Saturday, April 9, 2011

Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi episode 1

Today is my friend’s birthday! Happy Birthday Jamie!!! You are old but not as old as me!!! And this is your last year as a single woman so double happy times. Thanks for our friendship, helping me with my blog, and for generally being born. Happy birthday.

In other news the drama at work has…fizzled to a halt. Just poof it was gone and details are scarce. Sounds like I should be happy but now I feel a bit empty inside. Hopefully I keep my job until May so that is all that really matters.

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FEELING OF HOPE!!!!

On to the anime folks. Bring on the yaoi and sparkles. And a random Host Club looking room. And look we don’t even have to wait for kisses because the OVA already gave us full on naked fun times WOOHOO! Spoilers for someone else having a super bad day at work too.



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Aw young romance.

Episode Summary: There is a bit shown of the OVA episode, what with Ritsu falling in love with Saga and their happy naked times. But now ten years later Ritsu is a totally different person. His dream romance fell apart and he went to work for his dad at their publishing company. Despite working hard and doing well people talked behind his back and he decided to leave the company and become successful on his own. He applied at a different publishing company to be a literature editor. But he is told on his first day he is actually the manga department editor. The secretary or whatever tries to tell him all will be well as the manga company here is great and the editor-n-chief is an awesome person. Ritsu still has plans to quit but wants to make a good first impression. That is blown when he reaches his section and people are avoiding it like the plague. Inside his co-workers are zombies and the editor-in-chief Takano looks like a crazy person. But Takano manages to pull himself together long enough to talk to Ritsu. Something happens and they have to go get filler manga to fill in magazine pages so elevator ride it is. Ritsu misspeaks about the quality of filler manga and Takano sets him straight.

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A wild rival has appeared!!!

Takano meets with the manga artist and much to Ritsu’s X__X Takano makes her redraw a kiss scene right then and there. When she falls to get it right Takano forces Ritsu into a kiss so she can get it right. Ritsu goes through his sad back story while he recovers from the kiss. Takano shows up and calls Ritsu a noob and advises him to quit. But Takano also thinks they have met somewhere before….Ritsu decides to give it his all and stays up all night reading shojo manga. The next morning is prepared for the pits of hell but instead gets a land of unicorns and cupcakes. He runs to the bathroom and takes random bystander with him. The bystander explains that there is a cycle to the manga department. They are now at the beginning of the cycle, where there is hope and light. Yesterday was the last day of the cycle, where despair about not getting the magazine out on time ruled hell. Still freaked out Ritsu runs to pink hell where the other two men show him the ropes. It is clear he doesn’t understand the basic concepts of shojo manga but he seems dedicated into learning all the mangas they produce. When Ritsu mentions he used to hole up in the library and read all the books Takano is like WHAT?! Takano covers up his X__X reaction and Ritsu feels slighted and vows to show Takano up. THE END!!!

XO Boy kisses!!!! Poor Yuki is crying over Luka somewhere because he didn’t get one damn kiss in his series. XD Ah the suffering.

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Time is money folks!!!!

I think this will be an interesting series in regards to seeing inside the manga world. Of course not everything in mangas/animes are a true representation of real life in Japan. Yes folks the sexy school uniforms are a lie. XD But I think this series will have some truth to what goes on in the manga world and how it is not glamorous or outright fun like many people think it is. In the end they are probably under paid and over worked. That makes for crazy times. XD

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I was thinking that too...

At first I was all -____- at the thought of all men running a shojo manga company. But as farfetched as that sounds it makes sense and not even from a WOOHOO yaoi point of view. In Japan (and most places in the world actually) men are the ones who in charge and represent much of the work force. Many women in Japan quit their jobs after marriage or children so while they might be the ones writing the mangas managing the publishing part probably isn’t a female oriented job. So I accept this reality.

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Um no, I would remember a tyrant like you.

I also accept the fact that Ritsu doesn’t know that is Saga. Perhaps they are pulling a Sailor Moon, people just LOOK different. That and it has been 10 years. If Saga hurt Ritsu that badly perhaps he has blocked it from his mind completely. It is in the realm of possibilities even if I think someone would never forget the face of their first love, even if it ended really bad. But add in it has been 10 years and people change in 10 years, Ritsu has blocked the horrible “first love” out of his mind, and Saga changed his name it makes sense.

Oh….I am a bad blogger. IF Takano is Saga? Yeah I suck. But we all watched the OVA yes? Truly that was the past and not just a dream yes? Of course we the viewers will know that but since Ritsu doesn’t remember a love triangle can happen WOOHOO. But yes maybe I do suck and spoiler alert?

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Dude you saw his name in the library book!!!

But Takano not remembering is special. Maybe he will have a tragic excuse too but I am not buying it. Ritsu doesn’t seem to know the truth so I am going to assume Takano did the heart breaking. His name is still the same even if the personality isn’t. Weirdos not remembering their first loves. Of course near the end of the episode Takano had a X__X moment when Ritsu said he loves books and read all through high school.

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Ritsu's relationships move really fast...

Since there is some random remembering now I predict the sexual harassment will increase. Of course that means Takano kissing Ritsu was just because he is a pervert (or really dedicated to the job) and nothing to do with their past relationship. Interesting my dear pervert.

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Does he get a relationship too? He looks cute.

The other characters….err did they get names? I think they were more interesting as dead corpses on the ground. But I am sure they will help provide comic relief or something. I don’t see those guys being the third wheel on the romance train but he is out there folks. Waiting. But I am sure they will be friends with Ritsu and show him the ropes when Takano gets to be too much.

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See walking into this would have been a lie.

Not that Takano is the worse boss ever. Maybe he will be but in this episode he was just….firm. Maybe he has seen a lot of people come in and think this was all fun and games. Or maybe they are like Ritsu and have no desire to be there at all. But I don’t think Takano was mean. Could he have been more welcoming of the new guy? Perhaps. But sometimes in life things can’t be sugar coated and it is best to know these things up front.

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I think it is time to run?

However I think Ritsu had a right to be mad too. I am not sure if I would have quit my job that I was AWESOME at because people were talking bad about me. I guess I don’t know what it is like to be successful and people talk bad about me but maybe it was stressful. But yes Ritsu had a right to be mad to apply for a certain job and be stuck with something less desirable.

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Aw no zombies.

Ritsu is a very diligent worker despite the fact that he wants to quit. I am not sure I would have been able to read that many mangas in one night. But he seems on the ball and is going to great lengths to try even though he hates the job. Good job Ritsu. Sparkle on in that crazy world of yours.

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19 days until this happens again.

Next week Ritsu will get sexually harassed some more? Oh and helpful bathroom man was pretty darn helpful but I am sure that will be the last of him.

T-Minus 27 days and counting!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Spoiler! (But one that explains the name mix-up without ruining the series.)

The dream in the OVA is Ritsu's memory from high school. In the OVA, Ritsu has already realized the person he briefly dated in high school is his current boss Takano.

When Ritsu checked out the same book that Saga Masamune had read, he initially wrote his true name "Onodera Ritsu," but got embarrassed by what he was doing and changed the name to "Oda Ritsu."

When Saga later picked up the book to find out more about Ritsu, he read the false name "Oda Ritsu..." meaning forever afterwards he had the wrong name and could never locate Ritsu (it's also why he doesn't immediately recognize Ritsu when he joins the manga department under the name "Onodera.")

Saga Masamune's parents divorce after high school, and he takes on his mom's name Takano (and becomes Takano Masamune).

I didn't like how they translated Ricchan as Rittie... stupid.

Love the series though! Makes up for every missed opportunity from other BL-based failure animes.

Christina said...

Anonymous- Your spoiler is much welcome as it answers the....um why don't you know each other question. Thanks so much for setting me straight. Now I won't spend the entire series thinking the boys are morons.

But yes this show has already given yaoi fans what we want even before the real series started! Hopefully it keeps up the buzz.

Anonymous said...

I'm not reading your spoilers, posters! I suppose that guy in the prequel could have been anyone...

I don't speak Japanese but could someone please tell me if there were a lot of double entendres (Bad spelling, bad!) in that editing room scene? Seemed like it.

Anonymous said...

Besides this series, what are people watching this season? I need recommendations :( because I keep clicking on lame series.

Christina said...

Anonymous- Late response is late and apologetic. I have no idea what is up with this Spring Season. Everyone seems to be watching way different things. I think because of the tsunami the entire mood and timing has been thrown off. I have heard good things about Hanasaku Iroha in regards to character development and in terms of action people are giving C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control a chance. Other than that this season seems to be a real weird combination. Like only having a fridge full of leftovers that don't go well together. X__X

Christina said...

Anonymous before the last Anonymous- Spelling is hard. I hate it when I spell a word so wrong it won't even give me an option on correcting it. Trying to make me feel bad.

Sometimes I think we nonJapanese viewers miss a lot because of the language barrier. Tons of jokes in Lucky Star went over my head so I wouldn't put it pass any anime to have some kind of double meaning phrases and such.