Rating: 8.5/10 & 9.2/10

Impressions:

Ok, so I kind of gave up on this show after the appeal almost completely left. It just wasn’t as funny as more, and it was no longer about my favourite character, Iroha, but about Sanae and her dastardly outfit which I despise so much. It’s too slutty and episode 11 feels more like a fanservice spree, with no real comedy. Nevertheless, it’s not like the show is boring, so I was willing to stick with it until the end. And series tend to get better after halfway as they near the real climax, though perhaps Sumomomo Momomo will be purely skits. There’s also the problem with my MKV, in which the audio/subs and video were all over the place, and very frustrating.

However, with episode 12, all my hopes have been restored. It’s incredibly funny, and completely about Iroha and the return of her infatuation with Koushi. This also means the return to action of my favourite character. Momoko’s voice is hideous, while Sanae is the uninteresting ‘normal’ Iinchou. However, Iroha is just super cute, and when she’s overcome by her desires to get it on with Koushi, her best side emerges. It’s also hilarious how her brother (forgot his name) is desperate for her attention. The whole of episode 12 is one big hilarious skit, which made me fall in love with the show all over again. I just hope this can stick, and Iroha can continue being awesome!

Rating: 7.8/10 & 8/10

Impressions:

This show isn’t exactly impacting me like it used to. It’s no longer as funny as it seemed; perhaps the jokes are being overused repeatedly. Whatever the case though, it still is rather interesting with not a dull moment in both episodes. Both focus on Sanae, who is burning with lust for the player Koushi. Her love seems a lot more normal than Iroha and Momoko though, which places her higher than Momoko on my list. Iroha is still at the top since she’s cute and aggressive at the same time, while Sanae is next as she is exactly like your normal girl apart from her martial artist alter ego. I still can’t stand Momoko though. The way she acts doesn’t make it seem like she’s really in love with Koushi, but far more like an average fangirl who managed to get close to her idol. Well anyway, as much as I like the perverted comedy in this series, I can’t get used to Sanae’s costume. It doesn’t suit her at all and is far too slutty. And why the hell does she need to have that thing in her mouth like a hostage? And to think it’s meant to be some powerful suit passed down from generations, which means that the guys had to wear it too? Oh god that’s a terrible thought. As of now, the show is still going around in circles with character development. Hopefully the main storyline (whatever that is) will pick up soon. It’s already about halfway through the series…

Rating: 7.2/10 & 7.7/10

Impressions:

Sumomomo Momomo takes a turn for the serious side! And what an atrocity that is! It was completely unexpected; I had thought this show would continue with the harem/comedy and perverted stuff for the first half of the series at least, but they’ve already included some drama, actual PLOT and most importantly, it’s not as funny! In episode 7, the absurdity continues, especially with Iroha and that giant syringe, though the mood drifts into more of an aww (no not, awe, but aww) type of temperament. Koushi finally starts to see Momoko’s reasoning and stands up for himself when Sanae gets punched (only to receive a severe beating though). For this Momoko gains more of his respect, and Koushi realises the amount of heartache he gives her when he constantly turns her down. He tries to improve their relationship somewhat, and those final scenes of Koushi getting Momoko to bandage his arm have that common sweetness that most romances have. What disturbed me quite a bit in that episode is Sanae without her glasses, pleading for Koushi to leave. No, I’m not talking about how she decided to run away instead of helping Koushi, even though that in itself is quite a surprise, I am talking about how she looked in those scenes. She just looks…wrong. Needless to say she is by far my least favourite girl (Iroha being far in the lead).

Episode 8, does not improve on the comedy, but does feature some hot lesbian loli action. After delving deep into each other’s hearts during a mock confession, Iroha and Momoko proceed to give each other pleasure before being interrupted by Koushi. It would have been funny if it hadn’t been taken to such lengths, since due to the extended time the scene took, the build-up is completely non-existent and no laughter comes from it. Still, episode 8 totally pwns episode 7 since Iroha gets so much screen time! It is, however, quite disappointing that she has already accepted Momoko as Koushi’s true partner. Luckily though, it seems her lust for Koushi is still conflicting with her respect for Momoko, which has cancelled each other out more or less, allowing her to settle in a comfortable position of wanting to be close to Koushi, but not wanting to have him for herself. At the end of the two episode, it’s concluded that Sanae is that blue martial artist, although her costume is actually rather slutty and does not suit her nature at all. She is also very reserved when it comes to fighting, since not only does she refuse to fight to protect Koushi, she also chooses to ignore Iroha and her brother when they become threats. I hope she opens up more in the future and takes on Momoko or Iroha in a real fight!

Preview:

Next episode – #9
Sanae confesses her identity?

Rating: 9/10 & 8/10

Impressions:

Both episodes are outrageous as usual, but in a very good way. The perverted comedy material is entertaining on a grander scale, and I cannot help but commend the manga creators for coming up with something so good. The good thing about comedy such as this is that it doesn’t have to abide by natural laws and can roam outside ‘normality’, which I have a serious problem with if it’s with any other genre. Sure, there’s been the fated-to-marry harem/comedy/romance anime before, but this is the first time I’ve heard of one that went into such detail as to clearly specifying the goal of bedding the male lead. Since the first episode, I have been overwhelmed with laughter and it isn’t easing up any now. Of episodes 5 and 6, the prior is funnier, though the latter is not substantially behind. As Retsgip has already pointed out, the episode features a few very memorable moments. The first is when Iroha has a taste of Koushi’s drink, and we all know what she looked like when she was sucking that straw with such…fervour. Next is the shot of Iroha when she had fallen and gotten icecream all over herself. The position she’s in definitely gives her partner a legitimate reason to start spurting blood. The final one I remember is of course, Koushi rubbing Iroha’s chest, trying to clean the icecream off.

The fact that Koushi did not react when he saw this, and didn’t even notice where he was wiping Iroha’s chest is completely outrageous, but of course I love it since Iroha’s my favourite over Sanae and Momoko by a mile. Momoko is too annoying and underdeveloped, and Sanae is the not so cute meganekko. Iroha, on the other hand, can be fierce, loli-cute and moe all at the same time! I wonder if any more ‘competitors’ will appear in later episodes, and by that I mean competitors for Koushi’s manhood and not his life. I was quite confident that other members of the 12 families would show up, since it’s only normal for it to happen after the concept of a dozen super-martial-arts families is explained clearly in the first few episodes. It’d be fun seeing a new guy introduced each episode, but I hope the anime goes back to the three girls more so, since they are much more fun to watch. I think right now, everyone’s eager to see more of Sanae in action, and a three-way-battle between her, Momoko and Iroha would be the perfect time for her to reveal her true identity. Either that or a teamed battle between the three girls and some uber-powerful grand nemesis to protect Koushi. Speaking of him, I wonder if he will gain any talent in martial arts. Although I am strongly hoping he does, my common sense tells me it’s only natural for him to stay weak and defeat all his enemies in stupid ways to get a laugh out of the audience. Though it would be pretty cool seeing him go psycho near the end.

ED download -
TV Version (mp3 – 1.83mb)

Just because I love the ED! The full version of the OP is also available here.

Preview:

Next episode – #7
Some more on Momoko’s past?

Impressions:

This show really is quite funny. Episode 3 wasn’t as good, but episode 4 was hilarious. I especially enjoyed the appearances of Iruha. She wins over Momoko and Sanae by a mile. Momoko is just too young, while Sanae is too normal. I guess you could call Iruha a slight Tsundere, but it seems she’s already softened up in the second episode she’s appeared in. Only problem with this show is there really isn’t anything to say. Help! Give me a topic to blab about! Well, there may be one thing I can touch on, and that is this mysterious…Plan B!! Xebek said that this Plan B of Iruha’s is probably to bear Koushi’s ‘offspring’ lol, and I completely agree with that. It’s most likely that she becomes attached to Koushi as she’s like one of the girls who appears on the top page of the official site! I wonder how Koushi will react. He seems to be infatuated by Sanae, but she’s boring as hell and only redeeming part is her seiyuu. I will definitely be rooting for Iruha, though Koushi will most likely treat her the same way as Momoko (though their first encounter looked promising!)

It seems like Momoko and Iruha will start fighting soon (over Koushi of course), which reminds me of Muteki Kanban Musume. Aside from the reason of their goal, the Momoko x Iruha rivalry is quite similar to Miki x Megumi. Momoko is obviously far stronger than Iruha in terms of physical strength, but I wonder how Iruha will fair in battle. Will the producers try to balance things out by making Iruha weaker but closer to Koushi, or just as strong as Momoko. I doubt the rivalry will last very long though, when new families appear trying to kill Koushi. How many episodes are there in the series again? I can understand how everything will fit into a 26 episoder if all the other competing families are introduced, but a 13 episode season is also reasonable. Seeing as it’s not all humour and has some plot points, I’d say 26 is a better choice. But ANN is down right now and I can’t check the number of episodes, and I don’t even know if that’s little piece of information has been confirmed yet. Anyway, I think I’ll be doing one entry every two episodes from now on. I doubt I’ll be doing any summaries either.

Impressions:

It’s time like this that I’m glad I haven’t read the manga. The episode was immensely funny and I’m sure I wouldn’t have been laughing as much if I had read everything beforehand. Aya Hirano also appeared! I mean the character she voices, Sanae Nakajima, the class representative and the girl who seems to like Koushi (and he seems to like her back). Some people are saying Hirano’s voice doesn’t suit the studious type that Sanae seems to be, though I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. Maybe it’s because people have gotten used to Hirano = Haruhi, and therefore all the characters she voices must be eccentric and outspoken like lord Haruhi-sama. Well, so far I’ve seen two series this season with Aya Hirano, and they are this show + Busou Renkin (Death Note doesn’t count as Misa hasn’t appeared yet – oh and I might be watching Galaxy Angelune too, since the sub is out). Out of those two, the Hirano here definitely sounds more like Haruhi…hey wait, why am I going into SHnY now? Meh…

So far, both the first episode and this one have been 100% humour-oriented, but now it seems like the last of our main characters is about to appear (main characters going by the ones displayed on the Sumomomo Momomo official site). She is Iroha Minamoto, probably one of those zodiac warriors or whatever trying to kill Momoko and Koushi. However, it seems like she’s gonna transfer to those two’s school. With this assassin thing brewing, it looks the story is going into more martial arty stuff, which hopefully will make the series much more interesting while retaining its comedy. At first, I though the one who Aya Hirano would be voicing was Iroha, as she seemed like the energetic type, but of course with the appearance of Sanae this episode, that is obviously wrong. I hope she keeps her character though (sometimes, characters start off with a distinct personality with a strong position in the story, but this whittless away over time).

Anyway, like I said before, this episode was funny. No, not just funny, it was comedy gold – I found myself re-watching scenes just to give myself enough time to calm down after laughing so hard. Even though a lot of the humour was easily predictable, if you just don’t try to guess them, you’ll have a good time. Momoko owning the PE teacher at whatever he did was the main thing, but there were other hilarious moments as well. Momoko’s transfer and near slip-up was, as well as Koushi’s deformed jaw face when he was pissed were some of the better laughs. Apart from the comedy though, I really want to see some more zodiaz animal vs zodiac animal in the future. Even though it probably isn’t intentional, I find the fights interesting and pretty funny in themselves. I wonder whether Koushi will gain any strength later on or if he remains the weakling he is. Maybe he has some hidden power that will awaken when he is truly aggravated or something…

Plot Outline:

- Momoko once again tries to get Koushi into bed with her, this time by pleading, but he rejects her as always
- Koushi’s father interrupts, wanting to train his son, but he refuses
- Momoko asks his father to train her instead and the two start going at it inside the house
- At school, Sanae makes her first appearance and we immediately know that she and Koushi like each other, but haven’t had the guts to confess to each other yet
- Momoko transfers to Koushi’s class (devastating Koushi of course)
- After having some fun with Momoko and Koushi, they proceed to PE class where their teacher is jealous of Koushi (since he is very popular with the girls)

- The teacher has a timed race in a 50m run to show everyone how much better he is than the student
- However, Momoko skips by the teacher as he is running at full speed, achieving 50m in an impossible 3 seconds
- The teacher then challenges Momoko to all sorts of events but loses all of them
- The final challenge is to jump up the side of the school, which Momoko does with the help of her dragon
- While all this happening, the gangsters from last episode try to get their (soft, poetry-reading) boss to teach Momoko a lesson, but in the end nothing gets done when they witness Momoko’s ‘dragon jump’
- When Momoko and Koushi get home, his father tells them that they are being targeted by assassins
- Elsewhere, two masked people are standing atop some high place, overlooking the city…
- (One of them is Iroha!)

Sumomomo Momomo: Chijou Saikyou no Yome
Sumomomo Momomo – The Strongest Bride on Earth

Genres: Comedy, Love-Romance
Episodes: ?
Studio: Hibari
OP: “Saikyou Keikaku” by MOSAIC.WAV
ED: “NO ROCK NO LIFE” by Honey Bee
Official Site: http://www.tv-sumomo.com/

Impressions:

(Unrelated: Code Geass has been subbed!!!) Ok, so it was funny, but not that funny. I kind of knew what to expect in terms of comedy material as the summary of the show gives away all. Just one problem: will the entire (Kouji and Momoko), and the fighting aspect will probably come into play as well. Rivals, training, fights etc. – I can see all of those, which is why if that is all there is to this anime, I have to say it’s not going to be very exciting. Hopefully there will be an interesting and different plot, unless the series turns out to be super funny so the plot can be forgotten completely (like School Rumble!) I admit I only decided to watch this because of Hirano Aya voicing one of the characters (not because of the poll, I had already watched it before putting that up). Unfortunately she wasn’t in the first episode but I read the character she voices will make an appearance next episode. Can’t wait for that!

The character design isn’t to my liking – I had in fact been attracted to this show first because of the pic AniDB had of it, which was actually a picture from the manga, but I didn’t know that. The picture from the manga looked much better and Momoko didn’t look as childish (her eyes weren’t that big either). I would much rather read the manga but I can’t find it (damn!) Apart from Momoko though, everyone else seems fine. The quality is high and let’s hope it holds up. I hate it when shows I like get drastic drops in quality because then I’d dislike the series, although I’d feel like it was ‘unfair’ to dislike it. I don’t know how else to describe that feeling. Both the OP and ED are only average though they suit the show pretty good. I wasn’t expecting anything much different. Aaaand, that’s all I can think of to write about this episode as being a comedy, there really isn’t much to talk about. Maybe that’ll change if the plot shapes up…As for the summary and everything, I’m sure you can find one on Anime Nano or AB Antenna.