Shelf Life

Meat Market

Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C3 is a cheeky take on the girls-with-guns genre, and one of the early adopters of the "girls playing survival games" shtick. While the DVD cover certainly alludes to a trigger-happy cast, the show itself does a great deal to mention that while there are fun aspects of Airsoft (you get to admire pretend guns, and have the satisfaction of plotting a strategic attack that may or may not involve re-enacting sweet moves you see in movies), there are real safety concerns as well. For those worried that the girls might sensationalize Airsoft too much, they're always shown wearing safety glasses and protective gear.

Perhaps the best way to describe the vibe of Stella is with the set-up of the first episode. New student Yura has plenty of hopes and dreams for her first day of school at Stella Girl's Academy. The campus is beautiful and idyllic, with well-landscaped walkways and gardens, and populated with pink buildings and cascading waterfalls. She pictures a frilly life full of white horses and fairy tales. When she walks into her dorm room, though, she's surprised to find a gun, and subsequently, a closet full of protective gear, and shelves full of action movies. As it turns out, her roommate is part of the C3 survival games club, and is keen to recruit more members.

The contrast of Yura's rose-colored fantasy of a stereotypical girls school versus the C3 Club girls is one of my favorite things about the series. Although the girls proclaim themselves to be weirdos, it does throw a wrench in typical anime archetypes—one that's neither all flower petals and white horses, nor sexed-up girls with a gun fetish. (The girls of the C3 Club do enjoy cake and tea, because after all, there's no reason the girls can't like cakes and guns.) And in fact, Stella C3-bu is remarkably tame, as far as fan-service goes. While the girls do their fair share of running around in skirts, there are never any panty-flashes, and certainly no skeezy butt shots (although there is a requisite beach episode).

For the most part, Stella C3-bu is just light-hearted fun. The girls enjoy each other's company, and they learn plenty about teamwork along the way. It isn't until the latter half of the series that things step into a slightly darker territory. As Yura suffers from lack of self-confidence, her blood-lust grows, increasingly putting her teammates in danger.

While I appreciate that the series doesn't want to be just an endless stream of survival games, the transition into this character arc is pretty sloppy. It marks a huge tonal shift in the series, and although this is eventually restored with an incredibly touching scene amongst the girls, the series never quite feels the same again. It's also the backdrop for a few of the more ridiculous scenes in the series, which require viewers to stretch their imaginations a little more.

Those who have been enjoying this influx of survival game shows will certainly find Stella C3-bu appealing, though. The characters are variegated enough to present a well-rounded cast of characters, and the series is smart enough to only focus on a few of them, so we still get decent character development for the main girls. With its emphasis on safety and strategy, it's also amongst the more realistic of the bunch. If you want a less lust-driven girls with guns show, give this one a peek.[TOP]

Without a doubt, Tamako Market is one of the cutest, sweetest shows you'll ever see that combines the laid-back charm of a slice-of-life story, with enough fantastical charm that still delivers a fat, mochi-eating, talking bird.

Those seeing Tamako Market for the first time might recognize its wide-eyed characters and soft charm. Produced by the fine folks at Kyoto Animation, it also sticks the talented Naoko Yamada (K-ON) back in the directors' seat, along with help from character designer Yukiko Horiguchi, and a number of other K-ON alumni. But, while the humor may be similar, Tamako Market is a significantly different show.

It follows a sweet girl named Tamako, whose biggest love in life is helping her father make mochi. When she's not making these sticky treats, she's happily spending time with the other merchants and shopkeepers who call the Bunny Mountain Shopping District home. Her peaceful routine is interrupted one day when she meets a talking, video-projecting, womanizing cockatoo named Dera Mochiyucky. He's looking for a bride for his country's prince, but his journey is abruptly stalled. Unlike his surname, he finds mochi to be positively delicious, and eats so much that he becomes incredibly fat, and can no longer fly home. So instead, he just hangs around town, mucking up Tamako's formerly quiet life.

As far as slice-of-life shows go, Tamako Market is a bit on the shallow end. It's endlessly pleasant and delightful, but it rarely goes anywhere. The moments that do have some impact—the budding romance between Tamako and the son of the rival mochi maker is adorable and heart-warming—are not long enough. It's not necessarily a bad thing, though. If anything, it just makes the show a little more forgettable than it should be. Having already watched it previously, so little of it sticks that it's just as entertaining the second time around (thanks in large part to Dera, who is undoubtedly the star of the show).

There are plenty of folks who like this kind of meandering, lackadaisical show, though, and Tamako Market is a good fit. At the very least, it's a good way to unwind after a long day, with its easy-on-the-eyes character designs, beautiful animation, and charming (if not wholly notable) score. On several occasions, I found myself quietly envious of Tamako's life. It lacks drama, but she and the people in her life are so perfectly happy and content that it's hard not to wish you could visit, at least for a day. As the title implies, the series revolves around the market that Tamako calls home, and it's best to not expect anything else.

As this is the only title reviewed this week that actually has a dub, it should be noted that it's pretty darn good. I really like Margaret McDonald as Tamako, whose cheerful, bubbly delivery makes even Tamako's most banal comments about mugwort mochi adorable. Jay Hickman plays a great Dera, as well. His tone is simultaneously sassy and haughty, and his dry, sarcastic delivery is perfect for the role. Considering that Tamako and Dera's interactions absolutely make or break the show, McDonald and Hickman pull it off as well as anyone could expect.

Tamako Market is not one of Kyoto Animation's star shows, but it's a perfectly serviceable number that would do well on the shelf of anyone who enjoys a relaxing piece of fluff.[TOP]