Shoujo-Ai Appreciation and Discussion

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Ami
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Re: Shoujo-Ai Appreciation and Discussion

Post by Ami »

Just watched the entirety of Sasameki Koto, continuing via the manga like I did with Medaka Box except I stopped reading Medaka Box because... wait, why did I stop again? Ah well... anyway, it's great. It managed to keep the show light-hearted despite the angst, which isn't just the usual BUT GIRLS AND FEELINGS WE'RE CRYING AND BROODING stereotype that sorta annoyed me in Strawberry Panic, but also points out that for every bit of scary it is to be a lesbian in, say, the States (particularly and ashamedly true in the deep south)- it's VERY isolating in Japan.
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Re: Shoujo-Ai Appreciation and Discussion

Post by NihilisticNinja »

Hm? Maybe I didn't give Sasameki Koto enough of a chance. I watched the first couple episodes, and it just seemed to me to be kind of bland; it felt like practically all the notes it hit were ones I'd heard tons of times before, and thus the melody wasn't particularly captivating. You honestly made it sound far more interesting than I recall it being (particularly with your comment about handling homosexuality in Japan- I would like to see that in a much, much larger amount of shoujo-ai fiction)- will have to note to take another look at it and make sure I wasn't misjudging it.
"With good friends by your side, anything is possible. If you really care for each other, it makes everyone stronger! Then you'll have the will to succeed! The world is filled with painful things, it's sad sometimes, and you won't be able to handle it by yourself. But just know: If there's someone that you love, you'll stay on the right path. And you won't ever give in! As long as you keep that person in your heart, you'll keep getting back up. Understand? That's why a Hero never loses!"
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Ami
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Re: Shoujo-Ai Appreciation and Discussion

Post by Ami »

NihilisticNinja wrote:Hm? Maybe I didn't give Sasameki Koto enough of a chance. I watched the first couple episodes, and it just seemed to me to be kind of bland; it felt like practically all the notes it hit were ones I'd heard tons of times before, and thus the melody wasn't particularly captivating. You honestly made it sound far more interesting than I recall it being (particularly with your comment about handling homosexuality in Japan- I would like to see that in a much, much larger amount of shoujo-ai fiction)- will have to note to take another look at it and make sure I wasn't misjudging it.
The manga goes more into it than the anime. The anime ends JUST before the huge middle-school arc comes in where we see Sumika and Ushio when they first meet, how they become friends, etc. As far as "funny", it's as the phrase goes "merely good", but it keeps up the light-heartedness. Though in the run of the anime, I was like a light breeze away from bawling and crying uncontrollably when they introduced Aioi.

Though not to say there aren't any funny bits. Miyako, Kyori, and Aioi's "team"'s venture into the water park was priceless. Particularly the drop-ride scene.

EDIT: Though not going to lie, the pace is a little wonky. Some places it's too slow, then it feels like it went by too quickly.
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Re: Shoujo-Ai Appreciation and Discussion

Post by NihilisticNinja »

Ami wrote: The manga goes more into it than the anime. The anime ends JUST before the huge middle-school arc comes in where we see Sumika and Ushio when they first meet, how they become friends, etc. As far as "funny", it's as the phrase goes "merely good", but it keeps up the light-heartedness. Though in the run of the anime, I was like a light breeze away from bawling and crying uncontrollably when they introduced Aioi.


Ah, I see. It's always annoying when an anime stops just before a really interesting part of the source material; yet it seems to happen so often. :(

As for the tone, as long as they strike a good balance, I'm sure I won't mind, and light-heartedness is always welcome in romance anime in my book.

Thanks for the recommendation; I've got a lot of shows I need to watch, so I'm not sure when I get get to Sasameki again, but this is definitely at the top of list of manga to read now.
"With good friends by your side, anything is possible. If you really care for each other, it makes everyone stronger! Then you'll have the will to succeed! The world is filled with painful things, it's sad sometimes, and you won't be able to handle it by yourself. But just know: If there's someone that you love, you'll stay on the right path. And you won't ever give in! As long as you keep that person in your heart, you'll keep getting back up. Understand? That's why a Hero never loses!"
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Re: Shoujo-Ai Appreciation and Discussion

Post by Ami »

Sakura Trick, you guys.

Sakura Trick, oh my god yes.

Halfway through episode 2, and it's sort of like... if Nichijou started coming down off of whatever drugs it was on (but not completely sober, maybe a bit buzzed?) and Gainax hijacked development from there, and the main character has Tsumugi from K-ON!'s outlook on life. Also the women are already in relationships, so you're not waiting forever for omgfirstkiss. While it's very adorable and made me giggle with its humor (there's some good sense of timing there), expect a LOT of chest shots because lolanime.
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Re: Shoujo-Ai Appreciation and Discussion

Post by Ami »

Sakura Trick was... meh? It's not bad, but it's not as great as I would've expected from the first few episodes.


Revolutionary Girl Utena was amazing! I fully recommend it!


And don't listen to the haters, YuruYuri is definitely one of the better shoujo-ai's out there.
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