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Now in Japan
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Thursday, 25 January 2007 00:00 |
 It's a shounen show. It's from TV Tokyo. I wonder how long it'll be before someone mutters the immortal "I must become stronger!" line, or something along those lines? Kenichi Shirahama is a karate nut who really can't do karate - at the moment at least. All that's about to change, though, thanks to the arrival of ditzy transfer student Miu Furinji...
1 - The Place where the Heroes Gather
Kenichi Shirahama's a karate nut who's always had trouble making friends - perhaps placing too much faith in his "101 Ways to Make Friends" book - but the first day of the new school year brings him some good luck when he meets beautiful transfer student Miu Furinji, who for some reason seems to fall for him pretty much at first sight. On the other hand, his after-school life as a living punchbag for the members of the Karate Club is hardly the highlight of the day. In an attempt to prove his worth, Kenichi agrees to a fight with the Club's strongest member, Daimonji - loser has to leave the club. On paper, it's a fight that Kenichi's going to lose, no question, but fortunately for him, Miu knows just the person to teach him the skills he needs...
Question: I wonder how long it'll be before someone mutters the immortal "I must become stronger!" line, or something along those lines?
Answer: about 10 minutes, and a few other repeats after that. It just had to happen.
Anyway. Kenichi mixes comedy with fighting in what they hope will be an appealing package - especially with Miu on hand to provide some fanservice. She's an attractive-if-ditzy glasses-wearing blonde (how many stereotypes does that cover in one package?) who hides a killer instinct under her harmless-looking exterior - as Kenichi finds out on one or two occasions. Thanks to her grandfather being a karate master and dojo ruler, she's picked up more than a few useful moves in her time, so when Kenichi runs into trouble with Daionji she's happy enough to refer him to the dojo. The problem from Kenichi's point of view is that everyone there - master and apprentices - seems just a little unhinged at first glance.
The problem for me is that this simply isn't my sort of show - I have a very low tolerance for fighting shows anyway, and the whole "I must become stronger!" thing more often than not is enough to make me reach for the eject button - and so it is here. Kenichi is visually well-presented and the characters seem to be an off-beat, fun bunch, but the fighting side is enough to have this put onto the "pass" pile. If you enjoy all the posturing and angst that comes with shounen fighting shows, then your mileage will obviously vary, but I'll not be following it further. |
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