Kuragehime - Episode 11 (Completed)

I mentioned last week that Kuragehime had too many loose ends to possibly tie up in a single, final instalment, and so it goes that the series comes to an end (bonus DVD-only episode aside) without cementing or closing off most of its major plot points.

Of course, the most pressing matter facing this finale is Amamizuka's future, courtesy of last week's cliff-hanger which left the building covered in scaffolding and ready for demolition.  Well, fear not, for it turns out that this was little more than an administrative error, although that said the fact that buildings practically next door are finding themselves bulldozed serves to add some more urgency to proceedings.

While Tsukimi's reaction to this impending "doom" is to create more of her jellyfish-themed dolls, Kuranosuke has far more faith in Tsukimi's abilities as a dressmaker (albeit a jellyfish otaku dressmaker), seeing that instead as the best way forward towards making enough money to buy the Amamizuka building before it's too late.  From here, the rest of the episode races through Tsukimi's surprising rise to fame (well, relative fame at least) as Kuranosuke enters her dresses to a fashion competition, seeing them net all of the top prizes into the bargain.  Come the end of the episode and despite this development, Tsukimi and company's home is saved, and we see little progress in any of the relationships between the major characters, although it appears that Inari's feelings for Shuu have taken an interesting turn if nothing else.

As endings go, I have to say that this felt pretty rushed, just as I feared as we moved towards the end of the series with little sign of most of its threads being resolved.  That lack of resolution is exactly what we were left with, although luckily it was at least delivered within an entertaining package - it was neither as funny nor as charming as its earlier episodes, but it remained fun and certainly wasn't a total disaster.  That "not quite as good" feeling does take a little of the sheen from what was initially an excellent series, but despite that Kuragehime was a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience throughout which worked well in everything it did and brought both laughs and smiles aplenty.  If only it had been given more time to develop to a more fitting finale, it would have been an unmitigated success.

Kuragehime - Episode 10

It may be the morning after a night's sake drinking for Tsukimi, but luckily it appears that she isn't hungover as this penultimate episode of Kuragehime begins - a good job too, as Kuranosuke is up bright and early as he aggressively pursues his dream of creating a jellyfish-themed dress.

Of course, knowing a lot about what clothes to wear is very different to actually making them; not that this stops Kuranosuke as he pushes forth regardless.  Needless to say this ends in what initially appears to be a disastrous attempt to make a skirt, and even a little sewing assistance from the master of this particular art Chieko can do anything to save it... however, this lifeless effort is soon saved by Tsukimi's jellyfish otaku proclivities, as she determinedly sets about making it more jellyfish-like, with some surprising results.  Cue a visit to the Koibuchi residence to finish the job, although Chieko and Jiji both have to be bribed to do so simply so that they can force Tsukimi into going against her will; looks like she's still far from over those revelations about Shuu last week.

Speaking of which, the older Koibuchi brother is still well and truly under the thumb of Inari, who continues to press all of the right buttons to lead him along and causing him all sorts of panic.  That said, it's a little difficult to discern Shuu's actual feelings and emotions here - while his daydreams of a simple life with Tsukimi are interrupted by Shouko at one point, his concern for her well-being throughout this episode seems to go further than simply worrying about his own career.  Of course, this being the next to last episode means that the future of Amamizuka well and truly hangs in the balance come the end of this instalment.

With so little time left for the series, this episode was quite surprisingly leisurely in going about its business - rather than rushing through things it continues to be steady in its pacing and build-up, which allows us plenty of time to focus on some of its major characters and points as we build up to the closest this show has come to a cliff-hanger alongside another revelation about the real reason for Kuranosuke's cross-dressing.  This made for an enjoyable instalment once again (with Hanamori now seemingly entrenched as the show's superb comic relief character), but I can only wonder how Kuragehime hopes to tie up all of its loose ends in a single episode.  We shall just have to wait and see, I suppose.

Kuragehime - Episode 9

Last episode took Kuranosuke's big business idea from making jellyfish dolls to jellyfish dresses, and as this ninth episode of the series begins that plan begins to grow and blossom in his mind.

These burgeoning plans are, of course, partly helped by Tsukimi's passion and knowledge for her subject, and to carry on planning things out Kuranosuke decides that they need to decamp to his place to get the job done properly - something which Tsukimi is a little reticent about lest his brother be around.  Of course, as is so often the case with these things the timing of these events couldn't be much worse, with Shuu taking Inari to see his father in the hope of ending the crazy goings-on currently surrounding him.

Things really couldn't get much worse for all parties concerned at this point, as they congregate by the front gate of the Koibuchi resident just in time for Inari to claim that she's slept with Shuu before presenting her "proof" of this fact right in Tsukimi and Kuranosuke's face in the light of their denials that such a thing would even be possible.  So, both Shuu and Tsukimi end up running away from these unwanted thoughts and possibilities, although the former of the pair at least returns to continue to talk to Inari while the latter looks to escape from her reality completely by retreating into sleep, alcohol and jellyfish-coloured dreams.

While last week's episode of Kuragehime played out largely as a pure and simple comedy, this episode had a far broader stroke to its brush - sure, there was still comedy there (not least from chauffeur Hanamori, who seems to be getting all the best lines at the moment), but there was also romance and emotion sprinkled with a little dash of politics to boot.  It's the emotional side of the episode that arguably took centre stage this time around, not via in your face tears and drama but instead by way of some relatively subtle scenes which again seem to draw Tsukimi and Kuraonsuke unwittingly together in many respects.  There still seems like a huge amount left to cover in just two episodes, but given how well its played its various cards so far I certainly hope Kuragehime isn't going to try to rush towards a climax in the name of getting everything settled.

Kuragehime - Episode 8

With Kuranosuke's determination still not wavering, it's time for him persuade the residents of Amamizuka to start making some serious money - a drive which begins by going through the propery's attic to see what lies within.  The answer?  A lot of tacky and/or old crockery.  Hmm, seems a lot like my parent's attic now I come to think about it.

With some prize 1970s pieces chosen, Kuranosuke drags Tsukimi "After" out to a local sale to try and sell their booty, only to find that visitors seem far more interested in a little "Clara" jellyfish doll Tsukimi made and brought along as a good luck charm.  Like some kind of Apprentice wannabe, Kuranosuke spots an opportunity to make some cash, and before we know it the rest of the gang are helping Tsukimi out in making as many jellyfish dolls as they can out of old cloth for the ravenous buying public that snap them all up.

Meanwhile, in the world of politics and blackmail Shuu finally figures out what's going on regarding Inari, but finds himself powerless to do anything much about it.  Then again, he might not have to, with his father asking family chauffeur Yoshio to check up on what is going on with regard to his son and his supposed girlfriend.  Rather than spy on Shuu himself, Yoshio instead calls in a favour from an old friend who is now a private investigator to do the dirty deed for him, although come the end of this episode that whole plan has become more needlessly complicated than any of those parties would have liked.

Talking of complexities, the relationship between Kuranosuke and Tsukimi also takes another turn after the former catches the latter prancing around pretending to wear a wedding dress - an event which leaves Tsukimi in despair and Kuranosuke with a bit of heart trouble as he continues to struggle with his feelings and responses towards Tsukimi - indeed, this troubles almost extend to having his gender revealed to the rest of the Amamizuka women to boot.

So, another week means another wonderful episode of Kuragehime - if I found myself missing the comedy of earlier instalments over the last couple of weeks (and to be honest, I did) then I was rewarded in spades this time around courtesy of plenty of laugh out loud moments.  That isn't to say that plot progression was forgotten, as that got a reasonably healthy serving of attention as well to keep everything flowing.  Can they really resolve anything in just three more episodes though?  It feels like there's simply too much to fit into such a small time slot; I really hope they can pull it off and not leave us hanging or otherwise disappointed.

Kuragehime - Episode 7

In case you hadn't fathomed it from the latter part of last week's episode, this week's Kuragehime effectively completes the back story as to exactly why Kuranosuke is a part of the Koibuchi family, as well as why he's the black sheep of what otherwise seems to be a rather well-oiled political machine.

Anyhow, putting that to one side this sees Shouko becoming increasingly frustrated with the delays to the redevelopment project in her charge, largely brought about by the fact that Amamizuka's owner is still out of the country and thus unable to sign the contract required to sell that particular building.  In an attempt to grease the wheels she pays a visit to Amamizuka - something which seems unlikely to be successful at first, until its residents are won over disappointingly easily courtesy of some complementary macaroons.  That leaves it up to Kuranosuke to defend Amamizuka in their stead as he fortuitously drops by, even going as far as proclaiming that the current residents will club together and buy the building.

Thus, much of the rest of the episode is spent with Kuranosuke trying to find ways to make money, from unsuccessful attempts to persuade Chieko to part with some of her doll collection through to a rather more successful appeal to the building's resident mysterious manga creator.  Despite all of this however, Kuranosuke himself seems to be the only won taking this endeavour seriously, even going as far as trying to blackmail his father into giving him the money towards the building, with seems less than likely to succeed itself.  Away from all of this, Shouko still has Shuu Koibuchi tied up well and truly in her little scheme, which is itself beginning to ripple outsdie of those two individuals as it drags Tsukimi and Kuranosuke into what is going on... a chain of events which also draws those two individuals together in some increasingly interesting ways.

This week's instalment continued on from last week's effort in that it didn't dazzle or prove to be a riot of laughs; instead it just worked diligently at keeping the various aspects of its story moving smoothly and believably.  This made for an episode that was enjoyable without being stunning, yet one that kept me in rapt attention, with the Tsukimi / Kuranosuke / Shuu love triangle in particular becoming fascinating stuff.  I hope these more sedate last couple of episodes aren't sign of the show running out of steam, but with so much potential still to be tapped into I can't imagine that it'll be wanting for directions to take its story any time soon.

Kuragehime - Episode 6

After deciding upon his task of transforming the Amamizukan residents from nerds into beauties capable of taking on whatever normal life throws at them, this sixth episode begins with us seeing the final results of that transformation - and it has to be said that those results are pretty impressive.

With all of the residents dressed up, Kuranosuke takes them all out to a café to enjoy whatever refreshments they require; although it does take a while for them to warm to the place given their dislike of being out in public and their preference of their usual home comforts.  Still, the prospect of free food and drink paid for by Kuranosuke finally wins them round, while moving out to one of the establishment's terrace tables gives them all a fantastic view of the scenery to further seal the deal.  The trouble is, Tsukimi is looking rather too cute for her own good, causing Kuranosuke both confusion and consternation as he tries to figure out why he's so worked up about that fact - perhaps he isn't as bright when it comes to relationships as he likes to make out?

While all of this is going on, brother Shuu finds himself at the mercy of the manipulative Shouko Inari, who uses the return of his umbrella as a chance for him to take him out for a drink, spike said drink and then frame him into appearing as though he slept with her.  Despite this and her holding the upper hand overall, Shuu's reaction once he comes around isn't exactly what she was expecting - then again, she didn't know what we letter learn from the family's driver about just why the elder Koibuchi brother is all but allergic to women.  Just what Shuu is doing come the end of this episode, when he goes to see Tsukimi briefly, is lost on me somehow, but there's certainly no shortage of issues piling up for both of the Koibuchi siblings come the end of this instalment.

This episode might not have dazzled quite so much as previous instalments in terms of its multi-layered, character-driven story telling, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't a whole lot of fun.  Kuragehime might have simplified and narrowed its focus for large portions of this episode, but that didn't stop it from throwing out a couple of big revelations in the midst of entertaining us via both Shuu's predicament and the Amamizukan girl's night out, both of which were played out nigh-on perfectly in terms humour and making the most of the show's characters.  In short, it was enough to keep Kuragehime sitting pretty towards the top of the pile of "must watch" shows for this season.

Kuragehime - Episode 5

Given the goings-on last episode, it's probably not really surprising to find Tsukimi still dwelling on her aquarium trip and what happened with Shuu during it, leaving her wanting to forget the incident clearly not wanting to forget it at the same time.

However, there's little time for such distractions as it soon becomes clear that Amamizu's future is very much in doubt, with Chieko's mother having decided to sell the property inhabited by the "Sisterhood" and a lot of the other opposition to it seemingly collapsing.  This calls for desperate measures from the boarding house's residents, involving (shock, horror!) actually going out, in the name of attending a presentation on the area's redevelopment.

Needless to say this doesn't exactly go well, with the girls over-powered by the good-looking woman running the presentation before they've even entered the room, while Tsukimi is distracted by the presence of Shuu, who once again fails to recognise who she is and brushes off her sole attempt at striking up conversation.  Depressing times all around then as the Sisterhood leave the presentation early in various states of bedraggled depression, headed up by Tsukimi as she sees Shuu leaving whilst sharing an umbrella with the aforementioned beautiful (yet canny and manipulative) organiser of the event.  Finding this state of disarray before him, it seems that it's left to Kuranosuketo rally the troops and teach them how to make their voices heard in the modern world, setting the wheels in motion for another major step forward for the show's plot (coming thick and fast as such steps are).

Although this episode didn't hold either the comedy or the emotion of last week's instalment, there was still plenty to enjoy as Kuragehime's plot and various character inter-dependencies move on apace.  While it does take a leap of faith to believe Shuu's inability to recognise Tsukimi, this increasingly tangled web of love and misunderstanding remains pretty compelling and heart-felt stuff, while digging a little deeper reveals yet more social and anthropological commentary that marks the series out as more than just another romantic comedy or show about otaku for otaku.  In particular, the importance of looks and external impressions is becoming a more and more pivotal part of this show, and I'm more than a little curious to see in what direction this point is headed - when such things are blended in with some good characters, laughs and story-telling it certainly continues to impress.

Kuragehime - Episode 4

The previous episode of Kuragehime pretty much finished off setting up the various aspects of its main characters and story, leaving this fourth instalment as pretty much the first time the show can let loose and really start working on those core tenets.

This begins via what should be a fun occasion of roasting potatoes on a bonfire, but it's an event which brings back some tough memories for Tsukimi regarding her sick mother... not that she's given too much time to dwell on this as the Sisterhood are interrupted by a panicking Kuranosuke who has finally learned of the plan to demolish his new friends building in the future.  If he was expecting this to set off an all-out panic amongst said building's residence then he's in for a disappointment, as the only response he gets is one of general apathy and the assertion that those who can be bothered to protest against the development will sort things out.

From here, the rest of the episode is all about Tsukimi, or more precisely her part in what is fast becoming a love triangle between herself and the two Koibuchi brothers, as a simple trip to visit the jellyfish at an aquarium to sooth Tsukimi's frayed emotions turns into a rather more complex affair thanks to a blend of Tsukimi not wearing her glasses (allowing her to be herself in front of Shuu for the first time), her emotions getting the better of her as memories of her mother resurface, and Kuranosuke finding himself feeling an unexplainable jealousy when he witnesses Shuu comforting Tsukimi as a result.  Come the end of the instalment, it seems like everyone's emotional stability is thoroughly messed up in a number of ways - which is exactly what we like to see in the name of comedy and drama.

As per my comments last episode, it's actually really quite hard to explain how a series that has such a deceptively simple story manages to be rather deep in so many ways - away from its slapstick comedy (Banba's hair gets all the good jokes this week, it's going to need its own spin-off series at this rate) there's a lot of emotional and psychological depth to be explored here, whether it's Tsukimi and how a mixture of not wearing glasses and visiting an aquarium puts her into her element (which felt surprisingly familiar; put me into a scenario where I can talk about stuff I'm interested in and I'll yak anybody's ear off whereas you'd be hard-pressed to have such a conversation otherwise) or Kuranosuke's predictable but still nicely realised jealousy and emotions throughout the episode.  It might not seem like it at first glance, but there's so much going on here with these characters you could probably write a book on each of them, and processing all of this subtle information beneath a fun romantic comedy is incredibly entertaining and fascinating in equal measure.

Kuragehime - Episode 3

Although we're now more than used to the idea of black sheep of his political family Kuranosuke's cross-dressing ways, Kuragehime's first couple of episodes were yet to explain just why he'd suddenly made this lifestyle choice.

This soon becomes clear in episode three however, as it turns out that Kuranosuke is largely just trying to remove himself from the political life enjoyed by both his brother and father, as he figures that doing something "perverted" like cross-dressing should prevent him from ever being made to enter the political arena.  The second reason for his tendencies is equally clear-cut, with Kuranosuke taking more than a passing interest in fashion; something he demonstrates with aplomb during this episode by dressing up Tsukimi impressively to turn her into quite the princess, no jellyfish required.

Microsoft's Kinect went down a storm in the Koibuchi household

Indeed, this session of "playing dress up" opens up a whole raft of new angles for the series as our dazzling (not to mention escaping) Tsukimi bumps into Kuranosuke's brother, thus prompting a "love at first sight moment" from him before his attempt to meet her again by return the clothes and glasses she left behind in Kuranosuke's room leaves him meeting an entirely different Tsukimi, to the point where (of course) he doesn't even recognise her and dismisses her as some kind of weirdo.  Throw in some brief mentions of the planned demolition of the "sisterhood's" residence, and you have plenty to chew on.

Despite all of that however, this episode doesn't forget its sense of fun at any point, be it Kuranosuke's decidedly dodgy uncle, Kuranosuke saying the wrong thing to her new otaku friends pretty much every time he opens his mouth, and topping the bill a bedraggled, half made-up Tsukimi's look being mistaken as some kind of vampire doll cosplay by her housemates.  Dig a little deeper beyond those easy laughs however and you have a genuinely multi-layered piece of story-telling so far which attacks you from so many angles it's hard to know where to start.  Aside from its obvious comments on the generation gap between the "baby boomers" and their children, and how society has shaped that gap, there are also all kinds of thoughts floating around about love, prejudice and gender roles within society that could easily fill a book or two.  A romantic comedy anime that's also thought-provoking?  That's Kuragehime in a nutshell at this point, and it's making for quite a heady mixture of elements.

Kuragehime - Episode 2

With a first episode that covered everything that needed to be conveyed to set up its story of Tsukimi, her house mates and her randomly encountered "princess", Kuragehime looks all set to start having fun with its premise as we enter its second instalment.

Indeed, this episode wastes no time in making of the most of Tsukimi finding herself with a cross-dressing man in her room - a care-free and free spirited one no less, who pays no attention to Tsukimi's panic as he makes himself at home while his host frantically tries to hide him from everyone else in the building.

Despite some close shaves, it seems as though Tsukimi has escaped with her reputation and place in the house's "Sisterhood" intact, and normality returns as the group plans and shops for their weekly hot pot.  Such an illusion of normality is quickly shattered however, as our cross-dressing friend pops by to say hello and help herself to said hot pot.  Needless to say, this doesn't go down well at all around the "unique" residents of the house and their rampant aversion to such fashionable types, and things only go from bad to worse once a casual query as to whether they are all nerds comes into the (incredibly one-sided) conversation.  It's this throwaway comment that eventually leads to our guest being effectively kicked out of the house, leading Tsukimi to learn a little more about this strange guy (most of it incredibly surprising), while our cross-dresser himself manages to find his way at least partly back into Tsukimi's friends affections courtesy of some prime meat for a new, improved hotpot.

After enjoying the first episode of Kuragehime I had high hopes for this next instalment, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed.  Sure, the initial comedy of Tsukimi trying to hide someone in her room has been done a billion times before but it was still played out really well here, and the rest of the episode kept things running perfectly with plenty of humour without forgetting to play on various undercurrents that will run through the series with a focus firmly on Kurashita and Koibuchi and the unspoken similarities that bond them together, even if neither of them has realised yet.  It's still too early to trumpet it too loudly, but Kuragehime is definitely looking like one of the winners of the autumn so far.

Kuragehime - Episode 1

Alongside Shiki's continuation for the autumn season, Fuji Television's expanded noitaminA slot also gives us another, brand-new series to look forward to - Kuragehime.  If its name seems a little odd then this is explained in double-quick time by the show's opening episode, as we see our female protagonist in her youth marvelling at a particularly beautiful jellyfish while dreaming of looking like a princess of sorts in the future.

Fast forward to that future and we find that those dreams couldn't be further from the truth about budding illustrator Tsukimi Kurashita, who is a shy female nerd lacking in self-confidence and living with a number of equally geeky female housemates, each of whom have their own unique obsessions and prefer not to venture out into the outside world if they can help it at all.

Jellyfish are, of course, Tsukimi's particular oddball passion, and that combination with her talent as an illustrator means that her room is packed to the rafters with drawings and sketches of said creatures.  Funnily enough, it's this love of jellyfish that starts Kuragehime's ball rolling, as Tsukimi finds herself needing to pluck up the courage to talk to the man behind a pet shop counter to join out that two jellyfish which shouldn't be sharing a tank together and have been lumped into the same living space, with potentially fatal consequences.  Her animated attempts to convey this information to the apathetic store clerk leads her to a meeting with a beautiful "princess", who kindly steps in and helps Tsukimi by buying the endangered jellyfish.  Next thing she knows, this woman is crashing out on the floor of her room back at home, and come the next morning it becomes clear that this princess is anything but....

Although this opening episode of Kuragehime hasn't had the opportunity to set its scenario up entirely, we can pretty clearly see where it's headed and I have to say this was a pretty enjoyable first episode so far.  Tsukimi herself is a fascinating choice of main character - a girl you can like, admire and sympathise with, often all at the same time.  Of course, throwing her together with a very different kind of eccentric as this episode does holds plenty of promise for the rest of the series, especially once you factor in Tsukimi's housemates, and hopefully that potential will be realised.  For now though, this was a fun and nicely paced way to start things off, so I have pretty high hopes for the series from what I've seen so far.