November 10, 2007: Minami-ke ep 5

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Finally, a beach episode! Despite the cold weather I suddenly craved for the sea! I totally love ep 5. Kana's stunts are hilarious (as always) but what made this episode better than the rest was the part where Kana showed her melodramatic & insecure side.

Here, the Minami sisters decided to go to the beach. Three days before the big day, it started raining and desperate Kana was left no choice but to roll Chiaki up in a sheet, hang her, and make her pray to the God of Rain. Meanwhile, Haruka is worried about her skimpy swimsuit. Perhaps staying in the house might be a good idea after all. Will Chiaki be able to overpower the Rain God? Will Haruka run to the sand half-naked? Will Kana stop being a bird-brained idiot? (so Chiaki says). Here comes Summer.

Episode Rating:

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November 3, 2007: Minami-ke ep 4

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In this episode, the Minami sisters were visited by their heartbroken uncle. Meanwhile, Kana meets her rival for Fujioka's heart and Haruka unintentionally charms a vain volleyball player who wants her to become his sweat-wiper.

Four new characters are introduced to add spice to the Minami-ke series, but I'll only be mentioning two: Riko; a Fujioka fan who believes she must befriend Kana to become closer to him, and Hosoka; the volleyball top player who made all the wrong assumptions and fantasies about Haruka; including the one where he thought Haruka was a mother of two.

Episode Rating:

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October 28, 2007: Minami-ke ep 3

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Well, I'm a bit disappointed. Ep 3 wasn't really funny, even though Kana was the star. I also thought a new character will be introduced, but I guess we'll have to wait for the next episode.

Here, Fujioka confessed to Kana once more but thanks to Chiaki, Kana interpreted it all wrong again. It's not like Chiaki was keeping Kana from having a healthy high school relationship, it's just that Kana makes a horrible storytelling. Or, you decide.

So far though, I like the pace of the story. This is what I usually get from animes which revolve around slice-of-life/high school comedy themes: love confessions, curry, falling asleep on study desks, test results. Minami-ke has a mix of all these. Kind of nostalgic, though I didn't have that kind of fun when I was in middle school.

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Memorable Quote from Episode 3: Whenever a new recipe is invented, it's not the result of common sense, but of a sudden spark of ideas -- Kana.

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October 18, 2007: Minami-ke ep 2

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Chiaki and her classmates had the stage in this episode. Kana's absence, meanwhile, quelled the crazy humor that we experienced back in episode one and it wasn't until her re-appearance in the latter part did episode 2 reverted to being kick-in-the-arse funny. There are some boring parts as well: the cleaning session, to cite one.

Haruka, however, performed a superb stunt in the first five minutes of the episode. Maki's introduction was also very entertaining. She's like Misao Kusakabe of Lucky Star. I'm looking forward to her tandem with Kana in the future.

Question is, will there ever be drama in Minami-ke? I have a feeling that it will. In this episode Chiaki mentioned some sad truth about the situation of the Minami sisters. Well, I do want a sprinkle of tears in this comedy series.

Episode Rating:

Memorable Quote from Episode 2: Don't study in the living room. If you study here, you'll make me look lazy! -- Kana.

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October 17, 2007: Minami-ke ep 1

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Minami-ke is freaking HILARIOUS! I seriously believe this beats Lucky Star, Gakuen Alice, and Azumanga Daioh under the "slice-of-life/comedy" category ( less fan service too!).

Minami-ke is a Japanese manga series by Coharu Sakuraba who also authored Kyo no Gononi. It was first serialized in the weekly Japanese manga magazine, Young Magazine, in 2004. The slice-of-life comedy focuses on the everyday life of the three Minami sisters, Haruka, Kana, and Chiaki. The manga is being adapted into an anime series by two studios. The anime produced by Doumu first aired on October 7, 2007. Asread's adaptation is scheduled to air Minami-ke ~Okawari~ sometime in 2008. [ Wikipedia ]

I love the animation, specifically the vibrant colors and the smooth movements of the characters. These two super-imposed the liveliness of episode 1, aside from it being incredibly funny.

I also have a fondness to the likes of Kana and Chiaki. Their personalities may not be rare but they still look irresistable. Kana became my instant favorite because she resembles Tomo of Azumanga Daioh with her energetic and destructive ways. She did a lot of priceless stunts in this episode, specifically the "hostess/chef part". Watch for that one.

Overall, I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing more of Minami-ke. I can't stop laughing!! :D

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