KEMEKO DELUXE!
Mecha never looked so bizarre
Review by: Craig “I Married a Toaster” Norris
Length: 12 episodes
Genre: Comedy, parody, ecchi, mecha (sort of)
Watched: All, subbed
Ecchi is the magic word. No matter how bad a series seems, if it is ecchi I will likely check it out, because I am a total perv and I make no apologies for it. However, a bad anime is a bad anime, no matter how ecchi it is *cougheikencough*. It takes more than panty flashes and booby jokes to make me give something a good review. And this series, with its frenetic craziness, definitely offers much more than skin.
Plot synopsis: Ten years ago, Sanpeita Kobayashi fell in love with a young girl who abruptly left his side, but not before giving him a strange object to swallow. Fast forward to today, where an ugly, squat-looking girl bursts into his bedroom, proclaiming to be his wife, and then destroys several robots that show up. Needless to say, Sanpeita becomes extremely unnerved by all this. However, he becomes even more surprised when the girl’s mouth opens, and out pops a cute, busty girl who bears a striking resemblance to the girl he fell in love with ten years ago. The girl, and her combat body suit Kemeko, vow to protect Sanpeita from Mishima Electronics, which has suddenly taken an interest in him.
Artwork: One aspect of the character designs that didn’t impress me too much was the fact that the hairstyles were far too exaggerated, even by anime standards. Spiky hair looks like it has been lacquered and sharpened to fine points, and bangs wrap around the eyes in a configuration that looks like they could supplant athletic eye black. The character designs themselves are decent enough, especially since it took some imagination to make a mechanical power suit look like a fat chibi that just snorted an eight-ball on its own. Action scenes are actually rendered pretty well for a straight comedy, and backgrounds are competent. There are a few departures from the norm, but not enough to extol the virtues of the style in which the series was rendered.
Music: The music matches the general mood of the series: craziness. Both the opening and ending themes are random songs about random topics, and are nonsensical enough to be unconditionally entertaining. There are even a few bars of classical music interspersed in some episodes, strategically placed to maximize comedic effect. The soundtrack as a whole may not be the best around, but it fits the series well, and it is certainly what a soundtrack should be: fun to listen to.
Characters: Most of the characters in the series (aside from Kemeko) actually have fairly normal personalities under regular circumstances; aside from being slightly exaggerated, they seem like people we may interact with on a daily basis. However, their somewhat deranged nature shows through because of the ridiculous circumstances that occur around them. Sanpeita is, for all intents and purposes, a normal high schooler. However, due to events beyond his control, he is often reduced to a punching bag and general whipping boy. He’s not happy about it, but he has no idea what is going on and knows there’s nothing he can do. M.M., the girl who rides Kemeko, is a somewhat reserved girl when she is not trying to protect Sanpeita. However, her personality is completely different when she is aboard Kemeko, doing things that require courage and outspokenness (and insanity) that she does not possess on her own. Only Sanpeita is aware that Kemeko is actually a suit piloted by M.M. Izumi is Sanpeita’s childhood friend who has feelings for the main character, but he is completely oblivious to them . She is jealous that Kemeko has taken over the responsibility of protecting Sanpeita, and often challenges her. She prides herself on being healthy, and claims that she runs 10 kilometers every day. Despite being a rival for Sanpeita’s attention, Kemeko seems to respect Izumi. Fumiko is Sanpeita’s mother, and makes a living as a manga artist (who never hits her due dates). She is generally irresponsible, and doesn’t even handle any household chores, leaving them all to her grade-school daughter, Tamako. Tamako sacrifices her personal life to cook and due housework, and she views her mother as irresponsible and her brother as a good-for-nothing. She eagerly accepts Kemeko as a member of the house, delighted that someone who can help with housework will be living with them. Ryoko is an agent with Mishima Electronics, and is the first actual person to attack him. When the attack fails, she becomes a member of Sanpeita’s class to observe him, as well as gauge Kemeko’s powers. Misaki is one of Sanpeita’s and Izumi’s classmates, and takes particular interest in their relationship. She seems to have lesbian feelings for Izumi, and appears to become physically aroused when she observes the discomfort and misery of others. Misaki is also from a very rich family, which she may already be the head of. The characters are all crazy and funny, but none of that would be possible without Kemeko, who is clearly the central character of the series (hence her name appearing in the title).
Plot: Because of the interplay between the characters, the anime is just as funny during main plot progression as it is during filler material. This is a great advantage for the series; it doesn’t really matter what’s going on in the story, since it will be funny anyway. As entertaining as it is, however, there is no ending, leaving one feeling similar to how most people felt at the end of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie after episode 12. Hopefully this means there will be a second season, as I would love to see more of this.
CHICKS!: As stated before, under normal circumstances the personalities of the characters are fairly stable, so there is some definite chick potential here. When not aboard Kemeko, M.M. is unsure of herself and seems quite shy, but still retains her loyalty and protectiveness. Plus she is often in skintight and/or skimpy clothing that perfectly showcases perky breasts and a dynamite butt. Makes me wonder how she can squeeze into Kemeko so easily. Izumi has the makings of a typical childhood friend, who gets jealous of anyone else getting close to her crush, but lacks the resolve to tell him her feelings herself. This, combined with huge “tracts of land,” makes her an interesting chick to keep tabs on. She is also involved in one of the best fanservice moments I have ever seen, in terms of artistry, quality, and entertainment. It involves a bikini, a pair of glasses, and Beethoven, and it must be watched several times. Misaki is a bit of a loli-goth, and is just plain weird, so let’s not dwell on that. Ryoko is a capable swordswoman and never backs down from a fight, so my guess is she would wind up wearing the pants in any relationship. I wouldn’t mind that too much, however, as she has a nice womanly figure. Later episodes even throw in a catgirl-maid cosplayer, which makes me one happy reviewer. I believe that most lovers of fanservice will agree that this series containing ecchi elements is a good thing.
Overall: The randomness, the unique concept, and the fast paced humor (and the ecchi; let us never forget the ecchi) makes this a worthwhile watch for anyone who is in the mood for something different. If this series is indeed given a second season and has a chance to wrap things up, I believe that this anime may join the company of the elite comedy series in anime history. As it stands now, however, it is merely a teaser, and most certainly has left me wanting more.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Hilarious
+ Original
+ Fanservice is sexy AND funny
- No ending
Rating: 7.5/10