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A round of applause for a successful season. |
Expectations were not terribly high going into YuShibu. In the season preview we gave it a moderate expectation level, thinking it would at least end up as servicable fanservice show. After having watched the entire season, here’s my final summation: It was that and also more. YuShibu is a show with a surprisingly earnest plot, and it had exquisitely animated fanservice as well.
I think the first episode dialed up the fanservice too much. Partially this was due to needing to “reveal” that Fino was a girl – as if everyone but Raul hadn’t already figured that out – but I think asread was also trying to secure their audience by front-loading the fanservice. Fine, fair enough; that’s probably a good business strategy, but it made some who prize story over service drop the show. I wouldn’t blame you if you did, but you may find you missed out.
Make no mistake, the fanservice never disappeared. If the sight of bouncing breasts sends you into fits of anger, then you’ll probably never like this show, you monster. Past that is a real story though, and one driven by the characters.
Main character Raul’s feelings of depression at having to abandon his dream and become a wage slave were very authentic; I can’t help but think back to the times I’ve had to do just that, and I imagine creator Sakyou-sensei and the staff at asread were drawing from some of their own experiences. Raul is joined in his frustration by his former teammates Airi, Blaze, and Klein, and the different ways each of them deal with their sundered dreams were imminently believable.
Then there’s Fino. She’s the emotional center of the series. In her naivety she envisions a future better than the frightening past perpetuated by her father, and surprise of surprises, we actually slip into a plot based on real world economic theories such as the use of war as economic stimulus and developing a former enemy (in this case, the demon world) into new markets. And the characters are driving this story all along, without any of it seeming forced.
It doesn’t hurt that there’s a fairly large cast of comrades all around Raul and Fino, and while most of them are women – and beautiful ones at that – only three show any interest in Raul, and only two feel like serious contenders. It’s a harem show but not really, because it doesn’t spend much time indulging in harem antics when there are economic plots and character conflicts to delve into.
Not all is perfect, of course. I’m not fond of how it feels like an unmitigated endorsement of rampant consumerism, though I’m weird about that, so it may not bother you. There’s also a fair amount of angst from the former heroes, but I’m willing to let that slide because being forced to give up your dreams is kind of a big deal, and they all do take action to correct it rather than just whining, even if not all their choices are good. There’s also a fun (and entirely believable) revelation in the penultimate episode that utterly crushes Raul’s former dreams even as it exposes the hypocrisy of his opponents, which I very much enjoyed. His laugh there almost hurt. But I’ve slipped back into talking about what I liked, haven’t I? Which says something right there.
tl;dr – This could have been a silly fanservice comedy and I probably would have watched the whole thing. It was that and more. Will it crack your Top 10 shows of 2013? Perhaps not. But if you like well-animated fanservice and enjoy a good plot along with it, you could do much worse than Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku o Ketsui Shimashita. Just don’t try to remember its long-ass name. Seriously Japan, cut it out. If you’re always abbreviating the title then you’re doing it wrong, even if the story inside is done right.
I gave it 3 episodes but never really go farther than that. I guess I’m picky about fantasy mixed with a modern setting. It’s good but there’s nothing to make it stand out against other fanservice shows this season like Noukome, or urban-fantasy/modern-fantasy like StB or Tokyo Ravens.
Good write-up. I think I only talked with you on Twitter about Noucome, but this was the other comedy surprise of the season, and man was this season good for comedy.
As a Millenial that has had their dreams shat on by the economy and until earlier forced to work retail this did speak to me. The frustrations and wanting to change the world are I think something many experience. Sadly, we don’t get a bubbly, naive, attractive demon girl to brighten our spirits like Raul, but this show did help a bit.
And, keep dreaming anyway, don’t let the past get you down. Perhaps 2014 will be the year I land and job and get move out of the parent’s house.
I watched this entire anime when it was going on and i actually liked it. I never thought the character Fino could have be so deep compared to the earlier episodes but I liked the relationship that her and Raul had. I liked Airi but Blaze and Klein were just “meh” to me. I’m glad they got what was coming to them. Never thought someone could be so badass with a simple weapon lol. I didn’t think Airi was gonna come work at Leon at the end, I thought she would go to the shop next door (Which name escapes me at the moment). But I know this is a stretch but if this anime had a season 2, I would have no problem with it as I would watch it.
I expected Airi to start working for Leon, but damn if it wasn’t a good moment nonetheless.
“clap clap clap clap clap”
The manager would say, *patch**patch**patch**patch* when she claps. XD
Too bad this show was overlooked. I enjoyed most of the episodes of this show. I also did not get why many people say that this show was a rip off to Hataraku Maou-sama. There are similarities but they are superficial at best. I get it, it’s a fanservice show but the character development of some of the characters are decent especially with Raoul and Fino. The chemistry between the two characters is also likeable. I also like the idea of heroes losing their purpose, some finding their new purpose and adapting to it while others are desperately clinging to the past when the world has changed drastically.
“Hai, Hakushu!”
“Pachipachi pachipachi”
I liked this show. The fanservice felt forced and unnecessary in many areas, while well done in others (like the swimsuit part).
It felt like a more serious version of Hataraku Maou-Sama, which Im fine with. It definitely gives you more of a real world perspective of businesses and economy at work.
I’m surprised no one blogged this series. The show delivered quality entertainment despite limited expectations. While I wasn’t jumping up and down every week like I do for Strike the Boobs, I still enjoyed it. This show will pass under many radars
We aren’t always able to pick the good shows early on, and it wasn’t until like ep5 or so that I realized how much I was enjoying this one. Hence why I wanted to write this post : )
You(and other writters too) should do this more often for shows you liked that weren’t blogged 😛
We plan to (or at least I plan to), but it depends on interest and time. for example, I didn’t have time when the Noucome END happened (mostly because I didn’t realize it was a 10-episode season until the finale aired), whereas I got inspired and wrote most of this post after ep11 aired. Bit of a crapshoot, but I like doing it when I can : )
Erabe!
1.Make a blog like this one about Noukome
2.Make a blog like this one about Sekai de Ichiban
3.Make a blog like this one about Yowamushi Pedal
4.Make a blog like this one about Unbreakable Machine Doll
5.Make a blog like this one about Tokyo Ravens
I dropped this show after episode 4. The overt fanservice was a big meh for me, even though episode 3’s (I think) unique take on tentacle hentai drew a few giggles. Ultimately though I think it was how closely YuShiBu tried to emulate Hataraku Maou-sama which made it a disappointment as most (including me) expected something similar; in reality it was a more superficial version focused more upon fanservice cliches than comedy. YuShiBu is definitely designed for a specific viewer niche.
Remember, just because Hataraku’s anime came out first doesn’t mean YuShibu ripped it off. That’s probably not even the case if one’s source material predates the other. There are no original ideas, after all. I just pay attention to whether it’s good, and executed well.
Oh no i’m not saying it ripped off Maou-sama, far from it; the world is similar enough, however, that it unfortunately got tied up with Maou-sama and immediately compared (probably due to appearing the season right after it). Can’t help feeling let down knowing we wouldn’t immediately get Maou-sama round two 😛
The problem for me personally was really the fanservice. If it had been toned down I might have been able to see the things you’re seeing in it Stilts. Might return to complete it one day, heck still have yet to slog through Strike Witches in its entirety and see what so many are oogling over besides the under the belly button fanservice.
That’s understandable. Doesn’t bother me, but that’s exactly the reason I don’t put much fanservice into what I write – it gets in the way of the other stuff I’d rather focus on. Plus I have too much respect for my characters.
The only bad thing was the censorship. ‘nuf said.
^As Gp1301 said above, the only bad thing about the show was the censorship. So many shows that I watch have obvious censorship like the pro wrestling one and Walkure Romanze. After I watch a show, I don’t watch the bluray release, give me director’s cut from jumpstreet.
Yushibu was yet another anime I wish went passed 1 cour ;/
This show was OK. As Stilts said, it actually provided more than just fan service and had a decent plot so yeah worth the watch if you want fan service that’s not just about that.
That being said, I kinda feel bad that this show is getting Blogged here on Random Curiosity while White Album 2 isn’t. Especially as White Album 2 for me has been the best Anime this season if not the year and one of the Best Romance Anime’s I’ve seen in quite a while.
Then can you please tell me that there is nothing to worry about watching White Album 2? I stopped at episode 9, because I felt a bad premonition, and I don’t want to wallow in despair if I watched the rest.
Well if your talking about drama and heartbreak and the like. It’s pretty much par for the course in these kinds of series. So if you are allergic to that by all means do stay away. If you are tolerant of that then it’s one of the most realistic series tackling the whole love triangle aspect.
If you are referring to the glorious mess that is White Album 1 rest assured that at least so far there hasn’t been anything like that.
White Album 2 apparently has 2 parts to it the anime just covers the “Introductory Chapter” part and I don’t know if they will animate the subsequent “Closing Chapter”. But I’m personally hoping that they do
None of the drama feels forced anyway and the characters feel so real,flawed yet likeable,that it’s hard not to symphatize with them.
So are you telling me nothing tragic will happen to the characters? I can handle certain drama and heartbreak, it feels like something even more tragic would happen…
If you’re referring to the tragedy as in characters dying or getting badly injured & stuff then no,I really don’t think it’s that type of show.
Show Spoiler ▼
We blog things based on our own time and interest. I know some writers are watching White Album 2, but there were other things they wanted to blog more. Just remember that we all do this for free, so be happy with whatever we have time to write about, because every time I hear someone say they’re “disappointed” about what I do with my free time (though I’m not saying you said that) I die a little on the inside.
It’s more like wishful thinking Stilts not complaining. White Album 2 is an excellent series the kind of which we seldom see now a days in anime. It’s more like that feeling you get when you see something great and want to share it with others so yeah it’s just a pity that it’s not really getting the exposure it deserves. Definitely the most under rated series of the season. That’s just the way I feel about it.
And I do appreciate what you do please make no mistake about that.
Thanks Juan for at least starting a small discussion on White Album 2 on RandomC. It’s definitely one of my favorites this season.
The show definitely exceeded expectations, since it was portrayed as more of a fanservice/comedy. While those elements were there, there other elements that had a more serious nature to them. What do you do when you lose the niche job that you’ve trained for? Fino definitely made the show with her earnestness and naiveté coupled with her upbringing as the demon lords daughter (stop comparing the colors to body parts!). A good supporting cast helped (even old Capt. Pervert).
Agreed, I watched it all and while it wasn’t great it definitely exceeded my expectations and was a solid show.
Glad Stilts decided to do a season review on the show because it also exceeded my expectations as well. I get the impression that many unfairly dismissed the show as nothing more than plot-less fan service. If you’re willing to look beyond the fan service, there were some surprising deep themes to go along with some very funny moments.
Fino turned out to be a very likeable and funny character. It was quite easy to get swept up in her naivety and sweet nature as she struggled to find a place in a maou-less world. For me, she made the show work as well as it did. I had some initial problems with Raul’s lack of personality early on, but as the show progressed he became more dynamic and likeable IMO, particularly once he started to face his own issues. I do not think he’s the best male lead this season, but certainly better than some of the others I’ve watched. If nothing else, he’s no more dense than a normal person, and for that alone I’m grateful.
All in all, I consider Yuushi-bu a “good, but not great” show. I found it consistently funny and entertaining, even endearing at times. The integration of more “serious” themes was a welcome surprise and gave the show some appreciable depth missing from other fan-service oriented shows. Execution was above average as well IMO. The pacing was good and so was plot continuity. I never got a “shouldn’t this be an OVA?” feeling for any episode. I suspect that Yuushi-bu isn’t popular enough to warrant a second season, but if it does, I’d definitely watch.
Ahem. I shouldn’t do this, but I really can’t help myself, since it’s just asking for it…
This show had:
-better action than Kyokai no Kanata
-better characters than Infinite Stratos
-better plot than Galilei Donna
-better fanservice than Unbreakable Machine Doll
-better acting than Coppelion
…despite having production values a fraction of any of the above.
Amen Brother!
Im glad to see I wasnt the only one to see this point. While this show is one big cliche after cliche, it was done well enough to be satisfying (especially after watching the disaster that is IS2)
Seriously, people should give this show a try. Its not going to win any awards but it is an entertaining anime.
You know what they say about tropes vis a vis not being evil (trope!).
I too thought this was gonna be mediocre, but in the end it turned out not bad. I already knew coming into this show that there was gonna be fanservice, but the main question was… would it be the main focus of the story? And the answer was “no”. The times that there was service it was integrated well into the story a perverted old customer that loved to grope Nova, and to attract customers to Leon’s summer sales.
Raul, Fino, and the supporting cast were very enjoyable where I was not annoyed by their personality or actions throughout the series.
By the way I LOVED Fino’s laugh xD
Glad to see someone else liked that “evil” laugh eheh, I enjoyed it like the children in the show.
I agree, this was a surprisingly good show. Fino turned out a deeper character than I was expecting, for instance I was impressed by her thoughts about how her work would not only let her fulfill some of her wishes, but also set things in motion for others to do the same. It was expressed in a simple form, very fitting with her character, but still hit the mark. Raul was impressed as well, and that is not the only example.
Thanks god I’m not disturbed by fanservice (if you know what I mean ;), I would have missed something good.
I admit I too fell into the trap of thinking this was another Hataraku Maou-sama rip off and passed it over (RL commitments also played a role), but taking a few peeks into it via some friends made me decide this is a show worth re-exploring later on.
RC might want to consider doing season reviews for shows which they initially did not cover due to RL commitment or other personal reasons, but ended up being better than expected to deserve a worthy mention.
I still lament the fact that Daily Lives of High School Boys (Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou) remains the funniest show to not have been covered by RC, at least this season review is a start.
The series & their finales I’ve seen that wasn’t covered on RC are that for Freezing Vibration, NouCome, Walkure Romanze & YuShiBu.
YuShiBu was rather slice-of-life~ish around the first 7 episodes, but then there starts to be a sort of gradual plot from then onwards…Personally in my opinion though, I find YuShiBu to be better than IS2..
NouCome and its “Erabe!” scenes definitely hit the best comedy for Autumn season..
Nobody reviewing Unbreakable Machine Doll still 🙁
Its rather good, even Katsuragi Keima’s seiyuu is voicing the MC there; Raishin Akabane.
We’ve discussed doing something about this, though it always comes down to whether we have the time to do it. I’ll personally be doing these when I can, though.
I feel like Kyousougiga is one of the shows that deserves a post like this one. It flew under everyone’s radar, mostly because the ONAs were a bit too random and hectic for some viewers. But what we got in the end is a heartwarming family story not unlike another Kyoto-centric series of this year.
So Kyousougiga was good? I have it on my “plan to watch” list but since I was watching so many shows already I didn’t have time to watch it. So maybe I will check it out soon.
I wish you blog this as well Stilts. Much better blogging this than IS2.
The characters are likable. The main girl, Fino is cute and optimisitc but not to a point
of you getting annoyed.
Plus is has one of the best action scenes for the season. The fight between the manager and raid was awesome, and Raul fighting Blaze and Airi with a ruler is badass.
I wish you blog this as well Stilts. Much better blogging this than IS2.
So much this.Nonetheless,I’m still grateful for this post.
Thank you for the compliment! It was a bit of a longshot though – I only realized how much I was enjoying this myself come ~ep6 or so, and we generally don’t pick up shows that late. A flaw in RC’s blogging style, I’ll admit, but I think our ability to stick through with a show no matter what (usually) is good in its own way : )
Only thing i really hated was All-A suddenly turning into a hell bent on revenge type of character despite it being COMPLETELY out of character and the way the show sloppily delivered her backstory to justify her trying to kill Fino. None of her backstory was foreshadowed so it feels like a cheap tactic to cause conflict.
Other than that i liked it for the most part.
True, that wasn’t one of its better parts to be sure. I liked how it was executed once the mistake was already made – especially when she called out Raul for being talkative for a dead guy, lol – but the initial mistake remains. She got over it way too quickly for it to have any punch.
Anyone who dropped this missed out this, this, this, this, this, this and this. Oh btw also THIS!!.
Not to reiterate what other people already said, but any plan to provide final impressions for Kyousougiga (which ended last week) and White Album 2?
I fully understand that everybody has preferences, but objectively speaking based on what other bloggers seem to like, you must know those are two big ones RC missed this season (and I must admit I’ll be fairly shocked if WA2 does not win your best romance of the year award…).
It’s been a blast reading Enzo’s reviews on WA2 but it’d be nice to hear what Stilts & Zannibas thought of it too when it ends next week(assuming they’re watching & liking it,of course).
I know I’m being greedy here,but that’s just because I find their posts such an enjoyable read,as well as RC being one of the most fun blogs to comment on 😛
Unlikely on Kyousogiga, considering it already ended and I’m not caught up >_< Sorry, this has been one of my worst seasons for keeping up with anime in ages. As for White Album 2, I'm not watching it because I didn't feel like watching a super-dramatic romance this season, so no luck there, at least not from me. Like I said above, it's a bit of a crapshoot depending on what we're watching, what we like, and what we have time for. My apologies *bows*
Fino is the only reason to bother with that. Though not enough to waste 4 hours of your life with this show.
By the way,any plans on doing a review like this for NouKome too Stilts? I’m like,almost certain you enjoyed that show as well.
Points to reply above ^^
Fino was a good character in a not-so-good(at least for me) show. I felt that she was wasted here. And it also seemed that the fanservice might indicate that this was purposely designed to drive out the “normals” so the boob-loving neckbeards will enjoy this all by themselves. Which is a shame.
Add to that that the Hataraku Maou-sama haters had been using this to bash that show even more.
Stilts! When is the best of anime for year 2013 coming out? Can’t wait already to marathon 🙂
The 31st or later. We want to get the season preview out and give it some time to be seen before we push it down with the Best of 2013 post. Plus it’s a lot of work, lol
It was an enjoyable show indeed.
I hope that a few other shows will get such a retrospective view as well, like Freezing Vibration (I suppose you’ve watched that too, Stilts?) and Non Non Biyori (surprisingly funny and Renge was just epic win).
Time to add Unbreakable Machine Doll to the long list of anime that deserves more than 1 season! Why is it that bad anime like Sword Ass Online can get like 20 plus episodes, but legit decent anime can barely get past 12, unless it’s something made by a well known anime studio like Sunrise who most likely got a lot of money in dat bank.
I’m glad you gave this series some more love. It was surprisingly one of my favorites of the year. Hilarious characters and just the right amount of fanservice, not to mention an MC who wasn’t a total brick.
Fino is one of the best characters this season. Lore-senpai is awesome too. Also Leon’s Seara and Lawson’s Elza make a lethal combination. Their fight with Raid, which looked like something from a Home TV Shopping show, was awesome. Sucks to be Raid to be on the receiving end of a Rice Cooker to the face. Also loved the cameo by Sphere in this anime.
One of my favorites this season. My only complaint is that it’s now over (other than an OVA to be released in the future) and that there wasn’t nearly enough screen time for Lam-chan. She really needs her own spinoff series. Also, if Fino hadn’t been in the picture, she would have been the next best choice for the role of main girl and Raul’s love interest. Both her and Raul had some good chemistry going, and it did look to me that she did have some kind of feelings for him, based on her behavior whenever she saw Raul and Fino together. She tended to act very genki in those situations.
Lastly, I think Yuusibu had by far the best ending this season. Sphere never fails to deliver infectiously-catchy songs that stick in your head for days. I constantly find myself humming that tune when washing dishes or doing other chores. It’s just so full of energy and uplifting. This is why I love listening to Japanese music.
I don’t normally like shows with this much fanservice, but I decided to keep going, and I’m glad I did.
Almost gave up a few times because of much there was though.
Also, this is a really bad show for a guy to watch when his parents are around. Or his girlfriend/wife. Yeah, there’s that much fanservice.
Anyhow, totally exceeded expectations. The creators of all the other fanservicey shows that Yuushibu has beat in sexualisation and strength of plot/characterisation should be ashamed of themselves. While not THE best show out there, it has proven that it’s possible to have the best of both worlds.
The final reminds me of Maoyu.
Hataraku Maou is more action-packed.
Maoyu is chucked full of politics stuffs.
Yuushibu is fanservice-ridden slice-of-life silly fun 😛
In Singapore dramas are usually vessels of government propagenda, I wonder if in Japan anime has that role.
Anyway from the seiyuu list at ANN, it seems like most of the seiyuu for Yuushibu are pretty new.