Addicted to Dysfunction

I like angst. Heck, I revel in it. But there's a trend in the shoujo-ai community that I've noticed that I just don't get -- emotionally dysfunctional characters and/or couples being loved and adored. Is it because so much of the community is under 25? Is it because subtle is lost on viewers and they need these overblown displays to relate to a character? Does it have something to do with the issues in their own lives?

Strawberry Panic is an easy show to pull examples from. Since I like my angst, I have to love Yaya. She's a wonderful character with a good heart that's being broken because she knows the person she loves is in love with someone else. Like a good friend, she encourages Hikari to follow her heart and go after her true love, no matter how much it hurts Yaya to do so. The problem from fandom's perspective - the person Hikari is in love with is too sedate for most of them. She's "an emotionless robot" because she doesn't joygasm at the sight of Hikari or rail in anger at the fangirls who annoy her so. She also doesn't try to rape Hikari, which seems to be a running theme in the show. Amane's personality is completely lost to most people. They don't see the smile of friendship she gives to Shizuma or how her demeanor changes when Hikari is around. The change when she's with those she likes or cares about is a dramactic one from the armor and shield she wears around campus. How can people not see it? But Amane is a quiet personality, and quiet is apparently boring.

The top prize for dysfunction, though, easily goes to Chikane and Himeko from Kannazuki no Miko. Don't misunderstand, I enjoyed the series. It's a nice guilty pleasure that drips with overwrought drama and angst. Though I like the Himeko in Kyoshiro better than the one in KnM. But that's another topic. So, anyway, we've got all the perfect elements here that get fandom riled up - whiny blond, dark haired heroine, token male, rape, and payoff. Payoff being the big thing here because that's so rare. I guess that's why folks cling to these two the way they do. Of course, we have payoff without hysteronics or rape in Vandread. That, however, is ignored. Why? No, they aren't the main characters. But there are at least 3 lesbian couples in Vandread, one even has a child together. Where's all the fanfic and the massive discussion over sexual identity that this show should garner? It's an overlooked gem with great characters, a fun story, and that rarest of rare things -- payoff. But, unfortunately, it lacks dysfunction.

I suppose I'm a boring person. I'm settled and I like it that way. Maybe that's why I go for the characters who are more like me. But I have to ask again, why the love of dysfunction with such disdain for subtle, quiet characters? Do people really relate better to that or is it just the angst they seek?

Princess, Princess

Crawlspace says: 4 lacy ruffles out of 5

Replay Value: high

Availability: Media Blasters, bilingual, complete collection now on shelves

Notable Extras: Manga preview - though it's tiny text is near impossible to read

"They're like a lubricating oil that soothes peoples' hearts."

And probably some other things considering it's a boys' school populated by young men who wouldn't be able to get a girl if one was handed to them. LOL. Yaoi is not something we typically watch, but Doc was looking for something fun and at only $20 for the complete series, this seemed like a good choice. Neither of us was disappointed.

Suffering from some family issues that will show up to cause problems later, our main protagonist, Tohru, packs his bags and transfers to an all boys' school. Being young and somewhat pretty, Tohru is quickly picked by the student organization to become one of the school's three princesses. It's a long standing tradition that helps keep up morale, choosing the prettiest boys from the freshman class to spend one year to dress as girls and entertain/cheer for/smile at all the young men. Young men who eagerly follow them around like love sick puppies. All of it is played for comedy, and as over the top as it is, it works very well.

It's immediately obvious who Tohru's love interest is going to be. With his long blond hair making him look very feminine even when he's not in drag, Shihoudani quickly becomes Tohru's best friend. They have real chemistry, none of it feeling forced or rushed. In the 13 episodes we're given, they don't angst over wanting to be together. Rather, they angst over their family problems. Speaking of how he distances himself from his family and how he feels like he ruins the balance that makes his parents and little brother look like a perfect family, he comes across as a young man struggling with that one thing that makes him different. He loves his family and wants to be loved in return (and he is), but he still feels alienated because he can't talk to them about it. It's played out well here, without feeling overdone or with over the top dramatics.

The third in our trio is Mikoto. He hates being one of the princesses, but once the student organization chose him, there was no way out. He's not very good at controlling the obsessive crowds the way the others are, he's indecisive, and he's struggling mightily to hold on to his masculinity. His small stature and pink hair make that understandably difficult. However, obviously wanting to prevent an unnecessary triangle, the writers gave Mikoto an honest to goodness girlfriend. He is teased endlessly by Tohru and Shihoudani for how sweet he is on his girl, talking to her on the phone every night and smiling giddily whenever he thinks about her. We meet Megumi about midway through the series, and I can say she's worth every bit of that. We also meet Mikoto's sister, Makoto. I'm wondering if there's more there about them all in the manga, because if I didn't know better, I'd swear Mikoto's sister is trying to move in on his girlfriend. Doc saw it, too, so it wasn't just my yuri colored glasses dropping down.

The rest of the cast is also a lot of fun. Akira, who everyone refers to as Sakamoto-sama, is unintentionally following in the footsteps of his illustrious older brother. The president of the student organization is crafty and wonderfully twisted, followed around by his "henchmen," always appearing at the right place at the right time. My only complaint is that we don't get real payoff in the Tohru/Shihoudani pairing, though we do get the hint of a payoff. I suspect the manga goes on after the closing of the anime, and I'm actually tempted to look into it. I like these characters and find myself pulling for them to have a happily ever after.

In spite of not being big yaoi fans, both Doc and I really enjoyed this show. It was good, silly fun with a dash of drama and angst. In spite of the wild concept, it never felt forced. They set it up well enough that everything made perfect sense. We didn't sample the English track, since Media Blasters isn't really known for well done dubs, but it is there for anyone who has to have one. There's a manga preview inserted as an extra, however the text is too small to read on a television. The only other extras are the clean opening and closing on the last disc, but with a retail price of $20 or less for the complete collection, extras are the last thing to be worried about. This was a solid release by a company that I'm starting to like more and more, and it comes highly recommended even to those who don't consider themselves yaoi fans.

Shattered Angels vol 1

Crawlspace Says: 2 feathers out of 5 overall
4 feathers out of 5 for the supporting cast

Replay Value: Moderate with liberal use of the fast forward button

Availability: ADV, 1^st volume out now, 3 volumes total (with box)

Availability 2: Funimation, release format undetermined as of 7/15/08

Notable Extras: Animated Character Shorts, hopefully Funi will retain these

“In a world of love and betrayal, Kuu must not only find the answers to these questions, but the meaning of her own existence.”

Not only are the questions not worth repeating, but the only good thing about the journey Kuu finds herself on with her overly brooding and angsty boy-toy is the introduction of the side characters. If it weren’t for them, my voyeurism into Kuu finding herself would have ended with this first volume.

For those not already familiar with the show, Shattered Angels: Kyoshiro and the Eternal Sky is the ‘sort of’ sequel to Kannazuki no Miko. The big draw for a lot of people when the show was first announced was the possibility of getting more Chikane and Himeko, albeit less of them. Here, they are renamed Keon and Himiko, and they are two of the side characters that make the series bearable. Having now seen the first four episodes, I’d say this series is less direct sequel to KnM and more alternate universe. Characters from other series are brought in, renamed, and recreated as Absolute Angels. It’s kind of like the creators’ version of Tsubasa, but without all the bishounen. But what does Shattered Angels have Clamp’s epic crossover doesn’t?

Megumi Ogata.

Kinda blows your mind, doesn’t it.

Getting back to the show itself, the main premise is that ten years ago, some great disaster occurred, releasing into the world a handful of beings known as Absolute Angels. The Angels are near indestructible killing machines, though only because of the humans who control them. Apparently, they regenerate by kissing, so they need a human to stay alive and thus tend to be used in unscrupulous ways. Adding to their bad reputation is the destruction caused by the incident that brought them into the world. That destruction, however, led to the creation of a region known as Academia, which is broken into a kazillion different campuses. Our heroine, Kuu, is a student at one of the campuses when a transfer student named Kyoshiro appears, hailing from one of the upper echelon campuses. Apparently he’s very well known and girls fall over his indifferent self.

And he’s her prince.

Well, sort of. You see, Kuu as a small child had an ethereal vision of her prince coming to save her from some falderal, and since then has continued to write and mail him letters. How she knows where to send these letters is beyond me. Nonetheless, she continues to use him as her own personal diary, every episode starting out with her writing a letter. All of her internal dialog is also directed at her prince. I sense a tissue paper thin shade of Utena gone horribly wrong.

Anyway, enter Kyoshiro, and Kuu is astounded by his resemblance to her prince. By the end of the first disc its clear why, though Kuu herself is still clueless. Clueless and annoying. She now has the dubious honor of being the most annoying female character ever created. And Kyoshiro is perfect for her, wrapped up in himself and all his family angst that is supposed to be the driving plot behind the series. While his drama may give us some of the background we need on the Absolute Angels and the why of everything, it is far from the main draw.

The actual driving force in this series is the side characters and their individual storylines. It seems all the real effort and thought here went into developing them. They’re considerably more complex than the main characters, and I find myself actually looking forward to the next volume because of them. Will Setsuna be selfishly sacrificed? Will Keon and Himiko survive to escape to a better life? Will little catgirl become as annoying as Kuu or will her tie to her human provide enough balance so that she remains fun comic relief? I care about these characters, and ultimately, that’s the most important thing.

Plus I want to hear Megumi Ogata in a girly, fanservice role.

What it all comes down to is that this show is going to be a guilty pleasure type of series. The plot so far is standard and uninspiring, and the main characters are much the same with an added annoyance factor. However, if you enjoy shows like Burst Angel or Strawberry Panic, you should enjoy this. The mediocrity is saved by interesting supporting characters, and more Chikane and Himeko is a big plus. At only three volumes, it’s worth the price of the singles for KnM fans, though for everyone else I’d recommend waiting until next spring for the box set (though you’ll lose the great character shorts) or renting.

Update: It seems ADV lost the license, along with everything else they've picked up in the last two years. Funimation is the new license holder, but as of yet, we don't know how they're going to release it. With only one volume having made it to retailers, there's a possibility this will be released as a set rather than singles.