So from what I’ve gathered it’s sweltering in Australia and freezing in Canada. I hope the weather is nice for you in Japan! I’ll take cold over hot any day–looking forward to that Japanese Winter!
Let’s jump right into this week’s episode of Ekoda-chan. You know, maybe it’s because the episodes are so short and I don’t have the time to get use to a particular style that although I can tell they all look different, it’s somehow not that much of a change? I think that’s kind of a compliment to the show, that even though it’s a different studio and director, etc. each week that they still look like the same show that goes to show a strong visual language that’s no doubt evident from the source material.
Basically I liked this week’s art style, just like I’ve liked them all so far. This was the least experimental (so far), but yeah I liked it too! Ekoda-chan’s boobs looked nice too, I mean, what?
Personality wise, this was the most boring Ekoda for me. What did you think Matt? I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say “boring”, she was the most real. Maybe that’s what you found boring?! Funny I felt she was the least relatable. Kind of a flat personality stock romance character instead of a real complex person. This sounds harsher than I mean it. She was fine but one note where she’s been more nuanced so far.
This episode really reminded me of old school shoujo. To me it seemed the least inventive so far. I’m a little disappointed that she’s pining so hard for the boy. I was pretty stoked at the idea of a sexually liberated lead that isn’t supposed to be…evil I guess. I didn’t really think about it like that, this was more a case of a sexually liberated woman who just wants to be loved–I don’t think that makes her “disappointing” I think that makes her human–but then again I don’t know anything about “old school shoujo” so maybe this is univentive and tropey? As the end credits rolled on this episode, I turned to the irlwaifu and she had a sad look on her face, and I realised I did too. We felt sorry for Ekoda-chan, but I don’t deny my empathy for this character is rooted strongly in the fact that I can both relate and sympathise with her general existence. Or maybe I’m just thinking too hard about this 4-minute anime? Is she sexualy liberated? She got very mad when the boy mentioned that she had physical relations that weren’t part of a conventional relationship. She seems to want to be loved by that specific boy which is a bit different from the idea of trying to find the right person, to me. I guess I was hoping the show wouldn’t paint her as a sad slightly pathetic character.
It’s pretty obvious tough, that we are seeing different women and as that was part of the idea of this show – that’s really cool.
Despite the flashbacks, the narrative has been pretty linear so far. It’s an interesting experiment, I wonder where we’ll end up. This is kind of like a “show about nothing” and in drawing comparisons to ‘Seinfeld’ (the 90’s US sitcom) it too was all about tenuous physical relationships and observations of the minutiae of everyday life. Sure that show never had any real depth or character development or any emotion really to speak of but I feel the comparison still applies. Ekoda-chan just ~exists~ and whether her emotions or reactions or wants or desires “make sense” or “conform to preconceived notions of the character” don’t really mean a thing when she’s a messy and flawed individual prone to complications and contradictions alike. Hey, Irina, did I mention I think too hard about this silly 4-minute anime? So much for a short review!
Hey it’s still short, we got this…..we can do it.
