The first half of this episode simply didn't work. The only thing that saved it, really, was Yui's appearance. And, unfortunately, even she found a way to grate on my nerves before all was said and done.
As for the second half - well, the show has suddenly become very, very frustrating. I'll be honest: the idea that Junpei could be so confused about his feelings for these three girls (four, once they finally find a way to work Yui into the mix) is utterly ridiculous. It would seem the only reason for his confusion is to prevent the story from moving forward, even in the slightest. In other words, it's wholly artificial. The fact that Tsukasa would bid him farewell for no particular reason reinforces that. For Tsukasa and Junpei to finally get together would upset the status quo, so any plot progression that brings the two closer has to be cut off at some point - regardless of whether it makes sense or not.
The sad thing is, Junpei pairing up with a single girl (say, Tsukasa) would do wonders for the story. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and all...
If Junpei intends to play the field - or avoid the field, to be more exact - for the remainder of the show, I doubt I'll stick around long enough to see how things turn out.
Much to my surprise, Ichigo 100% is a far better romantic drama than it is romantic comedy. At its core, it's merely a generic harem show - an unfortunate fate, in general - yet, thanks to a cast of relatively interesting (and complicated) characters, it somehow manages to shine...
Only in dramatic moments, that is.
When it plays for laughs, the show is little more than standard harem boilerplate. But, when it settles down and gets serious, the cast takes center stage. The drama plays to the show's inherent strengths.
And that's probably why the previous episode was such a drag, whereas this episode was a real treat - the portion dealing with Tsukasa's birthday, in particular. Bravo.
Ecchi overload.
It was a little too much, really. I guess I prefer my fanservice a little less "in your face". This was just wall-to-wall nosebleeds.
The animation was pretty piss poor, as well. Satsuki looked plain weird in certain scenes. I'm quite fond of the show's character designs, but when the animation goes down the tubes, the results aren't particularly flattering.
Oh, and the annoying teacher needs to go. Now.
I have a confession to make: I'm really enjoying this show.
Much to my surprise, I admire all four girls. I was cheering for Tsukasa by the end of the first episode. I can't wait to see more of Yui. Aya, of course, is clearly an interesting (and alluring) character. And Satsuki? I was expecting the worst, to be honest, but I'm now tempted to proclaim her my favorite of the bunch.
Four beautiful, unique, and desirable girls. Junpei, you smooth operator, you.
Junpei may have lost Tsukasa (for now), but if he gets both Aya and Yui in exchange, I'd say that's a pretty sweet deal.
Bastard.
Speaking of Yui, I initially expected her to be a quiet and reserved girl. That's what her character design suggested, at least. I'm happy to have been proven wrong.
How is it Junpei immediately recognized Aya as the girl with the strawberry panties upon seeing her without glasses, yet didn't entertain the possibility beforehand, despite the supporting evidence? Glasses don't make that big a difference, you know.
The guy's obviously an idiot. Or perhaps he needs glasses himself.
I'm not particularly familiar with the original manga, so all I can really do at this point is take the anime adaptation of Ichigo 100% at face value. And, so far, I like what I see.
That's not to say the show doesn't look extremely generic. There's nothing special about the production, and it's not like harem-themed romantic comedies aren't 10 yen a dozen nowadays (if that much). On the other hand, it looks as if our male protagonist (who doesn't seem too bad a guy, thankfully) will only have the affection of four girls to juggle - four normal (apparently) and extremely cute girls. In the age of Negima and endless bishoujo game conversions, a simple four girl harem is a breath of fresh air.
So, I'm definitely interested to see how the story progresses. And, I'll sheepishly admit that I'm already rooting for Tsukasa!
