Saturday 1 July 2006

Pic of the day: A very romantic comedy. Okusama wa Joshikousei roughly translates as "Wife as high school girl."

Okusama wa Joshikousei

I wrote a few words about this series last summer, but then it was never fansubbed further than the first few episodes. In the meantime, while I was doing other things, it has been translated by LIME, rescuers of hopeless anime. At the end of the last episode, they write: "We are happy that you enjoyed watching it as much as we hated subbing it. Seriously, couldn't you have watched a better show? LoLz!!!"

There is something to that. A sample of viewers described that they could feel their IQ go down while watching. It isn't exactly challenging the gray matter, that's true. The main character is a not too bright high school girl who is secretly married to her physics teacher. She has extremely romantic notions about married life and her greatest joy in everyday life is preparing the meals for her beloved "danna-sama" (husband ... I believe the word is somewhat stilted and overused for comic relief. It is certainly not a word you see often in casual conversations elsewhere.) Oh, and due to some nebulous contract with her father, they can't actually consummate their marriage until she is graduated. She keeps trying to arrange for it to just accidentally happen, but fate intervenes in the silliest ways.

It goes on like this for 13x2 episodes. (Each showing consist of two episodes which may or may not be about the same event.) There is a lot of soft ecchi ... indecency I guess you could say. Except these people are actually married so it shouldn't really be a problem. Of course I as the viewer is not married to her so I suppose it is not good if I get to see glimpses of her naked, but due to the context perhaps it doesn't feel indecent to me. Actually I think it is sweet that there is an anime about romantic and erotic love between a married man and woman.

I mean, if you look at the abundance of anime for young people especially, you see them lusting for classmates and friends and cousins and even brothers and sisters, not to mention robots, catgirls, angels and demons. Why should it be taboo to have love between people who are actually married? If I was married, I would decidedly go all out with the cuddly cuddling and loving and stuff. Well, that's what I think, but that could never happen so I just enjoy watching this anime instead.

The teacher is really just an idealized character, he does seem realistic but not really alive the way she is. This is probably an anime targeting girls primarily. With all the relationship stuff and so little action this seems likely, although there is (as mentioned) some panties and even less occasionally (although they make sure as always with TV series to not show actual genitals, of course). I assume that part is for the male viewers, but I am not actually sure. Perhaps the girls who identify with Asahina also think it is a bit exciting?

On that note, one of the best episodes in my opinion is the "adult movie star" episode. Of course that does not actually happen. What happens is that a boy runs into her at the library and says she is ideal and could he film her later? Her classmates says that this guy is the infamous Erosaki and he makes adult videos. (The name should ring a bell ... people are not named Ero-something! His real name is Iwasaki, but she keeps innocently calling him Erosaki in public. That's just the kind of dumb girl she is.) Unsure what adult videos are, she asks their neighbor, a single mom who works in a nightclub. That one is all too happy to show off her collection, and Asahina is shocked. And strangely excited. She keeps seeing sudden glimpses of the covers (she never saw the actual movies) with herself instead of the porn stars, and her heart is beating way too hard and she is growing tingly all over. Why? She tries to enlist the advice of her husband, but he seems strangely scared too...

I doubt 17 year old girls are quite that innocent in Japan, but you never know. Well, I never know. I think girls are more innocent than boys, but I've never been a girl so they may just be faking it. Watching anime made for girls and reading books is probably the closest I'll ever come to understanding them.

In any case, a pretty cuddly anime. Not something you'd want to watch with your parents, I am sure. But perhaps with someone else?