Thursday, September 3, 2009

Z! episode 21: Longest Day at the Kurogane House part 3 (with an appreciation for Birdy the Mighty)


Hot damn this was an awesome episode. The dead return. Disguises are shed. Ultimate weapons are unveiled. Particular highlights of badassitude include the continuation of the Nishikiori/Pygman one-upping and the appearance of this universe's incarnation of the Big Bang Punch. There's about five seconds near the end that gets kinda cheesy with some crappy sentimental music, but other than that, the episode offers unrelenting excitement.



I'm also going to piggyback this post with some fanboying for Birdy the Mighty. Goddamn, this is the thing I most want to see get licensed in the States. And I can't really see anybody doing it (with the tiny possible exception of Dark Horse--shit Wally, stop dreaming). I slogged through the Japanese releases, and I understand shit. Completely lost in terms of the plot. But Masami Yuki's artwork (love it), at least allows me to infer some of the character stuff, especially the fact that Senkawa is a horny horny young fellow. There's an ever present, giggle-inducing current of eroticism that flows through this whole thing. The chapter (and tankouban) covers are frequently very scandalously dressed and posed pictures of Birdy that have little to do with the story at hand. There's these little abrupt frames here that are very "opportunistic," presumably depicting Senkawa sneaking some quick glances (even on his sister). Then there's the fantasizing and dreaming, which occurs with more and more frequency as the manga goes on and Senkawa's desperation to relieve himself grows. The persistent horniness adds a layer of spunk, energy, and relatability that do no small part in making this thing enjoyable. And it's entirely missing in the anime, which opts from some more innocent, less interesting "love" shit in both of its seasons. One of my favorite moments is actually when Senkawa lets his imagination run wild about Birdy getting it on with Gomez. Gave me one massive, uncomfortable belly laugh, which the manga fortunately provides in spades.

No comments:

Post a Comment