Waifus talk! Tamako Market episode 5

Hiya! This is Rise Kujikawa!



I am Gertrud Barkhorn.




And together we are going to talk about anime episodes that GeN is following at the moment. Right, Barky?


Barky? Are you addressing to me?



Yep! Who else am I talking to? Silly ~<3



*sighs* Okay, let's move on to this post. The episode that we're going to go over is Tamako Market, episode 5.



This is where Tamako and her friends goes to the pool where Tamako learns how to swim just for the camping trip that's coming up later on the show.

She's progressing quite slowly as you can see. At least she's putting alot of effort into it!


Training and practice is the key to success. As a Strike Witch, it is necessary for us to learn how to swim just in case our Striker Units fail and we end up falling into the sea.



Wow, that's scary! Lucky that Tamako doesn't have to fight any Neuroi during their camp.



When it comes to that, I will have to come and save Tamako.



Is this your sisterly instincts kicking in? Or does she reminds you of Yoshika?



 M-moving on!




Right! Moving on!

Dera-kun sure is funny in this scene. He totally nailed it with those impressions.


I have to admit, this made me laughing. It surprises me that not only Dera could talk, eat pounds of mochi and be a portable projector, he can also make funny impersonations.


Why don't you try a hand of impersonations? We'll each have a turn and guess who we are impersonating?



I'll try. Don't expect alot from me when it comes to these things. You go first, Rise.



*ahem* "In the name of my grandfather, I'll solve this mystery!"



Hmm... that sounds like a character from a mystery anime I've seen before.




Do you give up? Maybe it's too hard for you~!


Is it Shinichi Kudo?









Sorry, wrong answer! It's Hajime Kindaichi! You were kinda close though.



Huh, I didn't take you as a mystery buff.




Well, I do have some experience as an amateur detective. Plus, I have watched some live action Kindaichi shows with GeN~<3.



I see.



I think it's your turn Barky! Show me your best!




Okay, "I said that I want 100% orange juice, not 98%! What am I going to do with you, idiot Producer?!"



 Easy peasy! It's Iori-chan!



That's correct!




Ha ha, wow! That sounded totally like Iori-chan! Don't try to pull that in front of her though.



Okay, let's move on to the next point of interest.

 I found these scenes particularly interesting.




These scenes show that they each care for Tamako. It looks like love for her is almost similar


 
 That's not the only love I see in this episode. Actually, it's more of a set up for things to come.


Really?  I don't see it. Is it about Dera and that seagull?




No no! Isn't it obvious? It's right there!




I don't follow.



Have you heard of the saying, "Those who argue together, stay together"?



Well, Mochizou did argue with Dera ealrier...



Amazing.



W-what is?




You're in the same league as Yukiko-senpai.




Umm, thanks?



*sigh* Well, let's wrap things up. Let's end this post by mentioning our favorite things about this episode. I'll start.

I like Tamako's bag. It's almost the cat is saying, "Stop! These are MY pink stars!"



Well, here is my favorite scene.

Somehow a dog chasing a bird reminds me of Marseille. Funny that.



Oh yeah, I almost forgot! What do you think about Shiori in this episode? She's the next potential waifu for GeN.

She looks really cute in that swimsuit. I would like to try wearing a cute swimsuit one day.


Ha ha! I think that's the end of of this post! I am your extremely cute host, Rise Kujikawa!



And I'm Gertrud Barkhorn



Barky.



Stop that. Sheesh.




 And this has been Waifus Talk!

Heart beating first look, Amagami SS

 

GeN has played some dating sims in the veil of JRPGs and what not in the past. Thousand Arms, Persona 3 and 4, Agarest War series and to some extent, Yakuza 4, they pretty much get you sucked into the various harem girls that can be eventually be your waifu. In fact, that's the whole point. Playing these kind of games can just make you admit that this particular genre get you to choose your preferred type of virtual girl to cling on to. This leads to the multiple playthroughs of these games that you want to see the "if"s and "what it could've been" with the other candidates that you didn't paid attention to.

Woman! Bear my children!

This anime, Amagami SS, an adaption of the original PS2 game gets you to see all of the possible choices played out. It took me by surprise about the structure of the show but I was pretty much invested seeing it through all the stories behind the waifu choices. I've only just finished watching Haruka's story route. It was an interesting journey of the MC trying to confess his love to this insecure upperclassman. I was pretty much rooting for the guy but at the same time, I'm covering my face and looking through my fingers of the spontaneous bursts of his feelings to Haruka. The only main negative point of this story route is that there isnt a great conflict or hurdle for him to actually hooking up with Haruka. It was a four episode long show about the couple doting with each other. It kinda makes the bachelor within you yell out, "why is this guy getting all the luck?!".

 A girl clinging on to him from behind and his 

reaction to it was to be despondent. What a guy.

This show is an amusing after school special of watching the MC trying to get hitched with all of them and I have to say that's interested me enough to watch the rest. There could be a possible candidate to the Harem of Waifus after watching the entire series but we'll see.

What current waifus think about this first impression:





Iori Minase:
Geez. Does everybody think all girls behave like she does? What and unrealistic show!





Kyouko Toshino:
I can smell the passion from here! Two people engage in various 'doki doki' situations. I have to make a doujin right now!




Rise Kujikawa:
Oh my! It reminds me of my days being with my senpai~!




Gertrud Barkhorn:
That ramen scene, it was an interesting look of what is like to be a prisoner. I guess having womanly charms do give you some advantage considering the circumstance.

Witch, incoming!!!

GeN ordered online the AGP Gertrud Barkhorn figure. Pretty much one of my waifus in figure form. I can finally have one of my waifus and sleep with it every----- *ahem* Makes me wonder why my other waifus doesnt have an available pose able figure version of themselves. Anyway, about the figure, i'm not too sure on the quality of the figure. I'm more concerned about the facial expressions. From the preview pics i saw, her neutral face looks very derpy, so i'm likely gonna use the other two expressions instead.  I'l make a detailed review of the figure once it arrives on my doorstep.

Gertrud Barkhorn. The waifu that doesn't wear pants.

What current waifus think about this purchase:

Iori Minase:
Hmph! Just like an otaku, buying perverted merchandise.
 

Rise Kujikawa:

I'll ask my manager if I can get an action figure version of myself. I might go for a 'cast off' feature ~<3

Kyouko Toshino:
Ooh! Ooh! Ask if he can make a cast off figure of Chinatsu-chan~! *nosebleeds*




Gertrud Barkhorn:
I wonder if my sister would like a Marseille figure...

Harem of Waifus new candidate!

Shiori Asagiri, shocked that she's up for candidate!

Name: Shiori Asagiri

Seiyuu: Yurie Yamashita

Anime: Tamako Market

Personality: Timid and shy

Interests: Badminton

WPs (Waifu Points): 

- Black Hair

- Pony tail

- Glasses

- Soft spoken

GeN's reason for candidacy:
Her initial yearning to become friends with Tamako but can't pull it off because of her shyness. GeN usually rolls his eyes of these type of girls, but the right amount of WPs, makes her stand out from the rest of the cast. And i'm loving that pony tail. It reminds me why like Mami over Ami from the Idolm@ster. She also has an interesting designed eyebrows, GeN likes it! No doubt that other people watching the show can see why she's that charming. I wanna see more on what she offers to the show, either plot, gimmicks, or even more further character development. If she has any of those that GeN likes, she'll be then part of my harem.

Candidate's Photos:

 

Notice her arms clutching symbolizes her personality.

Very close and shy. 

 

Her self-esteem is rather low at the moment. 

At this moment, GeN realizes her Pocky-like hairpins.

 

Underhand serve in badminton. She can pull it off, no sweat.

What current waifus think of new candidate:

 Iori Minase:
"Heh-- she's really shy huh?

 

 Rise Kujikawa:
 "I really like her Pocky hairpins~!"





Kyouko Toshino:
" Does she have some more? I wanna eat some!"

 

Gertrud Barkhorn:
"What's Pocky? Is it applicable to combating against the Neuroi?

First Impression Union! GO! AQUARION!

GeN: So, in the planet of "Vega", gifted humans called "Elements" can pilot ships called "Aquarias". And they fight against known as the "Abductors", from the planet of "Altair", that are literally abducting females. So when stronger enemies appear, The "Element" pilots that are piloting the "Aquarias" have create a "Union" to combine into a super robot called "Aquarion". In order the "Aquarion" to function, it's actually fueled by the amount of emotion emanating from the "Elements". And the main theme of this anime is "love".

Fudo: That is correct!

GeN: So, where does the doughnut fit in to all of this?

Fudo: Everything!

GeN: Okay, I'm down with that.

-----------
The opening theme is freakin' catchy. Almost addictive listening to it.

Strike Witches series review

GeN feels like an asshole. Why? 'Cause he actually likes Strike Witches and initially thought it was going to be shit. I've watched the first two seasons and the movie that was released last year. This is what I've concluded after watching all of these: I want a Strike Witches season 3. All my money for a season 3. It's really weird saying that since the main visual core of the anime is aerial combat and alot of body exposure. Right off the bat, you'll notice the immediate design choice for the main heroines: They dont wear pants. So the viewers can see the ecchi of this anime by looking at teenagers' underwear. I think it's because it helps you see who is a witch by seeing animal ears and tail and if they were wearing pants, it would obstruct the tail as it comes out. But if you accept that the girls and their clothing choice, this series is actually quite entertaining to watch.

 They're not just witches. They're Strikes Witches. UNF!

I could try tell you the entire plot but from what little there is, it would be spoiling. There are more episodes focusing on character development than there is plot progression. The world of Strike Witches is set in an alternate universe in the year 1944. This is in the middle of a war against these beings called Neuroi as joint forces from around the world band against this worldly threat. The humans' main arsenal are gifted females known as 'witches', where each individual witch have their own magical ability. To help these witches combat against any airborne-type Neuroi, they would have to wear leg attachments called Striker Units which regulates their magic to get the witches flying. The focus of the story is Yoshika Miyafuji, a 15 year old girl with a witch magic of healing. Her life turns around as she decides to join the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, a special band of aerial witches called Strike Witches that combats the invading Neuroi.  

 Pantsless - puppy dog ears and tail - aeroplane legged magical girl 

VS giant alien aeroplane that shoots laser beams. VERY YES!

Why I love this show is not only the fan service and the action but for the main characters themselves. I like how they get along as a team as they face through trials in combat while trying to get along with each other. Throughout the series, they start to have the special 'danketsu', similar to the idols in 765 Pro in The Idolm@ster. Some of them give each other harsh lectures and cold shoulders yet later, they suppport and sacrifice for each other. It is too bad that the series didnt have time to flesh out the plot. The mysteries behind the Neuroi were slowly being revealed but even after the movie, didnt disclose any more about them.

The animation between season 1 to season 2 is pretty similar to say the least. Even though both seasons were made from two different development studios, the art and special effects are pretty much alike. I think the actions sequences in the second season are more dynamic with the angles used, depth perception and element placement. Like, you can tell where are the witches are in relation to the Neuroi, which is important since being in an actual aerial fighter plane will make you nauseous and get confused where shit is. I think the actions sequences can improve if they had like a on board camera view from the witch's perspective as they dive bomb enemies, instead of having the camera between the witch's legs. The Neuroi are animated via computer generated models and are modeled after WWII fighterplanes, rockets, bombs, etc, but with more antagonistic look with a black and red color scheme. There are other models of Neuroi that are quite uniquely designed which helps define that the enemy looks more alien in nature. I appreciate the most of the battles occur above the sea since if you try to do this on land, there would be more shots of land getting destroyed which in turn take time off the upclose panty shots and GeN likes them panty shots.  

The audio is mostly forgettable which is quite a shame because it'll help the appeal of this anime. I could not remember any memorable tunes from the anime because the procedural music when a epic moment happens is forgettable and you only pay attention to what's happening visually and I kinda block out the music. Instead, I am more focused on the sound effects and and screams and yells from the voice actors. Speaking of voice actors, I have taken the opportunity to watch the japanese subbed version of season 1 and i've bought the localized dvd version of season 2. I favor the japanese cast more to the english dub. Listening to the japanese cast feels more natural since the characters are designed to be kawaii and stuff. I dont dislike the english voice actors and their roles but some characters i think are miscast. Namely, Francesca Lucchini, her english dub sounds excruciating the moment she opens her mouth. But for the most part, the other characters are casted pretty well. I think the english voice of Mio Sakamoto sometimes kinda off as she is sounding a bit too hoarse and i think her pitch should be more like her age, yet her confident 'HA HA HA' line is very pleasing to hear.

Strike Witches is a well crafted anime series that cater to the fans of even amount of action, character development and fan service. If you can get through the tits and ass visually, you get a decent character driven show with graceful aerial combat in tune for hardcore anime fans. I give this anime a THUMBS UP.


GeN's Rundown:
Thumbs up:
- Panties and teenage breasts
- Likeable characters with character development
- Dog fights against enemies
- Cat fights against each other
- Sound effects that helps immersion of action scenes  

Thumbs down:
- Story lacking of more event changing moments
- Forgetable music
- Francesca's english voice dub (earplugs recommended)

GeN's Aftermath:
Gertrud Barkhorn is now part of GeN's Harem of Waifus, along with Iori Minase, Rise Kujikawa and Kyouko Toshinou. I'm going to check out the manga and maybe the light novels.