Fall '10 Anime Reviews - 海月姫

Thursday, January 06, 2011


First of a long, long list of series. Working out a format, and I think I've got one. Also going to start doing something similar for the recently aired Spring series.





The opening animation was one of the best for the season. A mash-up of iconic movies played by characters in the series. Here I've taken snaps of some of the most iconic in the opening. Can you name them all? Two of them belong to the same scene.



For the format, I'll have 15 screens from the entirety of the series. They'll be either randomly chosen (randomly meaning that I liked the scene so I shot it), or that I felt that it was particularly important. That's not saying that it'll all be important, or all random. I'm just saying that that's how I'm choosing them. Anywho, let's keep working, shall we?

Title: 海月姫, Kuragehime, Jellyfish Princess
Genre: Josei, Gender-Bender, Romance, Slice of Life
Animation Studio: Brains Base
TV Run: 11 Episodes

Story wise and character wise, I'd have to say this was one of the best series of the season up until the end. Great character dynamics, and for once we actually see unattractive female characters! Now, before you turn away in disgust just from the comment, be aware that the source manga had a target audience of older girls and women (josei, not shoujo). While it does seem light hearted, it touches upon subject matter that's relevant for women around the age of Tsukimi (and older).

Character wise, Tsukimi and Kuranosuke are the two most developed characters in the whole series. Everyone more or less falls a bit flat, especially the main supporting cast over at the Amamizukan. We see them so much, and yet through the span of the 11 episodes, none of them really change. That aside, the driver (first image, third row) is the greatest character in the whole series. Whenever he makes an appearance, he steals the show with his great character and Benz.

Now, onto the main issue: the end. Even a few more episodes would have made it a wee bit better. The way it ended goes against everything I've learned about conclusions in grade school. Unless they're planning a second season, I can't see how that ending was truly an ending. None of the conflicts that arose really got solved. Tsukimi's romance didn't really get mentioned in that last episode, nor did Shu's romance...pseudo-romance. The only real thing was Kuranosuke's proposal to make jellyfish themed dresses, and Tsukimi's reaction after that special scene completely threw the finishing of the conflict out the window.

Recommendation wise, I'd be cautious to who I recommend this to because stuff like this isn't really everybody's cup of tea. Generally speaking, however, I strongly urge everyone to take a few shots at this.




This is one of the biggest conflicts and themes in the 11 episodes.

Top Image: How Tsukimi sees herself.

Bottom Image: How Tsukimi really looks.

The rift between how she views herself and reality is so great that she unconsciously makes herself look worse just by thinking it. So, for all you girls thinking that you're unattractive, here's a tip! Stop thinking that you're unattractive!

You Might Also Like

1 comments

  1. Hmm...Star Wars, James Bond, Mary Poppins, Kill Bill and that one w/ the jet fighter planes w/ Tom Cruise! Idk the last one ):

    GREAT ADVICE :D!

    ReplyDelete