Anime Futakoi Alternative

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][CENTER][IMG]http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m50/holahk/FutakoiAlternative.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

Once again, this is a show that's rather old, 2 years old I believe, but has no thread here and since I'm just now watching it, I'm inviting you to do so as well. It has yet to be licensed for American release (which at this point means it probably wont ever be) so if you need subs, PM me about it.

First, I'm going to link to [B]Wikipedia[/B], as they do a better job of explaining why this anime is hard to classify into a genre. [[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futakoi_Alternative]link[/url]]

The first episode of this show will throw off what is to be expected for the rest of the series. It begins with a totally zany battle scene starring these two twin loli girls who don't actually appear at all later... it then cuts to our protagonist, Rentarouu, who is in a pickle dealing with the yakuza (common trend in the shows I'm watching, lol.) I won't recount it, but the first episode has an almost FLCL level of zaniness with over-the-top explosive combat action as it introduces our star characters.

This is completely belayed, though, by the next two episodes. These ones have a more gentle atmosphere to a large extent. It's almost like watching a whole different show. In some ways, this creates some major pacing issues that are hard to get used to, though it is still an interesting and fun show. In episode four we get more hyper action and comedy, but then episode 5 is 100% slow and more serious. From what I've read, this trend continues and the series also becomes more serious about halfway through (I'm only through ep 5 so far.)

The show is by UFO table who also did the recent Manabi Straight as well as some other rather well-known productions, though this is only the 2nd I've seen of theres. At times the animation results to pan-shots and the like, but for the most part it's solid.

EDIT: At episode 11 I'd say other than some awkward writing in certain episodes, I'm loving this show. The blend of serious, heavy drama and rediculous action sequences is seemless. This show gets points for imagination where it falters a little in execution. All-around pretty cool though, and at certain parts a little sad.[/COLOR]

[Meggido]

I have to say that from my impresions of seeing the whole series, the first ep starts of with a real bang. It's probably the only word I can use to describe it. It then slows down really quickly in ep2. At times though it seemed very slow even for a short 13 or so ep series especially from about ep 2-6 or something. But once it started getting into the weird and the thick off the plot, the payout in the end was really worth sitting through those slow eps. I think it's well worth watching.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Meggido']I have to say that from my impresions of seeing the whole series, the first ep starts of with a real bang. It's probably the only word I can use to describe it. It then slows down really quickly in ep2. At times though it seemed very slow even for a short 13 or so ep series especially from about ep 2-6 or something. But once it started getting into the weird and the thick off the plot, the payout in the end was really worth sitting through those slow eps. I think it's well worth watching.[/quote]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Upon completion, I'd have to agree with this for the most part.

Overall, I can safely say I really liked this show, despite the issues I thought it had - issues that I felt to have been resolved by the end. This is truly a pure love story, and I respect it for that, with a perfect ending for a romantic such as myself, lol.

There were some slow parts, but they were only a problem in the earlier episodes. I think the problem was that they tried to use situations where we would feel a certain way about the chracters, but they hadn't yet introduced them in a wy that we would care enough yet. Of the first 6 episodes, while I really loved episode one and four, there were only certain parts of other episodes I liked.

From 7 on, though, it really makes up for it as a great series. There are still some issues, but when you watch the whole series, the way the whole was projected seems to work out. The show can be really sad or really happy, super-desolate or hyper-energetic, and it does both sides of the field well.

I'm glad I watched this right after something like NHK, too. This show isn't meant to be deep, it doesn't make you think hard afterward. It's just a simple, lighthearted, fun, and well-made romantic action comedy (and I mean comedy in the drama sense.) It leaves only one question for the audience....

[B]HAPPY DESU NEE?!?!?![/B]

The last 3 episodes were what really clenched it for me, though. They are positively EPIC. I haven't seen an ending quite so crazy in a long time. That's another thing that makes this show interesting - in a lot of episodes it seems like a pure romance and you completely forget about all the 12-year olds with machine guns and giant fire-shooting squids, but when they reappear, it feels almost natural.

i don't want to spoil the ending, but i will say that it is positvely awesome and pulls the story together exactly the way I wanted to see. [/COLOR]