One night a strange egg-shaped object appears out of thin air to fall on top of Nitta, a member of the Yazuka involved with antiquities. Inside the egg is a young girl with incredibly powerful psychokinetic power who promptly begins extorting him for food, clothes, and a place stay.
A situational and reaction-based comedy which occasionally dips into action and drama. It has no relation to the 1993 OVA of the same name.
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Although variations of this theme have been done many times before, this is sweet, heartwarming, and funny in a low-key way. I’ve only seen ep 1 so far, but the main guy’s expressions are exactly right, and the stone-faced girl’s commentary is wonderful.
The interior lighting and, especially, the wooden furniture and paneling capture the cleanliness and order of japanese restaurants and homes. I feel I can actually *smell* the interiors of these places.
Loved ep 1; hope they maintain this level of quality.
Ep 2:
YES!!! The Japanese biker look! Just *where* does one find authentic versions of those clothes without paying an arm, a leg, or yuubi ippon (SP?)?
Actually sobbed for part of episode 3. There’s nothing remotely real about this series, but it’s a lovely illusion that expertly triggers *my* emotions.
Ep 4, 2/3 of the way through, and I just had to drop the series.
So far, this episode was just as fun as the previous ones. Unfortunately, my tolerance for implausibility got maxed-out.
The characters’ good-natured reactions felt heavily medicated since the beginning, to the degree that the show started giving me flashbacks to early toothpaste commercials. Everything felt like a setup for an awe-inspiring 1950s Hollywood musical like _Seven Brides for Seven Brothers_, but without the awesome singing and dancing. I wanted very much to like this.
Let’s say it’s a good thing I don’t have control over America’s ‘nuclear war button’ (if there even is anything close). When I made the above post, my blood sugar was dropping, plus I haven’t been able to exercise properly because I’m avoiding a fat chick who works out at the same gym. As I made the above post, my deep Inner Being was, like, “You don’t really feel that way; one good workout and you’ll feel differently.”. While I am still steering clear of the gym, I just ate a balanced meal, and am loving life (including this series)… Read more »
Just finished ep 5 — Another great one! I especially enjoy the bartender segments: the student, her boss, the fact that Nitta is a customer. It all works. Would have been cool to have that job / those skills in junior high. Don’t know why Mishima Hitomi, the bartender, said, “Aiya!”, several times when under pressure. Hehe! It’s what my grandmother used to say (even though we are not Chinese), and Ronda, my Chinese-Hawaiian best friend from high school. It’s kinda like the Chinese equivalent of, “しまった (shimatta)!” Aizawa (?) was right in remarking on the Chinese-ness of that exclamation.… Read more »
It’s little details like, “Aiya!” that make this series.
Ep 6
Holy cow! First part was hilarious. Second part actually had me sobbing. What a series! They really know how to dredge up memories and emotions. This is certainly among my top 5 anime episodes of all time.
The thing to do with this web site is look for series which you have, “Finished”. We have similar tastes in comedy, and other things. Had this not been one of the rare, “Finished”, series, I probably would never have picked it up again. But I trusted :)
Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible to love an anime as much as I have come to love this one. Ep 7 was great, complete with political satire and a white sweatshirt emblazoned with, ‘HARAKIRI’ in red caps.
Ep 8 Again, this episode had me sobbing. Hina’s feelings of leaving a temporary sleep-over place to return to a barren, loveless, hostile environment devoid of warmth *EXACTLY* depict the feelings I had as a child every . single . time I had to go home to my mother after a sleep-over, or after staying with my grandparents. These are involuntary flashbacks I get when my schemas are excited by watching anime. Only a handful of times have I experienced similar things with American shows. Once, when I was watching an American live-action movie *in a theater*, I experienced an… Read more »
Ep 9
Kinda relieved this episode didn’t make me sob.
Laughed out loud (despite trying to suppress it) when Nitta came home at the end. This series is so well-written, well-timed, well-voice-acted, well-drawn (the *expressions*) it’s not funny. This baby makes it look deceptively simple.
Ep 10 Back to tearing-up again! What a wonderful series. Speaking of window-washing, one of the people with whom we occasionally hung out was a licensed electrician. We were up high in a building, stoned, and walking down a ramp. I was so terrified of falling that I was like the Mayan Chacmool statue, but facing forward, crawling down the ramp like a crab. Dave said, “I had no idea you were so *timid* (yes, it’s true!). You know the lights on the tops of radio towers? If you want to lose your fear of heights, change the bulb on… Read more »
Ep 11 This series is *** MUCH MUCH *** more than just well-made entertainment. Episode 11, at about 19:37, with Anzu and Nitta at the amusement park, where Nitta asks himself, “What have I been doing? Give up already; let’s dream”. The dramatization of that, with the angels reaching out to Nitta (again that significant reaching out gesture) and Nitta dissolving, I would say comes close to depicting the feeling of relinquishing the (unbeknownst to me at the time) *consciously- and habitually-gripped* burden of unhappiness. It has an echo with the original ending of NGE, when Shinji Ikari (SP?) joins… Read more »
Ep 12 Well, Ep 11 was definitely one of the high points of the series. Ep 12, on the other hand, was disappointing and the bald head monk dude’s efforts to con the third alien chick into thinking she owed him this and that totally triggered something deep inside me (I guess stuff’s still waiting to be dug up). Like pick up a chair and hurl it out the window pissed off. These things are good to know, and they are one of the big reasons for my having watched anime all these years. Used to be able to watch… Read more »
In summary, my favorite characters are the homeless men, Hina’s bartender classmate, Hina’s blond alien friend, the Chinese restaurant couple who took in the blond alien friend, the female bar owner, and, FAR AND AWAY, Nitta-san. REALLY EXCELLENT SHOW! I only just now realized that my comments are replete with spoilers. Oh, God. Jake, if you’d like me to redo them all, I will gladly do so. Sorry! I was just so enthused (need to watch that ‘amplitude’) about the series that I went overboard commenting after each episode. Please let me know if you’d like me to redo my… Read more »
Just reread my comments and they’re *not* actual spoilers! Whoohoo!!! (personal assholometer displays lower level than usual; not saying much but still)