Posts in Ichigo Mashimaro Category
October 18, 2005
It's Christmas time, and appropriately, there's plenty of snow on the ground so the girls make a snowman and such outside. Matsuri's pretty excited about Santa coming.. the other girls have to stop Miu before she tells Matsuri that there is no Santa, so she ends up face down on the ground as usual. That's Miu (^^;;) Inside, the girls play a bit of house, with Miu once again almost saying Santa's not real.. she says that at six years old she beat Santa. Huh? When she was 3, she wanted a traffic light, at 4 she wanted an onsen and at 5 she wanted a sumo wrestler, and at 6 she wanted a big mountain. Santa gave up after that (^^;;)
While Nobue's out and about the girls watch a TV show about hypnotism. Miu wants to have Chika try it out on her.. then wants to try it out herself on Chika. She's going to try to turn Chika into Satake (^^;;) Chika goes out of the room, saying she's going to the bathroom, and Miu follows. Miu comes back with Satake and Matsuri really thinks that it's Chika. That's Matsuri for you (^^;;) As Miu continues trying to hypnotize everybody Nobue calls up and tells them to come meet up with her, so they go on their way, with Miu and Ana riding the bus and Chika and Miu walking.. well, Miu ends up getting on the bus a bit afterwards so Chika gets left walking...
At the park near the lake, rather than going to meet Nobue they end up splitting up, with Chika chasing after Miu and Matsuri and Ana going on. Nobue tries calling everybody, but no one answers their cell phones... Matsuri and Ana get a bit lost in the paths around the lake, and eventually come upon a foreigner who needs directions who only speaks English. Ana has a bit of a problem (^^;;) But Matsuri seems to have studied her English since she understands what he's saying, and they take him to where he wants to go. Nobue finally gets through to both Matsuri and Miu and everybody finally meets up to go to that cafe that Nobue was looking at earlier for some cake :)
I'd be scared if Miu were to try to hypnotize me, but anyways. As usual, some changes were made from the manga chapters (29 for the hypnotism part, 18 for the part at the lake) to the anime. And in this case, the manga chapters are definitely funnier than how the anime episode turned out... the part in 18 where Miu lifted up Chika's skirt (showing pantsu) while riding with her to the lake, causing a car crash would be NG for the anime, I guess :P Next time, it's almost time for Santa to come.. going to do the whole Christmas episode then? Should be fun, hopefully ;)
While everybody's enjoying a snack at Nobue's house Miu points out that it seems to her like Chika's gotten a bit bigger recently. Chika doesn't seem to pay her any mind, but... she goes to the scale and checks. From her reaction it would seem she has gained some weight -- Miu is there next to her the whole time, but Chika doesn't realize until Miu helpfully points out that the scale isn't broken though Chika would like to believe so. While Chika makes cookies Miu annoys her again, decorating a cookie with the kanji 太 (fat) and saying she was trying to write 犬 (dog). After Miu points out that Chika seems to eat a lot to just check the taste Chika avoids food the rest of the day, even when Ana brings some cakes for everybody to eat. After everybody leaves Chika checks again -- no change.
Summer break has come, as well as the usual summer homework and projects. Matsuri and Ana go with their families for vacation leaving Miu, Chika, and Nobue. Miu's got her project set -- she's going to observe Chika and Nobue. And she's armed with a camcorder. Be scared (^^;;) But Chika and Nobue acting like they usually do are too boring for Miu. Matsuri arrives back from visiting her grandfather out in the country, and of course Miu is there to record everything. She tries an experiment, taking Nobue's cigarettes away and telling Matsuri to not give them back. But after a bit of talking Matsuri ends up giving them back anyways. Nobue's good at handling her as Miu says... Ana arrives back as well with a video letter that she plays for everyone. In the video she's got the gothloli look and talks about what she's doing there... in English. Well, she tries to speak in English but ends up mixing in Japanese (^^;;) Miu shows some of what she's recorded next -- seems Miu snuck into Chika's room one night (kids, don't copy her), found Chika sleeping soundly, spotted a stuffed animal and... we get Chikaboin! Miu ends up face down on floor...
It's hot.. too damn hot (tell me about it) as Chika, Miu, Matsuri, and Ana walk home from school. Miu suggests a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who should carry everybody's bags. Poor Matsuri ends up losing... but Miu ends up carrying stuff instead. In Chika's room Miu, Chika, and Nobue relax, happy to have some air conditioning.. But Miu.. she's doing her thing as usual, acting as if she were stranded in the desert with no water in sight. Miu and Chika have another Rock, Paper, Scissors round... though with things other than Rock, Paper, or Scissors. Miu ends up losing again... Matsuri's having her own troubles as she tries to get a drink from a vending machine. She drops it and it rolls down a hill.. Meanwhile, Ana's at another vending machine nearby trying to prounounce "Ginger Ale". Someone tells her how to say it... It's the old man from the family restaurant that was the victim of Miu and Nobue's food fight. He ain't happy, not one bit, so Ana gets it out of there quickly and meets up with Matsuri... While Nobue's out buying food Miu's up to things once again, this time a "throat examination". She records herself saying "I'm hot~!" on Nobue's cell. She then gets Chika and Matsuri to do the same.. then she wants Ana to say it in English (^^;;)
To sum it up quickly: Miu goes on the rampage! Though like that's any different than how she usually is. This time she's pissed off Ana-chan. Howso? At school Ana was going about her usual business of trying to keep people thinking she can't speak Japanese and also making sure they don't find out her last name. She's gotten rather popular in class -- even got 3 love letters already. Though the one she got this time was written in Engrish... Miu and Chika's class plays softball during PE, and when comes up to bat she hits the ball through a window.. unluckily for Ana, it was her class, so Miu comes up to retrieve the ball and... "Coppola-chan, hey!"... ooops.. so that's why things are this way and Ana's about to kill Miu with her recorder. But did Miu mean to do it? Of course she did. She ends up face down on the floor (how many times does that make now?).
After a few weeks of going without Ichigo Mashimaro it's finally back on... though in 4:3 pan and scan. I do not like shots being cut off :P Anyways...
Like the title of the episode, Arubaito, would suggest, this time is all about part-time jobs. Nobue's out of money for smokes again so she goes to "borrow" some from Chika once again. Too bad for her :P So she needs to find a job so she can keep her habit. The girls all talk about the various part-time jobs they might want to do. Chika mentions she might want to hand out tissue.. Miu makes a very hard customer for her, though. And then, Nobue gets an idea... we've now got Dr. Miu, Matsuri and Ana as her nurses, and Chika as the patient. I would be very scared to see Dr. Miu (^^;;) After Miu diagnoses Chika with a cold, Nobue becomes the doctor to see Miu bring in Matsuri, who's about to give birth... ;)
Nobue does finally find a job as a waitress at a restaurant. Though there's no smoking while on the job so she'll have to deal with it. Ana happens to see Nobue working when she's there with her mom for dinner... so Ana tells Chika and Matsuri that Nobue's working there. Of course, if Miu finds out it'll be trouble.. Miu was standing outside as they talked about it (^^;;) So off they go to visit Nobue, and she's not very pleased to see them, especially Miu. As expected, Miu causes trouble. Much trouble... and they come back the next day, and the day after the next day on Miu's insistance. Nobue finally snaps and she and Miu duke it out in a food fight, with an old man who's a regular bearing the brunt of the damage. So Nobue's without a job, and with only enough money to buy one pack of smokes since she was charged for the cleanup and damage during the food fight. Needless to say, Miu is in for it. We see Miu in the bath with 年貢米 written on her forehead as the episode ends.
Miu, what a troublemaker she is. But it would be rather boring without her to stir things up, wouldn't it? ;)
Things didn't quite seem to go together as well this time... they didn't quite fully do the doctor thing, and it was a bit out of context (and lacking a couple of jokes) compared to the manga. As I mentioned in the first episode, perhaps it would've been better to structure the episodes differently -- splitting it into a few short vignettes instead of trying to make everything flow together and making up what goes on in between material from the manga. But it did work fine in previous episodes so I suppose it'll be hit and miss. No matter that, it's still fun to watch. And plenty cute :)
Next time it's Ana vs. Miu in a battle for Nobue's affections among other things. But isn't it "Everyone vs. Miu" anyways? ;) It should be a collection of some chapters I rather liked in the manga so I'm looking forward to it.
Matsuri tries to teach Ana English, but there doesn't seem to be much hope. Ana suggests they continue lessons at her house since apparently she can't get in a mood to speak English at school... Yeah (^^;) As usual, Miu's causing trouble only as Miu can once again, calling Nobue and telling her she's got Matsuri and wants ransom to release her, but Miu's the one tied up for some reason. I don't get it... Matsuri remembers she's got to go to Ana's (trying to keep that secret from the others), but Miu harasses her as usual. Matsuri asks what she should do -- Nobue's got the answer, oh yes she does. And so we get Neko Mimi Mode (with tail) Matsuri-chan and she heads off to Ana's.
Nobue and the others follow her, of course, and no matter what she does she can't get them to leave. Nobue ends up getting Matsuri to add "nya" (meow) on to the end of her sentences before they finally end up at Ana's. Ana's not very happy to see people other than Matsuri, of course (I can't blame her). We get a look at Ana's room and her western CD collection, though her tastes are a bit less refined than it'd seem. And of course, Miu is Miu, eventually making Ana cry (poor thing...). They finally end up in a room full of Ana's clothes, and there Ana's secret finally comes out -- she drops her English book and Nobue picks it up, thinking she's teaching a friend, then asks Ana how much one of the dresses is. Ana answers in Japanese (^^;;)
The highlight of this time was definitely Neko Mimi Mode Matsuri-chan. Too cute, nya~. Nobue's "interests" were on full display as well. She likes cute stuff... and neko mimi... as much as the people watching the show, yup ;)
Most of the material this time was pulled from volume 2 episode 12, "Ana's House", of the manga, with Neko Mimi Mode Matsuri coming from volume 1 episode 8, "Nya", and the "kidnapping" from the very short volume 2 episode 20, "Kidnapping". Seems they're doing a decent job of tying it all together and making it flow into an episode for now so no complaints here.
Episode 4 will be on August 18th (happens to be the day I go back to school... ugh...), so we'll all have to go a few weeks without the kawaiiness of Ichigo Mashimaro. Though the BS-i broadcast does start on the 4th, so you can watch the 16:9 versions of eps 1 & 2 ;)
Before I get to writing the summary and such, something else ;) The island Miu pointed out on the map is part of Vanuatu. There seems to be some dispute over what the name of the island is -- most maps I've seen show it as Erromango, but some call it Erromanga. There's also a language spoken on the island that's called Eromanga (or Sie). Another famous Eromanga, as everybody who watched Shinobuden knows, is located in Australia. Some more info about that one here.
We start off outside a house, hearing a conversation in what seems to be your average Japanese family. However, the girl that steps out is decidedly not Japanese. She's Ana@Mamiko Noto (5th grade), and she's from England. She's lived in Japan so long she's gotten used to the customs and can speak Japanese fluently, forgetting how to speak English for the most part. But she's had it with being Japanese now, So she's decided to not speak any Japanese at school and do her best to be a good English lady. Chika and Miu run into her as she's walking along. Miu, noting that she's a foreigner, greets her in English and Ana answers in Japanese.. orz.. ;)
At school Ana has the same problem, writing her name first in Japanese as あな then writing it in English. Then instead of saying "nice to meet you" to the class she says "One, please" (^^;;) After the teacher sends Sasazuka out into the hall for no reason (poor kid), Ana takes his seat next to a pretty nervous Matsuri-chan.
Meanwhile, in Miu's class, Miu's trying to do an Ana and pretends that she can't speak Japanese... not doing a very good job of it. The teacher doesn't buy it, of course, so off into the hall for her. Said scene with Miu pointing out Eromanga Island to Chika on a big map right in the middle of the hall follows ;)
Opening: 「いちごコンプリート」 (Ichigo Complete) by Chika, Miu, Matsuri, and Ana - ka... kawaii~~! Song's catchy as well.
Ending: 「クラス・メート」 (Classmate) by Fumiko Orikasa: Can't quite think this is the same person that was just Miu in the show. Nice :)
A technical note first: Like last year's Rozen Maiden, Ichigo Mashimaro is broadcast on both TBS (now) and BS-i (starting August 4th). And just like it, the TBS broadcast is a 4:3 pan and scan of the original 16:9, so that's why things seem to be cut off in places (like the shot of the girls at the end of the OP, for example). The BS-i broadcast will be 16:9. So I'll be downloading it all over again when the BS-i broadcast starts ;)
And secondly, let me make clear what Ichigo Mashimaro is and is not here. It has no drama, it has no plot, it has no point at all. It is about really cute girls doing really cute and silly things and just going about everyday life. It's cute... very cute... kawaii... did I mention it was cute? So you should watch it much like Futago Hime, though with even less thinking going on. Just have fun and enjoy the cuteness ;)
Now, with that out of the way, let's introduce the characters. First, we're introduced to Nobue Itou@Hitomi Nabatame, 16 years old.. no, she's actually 20 (she was telling the truth the first time. She's 16 in the manga), and a very heavy smoker and drinker. She just ran out of smokes, so she goes over to her sister's room to ask to borrow some money. Her sister is Chika Itou (Chii-chan)@Saeko Chiba, 12 years old, nothing too special about her ;) Another girl comes jumping through the open window -- she's Miu Matsuoka (Micchan)@Fumiko Orikasa, 12 years old, lives next door, and is a troublemaker. Like Nobue, I have no idea what could possibly be going on inside of Miu's head. Nobue can't quite remember what she came to do... and before Miu can finish making fun of her for that she's on the ground, face down. Miu will end up like that quite a few times (and she'll deserve it, too). The doorbell rings, and a crying meganekko is there. She's Matsuri Sakuragi@Ayako Kawasumi, 11 years old. Nobue comforts her as Matsuri says that her dad ate her pudding. Nobue says she'll buy her some more pudding. Miu puts on her best crying face as she asks for pudding, too... nope. Miu ends up outside on the roof, face down (again).
Nobue finally remembers she was there to ask... well, to steal some of Chika's money to buy some smokes. However, she can't find Chika's wallet. Chika gives her 100 yen and asks her to pay it back. Meanwhile, Miu is all over poor Matsuri. Miu ends up in the trash can and Nobue leaves. Matsuri plays with her pet ferret John while Chika does homework. Miu asks to copy Chika's homework. Nope.. Now Miu wants to go out and play. They end up going to a park and Chika and Matsuri try to figure out what's so special about tomorrow to Nobue while Miu swings. Miu jumps off the swing and tells them -- it's her birthday.
