Upotte! Gone Fishin'

Upotte! OVA - More of the same from Xebec.

The one that didn't get away.

We're going to start out by saying, right off the bat, the underpinnings of this anime are ludicrous in the extreme. Anthropomorphic weapons in the form of cute girls without even the barest explanation of why and how. Ultimately it doesn't really matter since this is simply another venue for Xebec to do what it does best... cute girls doing cute things.

Standard OVA trope is to have the main cast at either an Onsen or at the beach. So, to be different, Xebec sends then camping in the mountains. The result is the same... tons of kawaii and tons of fan-service. Although it doesn't answer the burning question in my mind... why does M16 wear an orange slice as a hair decoration?

I'd show the bathing scenes, but I haven't figured out how to make this blog 18+. Suffice it to say they are tasty.

I really don't have a lot to say other than that it's been released. There is no storyline to speak of but it is entertaining nonetheless. If you liked "Upotte!" then you will like this. If you didn't, there is nothing here that will change your mind. Just shapely bouncing breasts and mildly suggestive sexual innuendo, in the finest tradition of "Ladies vs. Butlers" and their crown-jewel "To Love-Ru!"

I give it 4 Stars... simply because I am a pervert.

Girls und Panzer - An Overview

I Luv Loli's With Guns... 

I dunno what it is about little girls with huge military equipment, but hey... whatever works, right? Upotte!, Strike Witches... hell even Sora no Woto (I know I'm leaving out a ton). I guess it is the height of otaku-ness to enjoy watching moe little ladies handle man-sized weaponry.

This particular bit of pseudo-militaristic action has an interesting hook and is at least slightly more believable than Upotte's anthropomorphic guns schtick. 

Going to school in a city that seems to exist on the back of an ancient aircraft carrier, our main cast of loli lovelies gets pulled into the school's revival of a program called Senshado (or, as translator Hiryuu calls it 'Tankwondo').

Our main girl is Nishizumi Miho, who suffers greatly from 'Saki Syndrome'. She's super-talented at something she actively dislikes and has a hard-ass, just-as-talented, older sister she can't seem to connect with or measure up to (ah... i'm getting ahead of myself).

She's just arrived at her new school and is having a small problem adjusting until she meets her soon-to-be closest friends Isuzu Hana and Takebe Saori. She jumps at the chance to 'fit in' and do 'normal' things that girls do.

Her hopes of a new life are dashed when the Student Council President herself makes an appearance in Miho's classroom and tells her in a threatening manner "When you are choosing your elective, make sure you pick Senshado. Got it?" When Miho protests, saying she chose the school because they didn't have a Senshado course, the president merely brushes it off. "Just do it!"

In a touching nurse's office scene we find out why the Seitokai Chiho wants Miho's participation so badly. Miho reveals to Hana and Saori about her family's long history of famous tank-handlers as well as alludes to some dark 'tank-related incident' in her past. Ohhhhhh.

Anyway stuff happens (you should watch) that cements their friendship and in the end Miho decides to go with the elective along with her friends.

21 girls in total end up joining the program and as they meet for the first time they realize the first order of business... they need tanks.

This leads us to Episode 2 which features introduction of the fourth member of the crew, Akiyama Yukari, as well as highlight the Junior High Tank Wash - which I have re-created for you below:

You're welcome.

So at any rate, I will be following this. It'll be one of my 'Guilty Pleasure' picks for autumn. Here's a batch of screencaps for you.

Tsundere, yes! But also...

...the resident 'Glasses Girl'.

So... the new instructor just arrived...?











Yeah... the new instructor just arrived.

Internet help on how to operate a tank... 

The Student Council Pres is pretty laid back overall...

Maybe too laid back.

Best Bets for Winter 2012

Welcome to the first blogpost for The Otaku Juuden Complex. We are a U.S. based doujinshi circle, planning to release our first large-scale production for Comiket 84 in August of 2013. 

I'm stealthMomo and  joining me later will be Mikeru Sumiya and Ano Souka, my partners-in-crime. In the meantime, we will use this forum to discuss anime old and new.

Winter of Our Discontent?

Let's face it. The last three or four seasons have been somewhat...lacking. Although there are always a couple of bright spots every 13 weeks, I miss being inundated with too many riches.

Gods for the return of the days when you couldn't keep up. In 2009 we had Shakugen no Shana, Zero no Tsukaima, Clannad, Bakemonogatari, Minami-ke, Toaru Majutsu no Index, K-ON!, Saki, Hayate no Gotoku, Kannagi, To Love-Ru... and more I can't remember. An embarrassment of riches.

Summer 2012 had three, count 'em only three series - that left a lasting impression;

Sword Art Online, Hyouka and Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita.

Ok, maybe four. I really did like Dog Days', They put a lot of work into it obviously. Anyway, this was only to test the water. Next time I will discuss those three four series.


Sword Art Online Season Two starts next week.