「Heimkehr ~敵か味方か~」 (Teki ka Mikata ka)
“Homecoming ~Friend or Foe~”

Natsuru my boy, you are so screwed. Shizuku’s in your dreams now; there’s no escaping her deadly lips anymore! Just give in and let her ravish your body like there’s no tomorrow. You’ll learn to like it soon enough.

You just know he’s in trouble when a fantasy about his beloved Kaede can get derailed by Shizuku. Ah, such is the power of the seductive student council president. She’s admittedly a cougar who prefers younger boys because of their inexperience too! Anyway, I doubt Natsuru will ever forget about how he had to compensate by giving up his first kiss, but seriously, does he even want to? He’d have to be outright gay in a non-yuri kind of way if he wants to wipe this from his memory. Funny thing is, he could’ve been two-for-two this week after getting dragged into the “Something Like a Maid Cafe” with her master Kaede asking for a kiss. With Shizuku helping him out, how the hell did he say no? Instead, he asks Kaede for anything but that and settles on accompanying her for the day. Okay, I take it back. Maybe he is that kind of gay. I agree with Shizuku, this cafe sure has some shitty service.

The outrage doesn’t end there though. Not only did he deprive himself of Kaede’s succulent lips and tongue, Natsuru didn’t seem to enjoy Mikoto’s full out, childhood friend, “do you want dinner, a bath, or me?” apron-only appearance. I don’t know about you guys, but I doubt I’d be able to turn Mikoto away if she willingly gave me this kind of service. She has that bubbly attitude and isn’t the least bit shy around around her childhood friend. What more could you ask for? Somewhere not too far off in SoraOto land, I just know Tomoki’s rolling over in his grave at the sight of this, having been killed by a deadly karate chop. Repulsed, I’m sure Tomoki would tell Natsuru, “you make me sick.”

Speaking of which, the hormone-raging fallout of the previous episode kind of stole the thunder from Mikoto’s appearance as a red Kampfer. While we did get to see her try to mess Natsuru up and cut him to bits, I’m actually relieved they were able to get everyone’s true identities cleared up right away. At the halfway point of the series, the last thing I’d want to see now is them continuing under the pretense that they’re enemies and using a couple of episodes to resolve that. Instead, I’m more interested in the talk Shizuku brought up about Kaede’s zoumotsu animals and how they all become Messengers. Seeing as Kaede is completely oblivious to all the Kampfer stuff even after Shizuku hinted at all the details (more like described Natsuru in impeccable detail), I’m curious as to how this lovestruck lesbian is the harbinger of Kampfer death.

That said, the other thing I didn’t want to see is Natsuru in a maid outfit when he’s a guy, even if it marks the first time he’s able to control his transformation ability. I didn’t need to see that, nor did Mikoto for that matter. So with another Kampfer, we also have another Messenger. This time it’s Chissoku Narainu, who the characters will be the first to tell you sounds just like Noto Mamiko. Well I’ll be damned, it does! On that note, some of the other maids in the episode sounded like Mizuki Nana too! Nana can welcome me home and call me master all she wants. In textbook scripted fashion, Natsuru was victimized as an easy cash grab again; however, he’s in store for a real treat now that Kaede has asked him to spend a night at her place to make up for taking off on her earlier. Why am I so convinced this will just be another missed opportunity though? Damn you Senou Natsuru. Damn you. You are a disgrace to men everywhere!

 

Preview

79 Comments

  1. Out of curiosity, to those who have read both the manga and light novels, are these episodes following either closely? Or is this going in a completely different direction then the two?

    Krlcss
  2. Natsuru is NOT a man, let alone a boy. I don’t know WTF he is, & don’t care either. If this series wasn’t so terrible, maybe I would want to figure out just WTH its about. All I see is 4 weirdos trying to get in an even weirder boy/girl’s pants/skirt…

    BTW, I don’t know why yall say he don’t have a harem yet. I never had more than 2 girls at once so I wouldn’t know what a harem felt like – BUT, if what he has right now isn’t a harem, I don’t know WTH is 😛

    Megas
  3. Tomoki and Sugisaki would abuse this position to no end if they were in it. Seriously, Natsuru acts like he’s gay and is repulsed at seductive advances… Instead of having him turn back into a guy, he just stay as a women.

    Necross
  4. My bad, confused the surname and forename (drinking red wine didn’t help either) as I beleive Sakura can also be used as a forename.

    Damn Japanese is confusing! At least in English it wouldn’t work to have a boy and a girl with the same name. Imagine meeting a girl who introduced herself as Steve, I’d be running away at high speed.

    Ninja Penguin
  5. Naw, it just bad. Its basically Otoboku with guns, fire & swords instead of wills. Its terrible & funny as hell just like Otoboku. As long as its funny, who cares that the sent the plot to Pluto.

    Megas
  6. divine: There are people like that, just ignore them. The background story part is developing just fine, managed by Shizuku. The talk to Kaede on the couch was clearly a fishing expedition from her, eyeing her closely to find out if she’d react. And now, with the temporary alliance between them forged, we’ll see how things go.

    Overall, an _excellent_ episode, one of the best.

    Mentar
  7. @divine:

    I’m a naturally negative person when it comes to crazy slapstick anime. Of course, the majority of shows out there now are crazy slapstick. Plus the majority the anime fans enjoy shows like that. Every single element about this show is horrible. From Hatsuru to the ‘non’-fighting. But the show itself is entertaining, but that doesn’t mean I like or hate it. I’m too old to be liking or hating stuff anyway. However, I’m enjoying the simple comedy of this anime while but the concept of the show is all wrong. But the best thing about it is just how sickening Natsuru is as a person. It gets on ppl nerves & it makes you laugh all at the same time. That’s why its bad – some ppl get headaches from laughing at stupid stuff all the time.

    Megas
  8. It’s hilarious to me when people come up with nonsense like “the show is getting pointless” or comparable wisdoms. It only illuminates that they were unable to grasp the real points of this show, and for a fairly straightforward design like Kämpfer’s, that’s quite an impressive feat of ignorance. Likewise, the silly exaggerated blanket criticism like “every single element is horrible” rather unmask a wannabe-braggart than deficits in the show.

    The setup is very straightforward and was already established by the end of episode 2 at the latest. Male lead turns into a female against his will and is tossed into a setting where alot of strong-minded girls are pursuing him with romantic intentions. To preclude a serious resolution, he is hardwired on a girl who in return is hardwired on the lead’s male form. With this deadlock, the harem of predatory girls can come after him at will. As backstory clamp acts the story about Kämpfer, the messengers and some mysterious “moderators” in the background.

    In other words, the show is about hot girls hunting after the lead. Fanservice, comedy antics, and a trace of fighting for the action parts. Most of the story will be spent on developing Natsuru’s relationships with the various girls, and the relationships between the girls themselves, and over time we’ll get to learn more about the moderators. That’s always been it in the past, and that’s what it always be in the future.

    Mentar
  9. muahaha, natsuru really its a disgrace for men everywhere in the world, but maybe transforming in to a girl has started to take over his male side… O_o i dont want natsuru going to the DARK side… i dont want to be blind…
    lol

    Trejon
  10. OK, every single element in this show is horrible. But I won’t leave it at that. The only thing I find entertaining is the way Natsuru enteracts with all the girls & yet most of you (including myself) think he’s a disgrace to all men for acting that way in those situations. If that’s not horrible I don’t know what is, yet its still entertaining – in a pitiful sort of way. That’s all the show is really about. Anything else is moot – the fighting, fanservice, Akane-Shizuku-Mikoto antics, etc.

    The show is what it is. What deficits do the story have. They don’t really have that much to work with. I’m not attacking the anime, I’m attacking the concept. Its a boring story that they decided to anime & the only real thing you can get out of it is just how terrible a guy, whose forced to be a girl, can be with female relations when he’s a passive, wishy-washy debacle who ends up with a harem. I never figured out just why do most anime have guys like that end up with harems – like girls really dig guys like that O.o

    Megas
  11. Haha, looks like everyone’s in agreement that Natsuru is pathetically gay. Being such a disgrace as a man, perhaps he should SERIOUSLY consider permanently switching over as a girl, (s)he’s more popular that way anyway. And the show would probably redeem itself if it turns into a yuri-harem rather than a normal battle-harem. lol

    LMAO at the third seiyuu reference of the show – the hanged doggy plushie sounding like Noto Mamiko.

    When these Kampfers change forms, whether their clothes changes seems to be completely arbitrary and is dependent on the need of the plot. Natsuru can change from a boy’s uniform into a girl’s uniform alright, Akane and Mikoto changed back with their clothes, but this time Natsuru’s stuck with his maid costume when reverting to a guy.

    Kinny Riddle
  12. One thing that Natsuru should realize after Shizuku spoke of Sakura the Harbinger of Kämpfer Death, is the fact that the little lesbo has been around him every time a new Kämpfer appeared (eg: Akane, Shizuku and Mikoto)

    If he hasn’t realize that she has the dead flag raised since the beggining, aside the fact that the other Kämpfer have a sign that reads: “take me to your bed” for him, he’s obviously the candidate to inherit Shinji Ikari’s Wuss of the Year Award!

    SeedStriker
  13. You know, it’s more than a little sad to find that the general consensus is that Natsuru must somehow be gay or less of a man just because he’s not thinking with the lower head. He’s an indecisive whiner (a common harem protagonist trope that needs to die, for sure), but just because he’s not jumping at the chance to get some or actively encouraging the girls around him to behave like sluts does not make him a homosexual male failure.

    That said, I’m kind of disappointed at little action we’ve seen in the past three episodes. However, I continue to watch based on the potential for asskicking that Akane and Shizuku continually emit, especially with Shizuku’s indirect probing of Kaede…

    Morino-kun
  14. Don’t get me wrong though, I love this show. Back when this season started, I was only going to blog one series and decided well in advance that it was going to be Kampfer. I was sold on the premise and cast alone. I hadn’t even looked at the manga at that point.

    As such, I hope people don’t take my comment about Natsuru being a disgrace too seriously. Anytime I exclaim a remark like that, it’s usually just one of my jokes at a bit of the show’s expense. Generally, I don’t like making jokes like that because they’re easily misunderstood as me not liking a show (like now), but I wanted to bring some humour to my posts (if possible).

    It’s easy to kid around like that, but I’m fully aware that the show would lose a lot of its appeal if we were suddenly watching a perverted male lead who doesn’t get abused for it. Despite the impression I may have inadvertently given off, I don’t want Natsuru’s character to suddenly change for no reason. The awkward situations that he gets put in comprises a lot of the entertainment value here, much like it does in every harem series.

    P.S. I’m surprised people are using my “harbinger of Kampfer death” name for Kaede. It’s great. 🙂

  15. Poor Natsuru. The best ending for this series is that in the middle of a change he has a stroke and gets stuck halfway and becomes a futa. That way he can enjoy his boy friends and girl friends alike. No need to choose sides anymore. That way everyone wins and will beat then harem ending !!!! LOL.

    island esper
  16. Natsuru may just be a disgrace to all men, but there are many different types of men. The disgrace part only comes from the notion of what we think men should be. Natsuru just happens to be a masochist like all harem male leads, he just doesn’t know it or want to accept it. Its just hard for him to deny it when he constantly let all those silly girls run over him like that. His character maybe atypical of 80-90% of adolescent boys, but most adolescent boys can’t transform into girls. The male masochist spirit is dominate in all harem, but the guys we had to deal with in harems over the pass few years just took it to the extremes. Natsuru is no different.

    We may call it spineless but its just a maso. The comedy comes from him acting like he’s not accepting it so that won’t change. However, it does get to the point where its more annoying than funny really fast.

    Megas
  17. @Megas
    if you think Natsuru really is more annoying than funny, it’d be better to drop it now.
    There is a reason why male lead in every harem show acts like Natsuru, because ELSE, with all the girls falling to his feet, the show will turn into an H-anime featuring exciting gangb*** action pretty fast.

    mice
  18. @mice
    May I remind you of one Yuuto Ayase of a harem series that show HOW a real man should be? He don’t need to resort to extreme measures to win his girls (because let’s face it, all of them ARE his girls) Not all the leads are poor indecisive bastards that don’t know how to handle a girl, but Natsuru takes the cake alongside the likes of School Day’s Makoto Itou.

    We really need more male leads like Yuuto, Shuffle!’s Rin Tsuchimi or any Key/Visual Arts story lead that comes to my mind right now to show that a man can have resolution without having to fall so low in the process.

    SeedStriker
  19. The problem with Natsuru is that he can’t control the transformation, so that will always hang in the back of his head. It’s impossible for him to seriously go after Sakura without worries

    Whodat
  20. SeedStriker:
    I agree that Yuuto and Rin are good examples of characters in a harem setting who handled things well. Rin in particular was really good, because he ended up picking a girl at the end (the one I was hoping he would too!) I would probably add Tomoya from CLANNAD to that list as well.

    I don’t think Natsuru is nearly as bad as Makoto though. He’s still a good person; he simply can’t handle all this female attention he’s getting all of a sudden. Makoto on the other hand was banging everyone he could and keeping it from them.

  21. @SeedStriker:

    Makoto is in his own league, he really deserved to get beheaded. Putting Natsuru in that boat is way too much for me to take. Natsuru is just playing like he’s not enjoying his phyche beatdown. The best way to handle a harem is to roll with the punches, but that really depends on the type of character.

    A man’s man like Yuuto can make a harem situation seem normal while eyeing one girl. Rin does the same, but he had to go to the extremes to do so. Teppei is high on the list too, but he thinks EVERYONE is good. Kaoru from Ai Yori Aoshi is right up there with Yuuto. Being spineless never puts them in a good harem situation. Choosing one girl always puts them in a great harem situation.

    Natsuru already tried to choose Sakura & didn’t stay the course & look what happened. He’s even showing signs of liking both her and the prez. This isn’t going to end good 😛

    Megas
  22. Tomoya is King that’s all. He fights, makes a fool of sunohara, keeps his harem under control he does so many real life actions that well he’s the best

    Shuffle is one animes I own. I got it because Asa is my wife… But yes Rin is true to his feelings and was man enough to leave Kaede so everyone can keep going with their life. (Still polygamy is great… Go Sia)

    Natsuru is simply out of that league. He is a physically develop adolescent with a 7 year old mind/options. If for any chance the series got serious, which I highly doubt, he will need more commitment to his feeling. But since this a whaco/comedy we have to put up with his lack of cojones.

    Island esper
  23. Yeah why is it that if a male character does not jump on every female thats interested in him he is considered a loser or gay in some way? Natsuru likes/loves Sakura, has for along time and I doubt his feelings on that are going to change anytime soon. Problem is that he is stuck with the fact that Sakura only likes his female side and if he takes advantage of that he might lose her if/when she finds out the truth.

    Akane he only considers as a classmate/friend/ally and she has also attempted to kill Sakura mulitple times so that probably has not won her any points.

    Mikoto is a childhood friend/sister to him who is also younger than he is so I doubt he has ever thought of her in a romantic way.

    Shizuku he simply does not trust really, she took his love interest hostage, tried to kill him and has played around with his feeling and life by making him do things he does not want to do, Natsuru has no real reason to be interested in her. He is curious about her but also wary at the same time.

    I am not going to deny that Natsuru is a bit on dense on romance and all that but do not consider him a loser or anything either for the situation he is in, I think he is focused completly on Sakura and blind to everything else.

    Barandox
  24. @envyitachi89….HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! you said NOW. did it actually have meaning before?
    @Krlcss…. this crap has light novels??? well as far as the manga goes i dont think u have to worry about missing much, for the manga is certified Ass Cream.

    BROOKLYN otaku
  25. Watching the male Natsuru is so INFURIATING!! I wish there is another male character role model that could also transform into a hot girl as a Kampfer and steal his girl along with his harem away from Natsuru, just to mock his SPINLESSNESS! Someone needs needs to teach Natsuru how it’s done.

    Aerolight
  26. while Kämpfer’s light novels are popular, but they still cannot compete with Clannad or such, so it is not very surprising Natsuru isn’t in the same league as Tomoya. And yes, Natsuru’s behavior is very frustrating to watch sometimes, even more so in some later LN stories, but that is just something you have to bear with to enjoy this series.
    The anime doesn’t live up to its LN counterparts but it is not bad either.

    WB
  27. To hell with criticism. I’m enjoying some aspects of this show and doubting others. Guess I just prefer to make things easier.

    Don’t know where this is all going except for more fanservice, but Shizuku is really becoming more endearing as a character.

    Owaranai Destiny
  28. To sum up the discussion of “why Natsuru can’t be a decent lead”, maybe is the fact that he hasn’t grasp the fact that he’s the center of the Kämpfers in the zone, as well as he hasn’t grasp the fact that he should lead the “why are we fighting each other” group for finding answers, that’s what a decent lead should’ve done up to now. Instead, the more feminine of the group (aka: Shizuku) has step up as the spearhead. Another blow to Natsuru’s manliness (or lack of it, whatsoever)

    Until the kid realize that he must answer the “call of destiny” and act like a real man, we’ll have to (painfully) watch how the girls are more manliner than him, and that’s sad for a so-called “male lead”.

    SeedStriker
  29. I peacefully wathed my fanservice-yuri anime, and suddenly a guy in girl’s clothes… Two things saved me from sudden death: Shizuku’s hotness, and Mikoto’s cuteness (of course, in apron-only style).
    Putting that aside… I don’t think Natsuru is a total faliure as a man… at least he likes yuri things (you can see it in the preview), and (s)he almost kissed Kaede, just Akane interrupted them. (Well, I can’t deny the fact (s)he would be better off as a girl)
    And a last thing… I noticed that some people don’t like Kaede… well, I can’t get myself to hate her. She’s a creepyplush-loving lovestruck lesbian deathbringer which is a really rare character. XD

    Linzermaster
  30. Brainless male leads can never be decent. Once more, his actions & thoughts are completely the same, in a bad way. He’s being dragged through everything without a second thought.

    As for Natsuru, he sees Akane as a pest so she has no chance. He pretty much thinks Shizuku is out to get him which is true in more ways than one, but he basically hates her for it. Mikoto is just Mikoto, she has no chance, period. Kaede is killing herself with him but he still has hopes for her well over the other 3. But love & hate are basically the same emotions. Too bad for Natsuru that the damn prez can turn him around her finger, but he still hates her & as long as he do he still have a chance for escape. Its all about the personality. Some guys can handle girls like that very easily while others would kill themselves b4 dating someone like that.

    I dated someone with that kind of personality at some point in my life. That overbearing crap was really attractive because I simply played with it until she found out that I had it worse than she did…then I married her cousin, but I swear that I didn’t know she was her cousin until our wedding date. That’s why I hate arranged marriages 😛

    Sadly I don’t watch this stuff to gain enlightened entertainment. I choose movies & sports for that. The ridiculous amount of slapstick in most anime today is what makes it so distasteful for me while others find that aspect endearing to say the least.

    Megas
  31. If Natsuru got stuck in female form at the end of the series, all the complaints about him would be solved. The Yukari Tamura rabbit was right. Natsuru turning into a Kampfer was more about the universe correcting a mistake: Natsuru’s gender.

    Natsuru’s girlish squeals are increasing every episode. Now (s)he wears girls underwear properly, acts in an extremely modest way compared to the other girls, and already spends more time on the girl side of the school.

    Now Kaede being a completely manipulative bitch in order to seduce True-Gender-Natsuru, that’s an issue for another time.

    Melchior
  32. Do not believe the anime as the truth, be guided by the novel and manga. Natsuru is well portrayed in the two I mentioned. Natsuru already makes clear in the novel and manga that he does not want a sakura like his female form, but his male form. The reasons are not told in the anime.

    Charkan
  33. I forgot to mention. The anime focuses fanservie yuri. Novel has many of the monologues Natsuru about the situations that he is living. Manga has portrayed the scenes of the novel with details showing the strength of Natsuru in battle. In the manga Natsuru ends Shizuku with a huge explosion but the anime is that Akane ends Shizuku.

    Natsuru tells Shizuku who saved her from shooting Akane because he thinks that when one loses kämpfer is certain death. Shizuku shown relieved that he think that way and start to have interest in it. (This dialogue is not said in the anime, only in the manga)

    Natsuru is a pure kind of man who only values a woman, Sakura. He does not want to be with her in female form but the pressure that falls on him does he indulge in certain situations. These moments are always stopped by the other girls who do not want him giving up his male form to be with Sakura.

    Charkan
  34. Wow what a heated discussions about things haha. Out of curiosity, I saw that “Keep Out” censorship in the past 2 episodes. So is that actually part of the anime or censorship by the broadcasters? Well it seems more out of place in this episode than the previous one haha. IMO I would say… Natsuru is weak in his mentality towards girls but maybe its there so that we can see how he progresses in his attitude? Well that’s one possibility. I am really curious to figure out how the story progresses. Though the main mystery regarding Kampfers is still very vague.At least they finally gave us some hints after all the characters are finally gathered.

    Tenkou
  35. divine:
    I see. That makes some sense. Thanks for the reply man. To be honest I am still puzzled about how does censorship for anime go about. Especially blackhole panty shots lol. Oh well its a form of regulation so nothing goes beyond the limit but I suppose for most anime fans they would want to see anime in their full form.

    Tenkou
  36. In most cases, they would censor things like you’re suggesting (steam, white fog, bright lights, and heavy shadows). Of course, this is both to make sure they adhere to broadcast standards and to promote DVD sales.

    I can’t say I’m 100% sure the Keep Out tape won’t be removed for the Kampfer DVD releases, but I’d be surprised if they did for scenes such as this. This series hasn’t really shown that it’s going for that target audience, but anything seems to go for DVD releases in an attempt to boost sales.

  37. All I known is I would knock Natsuru out for being so dense. Like come on, you some what have the ability to transform into a girl. Use this opportunity force on you (Even if somewhat scary and weird) to live out a wonderful life. Stopping being a wuss in get in there dammit (I known I would).

    Body of a girl&guy the mind of a guy plus four other girls….. do the math Natsuru. >.<

    Luke

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