neko's thinkbox

Good Haruka, you look kind of… Kind of…

So I just watched the first raw of the Minami-ke sequel alternative version (because subbers seem to show few interest in it… gah, ask me and I’ll tl it already *pokes AnY* D:). And for some reason, I can’t really conceal my disappointment about it. Not that it sucked, far from it, but it did not fully live up to my expectations.

(Indirect) Sequels sure have it hard. They are always subject to comparison with the older series, and are usually expected to surpass their formers to satisfy the fanbase. Well, I already felt a bit queasy when I found out that Okawari (which translates to “second helpings” or “seconds”) would have a different Animation Production, and the image shown at anidb.net didn’t really look as attractive as the old one. Still, I bore in mind that asread wasn’t awful either, with titles like Shuffle and Kumo no Mukou, so I expected quality. Well, I did get quality, but not Minami-ke quality – at least not the same as in the first series.

From csrrots…

…to Galileo tharmo meters.

I already cashed in my first disappointment of the episode: the Opening. I don’t know, this is like one of the songs that I would eternally want to skip. It’s as if my eulogy from my Minami-ke review triggered an opposite reaction from the producers: back then, I praised the choice of a themed song (m-i-n-a-m-i-k-e let’s go! – a real earworm, I always think of it), and now… it seems like they threw up a random J-pop song a la I’ve Sound: repetitive and revisited sound schemes which once were awesome, but nowadays aren’t anything new at all. The last time I liked such songs was a few years ago, with Kotoko’s Kannazuki no Miko OP and ED songs… But I digress. Anyway, I am not saying it was utterly bad, but it definitely does not fit a series like Minami-ke – it simply lacks the melodiousness and happiness that were present in the first season.

The OP animation was also inferior to the first series, and I cannot really express it, but… it really doesn’t look as fun anymore. Perhaps it is also the song that’s giving a sadder or more solemn/nostalgic touch to the general feel, and it really doesn’t correspond with what I think of Minami-ke. Especially that one scene with the three Minami sisters’ face close-up repeating on school windows, mirrors, and TV…. followed by a selection of items TOTALLY unrelated to whatever was going on (partly with some Engrish as well)… I was at a loss of words, and the first thing I said was a loud “WTF?”
…I guess it just lacks the simplicity of the first series, and that is where the funny touch of the majority of the scenes becomes lost. Like Mako-chan pulling down Touma’s skirt, and Touma silently beating him up. *yawn*

Before.

After.

…well to me, it Haruka looks much cuter before.

This feeling of disappointment did not vanish throughout the episode, perhaps because I already started hating asread for their lack of simplicity and their much too different design. Well, it is perhaps their past work, SHUFFLE!, that makes me think like that, but I feel that they’re going for some fanservice this time – perhaps it is also the coincidence that they started off with a journey to an onsen (hot spring bath).

But apart from the nitpicking on the animation/design, the quality of the jokes remained quite the same, and I had two major laughs during the episode: the first was Haruka’s dancing in a quite embarrassing monkey outfit, and the second was Mako’s and Touma’s confusion with the bathhouse, who of the two should actually go in which side of the onsen… eventually leading Fujioka to have a nice look at Kana’s naked bodii~~

I don’t think I’ve got the time to spoil you anymore so I’ll simply proceed over to the ending; it can be skipped without a second thought. Where Minami-ke showed cute images of our Minami sisters, Okawari simply shows a small box where we see Kana from behind, running along the railway. And the song fits even less, but I guess I cleared that argument with the OP rant.

Indirect advertisement for the Nintendo DS (*3*)

Here’s a loli, cause I can’t get enough of them.

So all in all, you can imagine that I am not too happy with this start. I do admit I am treating Okawari a bit unfairly, because it is indeed only an “alternative” version (which continues right after the first season nevertheless), so it obviously should be different. Like Futakoi Alternative was to Futakoi, to give a known example (at least to me, since I translated both xD). The difference with Futakoi however was that the first ep of Futa Alt already had pleased me a lot, instead of disappointing me like Okawari did.

However, I will iterate that my “disappointment” is only restricted to the fact that I had too high expectations for it. And yet I am glad that Doumu did the first season, because if Minami-ke had started with asread, I most likely wouldn’t have watched it at all, or at least not as passionately as Doumu’s version. Let’s hope the jokes keep their good quality at least (and that it doesn’t become another victim of fanservice), and that these “seconds” (remember, okawari!) are still worth it.

*nosebleeds*… wait, I thought Kana was loli.