A-Channel / First Impressions

「雨の日はお風呂, As Rain Fell」 (Ame no Hi ha Ofuro)
“A Bath on a Rainy Day, As Rain Fell”

In terms of pure randomness, A-Channel manages to keep putting little twists on a normal everyday life. Sure forgetting to put on your sock could happen to just anyone, but how many girls forget to put on pantsu before leaving the house? Better yet, if given the opportunity, would you take a peek if someone said they weren’t wearing their pantsu? It’s all these small little quirks that grab my attention and keep things from getting boring.

But besides highlighting that our cast aren’t a handful of perfect girls (except for Run, maybe) who can do anything, it was fun to watch Tohru wreak havoc on Yuuko’s mind. It’s hard to ignore how funny it is when Yuuko gets anywhere near Tohru and nearly loses her mind but it’s just too much when Tohru goes along and actually starts to toy with her. While it’s fairly common for the tall girl to be extra self-conscious about herself, it normally only appears when something about their figure or personality is brought up in correlation with their complex. With Yuuko, she’s just timid all the time. Not that it’s a bad thing, but when she starts confusing her head and stomach because she’s embarrassed, it looks pretty bad. She’s almost like a timid rabbit with a wolf staring at her — naturally timid and stuck with something trying to capitalize on it.

On the other hand, Nagi seems to be the direct opposite of Yuuko. Calm and composed she even understands how to deal with Tohru! While she may look pretty sute without those glasses of hers, her attitude when it comes to things in her comfort zone is sometimes a little off putting. The things I’d normally expect from someone who speaks with a Kansai dialect keep coming from the girl who’s supposed to be the most leveled headed of the bunch. That said, it works well since it establishes someone to be the pseudo leader of the group.

From trash bag rain suits to getting poked to death in the bathroom, A-Channel doesn’t disappoint in filling in the gaps with laughs. Throw in Tohru’s slightly introverted personality and Yuuko’s fear of her and there are laughs all around. For those of you who care, Yuuko’s Kansai dialect really came through this week. As someone who really loves hearing someone with that kind of dialect, it’s a real treat to hear a soft-spoken character use something normally reserved for “harder” characters.

INS2: 「Start」 by るん, トオル, ナギ, ユー子 (Run, Tohru, Nagi, Yuuko)
Watch the 2nd INS: Streaming ▼

 

Preview

47 Comments

  3. let the random Hilarity begin…at least it’s not as random as the last ep.

    I’m finding that Kotobuki Minako using her time from K-ON pretty funny: 50% Mugi + 50% Mio…now that’s gold

    oh, who’s finding that guy disturbing?

    info600
    Reply

    2. Minako hails from Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture in Western Japan, so she’s pretty much a native Kansai-ben speaker.

      Already we see glimpses of her Kansai-ben in K-ON, when Mugi speaks in perfect Kansai-ben to show Ritsu how it’s spoken.

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

  7. lol @ the Oasis part.. and making use of plastic bags ain’t that bad compared to getting yourself all wet XD.. and somehow Run’s note reminded me of my notes when I let my mind drifting off in classes

    SleepyOtaku
    Reply

  10. I read the manga and it was quite enjoyable. this ep had some alterations and scenes that didnt happen in the manga but they did it in a splendid way that fit the series well, unlike most animes…

    amado
    Reply

  11. Well at least it inherited the knee/shoulder/elbow blush that got me HNGGGGing in Saki. Everything else is just plain damn boring and recycled from so many series. It’s like there’s no effort anymore.

    ahelo
    Reply

      1. That’s like admitting anime is just a bunch of rehash series put together from older ones.
        When I meant recycled I meant “completely cut and pasted” and made just a little bit more moe. Well a lot of people commenting here is mesmerized with this show and I can definitely see why. I don’t even know why I’m not mesmerized with this show. I mean I liked K-On and all so why do I not like this. Is it because it’s getting less and less refreshing? Is it because the only goal of this show is to please the viewers with their moe-ness? Is it because I suck and I’m the only problem? I don’t know, this show isn’t working for me.

        Well it still has the HNGGG skin inherited from Saki so BANZAI.

        ahelo
        Reply

      2. then perhaps try looking at other animes like this. it might be hard to find one though.
        or maybe its time to try something else. you never know, you might like another kind of genre you never thought you would. I once thought I wouldnt like yuri but, well, as you can see in my avatar….
        besides, dont worry about it too much. people have diff opinions. its not like I was saying your a problem. just try another show.

        amado
        Reply

  12. It really is great. One question, cause that whole talk about the kansai dialect made me a bit curious. Exactly in what way does it differ? Is it really that clear to notice?

    prejsu
    Reply

    1. Yes it is. The way some words are said and how different parts of words are emphasized compared to “standard Japanese” aka Tokyo Japanese, basically gives it away. If you pay attention the Kansai-ben puts more stress on vowel sounds where as the Tokyo-ben puts more stress on consonant sounds.

      Tendou
      Reply

    2. FYI: I love Kansai-ben, I just love it. If you look for when Yuuko says “akan”, literally meaning no good, that’s one of those Kansai only things.

      Go watch Lovely Complex, since EVERYONE speaks in Kansai-ben.

      Takaii
      Reply

      1. Kansai-ben is fun, sure, but my favorite for sheer unintelligibility is Hakata-ben, which you can get a dose of every now and then in Sketchbook.

        I once went to the Hakata Folk Museum in Fukuoka, and they had a telephone you could pick up, and listen to a conversation all in Hakata-ben. Now, I understand Japanese pretty well (at least the Tokyo-ben that shows up in textbooks), but damn if I couldn’t figure out what that language was. Might as well have been aliens or something.

        There are a few books out there on Kansai-ben if you want to learn more about it… and if you want to hear a lot of it, watch the just-finished drama “Teppan!”

        sarcastic_weasel
        Reply

    3. Will be planning to go to Japan to study by end of this year, though I’m still struggling to decide whether to go to Tokyo or Osaka, as the school I’m applying to has branches in both cities.

      With everything concentrated in Tokyo, I find myself naturally gravitated towards that choice.

      Though Osaka would provide the opportunity for me to learn their uniquely eloquent dialect as well.

      The quake-tsunami-nuke triple whammy last month may or may not have influenced my decision a bit. We’ll see…

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

      2. I always thought bloggers are paid quite handsomely… Isn’t RandomC paying you enough?
        Jokes aside, maybe you guys can open the site to advertisers to bring in some extra cash? With the hit rates that you’ve been getting, the global reach and not to mention the “prime” age group that your site targets, it should be easy pizy right?

        Hilibor
        Reply

  16. Poor Yuuko getting “bullied” by Tohru again. Expect to see more of the poor Kansai-ben girl getting tormented. 😀

    Nagi with her hair down is hawt, and cute as well when Run noticed she actually calls her old brother “Onii-chan” like most juvenile girls rather than the more mature “Aniki”.

    https://randomc.net/image/A-Channel/A-Channel%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
    If your locale is suffering from a drought, call for Run the Rain Girl at 0800-RAINGIRL.

    BTW, something’s been nagging me: Why is this series called A-Channel anyway? For that matter, why was Lucky Star called Lucky Star? It seems 4-koma mangas either have straightforward titles (K-ON, Working, Nichijou), or they’re just made up on the spot by the authors who can’t think of anything appropriate enough (Azumanga, Lucky Star, A-Channel).

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  17. BTW, sorry to go off-topic for a bit.

    Is RC seriously not considering blogging AnoHana? (Short for “Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai” あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない – “We Have Yet To Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day”)

    It started one week later due to last month’s quake. Like Hanasaku Iroha, this show too is penned by top screenwriter Okada Mari and despite its overly long name, already I can feel this series is giving Hanasaku Iroha a run for its money as best show of Spring 2011 season.

    Despite not a Key work, it does give a lot of Key-like vibes. The gang name “Cho-Heiwa Busters” (Super Peace Busters) reminds me of “Little Busters”, series also has a Clannad feel to it, with its protagonist Jinta being a social outcast traumatized by the past and estranged from his childhood friends, not unlike Tomoya. And then there’s Menma, a “ghost” that appears in front of Jinta, not unlike Ayu from Kanon.

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  24. yuuko’s adorable when she’s scared. she really reminds me of mah mio. <3 it's so sweet and cute to see tohru so protective of run. XDD what an airhead, forgetting to wear her undies. XDDD toru even managed to see her precious thing. XDD i wish i was able to see it too *killed*

    keiOnDaisuki
    Reply

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