bokura wa totemo SHY de
House of Five Leaves, episode one
1. The animation is wonderful. The movement is so fluid, from the little wispy hairs on Akitsu to the falling of the leaves, and the color alteration during the flashback scene was masterful. The first few minutes, when Ume closes the door and we scan over to Yaichi smoking-- I think I feel in love. Manglobe totally outdid themselves here. I mean yeah they've already proved themselves worthy with Samurai Champloo and Ergo Proxy and Michiko to Hatchin but I always need a reminder or twelve about just how wonderful their work really is. Does this mean I'm going to go out and watch The World God Only Knows despite all my reservations? Let's be honest-- I'll probably watch The World God Only Knows anyway, because I am a sucker for punishment and otaku-fests and lol meta-commentary (hello, Baka to Test to Shoukanju).
2.
Click to viewIMMI WHAT IS THIS PV. I like that she tied it into Saraiya Goyou with the leaves but honestly what is this.... The weird half-face mask like some sort of Phantom of the Techno? The white/black division?? THE OWL?? THE PROJECTION ON HER CHEST?? I mean I'll always love her because she's a trip and also her eyeshadow is fabulous and she almost makes the blonde hair work, but this is why I can never take her seriously. I don't like the ED at all, and it just seems completely out of place with the series, haha, which, okay, so is immi, but on the one hand, immi, and on the other hand, who the fuck is rake....
Other than that, the soundtrack for this series is pretty flawless. Gonzo, pay attention-- this is what PMK should have been like.
3. Sakurai Takahiro does Yaichi's voice, whereas Namikawa Daisuke does Akitsu's. I just, you know, had to point that out, because Sakurai does a shit ton of bl voices, but Namikawa is pretty much completely "above board" on this, except for how he plays Italy in Hetalia a;sfdlksaj and it fits them both so well. I mean Sakurai is Claude Faustus as well as Luka from Uraboku, whereas Namikawa is... Ootori from Prince of Tennis and Bakaouji lololol will never stop lolling.
4. So, clearly, Seinoshin from the flashback is the Yaichi that Akitsu meets, and my bets are that the rest of the series is going to explain to me why Seinoshin takes on Yaichi's name (real!Yaichi probably died.... is what I'm thinking), but I'm gonna be honest-- I don't like first episodes in which there's a blatant flashback sequence. It just kind of pulls me out of the story because I spend the rest of the episode trying to figure out the relationship between the current characters and the flashback characters and can't really enjoy things organically. In a way, the in media res nature of Samurai Champloo's opening was one of the things that really pulled me into it. Well, that and the fake disc-scratching transitions. The opening episode of Samurai Champloo is probably still one of my favorite anime episodes, period.
5. SO MUCH COGNITIVE DISSONANCE AT THE SECOND RESTAURANT SEQUENCE. Sakurai was clearly pulling out his bedroom voice and that paired with Akitsu's panting and the mood lighting and Yaichi's general relaxed lounging pose and Ume's warning for both of them to be quiet, basically convinced there was some backroom petting that Manglobe is depriving us of. I can't help it, bl has me trained to associate that kind of stuff with ~imminent sexytiems~. Well, and the ending scene is basically the way one would end the first chapter of a one-volume samurai bl story so you'll have to forgive me if I'm looking for the second couple already.
6. The kitty :((((( the kitty is amazing :((((( it is the best kitty in the history of kitties because the art makes it so adorable :(((( please tell me that Akitsu keeps the kitty because kitty :(((((((((((( When it does that double take at Akitsu's growling stomach, I literally clapped my hands to my mouth in delight.
7. Something in here about Manglobe and chaotic good main characters, oh god, i am the worst anime blogger in the world.
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I just ordered the first two volumes of House of Five Leaves and Ristorante Paradiso from Amazon. So excited!! Please get here before Viz takes off volume three from the SigIkki website. :(((((