Kuragehime

Kuragehime:  C+

Jeez it really is about time I put this review up, I've been holding off for, gosh, it must be over a month now.  Blame Skyrim.

The word "otaku" has a very distinct connotation in the American import word lexicon as a term of pride for we who obsess about anime to a degree that sets us apart.  It has an almost positive connotation.  In Japan, it's an almost universally negative term, containing equal parts 'loser,' 'freak,' and 'reject,' but with a strong meaning of 'one who is obsessed beyond all reason, restraint and outside understanding'.  It also doesn't in any way apply to anime specifically.

Tsukimi, the main character of Kuragehime (which means "Jellyfish Princess"), is a jellyfish otaku.  Her housemates are also otaku, and none of them the type which an American audience would begin to recognize (except the Train otaku, I suppose we have people like that here).  Tsukimi is a plain girl with minimal self-esteem who, through an odd set of circumstances, winds up friends with a 'beautiful princess,' who takes an interest in her because "Polishing a diamond in the rough is way more exciting."  As you might expect, Tsukimi herself takes issue with this, but then there's the 'princess'' dashing older brother...

The tone shifts between social humor and interpersonal relationships in a way that is less naive than most shojo series and more analytical than most seinen series.  The characters are colorful and believable, though a bit exotic, even from a Japanese perspective most of these people are weird.

The show does go very slowly and the story meanders, then fairly spontaneously comes to a close.  Knowing that it's an animated adaptation of an ongoing manga helps one forgive the fact that it ends rather abruptly without really tying up many of the loose ends, but it is not a story to match its well-designed and expressed characters.  It's the kind of story where I wish I could just hang out with the characters more, see more of their lives, then maybe the relative lack of progress and plot wouldn't feel like such a let-down.

If you're looking for some thoughtful social commentary and humor that doesn't have to wow you with amazing imagery to be fun, Kuragehime is quite a show.  As usual, if you're looking for something with a brilliant plot or any kind of action, skip it.