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iariaI started watching the Wallflower anime again because I wanted to finish it this month so I could watch the live action and so I could move on to another anime. I’m still in the process of watching Saiunkoku Monogatari which appears to have stalled (I like it but mostly I’m finding myself going ‘whatever’ when thinking about it) and I don’t want to be watching more than two anime at a time if I can help it. That seems like a recipe to not finish any anime knowing me.
Anyway I finally finished it and I enjoyed it. In fact when it ended I wished there was more.
The style was certainly very... distinct (with Sunako spending most her time looking like a child, the moments of characters turning into outlines, etc) but it really grew on me. There were times I really wished it had a more 'normal' style, especially in emotional moments, but overall I liked it.
I also really like the characters – I loved Sunako, Noi and Kyouhei, plus I loved how they all became this made-family (which I love in fiction) – and so because of that what issues the show did have bothered me less.
- This anime had gender issues in a huge way – sexism, and gender-stereotyping that was ridiculous – and in another show that could have been enough to have me turning it off but somehow in this one it just has me rolling my eyes and sighing. It did annoy me, some times more than other times, but it isn’t enough to make me drop the series. There also a bunch of times where I think the gender message was done well and that helped to offset it too. I felt like it had a good message about female sexuality – mainly that women have a sex drive and want it as much as men and that’s not bad or wrong – and while we get this mostly with the hoards of women constantly throwing themselves at the guys I feel like the aggressiveness is looked down upon but not the sexuality it represents. Like, it’s obvious and understandable that women want to have sex and it’s just the method that makes what they’re doing/want bad (sexual feelings = normal, stalking/harassment = bad).
- Oh, and on a similar vein I love that the sexual harassment/assaults that Kyouhei suffers are very much painted as bad. The show does use the hoards of girls wanting the guys as humour fodder in pretty much every episode but it also treats it as a bad thing, especially when it is more serious (usually directed at Kyouhei).
- The way Sunako played maid for the boys throughout the series was irritating to varying degrees. But after the episode where Sunako stated right out that she loved to cook I no longer had an issue with that part of it. Considering the huge mess the guys made when they took over housecleaning that one time I can see why she’d just rather do things like that herself. Still there are things like – episode 21 and the guys relaxing outside and sending Sunako off to get them more tea, as if that’s her job as a woman, and it hit the top of my irritation threshold. This was offset a bit in the last episode when her aunt freaked out that she’d wanted them to make Sunako ‘a lady’ not a housekeeper.
- I didn’t think of this before but this is a rare media example of a plain/less pretty female hooking up with a hot guy. Okay, granted Sunako isn’t really plain (no more than the ‘plain’ heroines usually are in movies) but the idea behind the series does play more along those lines. Hot guy/less hot girl is something I have really wanted to see more of.
- One thing about this series is that while I could see Kyouhei falling in love with Sunako as the episodes went on, and I totally understood why he would, I found myself a lot less sold on Sunako falling in love with Kyouhei. Yeah, she noise-bleeds and freaks out about his hotness but she does that for everyone she considers ‘shinning’ including Noi and Tamao. Even in episode 20, which was so shippy for them, I took her sacrificing Hiroshi to protect Kyouhei more as her confirmation moment of friendship than an implication of love. It called back to Kyouhei pointing out the ways that the guys are there for her in a way that Hiroshi can’t be and her realising it. By the end of the episode I think Kyouhei is very much in love with Sunako, even if he won’t say it like that to even himself, but I don’t think Sunako is in love with him. I think he’s very important to her, and she knows it by the second to last episode, and I definitely think she could fall in love with him but I just didn’t see it happening during the series.
A couple thoughts on an individual episode basis from the latter half of the season:
Episode 11
- Noi: (smile) It seems that you don’t understand, so allow me to explain. Sunako-chan is gorgeous, and great at fighting. She’s actually super cool. (points) Girls like you are worth less than the dirt under her fingernails. That was awesome. I love how much Noi loves Sunako and that was on full display in this episode. From Noi running up to Sunako at school talking about seeing a skeleton Sunako might like (talking to Sunako in front of everyone at school and caring/accepting of Sunako’s interests), to her freaking out at Sunako for putting herself down, to her yelling at the boys for Sunako to her fangirling Sunako’s awesomeness (‘the lunch looks so good!’). I loved it all. I think this might be the episode where I really began shipping the two of them.
- I do wish it didn’t come back to boys all the time and that the ultimate evidence that Sunako is cool/not to be laughed at is that she kissed Kyouhei, instead of say, her having beat up the gang boss.
- I love that Sunako is so smart (Japanese 98, English 100, Physics 93, Social Studies 89) but how can she get Math 3 if she gets 93 in physics?
Episode 13
- Kyouhei: “She didn’t punch me... ” . I love how he freaks out when Sunako starts crying. That he got in her face and was expecting her to get back in his and attack him like she always did and was completely horrified when she didn’t. And then he tries to kiss her and she smacks him – and that has to be the first time he’s ever been smacked for trying to kiss someone.
- “That’s dirty.” – someone on being gay. Sigh
- Kyouhei: “Lord, this is why women are a pain in the ass.” Because... men act like idiots around them and thus that is their fault?
- Kyouhei: “I like you better when you’re like this.” And then he watches the movie with her and stares at her all starry eyed. God, the look that he gives her at the close of the episode made me fangirl so much. He is so gone on her. I love that he loves her for who she is. ♥
Episode 15
- Kyouhei: “This woman is a hundred times stronger than you.” I just love when Kyouhei (or Noi) defends Sunako as being more awesome than anyone. I love that they appreciate her for who she is and love her because of that not in spite of it. It’s what makes me ship the two pairings so much.
- I also loved the other boys musing on how Kyouhei’s gotten so much better at manipulating Sunako and how Kyouhei “just wants a playmate”. Heh.
Episode 16
This was a pretty fun episode.
- I love that the white team leader put together a special team specifically to take down Kyouhei made up of the toughest guys in the school – the presidents of the sumo, judo and karate clubs – and then had Sunako as the secret weapon/leader of the group. Awesome!
- I do really wish there were more women obviously participating and though more showed up as the games progressed Sunako was the only female in the first round that I saw.
- Kyouhei and Sunako’s aerial battle a la dragonball made me laugh and laugh. I love when Sunako goes all demon like.
- I love that she had people cheering her throughout the episode. It would have been nice though if there had been actually consequences and follow-through from this episode for the rest of the series, specifically how the rest of their schoolmates viewed Sunako. (It makes me want to read fic now dealing with the changes in people opinions on Sunako throughout the series, from OC povs, and with this episode inspiring a Sunako fanclub to form.)
Anyway I finally finished it and I enjoyed it. In fact when it ended I wished there was more.
The style was certainly very... distinct (with Sunako spending most her time looking like a child, the moments of characters turning into outlines, etc) but it really grew on me. There were times I really wished it had a more 'normal' style, especially in emotional moments, but overall I liked it.
I also really like the characters – I loved Sunako, Noi and Kyouhei, plus I loved how they all became this made-family (which I love in fiction) – and so because of that what issues the show did have bothered me less.
- This anime had gender issues in a huge way – sexism, and gender-stereotyping that was ridiculous – and in another show that could have been enough to have me turning it off but somehow in this one it just has me rolling my eyes and sighing. It did annoy me, some times more than other times, but it isn’t enough to make me drop the series. There also a bunch of times where I think the gender message was done well and that helped to offset it too. I felt like it had a good message about female sexuality – mainly that women have a sex drive and want it as much as men and that’s not bad or wrong – and while we get this mostly with the hoards of women constantly throwing themselves at the guys I feel like the aggressiveness is looked down upon but not the sexuality it represents. Like, it’s obvious and understandable that women want to have sex and it’s just the method that makes what they’re doing/want bad (sexual feelings = normal, stalking/harassment = bad).
- Oh, and on a similar vein I love that the sexual harassment/assaults that Kyouhei suffers are very much painted as bad. The show does use the hoards of girls wanting the guys as humour fodder in pretty much every episode but it also treats it as a bad thing, especially when it is more serious (usually directed at Kyouhei).
- The way Sunako played maid for the boys throughout the series was irritating to varying degrees. But after the episode where Sunako stated right out that she loved to cook I no longer had an issue with that part of it. Considering the huge mess the guys made when they took over housecleaning that one time I can see why she’d just rather do things like that herself. Still there are things like – episode 21 and the guys relaxing outside and sending Sunako off to get them more tea, as if that’s her job as a woman, and it hit the top of my irritation threshold. This was offset a bit in the last episode when her aunt freaked out that she’d wanted them to make Sunako ‘a lady’ not a housekeeper.
- I didn’t think of this before but this is a rare media example of a plain/less pretty female hooking up with a hot guy. Okay, granted Sunako isn’t really plain (no more than the ‘plain’ heroines usually are in movies) but the idea behind the series does play more along those lines. Hot guy/less hot girl is something I have really wanted to see more of.
- One thing about this series is that while I could see Kyouhei falling in love with Sunako as the episodes went on, and I totally understood why he would, I found myself a lot less sold on Sunako falling in love with Kyouhei. Yeah, she noise-bleeds and freaks out about his hotness but she does that for everyone she considers ‘shinning’ including Noi and Tamao. Even in episode 20, which was so shippy for them, I took her sacrificing Hiroshi to protect Kyouhei more as her confirmation moment of friendship than an implication of love. It called back to Kyouhei pointing out the ways that the guys are there for her in a way that Hiroshi can’t be and her realising it. By the end of the episode I think Kyouhei is very much in love with Sunako, even if he won’t say it like that to even himself, but I don’t think Sunako is in love with him. I think he’s very important to her, and she knows it by the second to last episode, and I definitely think she could fall in love with him but I just didn’t see it happening during the series.
A couple thoughts on an individual episode basis from the latter half of the season:
Episode 11
- Noi: (smile) It seems that you don’t understand, so allow me to explain. Sunako-chan is gorgeous, and great at fighting. She’s actually super cool. (points) Girls like you are worth less than the dirt under her fingernails. That was awesome. I love how much Noi loves Sunako and that was on full display in this episode. From Noi running up to Sunako at school talking about seeing a skeleton Sunako might like (talking to Sunako in front of everyone at school and caring/accepting of Sunako’s interests), to her freaking out at Sunako for putting herself down, to her yelling at the boys for Sunako to her fangirling Sunako’s awesomeness (‘the lunch looks so good!’). I loved it all. I think this might be the episode where I really began shipping the two of them.
- I do wish it didn’t come back to boys all the time and that the ultimate evidence that Sunako is cool/not to be laughed at is that she kissed Kyouhei, instead of say, her having beat up the gang boss.
- I love that Sunako is so smart (Japanese 98, English 100, Physics 93, Social Studies 89) but how can she get Math 3 if she gets 93 in physics?
Episode 13
- Kyouhei: “She didn’t punch me... ” . I love how he freaks out when Sunako starts crying. That he got in her face and was expecting her to get back in his and attack him like she always did and was completely horrified when she didn’t. And then he tries to kiss her and she smacks him – and that has to be the first time he’s ever been smacked for trying to kiss someone.
- “That’s dirty.” – someone on being gay. Sigh
- Kyouhei: “Lord, this is why women are a pain in the ass.” Because... men act like idiots around them and thus that is their fault?
- Kyouhei: “I like you better when you’re like this.” And then he watches the movie with her and stares at her all starry eyed. God, the look that he gives her at the close of the episode made me fangirl so much. He is so gone on her. I love that he loves her for who she is. ♥
Episode 15
- Kyouhei: “This woman is a hundred times stronger than you.” I just love when Kyouhei (or Noi) defends Sunako as being more awesome than anyone. I love that they appreciate her for who she is and love her because of that not in spite of it. It’s what makes me ship the two pairings so much.
- I also loved the other boys musing on how Kyouhei’s gotten so much better at manipulating Sunako and how Kyouhei “just wants a playmate”. Heh.
Episode 16
This was a pretty fun episode.
- I love that the white team leader put together a special team specifically to take down Kyouhei made up of the toughest guys in the school – the presidents of the sumo, judo and karate clubs – and then had Sunako as the secret weapon/leader of the group. Awesome!
- I do really wish there were more women obviously participating and though more showed up as the games progressed Sunako was the only female in the first round that I saw.
- Kyouhei and Sunako’s aerial battle a la dragonball made me laugh and laugh. I love when Sunako goes all demon like.
- I love that she had people cheering her throughout the episode. It would have been nice though if there had been actually consequences and follow-through from this episode for the rest of the series, specifically how the rest of their schoolmates viewed Sunako. (It makes me want to read fic now dealing with the changes in people opinions on Sunako throughout the series, from OC povs, and with this episode inspiring a Sunako fanclub to form.)
