Shelf Life

Mysterious Plays

So far, the story is as follows: Akane and her (male) buddies are on their way to school when she's summoned by a demon in another world. She wanders towards a well and is pulled in—along with her friends. When she gets there, a pretty boy guard discovers that she's the Priestess who will save their country from ruin. However, the demon wants her powers too, so she'll have to endure an epic struggle between evil and good to save the world…while fighting off plenty of bishonen along the way, I'm sure.

The story isn't terrible so far, but it also hasn't gotten very far. There are only two episodes on the first disc, so by the time the disc ends, nothing's really been accomplished. All we know is that Akane has the power to save or destroy the alternate world, and that she can summon the power of the dragon to make streets explode. Visually, the series is nothing to really drool over. The characters move rather awkwardly, and Akane seriously looks cross-eyed. Her eyes are huge, but in a way that makes you wonder if the animators really knew what to do with that much extra pupil. The character designs are pretty standard, too—they're just your average gallery of flowy-haired men, and if you've seen your fair share of shoujo fantasies, then you already know what to expect.

As far as fantasy series go, Haruka isn't awful. It's just… not very imaginative. A girl thrown into a mystical world where she and her (X number of) protectors have to defend the country? Eh. Okay. I'd watch it on the weekends if I had nothing better to do, but I wouldn't pay to watch it two episodes at a time.[TOP]

Kujibiki Unbalance is every bit as terrible as you would imagine it to be. It's pointless, it's lame, and even as some kind of meta-joke, it doesn't really work. The few episodes that were featured in the Genshiken TV series were totally hilarious (especially the one where one of the characters is fawning over baskets of mushrooms), but the ones here are limp in comparison. Basically, it starts with the male character drawing his lot as the next president of the student council. His childhood friend draws the position of vice president so together, they and a few others embark on a series of missions that help train them to carry out their tasks as the student body leaders. These include capturing pandas that have escaped from the zoo, tracking down the treasurer, and manning a store. Basically, any task that could be seen as impossibly mundane.

Seems like a great show, right? Throw in some shoddy animation, and you've got the start of the fabulously terrible Kujibiki Unbalance.

Luckily, the entire disc isn't a waste. Media Blasters has also included the first episode of the Genshiken OAV, which helps transition viewers into the second season. A few new characters join the club, but it's nice to see old favorites on the screen again. Whereas the original series spent most of its time exploring the life of the average otaku, through trips to comic markets and doujinshi shops, the OVA sets the tone for a transition to a more character-driven atmosphere. It's different, but it's still fun, and it makes for splendid viewing.

If you haven't seen the original Genshiken, then you really ought to do yourself a favor and check that out first. Even after that, it's not even worth your time to watch this abomination of Kujibiki Unbalance, but you should check out the OVA. So buy it if you must, for the sake of completion, but otherwise, just give it a rental and move on.[TOP]

The series drives its main focal point around two characters: Solty and Roy. Solty looks like a happy little girl on the outside, but she's actually a robot with amnesia who has the power to beat the crap out of anyone who dares mess with her. Roy is a hardened old mercenary who grudgingly warms up and accepts Solty into his life, so they can live happily ever after as daughter and surrogate father. Add on a dorky technician and a bombastic thief, and you've got a superteam of heroes that can take on evil. Unsurprisingly, they get saddled with a variety of mini-missions, that include apprehending bombers, and stopping foes from the past who are up to no good.

The first half is fairly episodic in this regard—the good guys continually get mixed up with bad guys, and end up with firefights and mech battles—but halfway through, things get a bit more serious. Not too shockingly, Solty has a mysterious past that is slowly revealed throughout the series. There are also plenty of secrets and conspiracies that are waiting to be unraveled.

Solty Rei follows the same path as any ragtag-team-turned-unknowing-heroes show, but it's fairly pleasant. The characters have a decent amount of depth, and even though you know from the first scene that Solty and Roy are going to end up being the best of friends, it's nice watching that crotchety old man warm up to her.

The series starts off rather tamely, but by the end, the twists max out to a rather satisfying conclusion. The ending itself is a little anticlimactic, but the journey there is exciting, and it makes the last half of the show worth it. I don't know that it's anything I'd want to watch over and over again, as reaching the ending once is satisfying enough, but it's worth checking out once. Solty Rei is one of those shows that isn't talked about too much in the fan community, but check it out, and you might be decently surprised. It is one of those shows that “gets better” as you go on, though, so just be careful about whipping out your wallet without watching it first.[TOP]