Strawberry Marshmallow Special: Episode 0

Alt title: Ichigo Mashimaro Special: Episode 0

DVD Special (1 ep x 4 min)
2005
3.481 out of 5 from 877 votes
Rank #6,472

It’s twenty days until the first episode of the series is due to air, and aboard a space shuttle on their voyage back to Earth the girls are relaxing. Unfortunately their peace is soon shattered as Miu bursts through the window and the ship’s oxygen levels rapidly drop. With time running out the girls have to rely upon their last resort if they want any hope of getting back home in one piece…

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DGFischer
6.5

Think of Strawberry Marshmallow Special (aka Episode 0, quite the apt title) as that pilot aired to inform fans of the manga that the anime was two weeks away (or don't think of it at all ... which is probably better).  Four minutes to introduce the five girls of the series.  Four elementary school girls and one teen-age delinquent. The first moment takes place in Chika's bedroom with Miu busting through her usual entry point, the window.  This will happen soooo many times in those twelve episodes of the series, nothing tooooo odd.  Up to this point, this would be what to expect through the series.  Then the plot flips on its ear.  The girls are in deep space on a space station.  Miu's entrance creates a rapid release of cabin pressure and contents of oxygen.  Weird swing of events, but a critical situation is a critical situation. Return to normal.  There is throughout the series this friction between Chika's older sister Nobue and Chika's BF Miu.  I mean going back to Strawberry Marshmallow’s beach episode, snatching the bra portion of a bikini in full view of beach-goers ... a real no-no.  Thus, in a cabin where five girls would exhaust the oxygen supply, four girls could survive.  This leads to the typical one girl must go to save the rest.  Any picks for 'who?'  And how shall 'who' enact her revenge? Once you rationalize that this is all in your imagination and the girls are playing 'astronauts and aliens' or something in the earth-bound Ito house, your four minutes of special is done.  No time to compensate with the 'cute' factor.  Weird beginnings are good clues on how to take the next 12 episodes of the regular season.  If I had only seen the 'special' first, my viewing history may have been altered. Standard flat animation (space doesn't look all that grand in this production).  Overly simplistic character design.  Bland music and sound effects.  One mighty ho-hum for anime, one massive waste of kawaii.

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