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Now in Japan
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Tuesday, 13 February 2007 00:00 |
 Aka's efforts to break into the voice-acting world continue, and while there are some jobs she's enjoying the recognition for, there are some where she'd much rather remain safely anonymous. In the meanwhile, Fumihiko's beginning to feel the frustrations of living with a woman he can't touch, while Aka's reached the point where she can afford her own place again...
3 - Wait Until Dark
Fumihiko's having to get used to having a woman around the house - all the little details like eating breakfast or listening to someone else's gargling that a single guy normally doesn't have to worry about. All the downsides - and since Aka's just a lodger, none of the benefits. I feel his pain. He even has to leave a group date when he remembers that Aka doesn't have her own key yet. But maybe come sundown he'll be able to make some progress? Nah...
4 - Breakfast at Tiffany's
Aka's been called back to do some more voice work for the Ha! campaign - a live event this time, with Aka doing the voicework while poor Fumihiko gets stuck inside a Nekoki suit for the day. Unfortunately, as promotional campaigns go it's a bit of a bust, with zero interest from passers-by, and frustration soon begins to set in. Eventually, though, their hard work pays off...
5 - Love in the Afternoon
Aka's got a new role - a voiceover part in a hentai bishoujo game. Work's work, but somehow she's just not comfortable with that sort of part, and her first day in the studio turns into a bit of a disaster. She tries to talk her manager into letting her drop the role, but only gets a lecture for her trouble - and a friendly suggestion that if she wants to feel more comfortable doing the sex scenes, then maybe she should get some experience of the real thing. When watching a porn video doesn't help, she descides that maybe it's time to turn to Fumihiko for help...
6 - The Children's Hour
The Ha! live campaign's beginning to pick up. Thanks to a live TV broadcast from the same centre they're working in, Aka and Fumihiko get a break from their work and decide to go see the broadcast, but a little playfulness between them goes awry and they end up wrecking the show's set - and leaving poor Aka in a rather compromising position on live TV. One the one hand, there's no such thing as bad publicity - Aka's ends up getting a lot more job offers & interview requests (it's amazing what a flash of white panties will do) and sales of Ha! instantly go through the roof - but Fumihiko soon finds that with Aka so busy, he hardly gets to see her anymore. When he tries to speak to Aka about wanting to see more of her, all he gets is her promise to move out - but no sooner have the words passed her lips than she begins to regret them...
The h-game episode was fun. •REC rides very close to the edge with some of its humour, tantalising you without ever going over the line into gratuitous fanservice, and this episode really does keep the teasing level just right. Minus points for Fumihiko when he goes out and buys the game on release.
Which isn't to say that the other episodes aren't good, either - there isn't a dud in the bunch, and while there's not a lot here that will have you rolling on the floor, it's very hard not to sit through the whole thing with an inane grin on your face - it's a real feel-good show, and it does it very well.
Episode 6 does begin to darken things down a bit, though, as Aka threatens to move out and what she and Fumihiko feel for each other begins to become an issue. Aka's manager is a smart one - she fully realises what's going on there, and what effect trying to hide or deny her feelings is having on Aka's performances, but her efforts to persuade Aka to be honest about her feelings haven't been meeting with much success. Until now, maybe - but with the episode ending on a cliffhanger, I can't say for sure just yet.
With each episode being just 10 minutes, including credits, there's no opportunity to get bored - each episode just rushes by so quickly you almost wonder what happened. It's just so easy to get into •REC and enjoy the ride that you can't help but love it. Definitely worth watching. |
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