Meine Liebe, brought to you by the phrase PAR FOR FREAKING COURSE.
Okay, I'm keeping weird hours these days because of exams (it all works out well enough for that but results in me being wide awake at three in the morning, so eh, win some, lose some), and I'm bored enough that I'm pretty much down to either watching the Magic School Bus on YouTube or telling the great wide world why Meine Liebe is epic and I found a torrent for the Magic School Bus so the former point is pretty much moot.
So, great wide world! Let me tell you why Meine Liebe is epic!
Quick warning: This will include spoilers, mostly for the first season because a blind lobotomized chimp could see the plot coming like a freight train. I don't think there'll be much in the way of spoilers for Wieder, mostly because I'm still not sure what the hell the ending was about. I'm fairly sure it was amazing, though. Another point, I marathoned this series the beginning of January, so I've forgotten, well, a lot. And my German sucks, so.
A little background on Meine Liebe before the real pimping gets underway. Meine Liebe is an anime series produced by Bee Train (askdhg gods you could learn something from them, Studio DEEN) that ran in 2004. It's based on some dating sim Gameboy games that I know squat about, except that there was apparently some girl character in the games that was almost completely cut out of the anime; you can see her milling around in the background sometimes! Woo, yeah.
I guess the anime was successful because it had a second season, Meine Liebe Wieder, which they probably could've called Meine Liebe EXTREME! because it took everything that sucked about Meine Liebe and made it awesome. They gave it awesome theme music (both the OP and ED are by Alice Nine), an actual plot, blah blah blah, and hey, a decent budget! You know it was meh the first time around when I can tell they got a budget bump just from the animation quality.
As for basic plot, the story's set in 1937 Kuchen, which is basically Germany renamed so they can get away with whatever AU asshattery they want. (I think 'kuchen' is German for 'cake'? Yeah, par for course, folks.) It mainly follows five students at an incredibly prestigious private school where they're the Strahl candidates, which means, guess what, they're candidates to enter Strahl, which is pretty much really high political offices. In short, it's a free ticket to get away with stuff the rest of the students never could; they even get snazzy jazzed up speshul uniforms!
Okay, enough with this jazz, let's meet our major players!
Meet Orpherus Fürst von Marmelade nahe Gorz, Orpherus or Orphe for short, resident main character, judicious, wise, humane, respected, all-around good guy, and angsty prat I'd like to smack. He's voiced by Sakurai Takahiro, known best as seiyuu for Cloud Strife, so he's pretty much par for the course here. Orphe here has a raging complex over his sister, who died in some way that was vaguely plot-related but really boring and had something to do with her fiance, who we later find out is a guilt-ridden angsty prat. If Freud (or the Kuchen equivalent) ever met him I swear his brain would explode.
He has a little stand on his desk for his sister's locket, but it's kinda redundant because he carries the damn thing with him EVERYWHERE.
Orphe's best friend, het *cough* life partner, and second-in-command, Eduard Markgraf von Sekt nahe Braunschweig. (I'm sure he'd let you call him 'Ed'. Everyone else does.) Ed is voiced by Seki Tomokazu, who you might know as the voice of Sohma Kyo, Yzak Joule, Terashima Nobuo... he basically just plays the same character with varying degrees of niceguy/crackhead balance, and this isn't much different. (In my own personal canon, Kyo is Ed's decendant.) Personally, I was completely indifferent to him until he was all "LOL BY THE WAY I PLAY PIANO REAL GOOD". *shrugs*
Ed's sob story: His dad, a rather well-to-do dude, fell in love with a poor woman and they had two children, Ed and his sister. But wait, OSHI-- Ed's dad was already married! So when Ed's mother died, he and his sister went to live with his father, their nice enough half-sisters, and their EVIL AS ALL HELL step-mother. She smacked the sister around a bit and the sister had to be sent away for her own safety, so Ed has a raging sister complex and step-mommy issues. Oy.
Next on the roster, Camus Pfalzgraf von Silvaner Lüneburg, or just Camus (pronounced 'Kamyuu'). Camus is the resident incredibly sensitive shotabait sweetheart; I cannot overstate this. He has some kind of ESP and faints whenever people get too angry. He talks to flowers. They talk back. HE STOPS SOMEONE FROM GETTING SHOT BY THROWING A ROSE AT THEM. HE HAS NIGHTMARES WHERE FLOWERS ARE ANGRY AT HIM. He's voiced by Hoshi Soichiro, voice of Fujimori Sunao, Sakamoto Akira, Kira Yamato... How many times can I say 'par for the course' before it gets completely redundant?
His whole life is a damn sob story, people. He's ~delicate~ so if it was up to his family he wouldn't be allowed outside his family's garden. (And once he's free at the school, what does he do? Spend all his time in the greenhouse.) Something you don't learn about him until Wieder -- he has a great big bear of a brother who is so protective of him that he actually picks up and carries Camus' little shotabait ass around the family estate rather than have Camus move around himself. lolwut. |D
Okay, we may need a red carpet and trumpets for this one -- Ludwig Herzog von Mohn nahe Liechtenstein, a.k.a. Ludwig (which, of course, is invariably pronounced 'Ludwiggy', lulz) or Lui. Lui is basically a great big pretentious bastard who somehow has the same level of sway and respect as Orphe; they're rival-buddies or something. Oh, but wait, it gets better. He's one of the good guys. He's voiced by Seki Toshihiko, and the only other character I can think of who's even remotely like Lui is Rau Le Creuset, so hey, breaking with tradition? Oh, and in the drama CDs he's voiced by Ishida Akira; you cannot imagine how much this amuses me.
"We're trying to rescue you, now stop being such a prick about everything." Uh, just think of Atobe, but with no redeeming personality traits. (Uh, he has a solid sense of justice? But then again, so did Light-o...) Oh, and he's Camus' cousin, so, uh. Weird gene pool? He was Camus' only friend when they were little, so I guess beggers can't be choosers.
Seriously, Ludwig was one evil-looking kid.
Ishizuki Naoji, the foreign exchange student! Or, well, something like that. The reason I watched Meine Liebe, at least. Ishida Akira-sama! (SHUT. UP.) He's basically to Lui what Ed is to Orphe, except that he has a GREAT. BIG. BOYCRUSH on Orphe. His sob story is his massive inferiority complex, but then he keeps doing stuff like this:
Mmmf baby, just like that. So I mean, I don't see why he's all "OMG woe is me I am so insignificant and blah blah blah". And he's all quietly melodramatic about how he can't even look directly at Orpherus because he shines too brightly or smthn. Oh Naoji, baby, WTF.
There were flashbacks of his childhood and he was the most adorable thing I've ever seen, so here, chibi Naoji picspam.
ISN'T HE ADORABLE WITH HIS LITTLE PONYTAIL AND HIS ITTY BITTY HAORI AND SLKDHGSD I kinda wish he was real just so I could have his children and they'd look like that come on.
Last but not, well, actually, last but pretty much least, Isaac Cavendish, gun for hire but with a heart of gold! He basically hangs out in the town near the school, is around to help out the boys at suspiciously convenient moments (can you say 'deus ex machina'?), and hits on the waitresses at the cafe he seems to never leave. He's pretty much interchangable with any other Koyasu Takehito character. PAR. FOR. THE. COURSE.
He is the king of mysterious, angsty backgrounds. When he was younger Isaac joined the military to support his sister, and now she's missing? Or something? I don't know, I never did actually figure it out. Oh, and he's apparently above such petty things as buttoning his shirt. NICE TRY, I STILL NOTICE THE GLARING PLOT HOLES.
Oh, and meet the headmaster. If you can look at him and think of anyone but Natashou-senpai from Princes Princess, you have stronger resolve than I.
Okay, on to what we're all really here for. THE strongly implied GAY.
I'll be completely honest, everyone's pretty shippable with everyone else. Meine Liebe is pretty much an untapped deposit of incredibly slashable prettyboys.
Let's start with Orphe and Lui -- everyone loves rivalslash, right? Harry and Draco, Light and L... uh, just pretend they're both fundamentally good and one just has his head up his ass.
Mind this transpires immediately after they save the king and entire government structure of the country. *facepalm*
In case it's hard to tell, that's Orphe shoving Lui up against the wall. I don't remember the context, but does it really matter? |D
Orphe and Ed have the whole HarryxRon dynamic, which I guess means it doesn't appeal to me but will appeal to some people? IDK there's a lot of evidence for it, is all I'm saying.
They're total woobies, people.
There's no point in securing a position as an incredibly high-ranking and influential political figure, ensuring himself a very comfortable and enviable life, if Orpherus isn't by his side. People. Come on.
THINGS ARE ALWAYS FUNNIER OUT OF CONTEXT, OKAY? OKAY.
I don't really have anything to say about Ed and Naoji together except that there's evidence when viewed with slash-tinted glasses, so why not?
Ed, you dork.
ED'LL TRY ANYTHING ONCE. *DIES*
And down they go in a flurry of limbs! Very subtle, boys.
I can't very well not mention Orpherus and Naoji; Naoji pretty much worships the ground Orphe walks on. He's just this side of playing mindgames with himself over the whole thing.
Dueling. Swords. Phallic. Teeheehee... What, shut up. Freud and my English prof would so be on my side here.
Orphe saves Naoji from legions of stalker fangirls!
*sporfle*
Their love is so... artsy and pretentious.
But of course Ludwig and Naoji think subtext is for wimps.
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS JUST GET A ROOM ALREADY. Have you no shame? In Camus' greenhouse! *horrified*
Speaking of Camus! In Meine Liebe Wieder, a little opposing group forms; they're not as high-born and not as well-to-do, but the new headmaster is giving them a shot at being Strahl candidates anyway. Of course they end up being all chummy and w/e but right from the get-go Camus and Elmunt get along swimmingly.
...Sweethearts, subtle you are not. If you're wondering what exactly is going on there, Elmunt's little brother just fell out of a tree and Camus managed to get to him in time but is too delicate to hit the ground himself and needed a human cushion to land on. Oh Camus. Baby, darling. WTF. XD (I want to point and flail and yell, "Gakuto and Inui, GAKUTO AND INUI!" If you're looking for other Tenipuri seiyuu, Naoji is Mizuki and the new headmaster is Sanada. Personally I cannot think of a weirder combination, but maybe that's just me.)
And just because I think this is sweet as can be, Camus says Orpherus is scaring the flowers and Orphe apologizes to them.
If you're not 'd'awwww'ing you have no soul.
And because being a flaming queen is more than just being OTP with any guy in a mile radius, this is how Lui reacts when confronted with a woman. Y'know, with real boobs and everything. (She tries to take over the school. Awwright.)
Yes, he quotes Revelation book 17 at her. Baby, what? Did you just call her the Whore of Babylon? To her face? I thought only I did that. |D
N - never mind that he has a fiancee. That's - that's for political reasons. >.> Well it's not untrue. They spend a whole damn episode on it. I don't even remember if the poor girl gets a name.
Now, this is all as opposed to Isaac, who will tap anything that holds still long enough, and presumably some that won't.
Ladies, please. Form a line. There's enough Isaac for everyone!
Oh, and this is completely random, but Lui's mother and Naoji.
Dude, I'd ship it. (I'm sure Orphe and Ed would too, if only to piss off Lui. *thumbs up*)
And this isn't really relevant to anything, I just think it's awesome.
I would totally watch a spinoff starring Isaac. It could be live-action! He could be played by Wada! I - I'll shut up now.
So, uh. That's Meine Liebe. Well, there's a bit more plot to it, but not much. It's very gay, and epically cracky, and hasn't been licensed so you can get (I think) active torrents for it on the aarinfantasy forums. I guess what I'm trying to say is... write me porn? =D
...WHAT, IT WORKS FOR darkeyedwolf!
So, great wide world! Let me tell you why Meine Liebe is epic!
Quick warning: This will include spoilers, mostly for the first season because a blind lobotomized chimp could see the plot coming like a freight train. I don't think there'll be much in the way of spoilers for Wieder, mostly because I'm still not sure what the hell the ending was about. I'm fairly sure it was amazing, though. Another point, I marathoned this series the beginning of January, so I've forgotten, well, a lot. And my German sucks, so.
A little background on Meine Liebe before the real pimping gets underway. Meine Liebe is an anime series produced by Bee Train (askdhg gods you could learn something from them, Studio DEEN) that ran in 2004. It's based on some dating sim Gameboy games that I know squat about, except that there was apparently some girl character in the games that was almost completely cut out of the anime; you can see her milling around in the background sometimes! Woo, yeah.
I guess the anime was successful because it had a second season, Meine Liebe Wieder, which they probably could've called Meine Liebe EXTREME! because it took everything that sucked about Meine Liebe and made it awesome. They gave it awesome theme music (both the OP and ED are by Alice Nine), an actual plot, blah blah blah, and hey, a decent budget! You know it was meh the first time around when I can tell they got a budget bump just from the animation quality.
As for basic plot, the story's set in 1937 Kuchen, which is basically Germany renamed so they can get away with whatever AU asshattery they want. (I think 'kuchen' is German for 'cake'? Yeah, par for course, folks.) It mainly follows five students at an incredibly prestigious private school where they're the Strahl candidates, which means, guess what, they're candidates to enter Strahl, which is pretty much really high political offices. In short, it's a free ticket to get away with stuff the rest of the students never could; they even get snazzy jazzed up speshul uniforms!
Okay, enough with this jazz, let's meet our major players!
Meet Orpherus Fürst von Marmelade nahe Gorz, Orpherus or Orphe for short, resident main character, judicious, wise, humane, respected, all-around good guy, and angsty prat I'd like to smack. He's voiced by Sakurai Takahiro, known best as seiyuu for Cloud Strife, so he's pretty much par for the course here. Orphe here has a raging complex over his sister, who died in some way that was vaguely plot-related but really boring and had something to do with her fiance, who we later find out is a guilt-ridden angsty prat. If Freud (or the Kuchen equivalent) ever met him I swear his brain would explode.
He has a little stand on his desk for his sister's locket, but it's kinda redundant because he carries the damn thing with him EVERYWHERE.
Orphe's best friend, het *cough* life partner, and second-in-command, Eduard Markgraf von Sekt nahe Braunschweig. (I'm sure he'd let you call him 'Ed'. Everyone else does.) Ed is voiced by Seki Tomokazu, who you might know as the voice of Sohma Kyo, Yzak Joule, Terashima Nobuo... he basically just plays the same character with varying degrees of niceguy/crackhead balance, and this isn't much different. (In my own personal canon, Kyo is Ed's decendant.) Personally, I was completely indifferent to him until he was all "LOL BY THE WAY I PLAY PIANO REAL GOOD". *shrugs*
Ed's sob story: His dad, a rather well-to-do dude, fell in love with a poor woman and they had two children, Ed and his sister. But wait, OSHI-- Ed's dad was already married! So when Ed's mother died, he and his sister went to live with his father, their nice enough half-sisters, and their EVIL AS ALL HELL step-mother. She smacked the sister around a bit and the sister had to be sent away for her own safety, so Ed has a raging sister complex and step-mommy issues. Oy.
Next on the roster, Camus Pfalzgraf von Silvaner Lüneburg, or just Camus (pronounced 'Kamyuu'). Camus is the resident incredibly sensitive shotabait sweetheart; I cannot overstate this. He has some kind of ESP and faints whenever people get too angry. He talks to flowers. They talk back. HE STOPS SOMEONE FROM GETTING SHOT BY THROWING A ROSE AT THEM. HE HAS NIGHTMARES WHERE FLOWERS ARE ANGRY AT HIM. He's voiced by Hoshi Soichiro, voice of Fujimori Sunao, Sakamoto Akira, Kira Yamato... How many times can I say 'par for the course' before it gets completely redundant?
His whole life is a damn sob story, people. He's ~delicate~ so if it was up to his family he wouldn't be allowed outside his family's garden. (And once he's free at the school, what does he do? Spend all his time in the greenhouse.) Something you don't learn about him until Wieder -- he has a great big bear of a brother who is so protective of him that he actually picks up and carries Camus' little shotabait ass around the family estate rather than have Camus move around himself. lolwut. |D
Okay, we may need a red carpet and trumpets for this one -- Ludwig Herzog von Mohn nahe Liechtenstein, a.k.a. Ludwig (which, of course, is invariably pronounced 'Ludwiggy', lulz) or Lui. Lui is basically a great big pretentious bastard who somehow has the same level of sway and respect as Orphe; they're rival-buddies or something. Oh, but wait, it gets better. He's one of the good guys. He's voiced by Seki Toshihiko, and the only other character I can think of who's even remotely like Lui is Rau Le Creuset, so hey, breaking with tradition? Oh, and in the drama CDs he's voiced by Ishida Akira; you cannot imagine how much this amuses me.
"We're trying to rescue you, now stop being such a prick about everything." Uh, just think of Atobe, but with no redeeming personality traits. (Uh, he has a solid sense of justice? But then again, so did Light-o...) Oh, and he's Camus' cousin, so, uh. Weird gene pool? He was Camus' only friend when they were little, so I guess beggers can't be choosers.
Seriously, Ludwig was one evil-looking kid.
Ishizuki Naoji, the foreign exchange student! Or, well, something like that. The reason I watched Meine Liebe, at least. Ishida Akira-sama! (SHUT. UP.) He's basically to Lui what Ed is to Orphe, except that he has a GREAT. BIG. BOYCRUSH on Orphe. His sob story is his massive inferiority complex, but then he keeps doing stuff like this:
Mmmf baby, just like that. So I mean, I don't see why he's all "OMG woe is me I am so insignificant and blah blah blah". And he's all quietly melodramatic about how he can't even look directly at Orpherus because he shines too brightly or smthn. Oh Naoji, baby, WTF.
There were flashbacks of his childhood and he was the most adorable thing I've ever seen, so here, chibi Naoji picspam.
ISN'T HE ADORABLE WITH HIS LITTLE PONYTAIL AND HIS ITTY BITTY HAORI AND SLKDHGSD I kinda wish he was real just so I could have his children and they'd look like that come on.
Last but not, well, actually, last but pretty much least, Isaac Cavendish, gun for hire but with a heart of gold! He basically hangs out in the town near the school, is around to help out the boys at suspiciously convenient moments (can you say 'deus ex machina'?), and hits on the waitresses at the cafe he seems to never leave. He's pretty much interchangable with any other Koyasu Takehito character. PAR. FOR. THE. COURSE.
He is the king of mysterious, angsty backgrounds. When he was younger Isaac joined the military to support his sister, and now she's missing? Or something? I don't know, I never did actually figure it out. Oh, and he's apparently above such petty things as buttoning his shirt. NICE TRY, I STILL NOTICE THE GLARING PLOT HOLES.
Oh, and meet the headmaster. If you can look at him and think of anyone but Natashou-senpai from Princes Princess, you have stronger resolve than I.
Okay, on to what we're all really here for. THE strongly implied GAY.
I'll be completely honest, everyone's pretty shippable with everyone else. Meine Liebe is pretty much an untapped deposit of incredibly slashable prettyboys.
Let's start with Orphe and Lui -- everyone loves rivalslash, right? Harry and Draco, Light and L... uh, just pretend they're both fundamentally good and one just has his head up his ass.
Mind this transpires immediately after they save the king and entire government structure of the country. *facepalm*
In case it's hard to tell, that's Orphe shoving Lui up against the wall. I don't remember the context, but does it really matter? |D
Orphe and Ed have the whole HarryxRon dynamic, which I guess means it doesn't appeal to me but will appeal to some people? IDK there's a lot of evidence for it, is all I'm saying.
They're total woobies, people.
There's no point in securing a position as an incredibly high-ranking and influential political figure, ensuring himself a very comfortable and enviable life, if Orpherus isn't by his side. People. Come on.
THINGS ARE ALWAYS FUNNIER OUT OF CONTEXT, OKAY? OKAY.
I don't really have anything to say about Ed and Naoji together except that there's evidence when viewed with slash-tinted glasses, so why not?
Ed, you dork.
ED'LL TRY ANYTHING ONCE. *DIES*
And down they go in a flurry of limbs! Very subtle, boys.
I can't very well not mention Orpherus and Naoji; Naoji pretty much worships the ground Orphe walks on. He's just this side of playing mindgames with himself over the whole thing.
Dueling. Swords. Phallic. Teeheehee... What, shut up. Freud and my English prof would so be on my side here.
Orphe saves Naoji from legions of stalker fangirls!
*sporfle*
Their love is so... artsy and pretentious.
But of course Ludwig and Naoji think subtext is for wimps.
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS JUST GET A ROOM ALREADY. Have you no shame? In Camus' greenhouse! *horrified*
Speaking of Camus! In Meine Liebe Wieder, a little opposing group forms; they're not as high-born and not as well-to-do, but the new headmaster is giving them a shot at being Strahl candidates anyway. Of course they end up being all chummy and w/e but right from the get-go Camus and Elmunt get along swimmingly.
...Sweethearts, subtle you are not. If you're wondering what exactly is going on there, Elmunt's little brother just fell out of a tree and Camus managed to get to him in time but is too delicate to hit the ground himself and needed a human cushion to land on. Oh Camus. Baby, darling. WTF. XD (I want to point and flail and yell, "Gakuto and Inui, GAKUTO AND INUI!" If you're looking for other Tenipuri seiyuu, Naoji is Mizuki and the new headmaster is Sanada. Personally I cannot think of a weirder combination, but maybe that's just me.)
And just because I think this is sweet as can be, Camus says Orpherus is scaring the flowers and Orphe apologizes to them.
If you're not 'd'awwww'ing you have no soul.
And because being a flaming queen is more than just being OTP with any guy in a mile radius, this is how Lui reacts when confronted with a woman. Y'know, with real boobs and everything. (She tries to take over the school. Awwright.)
Yes, he quotes Revelation book 17 at her. Baby, what? Did you just call her the Whore of Babylon? To her face? I thought only I did that. |D
N - never mind that he has a fiancee. That's - that's for political reasons. >.> Well it's not untrue. They spend a whole damn episode on it. I don't even remember if the poor girl gets a name.
Now, this is all as opposed to Isaac, who will tap anything that holds still long enough, and presumably some that won't.
Ladies, please. Form a line. There's enough Isaac for everyone!
Oh, and this is completely random, but Lui's mother and Naoji.
Dude, I'd ship it. (I'm sure Orphe and Ed would too, if only to piss off Lui. *thumbs up*)
And this isn't really relevant to anything, I just think it's awesome.
I would totally watch a spinoff starring Isaac. It could be live-action! He could be played by Wada! I - I'll shut up now.
So, uh. That's Meine Liebe. Well, there's a bit more plot to it, but not much. It's very gay, and epically cracky, and hasn't been licensed so you can get (I think) active torrents for it on the aarinfantasy forums. I guess what I'm trying to say is... write me porn? =D
...WHAT, IT WORKS FOR darkeyedwolf!