When I was asked if I’d like a copy of Hyakko, Complete TV Series
I believe I replied something to the effect of, “Yeah, I vaguely remember it being Yuri-sh, but I don’t remember what or why.”
Now I have watched the first disk and I remember what, but there may be no answer for “why?”.
Hyakko, an anime that is obviously based upon a 4-koma gag manga, is set at an absurdly large school. The apparent protagonist is Ayumu, who is immediately soppy enough not to threaten the audience for whom this comic is presumably intended.
Ayumu runs into snooty Itsuki, who is also lost in the preposterously large school. They then encounter Torako who is the hyper-energetic, slightly cool until she speaks, force of chaos type and her nearly-silent, always eating friend, Saotome.
The themes of each segment are the typical for school life gag comics; school clubs, uniform checks, school life stuff, etc., with bwa-wa-waahhhh~~~ humor predominant.
Yuri comes in the form of class representative Andou Nene, a flamboyantly odd girl who leers and drools over the other girls in the class. Underneath her general perviness, she might possibly even have an actual interest in Torako, but that is well beside the point.
Ratings:
Art – 6
Story – 3
Characters – 3
Yuri – 3
Service – 5
Overall – 5
As I watched Disk 1, I had the image of the staff on this being told about it and all reaching for cigarettes, sucking them down in one breath and sighing.
Sometimes Hyakko is marginally amusing, but not usually during the punchlines.
Here’s the funny part of this review – after damning this series with faint praise, I have an extra copy to give away! If you promise to write a review of Disk 2, I promise to send it to you! Name and country in the comments to win. Entering is a commitment to write a review of Disk 2, ‘kay? ^_^
Thanks to TRSI for this review copy – and for the give away copy!
I already have a copy, I believe. :)
I’ve enjoyed the manga much more than the anime – up until volume four or five, written and published during that dark age of manga in which every series had to have some contrived excuse for an epic battle. (In Hyakko, it’s a truly epic airsoft war throughout the school, which I’m pretty sure takes up an episode on Disk 2.)
Nene *is* a horrible cliche of the depraved bisexual, but to be fair, she is at least bisexual, which is rare enough in manga, and openly so, so there is that.
For what it’s worth, the flashback story to the day before the first day of school includes some fairly strong Yuri subtext (and a kiss, even) between Torako and Saotome, but I think that’s on Disk 2, as well.
It is, we’ll deal with that when we get there. ^_^
Matthew Warren
USA
I’d like a copy, and I do have a blog for which I can write about this series.
Well, I don’t need a review of the whole show, as I am also reviewing it (clearly)…and I have a blog here where I’ll want to use that Disk 2 review. So the contest is, if you think you can manage an Okazu-style review just of Disk 2. You are of course welcome to review the whole show on your own blog separately. ^_^
Yeah I can do that, not to worry.
^_^
Addendum:
I’ll do you one better, I’ll actually review the whole show.
Matthew – you’re the winner. Drop me a line and we’ll get the set out to you asap, so you can review Disk 2 asap!
Alright thanks
What’s your email so I can drop a line?
I would love a copy, but I am not confident enough in my writing to warrant it. Best of luck to the entrants.
I would like to try my hand with a review. I have followed your blog on and off for a while… Back when it was with Yahoo Groups even… *L*
I’m in the good ol’ USofA…
The Yuricon Mailing List is still there on Yahoo Groups. ^_^ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Yuricon
Justin S
Hello, I would like to review the second disc.Why should I be picked over the others? Well, I have a wildly different writing style and perspective on the issue at hand and I…
I live in Australia, which is practically a shorthand for a far-flung location and… please sympathise with me we’re about to elect a misogynistic racist homophobic wanker and I could really use some late 2000’s schoolgirl anime to alleviate the situation.
I love your blog!