Amaenaideyo

[Kraco]

2nd season Episode 4 - Mendoi

Whoa! I just watched the 4th episode, and it looks like this series took a big step to a good direction. If this leads to where it potentially could lead, I would almost say the story overtook what was left of the brainless slapstick for good, and this turned into a real, respectable series. Not that I had anything against the simple comedy/ecchi this was before, but if there's a strong story and character development behind it... Well, it's needless to say it's taking the show to a totally different level.

[Munsu]

Edit: Appalled by the outrageous (lack of) activity of this thread, I'll just edit in the next episode link. 4 posts in row would be a bit much, even if they actually all were legitimate.

It's fine, when I decide to watch the series a year from now or so, I'll come back and read all this crap you are posting.

[Kraco]

Episode 5 - Mendoi

Well, it might not have gone exactly to the direction I was thinking, but episode 5 was bloody funny. One of the funniest so far in the whole series. And it was also otherwise good. The relevance to the main plot might be ambiguous and open to debate (which was pretty much said so also in the series), but it certainly presented intriguing material if one is inclined to be interested in the other backbone of this series, aside from the obvious soft ecchi and slapstick.

I can't believe I noticed it only in this episode, but this series actually shares one voice actress, Higuchi Chieko with Azumanga (Tomo). And the characters are very much alike. (This as a useless tidbit at the end.)

[Everon]

Anyone have an preference in translators? LIME I know has been around for awhile, but what about Mendoi?

[Munsu]

LIME should never be considered in a fansub comparison... They'll always do the worst releases.

[Kraco]

As far as I'm concerned, Mendoi has done very good work. I don't know Japanese any more than a regular fanboy, so I can't say how accurate the translations are, but the language is good and they have added plenty of notes explaining various things about the religion and other things, all of which have been important, if you are interested in things beyond the ecchi/slapstick in this series (aye, interestingly enough, if you are, you will have to think more than when watching many regular non-ecchi series. While this is a comedy/ecchi show, it seems to take its background pretty seriously).

[Kraco]

I certainly can't say I would have any complaints about Mendoi's speed in releasing the episodes:

Episode 6 - Mendoi

Edit: Well, I have said it before, and thus I'm only repeating myself (not that anybody would be reading this thread but Bud, who doesn't even watch the series), but this show is getting more and more respectable. Perhaps it doesn't contain anything really really unique or innovative, but it uses the elements it has really well. And I think it deserves a special mention about how it so succesfully combines the ecchi and the serious, plot relevant aspects. Nothing seems out of place.

[Kraco]

I continue my lonely crusade in support of this soft ecchi series:

Episode 7 - Mendoi

I like how quickly Mendoi releases these episodes!

Edit: Now it's pretty evident what's going on in this series: They are concentrating on every character turn by turn, and developing them pretty much individually in their spiritual path. The major plot still of course lingers all the time in the background, but otherwise the focus has now been for a while on the other characters.

[Kraco]

Unaffected by the tremendous popularity of this series among gotwooters, I continue to post the updates here:

Episode 8 - Mendoi

[Kraco]

Well, there was some action over at the Nanashi tracker, even if it wasn't Eureka. Still, for me, Amaenaideyo (the second hardest name to remember after Utawarerumono) is always a welcome release as well:

Episode 9 - Mendoi

[Kraco]

The rest of the second season (minus a DVD bonus that will still appear one day):

Episode 10 - Mendoi
Episode 11 - Mendoi
Episode 12 - Mendoi

Well, despite the promising aspects of the earlier episodes of the second season, the very end wasn't that impressive. It's somewhat strange that they wrote considerable character development for the other characters but the main character. Especially considering how much potential the main character would have had. But now at the end he's exactly the same he was in the beginning of the first season. And the rest of the cast quite isn't. Of course a great deal of the humour of this series was based on the basic nature of the main character, but what's there to spare when the series ends anyway... They might have as well given him some development. I'm sure that wouldn't have prevented getting humour in one DVD extra. Especially considering the main merit of the extra is more evindent fanservice.

Oh, well. It's not like this was such an important series anyway, on the other hand.

[complich8]

I concur. As endings of series go, this was pretty weak.

I should say more though. I thought the series as a whole was pretty decent, as far as it goes. I mean, it's a series classified unashamedly as "ecchi" ... it took every possible liberty it could without crossing the line into hentai. Nevertheless, as harem-type shows and ecchi content goes, it was actually pretty entertaining, with a decent storyline and some good times.

I would honestly have liked to see a scenario more like what played out in the Katsu opening sequence, where Ikkou somewhat gets control of his powers and actually develops a good relationship with Chitose. I felt like arranging something like that during the last 5 or so episodes would have made the series feel a bit more ... complete, you know?

Maybe that would have been too predictable though... and maybe would have crossed the line into "serious romance" or something -- ie: given us less opportunities to see scantily clad women. And who wants that?

[Kraco]

I completely agree about gaining control over his powers and steadying the relationship with Chitose. While it is true what you said about that, still, if the series ends now (with the exception of one DVD extra), I don't really see what damage it would have done. Plot wise I don't think this was so hugely surprising series anyhow, so it being predictable might not have been such a bad thing. I'm sure a great deal of the audience would have liked to see some development. When the situation after 24 episodes is exactly the same it was in the first episode - I think that might gnaw more people than a predictable outcome.

Oh, and it was a surprisingly good series considering the classification. There's no denying that. The technical quality aspects alone left little to complain about, and the plot and characters certainly were better than I expected on the whole, considering it's an ecchi series.

[Kraco]

The dvd extra of the second season is out:

Season 2 DVD extra - Mendoi

Also, the whole season 2 (including the extra) is available as a batch just for Bud:

Season 2 Batch - Mendoi

The dvd extra was, like the first one, mainly increased fanservice. However, it also had a pretty strange and twisted plot that certainly fooled me for a moment, for real.