Ichigo 100%

[babyeinstein12]

Ichigo 100%


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Second edit.

Kira, you mentioned that I should recommend better titles than Kanon or True Tears, but honestly, those are the only other two harem animes I've watched in entirety. Do you have other suggestions?

Story (3/10)

One afternoon, something incredible happens to Manaka Junpei. As he steps onto the school roof, a beautiful girl sails down from the reddening sky, her skirt thrashing wildly in the wind and her scrumptious strawberry panties displayed to the world. Embarrassed, she runs away, and the awestruck Junpei sets off on a mission to discover the girl’s identity. Sound interesting? Why, yes it does, even for me. What I don’t understand is how a show with such promising, ecchi-tastic beginnings can melt into one of the blandest pieces of fruit I’ve had the misfortune (or insanity) to sample.

The main reason for Ichigo 100%'s letdown is its lack – yes, lack – of ecchi. Barely springing off the whole “strawberry panties” concept, the plot instead putters off in another direction, where eventually it lands into the turgid gelatin of “just another bad harem anime.” Three additional girls are introduced, and the interplay between both themselves and the male protagonist gets the water running – only to dry up like a spent fountain. Ichigo 100%’s story evolves into nothing more than a fragmented, emotionally drained quadrangle: Junpei spends his days sharing “moments” with each of the girls in patterned succession, continues to monopolize their feelings, and wavers back and forth ad infinitum on which shallow female to choose. In the wise words of Junpei himself as he walks down the school hallway, “I can’t decide who’s the best!” And folks, that’s pretty much all there is to it.

While Junpei angsts about such momentous matters, brief instances of giggle-worthy ecchi fan service pop up every so often, keeping the show barely alive. As it stands, the rest of the plot remains so dull that these rare fan service moments stand in stark contrast and become the high points of the episode. Unfortunately, Ichigo 100% glosses over such deliciousness (not to mention completely discarding its strawberry motif after episode four). Instead, the script is devoted to four stagnant sub-plots, each concerning a different girl, which run throughout the show like an endlessly repeating 4-song CD track, albeit in slightly different forms at each scheduled occurrence. To cap off the refrigerated mess, Ichigo 100%’s senseless conclusion leaves absolutely no closure. To both the virgin fanboy and the romance junkie, this steaming pile of mediocrity will disappoint.

Animation (4/10)

For a show aimed at young virginal males, I don’t see how the character designs could ever arouse even its most sexually frustrated viewers. In short, the main cast of Ichigo are ugly little creatures with shrunken eyes, overly round faces, and chubby, compact bodies. Okay, perhaps I’m slightly exaggerating, but strangely, the characters formulate in my mind off-screen as uglier versions of their drawn selves. Regardless of my personal foibles, a question should be considered: Are the characters pleasing to look at? I say not in the slightest.

The show does contain brief flashes of visual beauty in the form of sparkling glamour shots, glistening boobs, and occasional shading techniques. However, these passing moments are spread much too thinly over the more frequent animation style of Ichigo 100%: Immobile backgrounds set against characters’ moving mouths. We are left staring at an inert screen, while the characters hold cheap poses that change into other cheap poses every time they begin a new sentence. If the dialogue were to actually maintain my interest, these mishaps would be somewhat forgivable, but with such an abysmal script, it only radiates the feeling of a flipbook on slow-motion.

Sound (4/10)

Let me make this clear: I would prefer listening to a banshee than having to stomach Ichigo’s soundtrack again. Ranging from inconsequential mallet pings to anachronistic epic fanfares to god-awful “da-da-da”s, the series’ choice in music embeds the already rotting storyline in an additional layer of mold. What makes the situation worse is that the selections, as obnoxious as they are, also catch the ear and continue to croon from one’s mental radio hours after last watching the show. Voice acting is passable, and I’ll even go so far as to say it succeeds tremendously if the aim of the seiyuu were to annoy the hell out of you. Kenichi Suzumura, for example, brings his characteristic lilt so beloved in Ouran High School Host Club to Ichigo and performs Junpei in such a way that I wanted to throttle the character.

Characters (2/10)

Let us commence an exhaustive personality analysis for each principal cast member:

1) Toujou (Girl #1): intelligent and timid, typical “girl with glasses”

2) Kitaoji (Girl #2): your everyday voluptuous, loud-mouthed bitch

3) Nishino (Girl #3): ......

4) Yui (Girl #4): naive, cute childhood friend, has habit of undressing in her sleep (particularly when Junpei is sharing the bed)

5) Junpei (Boy): “I can’t decide who’s the best!” Oh, and also likes film.

6) Junpei’s buddies: loathsome, unabashed pervert-creepers

7) Female teacher: eye-popping mammaries

I think that just about covers it. For all the time Junpei spends with his harem, astoundingly little progress is made in developing these characters past their first-encounter stereotype. (A case can maybe form for Nishino). At first, it is pleasantly refreshing to witness Junpei’s primary interest directed towards sweet, quiet Toujou; very soon, however, the girl lapses into an overly sensitive bore. The rest of the cast, excepting the perverted teacher and perhaps Yui, become even more unappealing to see on screen, as their overly simplistic personas do nothing more than protract the episode. Needless to say, it’s an inauspicious sign if the chief factor that enlivens a character is the frequency of her panty shots.

Overall (3.5/10)

In Ichigo 100%’s odorous wake, one will be left to ask in wonder, “Why on earth is the thing called what it is?” As the fascinating “strawberry panties” idea never blossoms, one should more likely revise the title as “Ichigo 20%,” or perhaps even more accurately, “Bad Harem Anime No. ___”. Bottom line: Please forgo this mound of strawberry-tinted vomit. The likes of Kanon (2006) or even True Tears will prove infinitely superior.

[ThePatches]

1. Your watching list looks so sad! Come watch Letter Bee with Cassie and I.

2. Rant was good overall, but I can't guess the scores (everything under 5 is essentially opinion). I think there are a few things which might be out of line: the "schoolboy's penis" is probably a little on the graphic side, but that's up to sothis. I'd also switch "I'd sooner listen to rap" for something that is clearly noise. I happen to LIKE rap (no, seriously, Kanye kinda bores me, but old school gangsta rap has some interesting rhythmic ideas), so I find that comment a little to personal.

I'll let someone with some more "rant" experience carve this one up. I'm too afraid that I'd ruin it.

[KiraRin]

Originally Posted by babyeinstein12

Story (X/10)

One afternoon, something incredible happens to Manaka Junpei. As he steps onto the school roof, a beautiful girl sails down from the reddening sky, her skirt thrashing wildly in the wind and revealing her scrumptious strawberry panties. <-- the last bit of that sentence reads a little uncomfortably. How about " wildly in the wind as her scrumptuous strawberry panties are displayed to the world". Embarrassed, she runs away, and Junpei, in romantic awe, sets off on a mission to discover the girl’s identity. <-- feels a little stop/start with all of the commas. Might be worth restructuring. Sound interesting? Why, yes it does, even for me. What I don’t understand is how a show with such promising, ecchi-tastic beginnings can melt into one of the most distasteful samples of strawberry-induced diarrhea I’ve had the misfortune (or insanity) to watch. <-- you repeat "strawberry" in this final sentence, and I'm not sure why. Strawberries have nothing to do with the show, might be worth referring to the perversion or harem being the tripe.

The main reason for Ichigo 100% being a? letdown is its lack – yes, lack – of ecchi. Barely springing off the whole “strawberry panties” concept, the plot instead putters off in another direction, where eventually it lands into the turgid waters of “just another bad harem anime.” Three additional girls are introduced, and the interplay between both themselves and between Junpei sets off the motion – which ends up only collapsing like a schoolboy’s penis after he is caught in the act by his grandmother. <-- I agree with Patchy on this one, it is a little crude and doesn't fit with the flow of the show. I'm all for perversion, but innuendo is more fun :P Ichigo 100%’s story evolves into nothing more than a fragmented, emotionally drained quadrangle: Junpei spends his days sharing “moments” with each of the girls in patterned succession, and continues to monopolize their feelings, and as he bustles back and forth on which between the shallow females to choose. In the wise words of Junpei himself as he walks down the school hallway, “I can’t decide who’s the best!” And folks, that’s pretty much all there is to it. <-- you use Junpei a lot in this sentence. I know the girls are forever whining to him, but I would consider cutting down a little :p

While Junpei angsts about such momentous matters, brief instances of giggle-worthy ecchi fan service pop up every so often, keeping the show barely alive. <-- maybe consider giving an example of the ecchi moments? As it stands, the rest of the plot remains so dull that these rare fan services moments stand in stark contrast and become the high points of the episode. Unfortunately, the show glosses over such deliciousness (not to mention completely discarding its strawberry motif after episode four). Instead, the script is devoted to four stagnant sub-plots, each concerning a different girl, which run throughout the show like an endlessly repeating 4-song CD track, albeit in slightly different forms at each scheduled occurrence. To cap off the refrigerated (frigid?) mess, Ichigo 100%’s senseless conclusion resembles something like a decapitation, leaving absolutely no closure. To both the virgin fanboy and the romance junkie, this steaming pile of mediocrity will disappoint. <-- you've caught my bug. Watch the "show"

Animation (X/10)

For a show aimed at young virginal males, I don’t see how the character designs could ever arouse even its most sexually frustrated viewers. In short, Ichigo’s characters are ugly little creatures with shrunken eyes, overly round faces, and chubby, compact bodies. Okay, perhaps I’m slightly exaggerating, but the show has this unique talent of sketching the people on screen to formulate in my mind off-screen as uglier versions of their drawn selves. <-- the second part of this sentence is a little confusing, and I'm not sure why... Regardless of my personal foibles, a question should be considered: Are the characters pleasing to look at? I say not in the slightest.

The show does contain brief flashes of visual beauty in the form of sparkling face shots, glistening boobs, and occasional shading techniques. However, these passing moments are spread much too thinly over the more frequent animation style of Ichigo 100%: Immobile backgrounds set against characters’ moving mouths. We are left staring at an inert screen, while the characters hold cheap poses that change into other cheap poses every time they begin a new sentence. If the dialogue were to actually maintain my interest, these mishaps would be somewhat forgivable, but with such an abysmal script, it only radiates the feeling of a flipbook on slow-motion.

Sound (X/10)

Let me make this clear: I would prefer listening to rap than having to stomach Ichigo’s soundtrack again <-- I'm with you on that one, but I think something universally hated could be better... maybe country? :P. Ranging from inconsequential mallet pings to anachronistic epic fanfares to god-awful “da-da-da”s, the series’ choice in music embeds the already rotting storyline in an additional layer of mold. What makes the situation even? worse is that the selections, as obnoxious as they are, also catch the ear and continue to croon from one’s mental radio hours after last watching the show. Voice acting is passable, and I’ll even go so far as to say it succeeds tremendously if the aim of the seiyuu were to annoy the hell out of you. Kenichi Suzumura, for example, brings his characteristic lilt so beloved in Ouran to this show and performs Junpei in such a way that I wanted to throttle the character.

Characters (X/10)

Let us commence an exhaustive personality analysis for each principal cast member:

1) Toujou (Girl #1): intelligent and timid, typical “girl with glasses”
2) Kitaoji (Girl #2): your everyday voluptuous, loud-mouthed bitch
3) Nishino (Girl #3): ......
4) Yui (Girl #4): naïve and cute childhood friend, has habit of undressing in her sleep <-- maybe point out she does this whilst sharing a bed with Junpei?
5) Junpei (Boy): “I can’t decide who’s the best!” Oh, and also likes film.
6) Junpei’s buddies: loathsome, unabashed pervert-creepers
7) Female teacher: eye-popping mammaries

I think that just about covers it. For all the time Junpei spends with his handsome harem <-- I don't think you could describe the harem as "handsome", just a little too masculine, astoundingly little progress is made in developing these characters past their first-encounter stereotype. (A case can maybe form for Nishino). At first, it is pleasantly refreshing to witness Junpei’s primary interest directed towards Toujou, the quiet one; very soon, however, the girl lapses into an overly sensitive bore. The rest of the cast, excepting the perverted teacher and perhaps Yui, become equally, if not more, unappealing to see on screen, as their overly simplistic personas do nothing more than protract the episode. Needless to say, it’s an inauspicious sign if the chief factor that enlivens a character is the frequency of her panty shots. <-- it may be a personal thing, but I keep feeling that your flow is broken throughout this paragraph with the use of commas and personal interjections. Maybe the ranting brought it out :p

Overall (X/10)

In Ichigo 100%’s odorous wake, one will be left to ask in wonder, “Why on earth is the thing called what it is?” As the fascinating “strawberry panties” idea never blossoms, one should more likely revise the title as “Ichigo 20%,” or perhaps even more accurately, “Bad Harem Anime No. ___”. Bottom line: Please forgo this mound of strawberry-tinted vomit. The likes of Kanon (2006) or True Tears will prove infinitely superior <-- I think there are much better comparisons that could be made. You need to at least mention something with a little more ecchi content :p.

So glad you wrote this though Einy. I suffered through all of the tv show and OVA's to add them to the database, so I wasn't going to go through the pain of a review. If you want some *good* harem, I'm watching Shuffle at the moment, and its awesome fluffy fun! I may even be inspired enough to review it ;P

H.

[babyeinstein12]

Thanks guys; I'll edit it later this evening. Haha, I figured the "schoolboy's penis" metaphor would raise some eyebrows, but it seemed like such a fun line to me that I couldn't bring myself to discard it. I'll try to think of something better and funnier. Rants are kind of fun to write, but I think I need to develop my own style with those - some of my lines seemed rather Kira-esque.