StoryAs the Chii/Kira club goes from strength to strength, the latest title
chosen to amuse ourselves and our followers was the little known title,
Kodomo no Omocha. With many people initially mistaking this for Kodomo no Jikan,
the anti-lolicon brigade soon dissolved as the group warmed to the idea
of a spastic comedy drama. Well, that is until I pointed out that at a
rate of two episodes per day, the show would take two months to
complete...
Omocha is centred on the headstrong Sana, a young girl who not
only leads the females in a classroom war of the sexes against her
rival, the boisterous Hayama, but also spends her time as a television
star. Following her daily exploits, the show explores simple childhood
issues, from first kisses to first bras, but also delves deeply into
some touchy subject matter. From the death of a loved one to Sana’s
reaction when meeting her real mother, everything is bizarrely
underlined by ongoing slapstick humour, which sometimes works but more
often than not becomes an annoying background buzz. What ultimately
makes the series enjoyable is the drama, relationships and tension
between the main characters.
Tackling these delicate issues through the simplistic eyes of a child,
the friendship between Sana and her rival Hayama consistently shines
the brightest as they support each other through hard times. Frequently
upset, the delicate love/hate balance is troubled by the introduction
of new romantic interests and uncovered feelings. It is extremely easy
to forget that the main characters are only twelve years old, but it is
occasionally reinforced by Sana’s childish naivety or her questionable
relationship with a man thirty years her senior. As wrong and pedo-like
as this sounds, it is handled extremely tastefully and would probably
melt the most frost-covered of hearts.
Unfortunately, Komocha suffers from “long running”
syndrome, inevitably shining with arcs of drama-filled excitement, then
crashing back to earth with dull comedy and Hayama-less sections.
Although the length allows for some amazing development of Sana et-al,
I can’t help but feel the show would have been better suited to a 26
episode affair, rather than the epic 102 marathon. A little
perseverance through the stodge, and the viewer is treated to a family
friendly romp that will appeal to a wide range of ages.AnimationKomocha, as an older series, does not treat the viewer to
stunning visuals and gorgeous landscapes. Unfortunately, this will be
the turn-off for many of those “anime connoisseurs” who only watch
animation from this century: there is no HD and the characters are
quite frankly fugly, especially in the latter half of the series.
Simplistic lines and muted colouring techniques go hand in hand with
saucer-sized eyes that dominate 50% of someone’s face. It’s not
terrible by any means, and Sana’s wardrobe changes are frankly
adorable. However, the lack of fluidity and repeated use of ascii-style
facial reactions prevent me from awarding a higher score.SoundEvery single one of the Omocha opening tracks initially saw me
pulling a face in disgust as the overly sweet tones permeated my brain.
However, a view of the entire cast dancing in formation Broadway-stylee
made something originally so wrong suddenly seem oh so right. The
seiyuu for Sana is absolutely perfect, expressing both her
hyperactivity and vulnerability without being excessively annoying. Her
singing and rapping is absolutely hilarious, and totally out of place
most of the time, adding to the overall crazy feel of the show. Sadly,
the remaining vocal cast can suffer from a 2-dimensional disease that
blends them into the background, whilst Hayama’s voice sounds like he
is suffering from permanent swine flu. Though, any of this substandard
audio seems excellent compared with the infinitely pointless Babbit
musical interludes...CharactersEasily the strongest part of the show, the characters and their
delicate interactions are frankly touching, especially that between
Hayama and Sana. The youthful nativity of the lovestruck pair made me
reminisce back to my own romantically inept school days. Their
inability to communicate heartfelt feelings is both frustrating and
adorable, even more so when new love interests are introduced and the
two prised apart. The supporting cast don’t play a particularly large
part in Kodomo no Omocha, but there are a significant number of
memorable personalities, such as Sana’s pimp Rei (yes, pimp), or the
insecure Tsuyoshi who plays the trumpet whenever he feels down.
And how can you discuss Komocha’s characters without
mentioning Sana’s car driving, fruit-loop mother? Completely
unbalanced, irresponsible and more than likely clinically insane, she
is probably not the best role-model for her daughter. Then again, what
else would you expect from someone who has a squirrel living on her
head?OverallThe quality of Komocha is up and down as much as the emotions of
a menopausal woman, and this heavily affects the overall score. With
moments of unrequited love, the drama and relationships felt like they
could do no wrong. On the flip side, the dreadful arcs break the
fast-paced momentum and the show becomes dreadfully boring. A moment of
pure brilliance suffers at the hands of one made from overemotional
cack, as back to back episodes flip flop between brash comedy and
heartfelt emotion. Putting its flaws aside, the series has stood the
test of time very well and will appeal to a wide range of fans.
Although child-like comedy has subsequently blossomed in shows like Minami-ke and Ichigo Mashimaro, Kodomo no Omocha deserves a salute for being the first and ultimately the driving inspiration for its successors.
Final word from Chii – “Oh god, not the ****ing Sana-rap again...”