THAT Animeblog » Kannagi

A Christmas Dialogue Round 1

lelangir — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:33:49 +0000

←[104] This was a round-robin by lelangir, Lbrevis, ghostlightning and usagijen. In it, we start by discussing Christmas (we started a while ago heh…) and how it’s turned into such a commercial enterprise. We use Kannagi and Lucky Star as vehicles for our discussion.

This round robin took place in the form of a chain letter. I wrote a short remark, and emailed to the next participant. I hoped that this would develop a linear dialogue, although that’s only part true.

Round 1. See Round 2 Here

lelangir: So, in relation to Christmas and religion, one interesting case is in Kannagi, specifically Zange (which wiki tells me means “penitence” or “confession” in Japanese). In essence, Zange chooses her host, a Christian nun, because it is a more popular religion, and so all the faith she receives is what nourishes her existence. Nagi, on the other hand, comes from an ancient religion, which is not so monolithic in itself, “Shintoism” being an agglomerative representation of many tribal religions. This is also shown in Natsume Yuujin-chou 02, where a god continuously shrinks until he vanishes because his only worshipper and source of faith, an elderly lady, dies. People have mentioned how Kannagi is social commentary on religion and cultural idolatry. And this is supported by, literally, the idolization of Nagi, manifested quite clearly in the OP.

Lbrevis: I think it all comes down to the fact that generally speaking the Japanese are not religious, at least not in the way the West is. Just the other day I saw a bumper sticker that said “Keep Christ in Christmas.” The driver would undoubtedly be horrified to know that in Japan Christmas is a commercial event where the Christmas cake is far more important than a baby in a manger.

So getting back to shrine maidens, it’s not surprising that Kannagi mixes pop culture with religion in a way that would be sacrilegious to everyone else… in America! (thank you, Bandit Keith). It may be, for better or for worse, that Nagi has really hit on something here and this is the only way to make an ancient religion like Shintoism relevant.

ghostlightning: The Philippines is the largest Christian (Catholic) country in Asia, and over here, the Christmas season begins in… September! So imagine the eerie juxtapositions of Santa Clause and Jack o’ Lanterns during Halloween. Here however, despite the overt colonization into Christianity, we appropriated Catholicism right back – in very animistic ways. Patron saints bless locales the same way Nagi the patron goddess of her area.

You’ll really see oddities, such as the Black Jesus in the heart of Manila (Quiapo district).

The people, the worshippers, by appropriating religion to fit within their own understanding and comfort levels, perpetuate religion. I’m pretty sure Jesus isn’t black, and neither are Filipinos, but the Catholic church didn’t/couldn’t declare this sacrilegious. Nagi may be on to something.

usagijen: I recently thought about how Japanese can’t say the pun-ny line ‘Christ puts “Christ” in Christmas’ because of how they represented Christmas in their language — クリスマス — simply KURISUMASU, with no Christ in sight, and I guess that would make more sense when you take into account what Lbrevis said. They could’ve opted for the Chinese equivalent, 聖誕節, if they really wanted to show its religious roots, but they didn’t, as though they just adapted Christmas for the sake of its “modern-day rituals”. In the words of ghostlightning, it’s like they simply appropriated Christmas to fit their own understanding, in the same way religion works, or pop culture for that matter.

There’s a reason why idols, both in religion and pop culture, are called as such. And when you see the incredible feats my fellow countrymen — the Filipino devotees — go through just to touch their beloved Nazarene idol each year (illustrated in the pic provided by ghostlightning), no less than the die-hard fans of, say, Michael Jackson or Miley Cyrus (or other phenomenal craze), who cry, faint, and fall head over heels for their beloved pop star idol, the intersection between the two becomes even more vague. Do we call the religious devotees’ act sacrilegious, or simply an admirable display of faith and devotion? How about the overzealous act of fans? The thin line that separates them is the sanctity aspect of religion, which is quite ambiguous in and of itself. Religion is a mainstream pop culture, after all. Now if my confusion serves to affirm the social commentary present in Kannagi, then all I can say is, Nagi may be on to something indeed.

Concluding questions for the reader

1. Are you a religious person in any way? Does your anime watching conflict with or support your beliefs?

2. Are you comfortable with how religion is portrayed in anime? If so, does it make the show interesting? entertaining?

3. If you were to draw a line, what is/should be taboo?

Over 9000 Meaningless Words

lelangir — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:36:51 +0000

←[100] first impressions on Mariaholic

In the first part, ghostlightning and I talk about Kannagi. In the second, superfani talks about art in general.

Essentially, the conclusion we came to was that the religious metaphorical elements are played out in such that they themselves constitute a subplot. This is how Nagi searches for idolatry. As in the second episode of Natsume Yuujin-chou, the god shrinks in relation to the faith he receives. A god with lots of faith is large, one with little faith is small. When the god’s only worshipper dies, his source of sustenance is cut off, and he dissipates. In the same way, “faith” in Kannagi is represented by popularity, by idolatry. It’s much more blatant in the manga, but the OP should make it clear.

The religious content was a plot – nagi accumulating faith had to be, incidentally or otherwise because the metaphor sets it up so that everything contributes to the subplot, incidentally or otherwise.

So…

Part 1: Ghostlightning & lelangir on Kannagi

Show ▼

Part 2: Superfani on art

Show ▼

Kannagi Episode 12 + 13 END – Let’s wrap this one up.

Shokkeru — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:00:14 +0000

Or in Jin’s case, unwrap. Ufufu…

So the series is finally over (for this season anyway) and it’s been a heck of a ride. We’ve been overloaded with fun and humor for a good portion of the series, but when things finally got down to it, they hit us hard with a bunch of drama and emotional episodes towards the end. I can’t really say that I liked the pacing that much, but overall, I think it was perfectly fine if you weren’t really watching the show for a profound story or anything.

Episode 12

Cause you had a bad day
You’re taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around

Jin tries to find out more about Nagi, or more specifically, the god/spirit enshrined at the site where the sacred tree was from. After visiting a family who was supposedly one of the guardian families of the shrine, he doesn’t learn much more about Nagi except that “Kannagi-sama” saved people who tried to hang themselves during a war. Jin also tries to get information from Zange, but this probably only made things worse. Jin also finds out soon after that Nagi has ran away from home, leaving a note saying that she’s been lying all along. This causes Jin to become heavily depressed and even staying up all night awaiting for her return. However, the episode ends with Jin unsuccessful in finding or hearing from Nagi and leaving him in an unhealthy state of mind.

Episode 13

Jin and Nagi sitting in a tree… Get it? Tree? Cuz Nagi was- nevermind.

The episode picks up directly after the previous one with Tsugumi trying to find out what has happened between Jin and Nagi. Tsugumi finds out that Nagi has ran away from home, but as she tried to press further, Jin gets angry and tells her that it’s none of her business. After a while, Tsugumi realizes that she needs to snap Jin out of his depression and gives him a good lecturing. Jin springs into action and attempts to search for Nagi yet again with the help of Tsugumi and the Nagi fansite’s message board. Jin manages to find Nagi and he finally makes up with her by telling her that it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t understand herself and that they’ll “find” the answer together. Also at this time, Jin meets a ghost who appears to be a younger version of the old lady he met in the previous episode. The ghost explains her “encounter” with Nagi in the past when she tried to hang herself, but the sacred tree would break off its branches when she tried to do so. Jin and Nagi return home and Jin suddenly becomes all flustered when he sees Nagi’s cute face smiling at him. Coincidentally, Jin sees Nagi’s almost nude body after Nagi tries to grab a change of clothes. Tsugumi walks in right before Jin can “act” on his emotions and Nagi follows up by smacking him upside the head with a frying pan. Nagi goes on to say that Jin would surely make fun of her if he saw “these”. This last statement might be an attempt to keep fans from thinking that Nagi might have feelings for Jin (maybe?).

Impressions

Insert Takako epic nosebleed here.

Overall, these last two episodes have been pretty decent for me. I’ll admit that I didn’t really like episode 12 (and to an extent episode 13) purely for the fact that there was a lack of comedy in it. This is only natural since we’ve been spoiled by all the comedy and non-serious episodes for a good portion of the series. However, that’s not to say that I don’t think they were good episodes. I, in fact, think they were great for what they were. It was just a too drastic change of pace in my opinion. But at least I’m glad that they ended the series on a happy note.

Ya’ll got served.

It was kind of weird that they used the same three guys that harassed Zange the first time again in episode 12. I’m not sure if they were actually the same guys or if they just thought they could get away with using the same characters for very minor roles. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter, but I thought that was a bit interesting the point out aside from the awesome butt-kicking they got from Zange personally.

Is it just me or does Jin look especially retarded in this shot?

The events of episode 13 were kind of cheesy, but props to Tsugumi for waking Jin’s stupid ass up from his emo-ness. I swear, if he didn’t get those injuries from helping Nagi, he would have probably given them to himself. But you do kind of have to feel sorry for Tsugumi for having to see that scene at the end after all the work she’s done for Jin. Hell even the “Oops, I fell over your naked body” bit was a bit cliche.

Series Review

Thank you to all of you who actually take the time to read and comment on my posts.

What can I say about the series that most of you don’t already know?

Kannagi the anime has been known for its high quality animation/production, the very nicely timed jokes and punchlines and great character designs and personalities. It wasn’t a show so focused on heavy drama or depth in plot, but one that aimed to be a very entertaining experience. There wasn’t too many references aside from the occasional jabs at KyoAni so the show was pretty humorous and entertaining on its own merits.

The only problems that this series had were probably the overall cliched themes and perhaps the pacing of the story. However, these issues were pretty much overlooked with how interesting and amusing the interactions between the characters of the show were. Sure you have the mysterious girl showing up suddenly at your home, the childhood friend, the flirtatious one, and the whole idea of love triangle/square/whatever-it-is thing going on. But all this became a minor point for some reason. Perhaps it was because of a great cast of supporting characters or just all the great moments we’ve witnessed. Whatever it is, it’s made Kannagi a great series to follow despite its minor issues.

My favorite characters of the series has to be Akiba or Takako. Jin has pissed me off more and more as the series move on. Nagi is great, but there are times where she’s not too interesting to watch. Tsugumi and Zange are cute, but they lack great lines. Daitetsu was pretty great in his own little episode and during the whole “misunderstanding” but aside from that he was a pretty dull character. Shino hasn’t had enough to say or do to warrant her any mention really. Akiba has always been a character that connected me to the series. His otaku nature and fanboyism has made him a very entertaining character within the series and his comments sometimes really relate to what the viewer may be thinking (assuming the viewer is familiar with what he’s talking about). Takako wins purely for her awesomeness in being the fanatic she is. Some people think that she might be bisexual, but she hasn’t really shown any interest in guys. She’s been mainly a pervert when it comes to same sex relationships whether it was between Jin and Daitetsu or any cute girl and herself really.

Overall, this series has been a really enjoyable one and I’m sure many people would agree with me. Here’s hoping to another season and to the health and recovery of Kannagi’s author Eri Takenashi.

Musings in Anime Music (17): Kannagi OP Arrangement

lelangir — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:14:04 +0000

←[96]

This is the OP. Happy song, major key.

Episode 12, the arranged the OP sing in a minor key, sad. But that’s awesome! We, of course, always hear good use of the theme song during important times in a story (last ep. of Honey & Clover, for instance), but rarely do I hear the OP song arranged in such a way. Usually it’s just stuck in there, but Satoru Kousaki takes it a bit further.

There were two little bits I didn’t add in because I’m cheap and my free notation program can’t do what it’s supposed to be -_-’ (would only anal people care about how I divided the right/left hand arpeggios?)

download the midi (piano)
download the midi (rhodes, ’cause we all love a bit of bleedy sounding rhodes

and for fun

Kannagi Episode 11 – Why so serious?

Shokkeru — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:17:54 +0000

Are they supposed to be scared or excited?

Looks like they’ve decided to cut down on the comedy and get on with the story since we’re coming up on the end of the season. The transition was a bit rough, but it was probably necessary given the short amount of time left. Regardless, we’re finally given a bit of insight on the situation with Nagi and her not knowing much about herself or why she’s doing the things she does.

Summary

Minus points for you Jin.

Jin and Nagi resume their quest to exterminate the impurities in the local area. Jin becomes more and more injured from all the hunting and everyone starts to take notice. Jin confronts Nagi about all the trouble she has caused him and asks her why she’s even exterminating the impurities in the first place.

Uh oh…

Nagi doesn’t really understand why she’s going around exterminating impurities or where they come from. It is revealed later that she doesn’t even know much about herself and that she’s just doing what she feels she needs to do. Nagi gets angry (again) when Jin tries to push her to “think” about what she’s doing and runs off to the rooftop.

Nagi: “Being a playboy must be tough.”

Jin bumps into Suzushiro-sensei who thinks he’s triple-timing on Zange. Of course this is a misunderstanding that Jin clears up for him. Jin goes on to confess that Nagi claims to be a god to Suzushiro-sensei. He tells Jin that he believes that Nagi possibly isn’t a god but a spirit who thinks she’s a god or is simply saying they’re a god for their own convenience. Jin leaves to go do some research on the deity who was supposed to be enshrined where he got the sacred tree from. He finds out that Nagi has also checked out the same book he was researching from.

Impressions

It’s the kind of life otakus and apparently Takako dream of.

The first half of the episode had decent comedy in it. A few moments here and there were particularly funny (the calls from Zange/Daitetsu stalkers, the VN scene). But about half way through, I guess things start to get really serious when Jin and Nagi have another fight about things Nagi doesn’t really know about. I’m not sure why, but the second half really seemed to fly by for me. By the end of the episode, I said to myself, “That’s it?”. Not sure if it’s because I was so into it that time just flew by or if the episode really didn’t have much going on to feel as long as the previous episodes. Either way, there are somethings that need resolution that I’ll be waiting to see in the next episodes.

Kannagi Episode 10 – Are we still in the right show?

Shokkeru — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:05:23 +0000

Probably what most people thought when the episode first started. Assuming they’ve watched Lucky Star of course.

This week’s Kannagi treats us to a delightful karaoke episode starring the “all-star” cast, as Akiba would say. The episode starts off very similar to the karaoke endings of Lucky Star, however that’s not all that’s not all for the Lucky Star references, I’m afraid.

P.S. More fan-made material (Niconico link only at the moment… can’t find youtube ver)
KannagixHaruhi?

Summary

Takako hentai desu wa.

There’s really not much to summarize from this episode. The gang all take turns singing songs with Takako and Daitetsu as possibly the best singers to Jin and Zange being the relative worst. Tsugumi tries to subtly get closer to Jin, but with Zange’s flirting and Jin’s natural obliviousness, her attempts fail miserably. At the end of the episode, Jin realizes that everyone but Shino has sung. Takako mentions that you shouldn’t make Shino sing as it will force her to open her eyes (yes I’m serious). At this point, Shino starts to turn around and the crew apparently see something amazing as Shino (supposedly) opens her eyes.

Impressions

Haha, I feel your pain. Hahaha… sorry.

I don’t know what it is, but I always find terrible singing (in comedic fashions) very hilarious. Seeing how I’m probably a worse singer than most of the characters in this show, I feel kind of ashamed of myself for laughing at people for their misfortunes when I’m very much in the same boat. Oh well, no one’s perfect.

She really should have let her hair down for this episode. It would have been so perfect.

Apparently, everyone’s in love with Takako’s little performance. While I did very much enjoy it for what it was, I could pretty much agree with the reaction of the gang. Takako does have a pretty “mature” image compared to someone like Zange and doing a song and dance of that nature would be very unfitting. It’s kind of like if Daitetsu, with his strong and masculine image, were to sing emo songs. Of course Daitetsu’s scenario would be no where close to being awesome like Takako’s performance.

Unless Shino is suffering from the same symptoms as Cyclops then I really don’t know what could be so frightening about her eyes. Unless it’s like when Nunnally opened her eyes… oh gawd.

You could very easily forget Shino’s presence in the show if it weren’t for those few lines she gives every so often. Apparently, they decided to take notice of that. The whole deal with Shino not singing was nagging at the back of my mind up until Jin mentioned it. Then along comes the bit about her eyes opening to shock and awe the cast and leave us to our imaginations. Since this is a filler episode (I think), I’m not too sure how canon the whole thing with Shino’s eyes is. There’s always been characters in anime with “closed” eyes and most of the time, there’s been an episode or two in the series where that fact gets made fun of. One example was in Sketchbook during the fireworks episode (the two characters with “closed” eyes could not squint when everyone else did). Anyways, I’m sure that’s the case here, but I’m just wondering if it was ever originally planned for Shino’s eyes to be really closed or if it was just the way the mangaka decide to draw her.

Tsugumi is not impressed.

Zange’s performance, despite what others have said, wasn’t really that bad. Like the characters said, it was bad, but really cute. For some people, I guess cuteness is all you need. I honestly thought Jin’s attempt was a lot worse, but knowing me, I’d probably end up the same way in that situation.

For some reason, I think her outfit kind of fits the song she sings. Maybe I’m just crazy.

Nagi. What can I say about her performance that hasn’t already been said. I have to admit it was very unexpected to hear her choice of song especially when she’s the one singing the OP/ED song. It’s almost like a slap to the face of those anticipating a beautiful performance. But then again, it does sort of fit her personality and the way she stood up straight and sang that song was especially fitting. That being said, I think Nagi’s performance was the second best in awesomeness (the first being Takako’s).

Getting a bit up close and personal, aren’t we?

Let’s not forget about Akiba. Even though his performance wasn’t anything special, I’m left kind of wondering why Takako was so persistent in trying to get Akiba to sing anime songs. Does she simply want him to open up to his otaku nature or is there something more to this?

We’re not in Kansas anymore…

Look familiar?

LOLOL

And the reference can’t be complete without the matching room number from the Lucky Star ending. Yes, I really checked.

See you next week!

Kannagi Episode 9 – Great Misunderstandings

Shokkeru — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:59:39 +0000

After the events of the previous episode, things escalate even further when Tsugumi accidentally starts a rumor within the school about Jin and Daitetsu’s “relationship”.

Summary

Takako, Shino, Akiba and Tsugumi get together to discuss the recent events between Jin, Daitetsu and Nagi. Takako lays down the facts right before Akiba makes a bold conclusion which Takako gladly follows. After the conversation, Tsugumi leaves to ask Jin directly about the situation. Takako tries to stop Tsugumi from doing something so bold, but instead makes things worse when Tsugumi accidentally shouts out, in the middle of a crowded hallway, that Jin and Daitetsu might be in a homosexual relationship. This, of course, starts a rumor that quickly spreads throughout the school.

One of Tsugumi’s classmates comes up with the idea to take her to see Zange since she felt bad for what she’s done to Jin’s reputation. Zange comes up with the idea to date Jin to show everyone that Jin, in fact, likes girls and not guys. Tsugumi quickly disapproves of the idea and decides to go visit Jin instead. It just so happens that when she goes to see him, it’s right after Jin exiting the shower.

Shortly after the embarrassing incident, Nagi returns and learns of the recent events. This leads to more embarrassing stories and a picture album about Jin’s childhood as Zange arrives as well. As soon as the stories get to the point of Jin’s junior high school days, Jin immediately interrupts the girls and confiscates the picture album. Jin comes back into the room saying that he has something to talk to Tsugumi about. At the same time Zange mentions the rumor about Jin being homosexual which pushes Tsugumi to try and apologize for starting it.

Jin apologizes to Tsugumi for an event that happened during their junior high school days. From the looks of it, it seems that Jin got angry at Tsugumi for something that happened to a book (possibly belonging to his father). Tsugumi didn’t think much of the incident, but it has bothered Jin ever since. Tsugumi goes on to tell Jin that he doesn’t have to apologize since she understands him whenever he cries or gets angry.

The conversation continues with Jin asking Tsugumi what she has to apologize for. This, of course, is when Tsugumi is forced to tell Jin the truth about all the rumors going around school. Nagi agrees that Tsugumi should be the one to be Jin’s pseudo-girlfriend since she is responsible for everything that has happened. Zange adds on that Jin also has her as a “special candidate” as well. Jin is eventually forced to choose between Zange and Tsugumi and right when he was about the choose, Nagi gets impatient and says that Jin only has to be seen flirting with girls for people to see that he has interests in them. Therefore, he doesn’t really have to choose between the two and can be seen flirting with both. However, while this plan seemed to work at first, it only caused the rumors to get worse, saying that Jin doesn’t prefer either gender and just wants everything for himself.

Impressions

This episode was mainly a Tsugumi episode that focused on the relationship between Jin and herself. Their relationship wasn’t anything surprising to say the least. We already know that they’ve been friends since childhood and because Tsugumi cares so much for Jin, it’s natural that she would know so much about him. What I thought was kind of interesting was how Tsugumi obviously has feelings for Jin, but at the same time she has these conflicting emotions which holds her back a bit. It’s nothing new by far, but it’s a bit refreshing to see (maybe it’s just me).

It’s kind of funny how the “fried eggs and vegetables” joke is constantly a running gag for Tsugumi’s character. Is she even trying to learn how to cook different things?

The part where Takako and Shino were discussing Jin and Daitetsu’s relationship as well as raiding Akiba’s personal doujin collection was pretty funny to watch. It was especially amusing to see Tsugumi’s reaction as well.

It was interesting to see that Jin was about to pick Tsugumi to be his pseudo-girlfriend to clear up the confusion at school. This doesn’t really prove anything in regards to Jin having feelings for her since there’s a number of things it could have meant. Things such as Tsugumi being responsible for the rumor or simply because Jin would feel more comfortable with someone he’s known all his life rather than someone he barely knows. What would have happened if Nagi didn’t interrupt Jin would be interesting to speculate as well.

Hmm. So it’s okay for them to place Sony, Blu-ray and Betamax into the show but not a proper VAIO? Looks like they don’t have as much freedom as we thought they would with Sony products.

Kannagi Episode 8 – Wrath of the Gods

Shokkeru — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:11:55 +0000

In this episode, we are treated with a generous amount of Nagi fanservice as well as some more appearances of this “other Nagi”. Daitetsu also becomes enemies with Nagi after a series of unfortunate events.

P.S. I am writing this post even though I’m really exhausted from work and school so excuse me for any errors or anything that just doesn’t make any damn sense. On a side note, I think I’m pretty much resistant or immune to the effects of energy drinks (I know they’re bad for you). I’ve never felt any less tired after drinking one, but I’ve heard that other people had vastly different results. Your thoughts?

Summary

Daitetsu is forced to stay over at Jin’s place during a rainy night since he happened to lock himself out of his house. He observes Jin and Nagi’s interactions with each other and starts to gain suspicions about the two of them. Later on, Daitetsu overhears Jin and Nagi talking and finds out that they’re not really siblings and that Nagi is only living there out of convenience. This causes him to suspect that Nagi might be some sort of evil woman who is taking advantage of poor Jin.

After a lame attempt by Nagi and Jin to make it seem like they’re really siblings, Daitetsu randomly asks Jin about a drawing he found in the closet. The drawing was a design for the statue that Jin created at the beginning of the series. He mentions that the face on the statue looks very much like Nagi’s and asks that if Nagi “was” the statue. Nagi admits to this claim thinking that Daitetsu has realized that Nagi was not a human being. However, Daitetsu was only thinking that Nagi was the model for the statue and that it has not been finished yet.

Jin apologizes to Daitetsu for getting the wood for him and Daitetsu reveals that he did not really ask for the sacred tree. In fact, Daitetsu actually stole the tree for Jin’s sake. This angers Nagi greatly who immediately proceeded to punish Daitetsu for this sinful act. Daitetsu claims that they would have disposed of it anyways, but Nagi says that it would have been an act of purification and proceeds to threaten him with a curse.

Daitetsu runs off to the site of the shrine to apologize for stealing the tree. A bolt of lightning strikes down right before him causing a large pillar to appear with Nagi in front of it. However, this doesn’t seem to be the Nagi we’re familiar with but someone of a “higher being”. She forgives Daitetsu before fainting and returning to her normal self the next morning.

Jin questions Nagi about what happened, saying that Daitetsu carried her home that night. Nagi claims that she does not remember anything nor does she know anything about what’s happening with her. Nagi even gets mad like she did before when Jin tries to question her further about it. The recent events cause Jin and Daitetsu to try and make sense of everything that happened, but Nagi only remains bitter towards both of them.

Impressions

This was a very Daitetsu-centric episode. That being said, I’m not sure how I feel about this episode even though it is straight from the manga. There wasn’t much for me to talk about aside from a few moments here and there. It was mainly a bunch of laughs and arousing moments that’s a bit difficult to discuss in detail. Other than that, it was an enjoyable episode for the most part.

I have to admit it. I didn’t think Daitetsu had it in him. I mean for Daitetsu to have an imagination that would rival Takako’s and possibly Akiba’s is pretty impressive, especially for him. Of course now that he’s made enemies with Nagi, I can’t see his future being too bright. Not even his huge physique will save him from the wrath of Nagi.

I think this is the second time we see Nagi’s eyes losing their “shine” for a brief second or two. The other time was after she woke up from absorbing the kittens. I’m really curious to what significance it has and it’s pretty obvious that it has to do with Nagi’s other self. Speaking of her “other self”, it seems that Nagi really does have a split personality that she may or may not be aware of. Either that or I’m guessing that this “Nagi” isn’t the true incarnation of the deity she claims to be. I hope this gets explained sufficiently since we’re almost winding down to the last few episodes.

A bit random, but if you didn’t know who got this very brief cameo, it’s Puniata from the bonus chapter from chapter twelve in the Kannagi manga. What she was doing in the boy’s bathroom or why there was so many people in there to begin with remains a mystery.

Is this a reference to Lucky Star or am I just going crazy? The art style of the little character just yells out “Lucky Star” to me.

Nagi Fanservice Gallery (because you know you want it)

Are those pillows or marshmallows in the background? Maybe marshmallow pillows?

OMG nekkid Nagi.

Wtf? Nekkid Nagi #2? I almost died of blood loss here.

Jin does seem like the masochistic type.

Baka inu!

I knew Daitetsu was into cats, but…

With a bit of editing, could this pass as a ceiling cat?

Too lazy to look up who the guest artist is for this one. Would anyone like to contribute?

Kannagi Episode 7 – It’s a Sony, damn it!

Shokkeru — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:00:31 +0000

Sony fanboy to the rescue.

I don’t care if this show every gets back on track with the supposed “main story”. As long as they keep up the comedy I can watch these random side stories forever.

P.S. Check out this Kannagi fan made video.
Nico Nico Douga
Youtube

Summary

Looks like your “textbooks” have been discovered, Jin.

In terms of story and plot, not much has happened in this episode so I’m going to keep this one brief. The basic premise was that Jin had done something emotionally hurtful to Nagi. We learn later that Jin apparently recorded over Nagi’s recording of Lolikko Cutie with a show about cats (which Nagi liked as well). Nagi has shut herself inside Jin’s closet because of this and refuses to leave.

Oh Akiba, you so funny.

Throughout the episode, Tsugumi, Zange and the Arts Club members all end up visiting Jin one way or another. Despite their efforts, no one was able to convince Nagi to leave the closet. Not even Akiba, who was supposed to bring a copy of the latest episode was able to get her out of the closet.

I knew it was coming, but it was still pretty funny.

When all was said and done, Jin tries to give Nagi a very sincere apology only to find out that Nagi has already left the closet and probably hasn’t heard a word he said.

Impressions

Yeah, it was hard to watch porn when your parents put the computer in the living room, isn’t it?

This episode kind of hits home for me and possibly some of the other viewers out there. It reminds me a lot of my childhood and how I would get upset when I wasn’t allowed to watch my favorite TV show since the adults would be watching something else. I’ve locked myself in closets a few times as well but I don’t think I’ve ever stayed that long. On a random note, this episode reminded me of that South Park episode where random celebrities went into a closet and the recurring joke was that they won’t “come out of the closet”.

I wonder how much money Sony gave them for that shameless plug.

Akiba has to be one of the best side characters I’ve ever encountered in a comedy anime. “It’s a Sony” will probably live on in the hearts and minds of all the Kannagi fans and probably all the Sony fanboys out there as well. If not, I will certainly never forget Akiba’s epic words.

We are the champions, my friends.

The Jin X Akiba scene was pretty amusing yet slightly awkward to watch. Not that there’s anything wrong with two guys running towards each other and embracing passionately. It’s just that well… it was a bit unexpected and a little over the top. But it still gives a good laugh. Hey they had to appeal to the female audience and to balance out this next scene I’ll be talking about.

It’s not what you think! It’s not what you think!

Ah, yes. I can’t get enough of Jin X Zange. Whatever exactly went on between the two will forever be left to the imaginations of all perverts (and possibly non-perverts) out there watching this show. Is it just me or was there a lot of sexual stuff going on in this episode? Not just with Zange, but the chat between Tsugumi and Nagi was filled with it too. Of course in that example, only those of us with dirty minds would probably pick up on it. (¬.¬)

Suteki na sutekki!

Return of the Nagi puns. I’ve actually missed these and this one in particular made me laugh pretty hard.

Akiba-kun saitei…

Tsugumi didn’t have much of an impressive role in this episode, but she did contribute to a pretty amusing moment between Akiba, Takako, and herself with the whole KamaPure thing.

Tsugumi told you to GTFO.

Oh and let’s not forget that brief moment where Tsugumi’s “dark side” appeared again with Zange.

Even a noob like me can spot this Ultraman reference.

Crimeny! More roaches.

Ten points to the first person that knows where I got that line from.

Lolikko Cutie Mania

I must be either totally crazy or a fanboy, but I wouldn’t mind if they made an actual series of this as long as they maintain that level of animation quality and cheesiness.

A perverted magical wand. How awesome is that?

Mahou shoujo that involves the President? How crazy is that?

Is that bad?.

LOL. I almost fell out of my chair when she got randomly hit by that truck.

I’ve never seen such fluid animation for a slice of bread.

Eww. I just noticed that he even uses his pubic hair.

More random goodness, although you can’t really see it in this shot.

Haha. More Ultraman parodies?

Doesn’t seem like Nagi was too impressed. Oh well.

Kannagi Episode 6 – Crazy Shrine MAIDens (CAFE)

Shokkeru — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:30:08 +0000

Looks like we’ve upgraded from 8-bit Nagi.

Nagi gets a part-time job at a maid cafe to try and make some spending money for herself. Tsugumi coincidentally finds herself working at the same cafe and the Arts Club members also happen to visit all on the same day.

Summary

Hurray for Nagi faces.

The episode starts out with Jin calling Tsugumi and asking her if she was free to help out with some shopping. Tsugumi misunderstands this (although it was more of Jin’s fault for not mentioning…) and finds out that she’s shopping with Nagi instead of Jin. Nagi received 10,000 yen from Jin to do some clothes shopping which she soon finds out that 10,000 yen can’t buy you much clothes to begin with. The two girls end up going to an underwear store where the matter of bra sizes come up. Nagi gets depressed over her small chest size while Tsugumi tries not to boast (too much) about hers. However, the two of them are overshadowed by a junior high student who comes in right after them.

Fission Mailed.

We jump randomly to the next part of the story where Takako wants to visit a maid cafe to see pretty girls in cute maid outfits. She asks Akiba to accompany her and the rest of the Arts Club as sort of a guide to the maid cafe. The group meets outside an anime store where Akiba cracks a joke about Takako and Shino being fujoshi (basically female otaku). Unfortunately for Akiba, the rest of the group are totally unaware of the slang he used and are left in the dark.

I like how Nagi doesn’t seem like she cares about the people staring at her.

Once they get to the maid cafe, they soon find Nagi and Tsugumi working there in a special cosplay event for a galge they’re advertising. Nagi receives a lot of attention from the other customers which makes Jin very jealous and almost ignores Tsugumi completely. Meanwhile, Zange finds out that Nagi is working there and plans on working there herself to steal her fans away. Back at the cafe, Takako drags Nagi over to their table where Jin is too embarrassed to get near or even look at Nagi.

Boys will be boys I guess.

Nagi tries to apologize for not telling Jin about getting a part-time job since she thinks Jin is mad at her. Of course this isn’t quite true and Jin spills the beans by yelling that her clothes are too cute and that he’s too embarrassed to look at her. This causes everyone in the cafe to hear the little ordeal including Tsugumi.

Nagi catches up to Jin on his way home and tells him that she’ll quit the job if he wants her to. Jin admits that he didn’t like the fact that people were taking pictures of her and Nagi then decides to simply quit. Tsugumi becomes depressed and Zange finds out that Nagi quit the job right before she got hired. The end.

Impressions

LOL.

Despite being sort of a random episode, I thought this episode was quite enjoyable to say the least. They’ve really brought back the side characters into the spotlight which I really appreciate. Takako, Akiba, Tsugumi, and even Daitetsu had pretty humorous roles in this episode. Nagi is awesome as usual of course, but Zange got the short end of the stick this time.

I wonder why no one was concerned that she was banging her head against the wall.

Tsugumi has been mostly a pretty normal character with nothing too interesting about her. However, there are times where they decide to take her away from this normal role and make her much more interesting to watch. This hasn’t happened since episode 3 until now. It seems that Tsugumi’s character really shines when she’s put into comedic situations and it really shows in this episode. Her attempts to resist bragging about her bra size and the time she starts banging her head against the wall were classic moments that will rival her little victory dance from episode 3.

Wait, what?

I knew Takako was kind of a perverted individual, but I didn’t really expect her to be into girls as well. It was hinted at last episode when she was taking pictures of Nagi, but they just came out into the open with it in this episode. I thought she was more into the BL thing when she got that extreme head-asplode nosebleed from watching Jin and Daitetsu, but I guess there’s more to her than I thought.

Akiba you are my hero.

I consider Akiba to be the voice of the viewer. Of course, this might only apply to those of us who are familiar with the otaku-culture, but I’m assuming most people who watch this show are anyways. Akiba’s character points out a lot of things in the show that the viewer might be thinking as well. This especially happens when he goes “tsundere?” after Tsugumi’s little “I’m not doing this because I want to” bit. I also laughed my ass off when talked about “moe” mostly because of the way he said it.

I dunno how office ladies dress in Japan, but they don’t really look like that where I’m from.

Akiba’s fujoshi joke was pretty funny to watch as well. I’m not sure, but I think Jin’s comment about Takako looking like an office lady had something to do with the fujoshi joke too. It was just too random of a comment and I think I remember hearing somewhere that a lot of female office workers in Japan are into BL stuff. That’s just something I heard though so don’t take it too seriously.

Daitetsu has gone hard… teehee. Sorry couldn’t resist.

Daitetsu’s role in this episode (and actually every other episode he was in) is probably best categorized as “comedic background character”. Daitetsu doesn’t say much nor do much, but the way he turns to stone and his funny expressions as he stands in the background is always funny to watch. Kind of interesting when you consider that he’s supposed to be God’s gift to art or something like that.

Moe! …sorry Akiba.

I’m not too sure how I feel about the whole thing between Jin and Nagi. I don’t think Nagi has any real feelings towards Jin besides him being the one that provides her shelter and meals. Jin’s jealousy is probably proof that Jin has feelings for Nagi and that he’s not just a boy gawking at revealing clothing and underwear. I also felt that the whole event where Jin was trying to keep away from Nagi was some what awkward, but I guess that’s how it was supposed to feel.

Oh snap.

Zange really had a short appearance in this episode and it’s probably to balance out all the screen time she got in the past two episodes. I’m kind of disappointed though since Zange is really fun to watch. The part with the maid cafe’s owner was pretty damn funny too.

Is this another jab at KyoAni? Goku SZS did this too only more blatant.

No, it ain’t Colonel Sanders.

I just had to point this out since everyone blogging the darn show seems to have pointed it out as well. I spotted the “Haruhi” look-a-like probably on my second watching of the episode when I was paying more attention to the visuals instead of the subtitles. What I didn’t notice were the two anime directors in the background.

Pssh. Those aren’t real.

What’s funny/disturbing about the D+ cup size junior high school student is the fact that it’s closer to being true than being some pervert’s fantasy. Especially here in some parts of America, early teenagers seem to be a lot more developed than they used to and it’s not just the girls either. I’ve seen freshmen in high school taller than most adults even hope to be.

Kannagi Episode 5 – Competition

Shokkeru — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:30:23 +0000

I see what you did there.

So Zange isn’t exactly moving in with Jin, but tensions between Zange and Nagi continue to increase as Nagi starts to capture some of Zange’s fanbase.

Summary

A flirtatious girl in religious clothing. Can it be anymore ironic?

Picking up where we left off last week, Zange shows up at Jin’s home while Nagi and Tsugumi are there as well. Zange treats Jin to a well-made dinner (assumed to be made by Hakua and not Zange herself) and tries to get him to leave Nagi for her. Tsugumi (and eventually Nagi) interrupt Zange’s flirtation with Jin and ends up in a cooking competition with Nagi and Zange. Zange’s dish turns out to be a burnt pile of trash since Hakua refused to help Zange with the competition. Tsugumi’s dish consisted of (surprise surprise) fried eggs and vegetables. Nagi’s dish looked the best but had a strange taste to it. I’m not too sure what became of the outcome of this battle, but from the looks of it, nothing has changed.

Couldn’t get the TL note in here, but it basically says that Yamakan, the director of Kannagi, was previously sacked by Kyo-Ani after directing four episodes of Lucky Star.

Later on, there seems to be an official Nagi fanclub starting up around the school. Students from the school start to praise Nagi as she randomly appears around school and socializes with them. This is great for Nagi as her powers as a god seem to slowly return, however the faculty at the school are starting to worry and see her as a problem. Zange also see’s this as a problem since Nagi is basically taking away some of her fans.

Take that! Volt Lighter!

Nagi is eventually caught by Suzushiro-sensei who apparently knows of Nagi as a deity and is also Hakua’s dad. Although Suzushiro is on Nagi’s side, Nagi is placed under interrogation from Hagashima-sensei while Suzushiro goes to talk to the principal. As Nagi’s fans start to chant her name outside of the room, Nagi starts to feel more power within her and is able to shine a light through her wand.

Okie Dokie.

Nagi’s situation is finally settled as Suzushiro manages to get Nagi enrolled into the school. Suzushiro happens to be a teacher of religious studies and a priest, explaining the reason he would know of Nagi. He also asks Nagi to free Hakua from Zange’s possession in which she gladly agrees to.

Not sure why Zange is scared of her “dad”. Maybe it’s just Hakua.

Zange continues to intrude on Jin and Nagi, however it seems that Zange has a problem with Nagi being able to call upon Suzushiro for help.

Impressions

LOL Tsugumi. Fried eggs and vegetables are really all you can cook, aren’t they.

Another great episode. The first part with the cooking competition seemed kind of random though. Of course they had to wrap up the loose ends from the previous episode, but after that it seemed like the rest of the episode had nothing to do with it. I guess some random fun is good once in a while though. There wasn’t much in the episode that was worth mentioning, but I’ll try to share a few moments.

No means no, I guess.

I thought the part where Zange and Hakua not cooperating with each other was kind of interesting. Could this possibly lead to to more problems with Hakua rebelling against Zange? This could prove to be an important plot element later on in the series, but then again it could totally be just for silliness.

A bit of comedy from a serious man. Neato.

Not sure how Suzushiro’s role will play in the later episodes, but he seems to be very knowledgeable and perceptive. He’ll probably show up whenever there’s stuff going on with the deity stuff and no some much the comedy stuff (except that one part with the eye twinkle =P).

Akiba is watching his role slowly fade away into the background.

Speaking of side characters, the members of the art club haven’t gotten much screen time lately. I want to see much head asploding nosebleeds from Takako, more funny references and outbursts from Akiba and more random moments from Daitetsu. Hopefully it’ll happen, but I’m not holding my breath.

Love Nagi’s face here.

I like how Nagi kind of turned her attention to the food instead of what was going on between Zange and Jin in this moment. It wasn’t until Tsugumi butted in when Nagi finally said something. It proves a little that Nagi doesn’t care much for Jin other than someone to give her a place to stay and cook for her.

Volt Lighter strikes again!

My favorite part of this episode has to be when Zange goes “Whoa! So bright!” in that surprisingly uncute voice. It totally caught me off guard even though it was so obvious she was coming. I dunno why, but it has me cracking up every time I see it.

Kannagi Episode 4 – 100 Yen Confessions

Shokkeru — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:30:19 +0000

100 Yen? Aren’t confessions supposed to be, you know, free?

With the discovery of Nagi’s little sister, Zange, Jin’s life gets a bit more complicated when Zange gets involved.

Summary

Nagi, idol of Kannagi City. It has a nice ring to it.

Nagi witnesses the sacred tree, in which she originated from, being uprooted and removed from it’s original location. With the “symbol” of her divinity gone, Nagi is afraid that her powers and her very existence will soon disappear. During the conversation, the topic of becoming an idol arises and causes Jin to wonder about it even during school. Some of the other club members overhear Jin thinking out loud and Jin is eventually told about Zange being the latest idol in town.

Whoa ho ho! Where’s nosebleed-senpai when you need her?

After volunteering to buy more art supplies for the club in town, Jin decides to take a shortcut home and finds Zange being harassed by a group of guys. Jin is accidentally discovered, but manages to escape with Zange after he gets in a clean hit on the guy with his bag of art supplies. The two of them run off to somewhere near the river side where Jin finds out that the girl who he just escaped with was the real Zange. They part ways after a brief conversation and a pretty provocative moment.

Dun dun dun.

Jin tells Nagi about meeting Zange and finds out that they’re actually sisters. Nagi goes off to find Zange’s sacred tree which happens to still be intact. This leads to Nagi eventually discovering that Zange has used a human being (named Hakua) as her vessel. The two, Hakua and Zange, apparently agreed to be with each other, however, it seems that Zange is the only one in control of the body.

Oh ho ho. I wonder what kind of antics Zange will pull off now.

The episode ends with Zange coming to Jin’s home (with Nagi and Tsugumi there) and announcing that she will be staying there from now on.

Impressions

I’m afraid to see what the doujins of this would be like after seeing this part. Afraid, but slightly intrigued. -.-

Another great episode of Kannagi despite having the comedy factor toned down a bit to be more serious for once. Zange’s character is a bit interesting but far from unusual. She’s basically the evil girl with the cute facade type of character, but I still found her to be a nice addition to the show. Her actions so far have been pretty interesting to watch and while she’s not as fun to watch as Nagi is, I’m eagerly waiting to see the chaos she’ll bring in future episodes.

I just noticed that it looks like Jin is carrying a man purse.

Jin’s role as the protagonist still impresses me a bit. There were moments where I didn’t expect certain things to happen. One part being when he finds Zange being harassed by those punks. It’s one thing to dodge the punch, but the “Gesso Can Attack” part was hilariously great. It kind of works out since he didn’t come off as too macho or too wimpy… a median in which I’m surprised to be to be impressed by now a days. Go figure.

Yes, hold on to that man purse, Jin.

Speaking of not too macho, Jin being led away from the thugs by Zange instead of the other way around totally makes him the non-macho type… but it does kind of make him a little wussy. ¬.¬

Sorry Nagi. Jin is too busy brooding over his loss at the Hula Hoop Championship finals.

The second part was when Jin found Nagi and Zange in the equipment room. The way he just closes the door and goes into “shocked” mode was absolutely priceless. Bravo Jin, bravo.

Come on Jin. Fried Eggs and Vegetables are obviously NOT the same as Vegetables and Fried Eggs.

Tsugumi’s role (as well as the other side characters) was quite small this episode. However, she still manages to squeeze in at the end and provide us with an amusing moment.

Would that count as a threesome?

So Zange wants Jin for his heightened sense for the supernatual, perhaps. But how does Hakua fit into this. It was hinted at during the “conversation” between Zange and Hakua that they both want Jin. So my question is, why does Hakua want Jin? Does she just have a crazy psycho crush on him or what? That’s probably the case, but I’m hoping for maybe something more unexpected. I’m not really getting my hopes up though.

I’ll show you a “storm of love”. ¬.¬

On final note. The part at the end with Zange on the TV giving the forecast as well as being at Jin’s front door was pretty clever in my opinion. If you read her forecast closely, it’s pretty clear that she’s referring to not just the weather, but to the current situation at Jin’s home. Not exactly breakthrough material, but pretty nifty I must say.

Fun Nagi Moments

Love Nagi’s expression here.

In real life, shouting loudly in public is just embarassing. In anime, it’s just awesome.

LOL

Nagi: “You Boobian! Go back to Planet Tits!” I also like the fact that Jin admits to liking bigger breasts and how the TV is focusing in on Zange’s chest.

Kannagi Episode 3 – Ghost Stories

Shokkeru — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:30:30 +0000

Freakyz

Yes! I love it! This series has to be one of the better shows this season. I love the comedy and I’m impressed by the quality of production put into the show. It may not be the best show this season and it may not be for everyone, but I really do enjoy this show.

Summary

Bzzt. Wrong answer.

This episode basically has Jin going to school and introducing some of the side characters in the Arts Club. Shino and Takako are the upperclassmen of the club and enjoy messing with Jin and the rest of the students. Daitetsu is a behemoth of a man and also a genius at art. Akiba is a self-conscious manga artist and otaku. Jin apparently joined the Arts Club to become more like Daitetsu at art and eventually surpass his skills.

Akiba’s transformations are pretty awesome.

As tradition, Shino and Takako plan out sort of a “initiation ritual” for the three new members. They give Jin, Daitetsu, and Akiba the task of cleaning out the “abandoned” storage room for the Arts Club. There are also rumors of the room being haunted and this freaks the hell out of Jin. Since Jin is “good with supernatual stuff” he can see things that normal people can’t and this apparently has him more scared than the normal person as well.

Beast is probably an understatement.

The three newbies, plus Tsugumi, go to check out the place before they start the actual cleaning. Jin notices an impurity crawling around in the room, but after hearing a ghost story from Tsugumi and a loud noise coming from the basement, the group runs back to the Arts Club room scared out of their wits.

LOL

Nagi senses something strange when Jin decides to hide the fact that he saw an impurity at school. She then tricks Tsugumi into lending her a school uniform so that she can wander around the school. This, of course, troubles Jin in more ways than one, but they go off to find the impurity anyways along with Daitetsu, Akiba, and Tsugumi.

Akiba: I’ll never hit a woman, but I’ll shake the shit out of one!

Despite “sensing” the impurity within the basement, it turns out that Nagi was mistaken and it was the Arts Club’s advisor who was using the basement as his studio. Shino and Takako enter the room explaining that the whole thing was set up to “welcome” the new members. Nagi, embarrassed that she was wrong, goes running off and ends up in a church. In the church she finds someone who is apparently Nagi’s little sister with the impurity that she was looking for this whole time.

Impressions

More drama for your mama.

I must say that I was really moved by the ending of the episode. Playing the ending song/credits during the final moments of the episode is pretty common for a last or second to last episode, but having one at this point is kind of strange. Regardless, I felt that it was really effective in setting a dramatic feeling that makes you anticipate the next episode even more. I really enjoy the quality of the production with this series and I give it a major thumbs up.

Akiba is very “knowledgeable”.

It’s always fun to discuss the comedy in shows like this one. All you have to do is go “remember when this happened” and the other person goes “yeah!” and we both end up laughing and all is well. Anyways, there were plenty of parts where I ended up laughing my ass off in this episode that I feel that I just have to share some of them with you all.

Sorry, I always hit people on the head when I greet them.

The first part being the part where Akiba storms up to Jin and bashes him in the head only to say “Sorry!” a second after. I don’t know why but the randomness of that scene is hilarious to me.

Aho-Aho-Man? Not even close buddy.

The second part is when Nagi goes to give Jin a loving hug, but Jin dodges it at the last second. Highly unexpected and the reaction from Nagi’s fanboys was highly amusing.

Tsugumi, you’re officially awesome in my book.

The third part is when Tsugumi overhears Nagi saying that Jin likes big boobs and Tsugumi, noticing that she has bigger breasts than Nagi, does a victory pose off in the distance. Oh, Tsugumi, you’re forgiven from your cliche-ness since you’re turning out to be so awesome.

Was he going to yell out “moe”? You know… the part where he goes, “MO… MOOAAAAAAHHHH!”

Now onto the new characters. Daitetsu is pretty amusing to watch. He’s pretty random for being the quiet giant he is. The part where he gives Jin the book about cats and starts to go crazy was damn funny.

You don’t know how right you are.

Akiba seemed like a stuck up bastard when I first saw him, but he turned out to be not so bad. Actually, he’s shaping up to be one of my favorite characters. It’s kind of funny that he comes close to breaking the fourth wall a few times and it’s like the writers are poking fun at who cliche this series appears with this very character. His outbursts, though, are my favorite things about him.

Girls who nosebleed are pretty funny… and scary.

Shino and Takako seem pretty standard and typical. There’s not much to talk about regarding their characters expect the part where Takako gets a violent nosebleed when Jin declared Daitetsu as his “rival”.

A bit of randomness

Wait for it…

YES!

Kannagi Episode 2 – A childhood friend? No wai!!!

Shokkeru — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:49:38 +0000

You know what they say. A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

I wasn’t really as impressed by this episode as I was with the first episode. However, I still found it quite enjoyable despite all the cliches being hammered into my brain. I mean come on, a childhood friend that takes care of you and also has a crush on you? A fight between two people that separates them until they reconcile only a few moments after? The male protagonist that saves the damsel in the end? A lot of these recurring themes seemed to run rampant through the episode and really made me wonder if the series was going to turn out okay in the end. So what saves it for me? I’d have to say Nagi’s personality (or perhaps “multiple” personalities) as well as Jin’s personality really sells the show for me at least.

EDIT: Cliche is NOT spelled as “clique”.

Summary

You know… sniffing is a bad habit Jin.

The episode picks up right after the events of last week’s episode. Nagi accidentally breaks her magic wand in two by stepping on it so Jin gives her some high quality adhesive to glue it back together. After Jin changes his clothes, he finds Nagi outside admiring some helpless kittens. Nagi wishes to keep and take care of them, but Jin refuses due to how troublesome it would be. He also states that they already had a mother and taking them in would considered “kidnapping”.

Nagi says, spreading newspapers is for puppies.

After Jin goes out to by a few necessities, he comes home to find half a magic wand perfectly glued to the top of his table. Nagi amusingly blames this on a split personality which she cleverly uses at a later time to trick and even save Jin.

I GOT YOU SOME PANTIES! DO YOU LIKE?

Tsugumi, Jin’s childhood friend and also his “caretaker” in a sense, comes to visit him and conveniently intervenes during an argument between Jin and Nagi about Nagi’s undergarments. Jin attempts to explain the situation to Tsugumi, but Nagi interrupts and gives her an elaborate story that describes Nagi as Jin’s half-sister.

Yeah, you tell her Jin!

After few series of events, Jin finds the dead mother of the kitten’s from earlier. As he rushes home to see if the kittens were okay, Jin witnesses Nagi carrying and eventually “absorbing” two dead kittens. Nagi collapses shortly after the incident and Jin carries her back into the house to rest. After Nagi wakes up, Jin questions her about what happened. However, Nagi just gives him a cold response about him not needing to know and not needing his help. Angered by this, Jin yells at Nagi to leave and Nagi does so in response.

Congrats. You found the zero star ball! Wait…

Nagi goes to visit the area where her shrine used to be and finds a group of children. She finds an impurity on one of the kids and attempts to exorcise it on her own. However, without Jin to hold on to the impurity, Nagi cannot exorcise the impurity properly and so it escapes via a ~~magical dragon ball~~ superball. Nagi chases the impurity down into a small tunnel, but is soon to find out that the impurity has been leading her the whole time. Jin, of course, comes at the last minute to save Nagi and even carries her home.

Impressions

It’s Nagi saying it, but Jin was thinking that.

Well despite all the cliche madness, I found a few moments to be truly entertaining. Jin’s almost perverse moments (again), the expression of the old lady from the store, Jin’s reaction to the magical wand getting glued to the table, Nagi’s “Gira gira gira” laugh, and much much more. I think these moments are the saving grace for this show (aside from the personalities of the two main characters like I said earlier). Without them, I can’t see how the series would succeed with such a premise.

O_O

Tsugumi… what can I say about her. I thought the animation of her talking at first was kinda strange looking as it didn’t really sync well with her speech (maybe it’s just the video I’m watching) but that’s really besides the point. Her character is probably the most cliche so far. Her earnest personality, the crush on Jin, the fact that she’s his freaking childhood friend (can we not stay away from this archetype or something? -.-) it’s all just so annoying to see. But I really am happy for you Jin. I hope you have lots of babies or whatever with her since that’s OBVIOUSLY the thing to do, right? (Don’t mind me I’m just really tired.)

Next episode, Nagi develops kitten-like powers!

The part about the kittens was kind of strange. I’m not sure if it’ll have anything to do with future aspects of the show, but it was interesting enough to see. At first I thought she was just going to mourn the loss of life, but actually seeing her “absorb” kittens into her, well… that’s just darn weird. Of course, we don’t get to know what really happened either since Nagi was being a pain in the butt about it too. Also, if you noticed, her eyes were kinda dull at first, but they regained their “shine” when Jin asked her about the kittens. Maybe this might be an important plot element later perhaps?

I choose you!

So far Jin has impressed me with his no nonsense attitude. I’m quite surprised to see him get pissed off so early at Nagi (episode 2! Usually this wouldn’t happen until much later). Of course the fight itself was pretty same ol’ same ol’, but Jin coming back to save the thankless wench that is Nagi in the end was the usual icing on the cake. Jin also showed off a slight hint of badassness when he basically said to Nagi “Yeah, I’m only bringing you back cuz I don’t want the rice bowl I just bought you to go to waste.” Smooth.

¬.¬

Nagi’s love for lame puns is kind of getting old. But I’ll forgive you just this once since you still gave us some pretty amusing moments.

Kannagi Episode 1 – I made it out of wood.

Shokkeru — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:29:01 +0000

It’s not mahou shoujo… at least I don’t think it will be…

So Fall season is finally here and I’m pretty stoked about the wide selection of anime series this season. One of them being Kannagi. Despite having a pretty clique premise, I think this show really has potential. The characters so far are great and the animation quality was pretty impressive. This series may be one I will pick up as my blogging choice for this season. I’m not too sure yet if there will be another series that I will blog as I’ve been pretty busy (and lazy) lately, but there are a few more shows that I want to check out.

Summary

Meet Jin, your ordinary teenage protagonist. He seems to have a strong sense for the supernatural and can see spiritual beings (”impurities” being one of them so far). After creating a statue out of wood cut from a sacred tree, Jin encounters a strange occurrence when Nagi, an incarnation of a deity, comes bursting out of the very statue he created.

Nagi explains to Jin that she is a guardian deity of the land and asks how she ended up in her current form. Jin tells her that he made her the situation and shows her what has become of the shrine where the sacred tree resided. This puts Nagi into great shock allowing a bug (or “impurity”) to come into contact with her. These impurities sort of infect Nagi as she seems to be weakened by them. Nagi tells Jin that because of the sacred tree being cut down, the impurities are free to roam around and cause trouble. However, Jin is able to see and even touch the impurities without much trouble.

Nagi creates a magic wand to get rid of the impurities after being inspired by a magical girl anime she sees on TV. She relies on Jin to capture the bugs as she cannot touch them herself. Because of this new found partnership, Nagi decides to stay with Jin in his home (he happens to be living alone anyway… how convenient). This, of course, causes him all sorts of problems as Nagi has very little understanding of the modern world.

Impressions

As I’ve said earlier, I think this series has potential. So far the characters seem likable and the animation is really smooth. Both of those reasons are a bit superficial, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t enjoy it. I’m not exactly sure what the show is supposed to be about though. I know that it’s pretty much supernatural comedy, but other than that and the whole “cleansing of impurities” thing. I don’t really have much to go on. I haven’t read the manga so I don’t have that as a reference yet either.

Honestly speaking, the story so far has been pretty mediocre. The premise isn’t anything new (male lead finds a magical girl bit) and the characters aren’t really that unique either. But the key word here is “potential”. What may start off slow and familiar may end up being something great in the end. Also, there really isn’t anything in here that I would call fanservice for now (good news for some, bad for others =P).

Jin is your average male protagonist. But while his character isn’t anything new, I do like the fact that he’s not too pathetic/cowardly nor is he too aggressive/over-the-top. He’s pretty much in the middle. He’s sensible, a little bit daring, and independent. I guess being more “normal” makes him to be much more believable as a character. I’m just spewing nonsense, but overall I think Jin manages to be a decent protagonist for this type of genre.

Nagi is lovable. Even though, she is a god, her personality isn’t that extreme either. She does have her moments where she acts all high and mighty, but at other times she acts a bit more sincere. In the end, she doesn’t get on my nerves like a lot of female leads do. Hurray for Nagi.

There were a few moments that I really thought were either funny or just plain adorable (yes I said adorable). Jin’s “almost perverted” moments were pretty amusing while Nagi’s discovery of Taiyaki was dangerously cute.

OP: motto☆Hade ni ne! by Haruka Tomatsu
ED: Musuhi no Toki by Haruka Tomatsu

I found the OP (not the song itself) to be pretty awesome. At first I felt a bit uncomfortable since I’m really not into the whole idol thing and the movements seemed kinda strange. However, after watching it a bit more, I felt that it was pretty fun to watch and the animation here was well done.

The ED, to be honest, was a bit boring so I couldn’t finish it the whole way through. Maybe when I’m feeling a bit more generous, I’ll sit down and listen/watch it more closely.