Anime ChannelAugust 12, 2010Review: Seitokai Yakuindomo11by Antheon 650 days ago Hey there! My name is Antheon and I’m the new guy here at TheAkiba.com. If you want some infos about me, feel free to visit my profile page! Based on YoUs recommendation I decided to write a review about Seitokai Yakuindomo (episodes 1-6). Usually I’d review one episode after another, going in-depth and analyzing this particular episode. As for Setokai Yakuindomo it is really, really hard (not to say impossible) as 70-80% of the anime consists of dirty jokes which take you one minute to summarize … So,, nevermind and let’s get started! The logo of the SYD, what else?The backgroundThe stage is set at Ōsai Private Academy which, due to declining birth rates, has transitioned from an all-girls high school to a co-ed. The current ratio of male to female students is 28:524. Within this place that men would simply call paradise, the 16 years old Takatoshi Tsuda is inaugurated as vice-president of the student council. The student council has a strict image. However, there are some members who defy imagination … It used to be girls-only ... but I guess you figured out that much.The openingThe opening Yamato Nadeshiko Education (大和撫子エデュケイション) by Triple Booking sums up perfectly what the anime is about by showing some ero-comical scenes that I, for one, have never seen before in anime openings (aside from hentai of course). The song itself does remind me of Take it! Sailor Uniform (Lucky Star) but fortunately it isn’t that annoying. As for the lyrics there is not much for me to say because the song deals with problems a male student should not have. There are some lines though that made me smile (e.g. Isshin dōtai – Dōtai?). I have to admit that I was a little bit irritated at the end of the opening when I saw Shino on the roof together with the rest of the student council members. Isn’t she supposed to be afraid of heights? I’d like to think about it as a preview for the second half of the series but actually I’m quite sure that it’s just a “the main thing is to get the four of them smiling together”-bug. Although I’m no big fan of this kind of openings I think it suits the anime well.The endingThe ending Aoi Haru (蒼い春) by angela is a subject to debate as it is quite different from the rest of Seitokai Yakuindomo e.g. the style or the lyrics’ topic. The song is basically about an ordinary girl who has delusions of having an anime-style romance and school life. I don’t like the ending very much but I think that’s a matter of taste.Visual impressionsWatching Seitokai Yakuindomo is like riding a rollercoaster. The visual presentation is pending from light and picturesque like “Angel Beats!” to flat and colorless. The character illustration reminds me of Shakugan no Shana or Myself; Yourself but half of the time you get to see them chibi-styled which reminds me of Lucky Star. The style changes quickly but it’s not disturbing as the chibi-style suits the funny scenes. Speaking of Myself; Yourself: It’s the first time that ALL anime protagonists gave me a feeling of déjà-vu. You may debate if Takatoshi resembles Kyon (The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi) but Shino looks like Nanaka Yatsushiro (Myself; Yourself) or Yui Kotegawa (To Love-Ru). Suzu reminds me of Hiyori Sarugaki (Bleach) while Aria has to be Orihime Inoue’s (Bleach again) forgotten twin sister! A good example for the bright and vibrant colors.Aural impressionsTo tell the truth there was not one track that was stuck in my head. Usually there are some tunes that catch your attention but throughout all six episodes there wasn’t any I could think of. Should I say now that Seitokai Yakuindomo has no (good) soundtrack? I don’t think so. I’ll rewatch the series and that time I’ll listen carefully. To be continued …To my surprise I was expecting much more curses and bleeps. As you can see there is perverted stuff here and there (pedobear, anyone?) but it sticks to the dirty jokes and doesn’t go much farther.The charactersTakatoshi Tsuda Takatoshi is a typical harem-character: lazy, average student but always helpful and caring. At his first day at Ōsai he got scolded by Shino for not wearing his shirt and necktie properly. When she offers him to be the student council’s vice president he is as thrilled as if he’s going to die. He has a little sister named Kotomi. Like Kyon he’s got no choice but to join Shinos group of perverted female geniuses. Takatoshi shows that he does think about his environment when he suggests Suzu to adjust the height of her chair rather than take what she can not reach. Or when he insists on Shino taking his umbrella because he does not want the birthday girl to be soaking wet from the rain. Besides Suzu und Mutsumi he is the only character without perverted thoughts – most of the time.Kotomi Tsuda Takatoshis little sister reminds me of another anime character too but I don’t know whom she resembles. She has little screetime, so it’s hard to form an opinion about her. She seems to be clumsy and a bit perverted when she is around her brother. I have four younger sisters but it never occured to even one of them to buy me something let alone erotic stuff …Shino Amakusa She’s the Ōsai’s idol. Beautiful, athletic, intelligent and caring for her schoolmates – her only weaknesses are her flat chest (?!), her butt and all those sex fantasies you would never have even if you’re stoned. She seems to love history as she is seen talking passionately about historic buildings and she was dressed as Shinsengumi (Kondō-san? Hijikata? Okita or Saitō?). Shino is the kind of girl you never want to talk about your thoughts as long as they aren’t sex related. To my surprise she eats melon bread at one occasion which reminded me of Shana (Shakugan no Shana).Aria Shichijou I have to say it once more: Orihime has a twin sister: big boobs, no brain, strange eating habits and spacing out most of the time. Her parents seem to be rich and so she’s usually surrounded by many servants. Therefore she’s sometimes wondering why no-one’s going to wash her hair on school trips and so on. Among the protagonists she is the most bland of them all because she acts the same every single time and it never crosses your mind that she might be as thoughtful as Suzu. With only seven remaining episodes I fear that there won’t be any changes. Quite sad but then again she’s like her twin sister in Bleach … No comment. Seriously.Suzu Agimura Suzu is the most interesting and multi-faceted character until episode six. She is ridiculously intelligent, speaks five languages and does even react to her environment when she’s asleep. She has only a small problem – her body height: Though she is sixteen she looks like a ten years old girl. Cursed with the wrong genes she doesn’t want others to think of her as a kid. What started to be a classic cliché ended with a little pensive girl who’s afraid of ghost stories. The reason I really like her is that she is the only character that has a sad touch besides the slapstick.Mutsumi Mitsuba Mutsumi is a sixteen years old girl and wants Takatoshi to help her establishing the Judo Club. She’s always cheerful and it seems that she likes Takatoshi. Maybe this is getting her more screentime because I think she is an enrichment to this series because she brings a much fresher feel to this anime. I, for one, wish her good look!Ranko Hada Ranko is worth a bunch of smiles and chuckles because of her emotionless comments while doing lewd things like taking photographs of half-naked women, always looking for pics which can sell a lot. She is a minor character indeed unlike Mutsumi as all of her appearances serve as running gags.Naruko Yokoshima There’s not much to say about this woman. She is kind of creepy if you ask me and I know that I don’t want a birthday present from her! Fortunately, she has the least screentime of all …The plotIt’s going to be short. Why? Because there is no plot (yet?)! All episodes have an independent mini-plot and there is no sign of a dramatic arc. Is it even possible to build one up with only seven episodes remaining? Yes, it is but I fear I’ll be disappointed with the result nonetheless. The jokes are debateable. On the one hand one can argue that they are flat and uninspired, on the other hand there are times when you can’t do anything but laugh about the absurdity/stupidity of the joke itself. It’s also a matter of expectation. As for me, I do like the jokes and I always think how I would have reacted to the girls’ comments. Well, there isn’t much variation and the slapstick is not as funny as in other anime but I really enjoy Seitokai Yakuindomo. Somehow I managed to survive ...ConclusionI really grateful to YoU and Snow who recommended Seitokai Yakuindomo as I fear I wouldn’t have stumbled across it otherwise. All six episodes I watched until now are very funny and I’m going to watch the remaining seven episodes for sure. Of course, this series is one without much meaning and depth but that has never been its goal to begin with. Seitokai Yakuindomo is an anime you want to watch when you’re bored or when you want to relax and laugh about stupid comments and a male protagonist surrounded by an army of girls, some of them with a perverted side I never thought it could be possible.What do you think? Have you watched the anime and chuckled like the author? Or were you one of those guys, saying: “Oh … pedobear …” *zap*Leave a comment and let us know about your impressions!