and others. The poor, cute character Ayu from this point forward, I will declare you as the… “Mikuru” of the show. Komi and Torako are totally exposing her with photos and sexy poses. A never ending torture for the cute characters… Oh and Suzume is being Suzume. Care to take a guess what pose she did?

Garrick: I. LOVE. AYUMI. As… well… torturing to her this is… I must say I enjoyed that. Although, I must say that she’d look much better with long hair. Long hair > Short hair. Always. But, yeah. That was cute. Obviously, though, Komi’s using that to sell to people.

Minnie: Yay. It’s time to switch places. Enough of Ayu already! I think all of us can agree at this point that the Torako group has totally forgotten their assignments because I mean Torako is doing sexy poses for the camera now. XD With her hair down! O_O I am ashame to say it got my attention since Torako is indeed prettier that way. And Bi-chan agrees with me since she literally jumps Torako. Yup, the camera’s flashing. What a scoop. I must admit when Bi-chan appears and sees Torako, it got a laugh out of me because she’s so bi. I’m amazed that the teacher doesn’t care and yet, Tatsuki does. Hehe. I really enjoy seeing Tatsuki taking lead. It amuses me. The scene with the two elementary school student seems pointless… as of now. It might actually mean something later on.

Garrick: Oh, look at that. My statement PROVEN. Torako with hair down >> Torako with hair tied. So much. GAH. Just thinking about it is like… WOW. And, Minnie, why would you be ashamed. It’s a huge difference, and anyone would be surprised. Just ask Andou.

Minnie: The ending is predictable in my opinion. Torako draws Tatsuki like a devil. Komi laughs about it. They both get beat up by Tatsuki later. After Ayu looks through the collection of photos on the camera, she ponders about growing her hair long. I hope everyone figure out by now that Komi is selling those photos for profit but who is this customer? Bi-chan? Oh Bi-chan! I’ll vote for you for president any day! Overall, it is a pretty entertaining episode. It has a lot of character development and the more amusing bits at the end. Even though I am not as impressed with this one as the last one, i have to give it to the creators. This is a very solid anime. It’s not fantastic, but it’s not average or terrible. It knows how to pace itself and it knows how to stick with its material. Ms. Delinquent is here next episode! I want to see her again.

Garrick: I have really only one hope for this anime. KEEP TORAKO’S HAIR DOWN!!!!! PLEASE!!! I will seriously cry if the anime starts next episode with her hair up.

Minnie’s Overall Rating for Episode: 7/10

Garrick’s Rating for Episode Four: 9/10

Minnie’s Anticipation for Next Episode: 7/10

Garrick’s Anticipation Scale: 10/10

            -Minnie and Garrick

I want one... I wonder if it can do chores too...

Minnie: Great news guys! Koala bear is back! And he has a lot of catching up to do. I guess this is the benefit of watching it the minute it comes out eh? I have 10 animes to watch- 9 of which I’m blogging and I don’t feel weigh down at all. Thank you for slow fansub groups! I hope Koala bear doesn’t read all the comments I made about him during his absence… ANYWAYS! Unlike the last episode of Hyakko in which I’m so-so on, I like this one a lot. You’ll see why.

Garrick: Yes, I am back. Go me.

Minnie: We start off the episode with our fabulous Torako who finds out from class rep Nene Andou or the nickname that’s been around the internet Bi-chan (you’ll see why) that she was made moral inspector for missing the first day of school (this is what happens when you get lost). Bi-chan is an interesting character because she’s very showy with her clothes. My first impression? Miss High and Mighty. Because of her job, Torako is forced to check school uniforms alongside Bi-chan, who is only participating so she has a higher chance of becoming student president. Even though these students who are not wearing the correct uniform should be punished, they are often only given a warning at best.

Minnie: The next scene goes through a list of female classmates who are not wearing the correct uniform. It is a pretty nice way to introduce the minor characters I say. First female student is Miss Delinquent, who scared both Torako and Bi-chan enough that they argue and even play rock-paper-sciccors to decide who will scold her. I must say out of the newbies so far, I like Miss Delinquent the most because of her actions, words, and character design. Next up include Miss Smiles, Miss Robot Girl, Miss Silent, Miss Giant, and the list continues. With each female student, Bi-chan seems to show more of her true colors. Out of all of them, the one who stands out the most is none other than Torako’s bestie Suzune, who is dressed for PE already. Bi-chan is finally discovered when Ayumi and Tatsuki arrive and she looks up Ayumi’s skirt. She admits to being bi right after, which is kind of dramatic and hilarious.

Garrick: Wow. I don’t know if I’ve laughed that hard for such a long period of time in a while. Firstly the delinquent, and the whole chain of things between Torako and Andou… Yeah. And my laughs don’t end there. Continuing on the characters, just seeing them made me laugh. Andou’s antics with the tall girl… ah, that made me laugh. And I’m not even mentioning Suzu’s gym outfit and the declaration that Andou’s bi. Because… well, it’s all the same thing. Hilarious to no end.

Minnie: OH NO! Torako and Tatsuki are confronted by a robot on their way to the infirmary! But… it’s controlled by Miss Robot Girl or Chie Suzugasaki who recently finished building or putting it together or something. There’s not much to say except that after Torako and Suzune saw it, Ayumi and Suzune come over and see it too. They all had the same reaction. XD All of them follow Miss Robot Girl to her club’s room (I guess?) where they learn that she wants to work for E-LECTRA, which also happens to be Tatsuki’s father’s company. Yeah. Tatsuki’s a daughter of a CEO. Fits doesn’t it? ^^;; After a bit of talking, Torako spots a robot head that can mimic phrases? Hm… now Torako wants to build a robot too…

Garrick: Oh, the turn this episode took. It’s awesome. They introduce robots?! And of course, it seems that they’ve also introduced another supporting character, Chie. The whole idea that Tatsuki’s the daughter of a CEO makes so much sense. They way she’s acted throughout the anime just totally supports that. And I swear, I totally called that Torako would want to make a robot too. It’s just in her character.

Minnie: The last few minutes of the episode is LMAO funny for me. The teacher is calling out attendance when suddenly he hears an odd “hear” after he asks for Torako. He confronts Torako only to find a robot wearing a wig similar to Torako’s hairstyle. You can bet how pissed off he was. The rest of the class are laughing at this, especially Bi-Chan and Miss Smiles. We get to see a short scene of Torako and who I assume is a male student on a date. Anyways, the teacher is furious and kicks the robot, causing it to explode much to Chie’s dismay. The very last scene is another day with attendance again. This time, Torako is here but… “HERE” says that voice again. Now, the one who is replaced is none other than Suzune! What a terrific end!

Garrick: There’s not much more I need to say. LMAO is understating it. As an episode on a whole… I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard. Ever.

Minnie: Unlike the last two episode, this one is LMAO funny and I am glad to see its spark back and running! There is a lot of precious Torako in this episode which makes me so happy since she’s my favorite character in this anime. I want to see more of the side characters as well because they are all so unique in their character designs and personalities thus far. In other words, colorful characters make me very happy. I am starting to look forward to this anime more thanks to this episode.

Minnie’s Overall Rating for Episode: 9/10

Garrick’s Rating for Episode Three: 9/10

Minnie’s Anticipation for Next Episode: 7/10

Garrick’s Anticipation Scale: 8/10

           -Minnie and Garrick

The four characters' meeting after their eventful first day.

Garrick: Right off the bat, I found myself laughing hard. This is exactly what I expected when I decided to watch this anime, so, that’s good. Right off the bat, Torako is being her energetic (or shall I say, crazy) self. And Tatsuki, after recieving punishment only one day earlier due to Torako’s antics, wants nothing to do with her. Torako in a very ‘Suzumiya’-esque way, ignores her comments, and continues to group the four characters together, as the “Good ‘Ol Friendly Four”. One recurring theme in this anime is how many times Torako ignores Tatsuki.

Minnie: Is it just me or are all the shots from the OP literally from the first episode? Hopefully, not all episodes have the same theme as the first one. From the first few minutes of the anime, I am reminded why I like Torako the most out of the bunch- her ignoring Tatsuki just further my love for her. It’s not that I like people like that. I just find characters with various quirks interesting and Torako is very much interesting. I know this is a nitpick detail but Torako is the only one out of the four without the outer golden jacket on. See how much she stands out from the group already? (Sorry for being a Torako fangirl; expect more of that) We are introduced to a new girl name Touma and Torako receives the same punishment as Tatsuki- being ignored. Of course, crazy Torako doesn’t take this quite well. By the way, I laugh at their group name.

Garrick: Well, as the four students begin their walk to class, they realize that club applications are due tomorrow, and they decide to spend the day trying to find a club. Tatsuki, who never wanted to be associated with Torako refuses to join a club, but every time she says so, she’s ignored by Torako. And, in the ends, she finds herself following the other three of their group around the school looking for different clubs to join.

Minnie: By the amount of times Tatsuki counts Torako ignoring her, we are able to understand her personality a lot better. But as Koala Bear says, Tatsuki doesn’t want to be in this group with Torako in the first place but she’s been grouped in anyways. I crack up at some of the clubs they have at that school. What’s the deal with the Red and Blue Magic club? Lmao. Still, there seems to be a lot of clubs to choose from. Let’s see how the gang narrows it down.

Garrick: This is where the episode starts to get really funny. Of course, Torako wants the four to join the same club… so she goes around asking who wants which club. Tatsuki? None, of course. Ayumi? Literature. Torako, however, apparently doesn’t like reading, as she ignores Ayumi (poor Ayumi) and asks Suzu. Tatsuki then takes the chance to ask Torako what she wants to do as a club activity, and as most people could guess, she prefers sports. Her first ambition is baseball.

Minnie: Ayumi, shakily and shyly, tells Torako that she wants to join the Literature Club, only to receive her first ignore sign from Torako. This is funny. We can all tell by now who has power in this group. Suzu thinks with her stomach and thinks about the cafeteria. I thought it was going to be Calligraphy for a second there. Like Koala mentioned, Tatsuki uses this opportunity to ask Torako about her opinion. Baseball! Woot for sports! I love Torako. Although at the baseball field, Ayumi is being really weak and annoying with her emotions, though I guess it’s all right since it balances the group out from 1 quiet girl and 2 talkative ones. Still, I am not a fan of Ayumi. I feel like she’s not going to do much and will stand around, looking pretty. Oh wait. I think Suzu can help out too.

Garrick: At this point, Torako’s actions remind me of Haruhi Suzumiya. Very much so. She goes around trying each and every sport possible, while coming up with some hilarious ‘motivational’ slogan. For each sport, I should say. The Koushien (Japanese High School Baseball’s championship field) for baseball, the World Cup for soccer, Madison Square Garden for Basketball, and Wimbledon for Tennis. She also happens to ‘designate’ each of their group as famous players as they move from sport to sport. What’s really hilarious, though, is that in every sport they try, Torako ALWAYS finds a way to hurt Tatsuki. Always. You’d have thought Tatsuki would have just walked away.

Minnie: LMAO! Torako’s way of provoking people… Lmao… Anyways, poor Tatsuki. That’s my overall comment: Poor Tatsuki. Still, Torako thinks she’s pretty athletic when she’s not. The other three doesn’t seem suited for sports either. Suzu should just surprise us by proving herself as the greatest athlete ever. Just saying. (Oh wait, I might have been right!) Anyways, Torako comes up with such weird names. I can’t tell if I should laugh, feel weird, or just go “That’s Torako for you”. I must admit as much as I dislike Ayume, she’s pretty useful in helping them get uniforms, equipment, and such. Another trend that Koala didn’t mention is that Torako and Suzu always team up against Tatsuki and Ayumi. I think it’s pretty symbolic since Torako is Suzu’s direct opposite and Tatsuki is Ayumi’s direct opposite. Huh.

Minnie: I have to say all in all, this group is pretty hilarious together. These four should just quite school and start a comedy show on television. Oh wait. Anyways, I can pretty much pair any of the girls up at this point except for Suzu and Ayumi… now that would be such a horrible combination. Anyways, thanks to this episode, we pretty much get a sense of all the girls’ weak and strong points. I have a feeling that of the four, if there are male love interests, it will be either Ayumi or Tatsuki first. I can’t see Torako crushing on a guy, can you? XD All in all, I love the ED like usual and enjoy the episode a lot. I hope there will be more to Ayumi and Suzu since at this point, it seems like the other two are dominating the screentime. Still, I can’t complain since Torako is my favorite character.

Garrick’s Rating of Episode Two: 9/10

Minnie’s Overall Rating of Episode: 9/10

Garrick’s Anticipation Scale: 6/10

Minnie’s Anticipation for Next Episode: 7/10

-Minnie and Garrick

She jumped from the second story?!!!

Garrick: The OP is nothing special. It’s cute, happy, sweet, just like you would guess, the tune isn’t all that catchy, but it’s not unbearable.

Minnie: I actually really really like the drum and guitar in the background for the OP “Supping Rock”. I like the instrumentals more than the voice but that’s cool. The tune itself is all right and yes, it’s very happy and cute. I don’t love it. I don’t hate it. Actually, I might sort of like it. Maybe as a karaoke version without lyrics of course.

Garrick: Yes, Minnie, you will dislike the main character. I know that. That’s just you. And I like her, and that’s me. *sigh* Anyhow, the meetings between the characters were hilarious. Even if the characters themselves weren’t all that memorable. Especially the scene in that picture I posted. I laughed at her personality, too. “FORWARD! THE ONLY WAY IS FORWARD!”

Minnie: Wow. Good job Garrick. You know me too well. For the main character, her thoughts are amusing but for her overall personality and actions on the outside, I can’t help but choose her already as my least favorite of the four. I like the way the four girls meet. It’s unique and interesting. I mean sure I don’t remember their names except for Torako, who I must say is my favorite so far because she’s hilarious and quirky. But overall, they’re not bad characters. I actually I like their facial designs a lot. A lot of animes have characters with the same face and it gets boring. This one, I like the uniqueness of the face and their different facial expressions.

Garrick: As for the first episode, it’s funny… although repetitive. Wandering around the humongous school with 4 people totally lost is hilarious. Especially what they end up doing. Ah, I laughed a lot.

Minnie: I don’t think it was that funny but I can see how unique the storyline is so far. The way they start out the first episode is quite odd, yet original. Sure, I don’t know where the hell this episode is going but at least, I know each of the four girls well enough to differentiate them thanks to the physical designs and personalities. So, unlike you who find this episode funny, I am just in awe that they came up with this kind of episode to introduce characters. The background music throughout the episode was lovely too.

Garrick: In comparison to the OP… the ED is awesome. And in a way, it doesn’t fit. It’s a happy anime, yet the ED seems almost sad…. but, that’s not bad. The art they used is… cute but okay at best.

Minnie: Our first agreement! Yay. I find the ED “Namida Namida Namida” very beautiful and enchanting. It’s a very nice way to end an episode with such a song. However, I don’t agree that the song is sad. I find it hopeful instead. Like a new, sunny day after a week of rain or something like that. The art though is like you said okay. I would have liked better art for the ending but the song itself is win.

Garrick’s Rating of Episode One: 8/10

Minnie’s Overall Rating of the Episode: 8/10

Garrick’s Anticipation Scale: 9/10

Minnie’s Anticipation of Next Episode: 6/10 (there’s not enough of a storyline to want to continue)

           -Minnie and Garrick