![kashimashi_2_1[1]](https://radiantdreamer.net/wp-uploads/kashimashi_2_11.jpg)
Going through my anime backlog, I decided to give Kashimashi a try. Having watched Kanon with my wife, it was a bit depressing. Rizelmine helped with that but it was a little silly.
I’ve read a few volumes of Kashimashi, and quite enjoyed it. It was a decent romance, with some light-hearted humor to it, so I thought my wife might enjoy it.
The premise behind this yuri anime is about a really feminine boy named Hazumu getting rejected by the love of his life, Yasuna for reasons unknown to him at the time. Through some freak accident involving aliens, Hazumu is transformed into a girl. This event triggers confusion in Hazumu’s childhood friend, Tomari as well as prompting Yasuna to confess her feelings towards Hazumu. Thus a love triangle is formed.
I’ve never read a yuri manga, or watched a yuri anime before, so I don’t know to what degree of yuri-ness this would count as. There wasn’t any heavy petting, or hot girl-on-girl action. It felt very much like a regular romance-drama. It had a much more serious tone than the manga did. The only humor was fan-service provided through Hazumu’s father and Hazumu’s best friend Asuta. I also read that the manga’s plot is slightly different, though I can’t really say at the moment, as I’ve only read 3 volumes. The manga has taken a different turn of events from the anime, but I won’t know how it will be resolved until I get the remaining volumes.
While it seems Hazumu’s transformation into a girl is just an excuse for yuri, the anime presents itself in such a way that Hazumu never feels out of place. The characters’ motivations are thoroughly convincing and clear, making the love triangle seem like a very natural occurrence. Hazumu’s femininity is further reinforced by Hazumu’s best buddy, Asuta, developing feelings towards Hazumu. Though Asuta’s struggles seem mostly for comic effect, it was effective in strengthening Hazumu’s believability.
After watching quite a number of romantic comedy anime from Tora Dora to Nodame Cantabile, Kashimashi seems to really get it right with the emotional heart strings. Most anime seems to derive character developement through lots of conversation and inner-monologue. Kashimashi has practically no inner-monologue, and not a whole lot of conversation. Much of the development is understood through the characters’ facial expressions, and occassional flashback, turning out to be much more effective, and making the characters much more believable and easier to identify with.
[pro-player]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeeugcPCC04[/pro-player]
With only 12 episodes, the series doesn’t drag on with a whole lot filler, and gets right to the point without it feeling rushed. At the same time, the pacing is rather slow compared to the more ADD-targetted anime of this generation. Considering that the series is fairly old, it can at times, seem a little slow and boring. This is definitely a drama of a different nature. The humor, when present, is pretty shallow and recycled.
Character-wise, you see the standard archetypes personified blatantly in this series. Tomari fills the Tsundure type, while Yasuna the gentle, proper rich-girl type. Hazumu is the typical bubble-headed overly girlie-type, and then there’s the intelligent motherly type, as well as the annoying squeal-type from the supporting characters.
It seems that Hazumu’s role in this series is both major, and minor. The love triangle centers around her, but she’s also helplessly being dragged through the whole relationship problem. Overall, the love triangle ends up being a copy of Archie, Betty, and Veronica. Heck, their hair colors match to that archetype as well! However, it works really well with Hazumu being a girl, as it strengthens the believability of her fragile vulnerability.
The ending was what I expected it would end like, but not the way I wanted it to end. I’m sure many people who watched the series felt the same way. An OVA was released later providing a conclusion that I had originally wanted, but reaching that point in one OVA seemed rushed, and very unconvincing.
I would recommend watching this series, if you have the time for it between K-ON! or Haruhi S2. It’s definitely not something to write home about, but it’s also an anime worth experiencing if you’re into romance dramas.
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Yet another one of those anime series that I’ve heard about but feel it’s probably too late for me to catch. All I’ve heard prior to this post was that it’s about some gender bender thingie and that’s abt it. Can’t say I was particularly impressed by the PVC figure of Hazumu that Yamato produced as well, thus giving me less motivation to check out the anime. I find it’s easier for me to muster interest in a series if some real seriously sweet figures are produced ^^;
Have to say that the comparison of the love triangle in this anime with Archie does give me some motivation to check it out though, if just for a chuckle, heh.
It definitely is an older anime. According to wikipedia, it ran from January 2006 to March 2006.
It seems gender-bender, but it really isn’t. Hazumu starting off as a boy seems to be used simply to setup his childhood friend Tomari into some yuri-romance.
And anything by Yamato is questionable, unfortunately. I can’t say I’ve seen the Hazumu figure though.
Off another note, I’m a little terrified to hear that the new Odin Sphere figure is being produced by Yamato. Looks like I may pick up the e2046 prepainted instead.
The similarities between the relationships of Kashimashi and Archie are loose, but it’s sorta there. 🙂
The closest I’ve come to watching any kind of yuri were the couple of scenes in the shounen-ai series loveless between two girls. It was okay, I didn’t wig out or nothin’ but I do prefer shounen-ai, simply because the guys are usually fine as hell. Speaking of yuri, I hear strawberry panic is supposed to be good, but I wonder if I can watch it without falling asleep.
Sounds to me like you’ve gotten a taste of pure yuri. That’s more “progress” than I fare to brave. Shounen manga seems typical with their fine-as-hell male characters. I guess that’s just how they like them. 🙂
I probably wouldn’t be able to sit through another yuri, let alone a good one. =_=;
Strawberry Panic is only ‘good’ if you are a massive yuri fangirl and squeee endlessly over girls with girls. (I am. And I liked the series, but it’s fluffy as anything, and I’d feel guilty recommending it to anyone else.) All couples resolve in really obvious ways. Tons of characters show up very briefly, hint at plots, then disappear without having actually done anything. And the best character gets stiffed.
I’ve only read the first volume of the manga, but so far I prefer it to the anime. It’s a bit naughtier and a lot funnier. As I understand it, SP was supposed to be something of a parody in the first place.
Ah very good take on the series. I’ve been meaning to review this for my blog, but it keeps getting delayed… And exactly how you said it, that this romance just occurs like it’s something normal, even though the participants are only girls.
I’ve finished the manga and I have to say it has a more dramatic ending than the anime. Try and follow it up. I liked both endings, though the anime one, as you say, was rushed.
I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading the rest of the manga when it arrives. Speaking of rushing, (and Archie parallels) did you hear the news? Archie has finally made his decision and proposed to Veronica! Now THAT’S quite a parallel, isn’t it?
WTF?! Archie finally decided?? VERY parallel 0.o
I’ve always liked Betty better though.
Wow… since when is something from 2006 considered old? 😉 I remembe catching this when it first aired and really enjoyed it. It’s been awhile since I’ve gone through the series, but I vaguely remember the mang going in a slightly different direction later on.
I’ve got the DVDs sitting on my shelf, maybe I should revisit them…
2006 was three years ago, and a lot has changed in terms of anime style in those three years. Kashimashi certainly looks like one of those old-school anime compared to shows like Zetsubou Sensei and Lucky Star.
It definitely was the manga that drew me into the series. At volume 3, an event happens that puts more emphasis on Yasuna and Tomari, which doesn’t happen in the anime at all. So I can’t wait to see what happens.