Behind The Nihon Review

It’s a bit of a thing to say that I’m reviving a dead blog and then not make an update for over two weeks.  I blame the Olympics.

I’ve been watching two currently airing series that are, well, in all honesty, pretty trite.  But there are some interesting comparisons between Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu and Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo, which aren’t exactly two series that are obvious to compare.  I think it’s fairly safe to say that no one’s really watching either for the plot, and that the appeal of both is, in one form or another, superficial.  One is absurd in the ridiculous “this probably wouldn’t happen” sense, while the other is absurd in the bizarre “this can’t possibly happen” sense.  But the main draw of both series are the main female leads, both eccentric in their own ways. Haruka is packed to the lid with moe, while Ryoko is sexy and knows it, high maintenance and likes to get things her own way.  And they both play off their “men” in interesting ways… Haruka unwittingly leads her’s own, while Ryoko drags hers around the room by the necktie.  So, who’s more awesome?

Haruka, so moe I’m gonna die

Instant moe, add one Noto.  Haruka ticks all the boxes, and it’s not just any criteria form she does this for… it’s a very specific and targeted one: the anime otaku’s ideal girl.  Long wavy hair, complete with white hairband, a voice that could turn vinegar into honey (thank you, Miss Noto), genius ditz, innocent as a six year old when it comes to sex, and yet always the first to make the move romantically.  And, to top it all off, she’s an anime fan.  Ok, suspend your disbelief for a second… (in a serious way, as well, since all those characteristics together make no sense logically), but if I were to compile list of ideals for an absolute perfect (and non-challenging) girlfriend, it’d look something like this, and most anime otaku would probably have something similar (to be presumptuous).

The shrew

But not everyone wants such an “easy” girl.  Not me… never mind.  But not everyone wants to watch some bland male lead net the easy girl, when you can instead watch the back-and-forth plays of a capable woman and her romantic (and unwitting) target as she schemes for his attention and tries to wrap him around her finger (as one could easily believe she’s done with so many men in the past), her attacks complicated by a mix of his tempered resistance, loyal professionalism and plain obliviousness.  Ryoko and the show’s male lead, Izumida, both find each other challenging, which is what makes their interactions and the constant sexual tension, rather entertaining to watch.  Not sure her knack for drawing trouble of the supernatural variety is an ideal quality, but damn she looks good in a China dress.

Maids! Maids! Maids!

There are big expectations on maids, including a wide range of weapons knowledge and superhuman abilities, an expert level ability in martial arts and perfect domestic skills.  Well, that’s how anime has presented it so many times, so it must be true.  Haruka wins this battle for best loyal entourage; if only because one of her maids, Nanami is voiced by Ueda Kana (and knows it, to break the fourth wall), while, the other, Hazuki has an unseeming connection with her chainsaws.  Ryoko has two creepy French maids who are creepy, don’t say much, and give each other creepy grins and act, in general, creepy.  I’ve always maintained that French women are among the world’s sexiest, which has something to do with those accents, but it’s not quite as sexy when it’s broken and sounds like that (what’s the French equivalent of Engrish?)

Meeting the parents

An inevitable consideration when choosing a partner, although we haven’t gotten to meeting Ryoko’s yet, who is apparently in charge of a large, corrupt security firm and is good for Ryoko in the order of 300 million yen a year (yes, she’s loaded, another plus).  Haruka’s father, on the other hand, is some sort of deranged mafioso, with a totally unreasonable hatred of his daughter’s hobby and a completely reasonable fear of his wife.  Endless money or persisted insanity, the choice would be easy, but love is blind to parents… or something.

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Well, considering neither do, in fact, exist (and I’ve never had the “pleasure” of meeting a woman who resembles either in real life), it all comes down to who is more interesting to watch, and the answer, for me, is obviously the stylish, sexy, but easily frustrated Ryoko.  But I do find it funny that shows that you could easily think of as polar opposites actually have so much in common.