First Impressions / Seitokai Yakuindomo / Series Introduction

OP Sequence

OP: 「大和撫子エデュケイション」 (Yamato Nadeshiko Education) by トリプルブッキング (Triple Booking)
Watch the OP!: Download, Streaming ▼

「桜の木の下で／毎回続くのこの感じ！？／とりあえず脱いでみようか」
(Sakura no Ki no Shita de / Maikai Tsuzuku no Kono Kanji!? / Toriaezu Noide Miyou ka)
“Under the Sakura Tree / Is It Like This Every Time!? / To Start, Let’s Try Undressing”

Well I’m impressed. GoHands may be going with a similar style as Princess Lover in this adaptation of a 4-koma gag manga, but it’s still a noticeable step up from their work there. For a series where most of the humor comes from the dialogue itself, the screenplay is done really well too, without relying on any stylistic touches that SHAFT is known to employ to help scene transitions. As the source material is only comprised of short four-cell skits, a lot of padding needed to be done. Many of the scenes were simply concluded with a one-liner stamp to add to the humor of what was shown; however, there were a lot of skits strung together to form a much longer scene as well, which is what impressed me the most. The original content with its witty and subtle jokes is amusing enough on its own, so all that was really needed was everything in between to fill in the gaps to make it work as an anime. Some of that was extra dialogue, but the goofy super-deformed scenes were what I really enjoyed. In addition, the sound effects and creative use of camera angles that added to the scene variety and allowed the original jokes to speak for themselves. For now, it looks like GoHands has opted to simply reorganize the manga material and make it flow, with the preview for the next episode even joking about exactly which pages of volume one will be covered. If they actually do stick to the manga and focus on the presentation like they have in this premiere, this series should turn out to be a lot of lighthearted fun.

Back in the Summer 2010 Preview, I compared this series to the likes of Seitokai no Ichizon primarily because there is no real underlying plot to drive things forward. Instead, we simply have a premise where Tsuda Takatoshi (Asanuma Shintarou) attends the recently turned co-ed high school, Ousai Academy, where the male to female student ratio is a grossly lopsided 28 to 524. It’s easily seen as a harem-building paradise, but more than anything it’s this recent switchover to a co-ed school that drives almost all the comedy. Starting with connotations of lesbianism, the gags really pick up thanks to our student council members themselves. President Amakusa Shino (Hikasa Youko) is easily my favorite to watch since she loves putting a perverted spin on almost everything she says. (e.g. Bragging about how she’s “tight-lipped” down there as well.) Secretary Shichijou Aria (Satou Satomi) on the other hand is much more subtle with her humor since she just goes with the flow of things, whereas treasurer Hagimura Suzu (Yahagi Sayuri) is a lot of fun thanks to all the jokes that result from her height. Much like I was looking forward to, Youko does a wonderful job bringing out Shino’s serious yet obviously perverted nature, while Satomi goes for the more calm and reserved portrayal very unlike Ritsu in K-ON. Sayuri turned out to be a bit of a surprise, since she brings out Suzu’s loudness — especially when she’s bitching about her period — which is an utterly awesome way to round out the bunch.

In terms of humor, some jokes weren’t nearly as funny as others, but I felt the delivery was pretty good for most of them production-wise. A lot of the time it’s just Shino saying something stupid and Takatoshi thinking how stupid she is and wishing he was never dragged in as the vice-president, but I still found myself chuckling more often than not. At other times, we actually get to see some of the silly antics such as Shino tightening Takatoshi’s tie, smacking him for standing on her left when he’s supposed to be her right-hand man, or drawing a vagina-like design on the suggestion box to make it look more “inviting”. Suzu’s attempt to kick Takatoshi for calling her a kid had me laughing pretty hard in comparison, simply because it went from a dramatic slow motion scene to a dismal display. The best one had to be her punching him in her sleep though, because I really didn’t see that coming at all. Anyway, the jokes came pretty fast and furious and there’s no real point in talking about them specifically and ruining the fun, so I’m leaning towards covering this series in a slightly different manner for future episodes. I think something with less screen captures but with captions like I used for Hayate no Gotoku might work well here, so any feedback on that idea would be appreciated. In any case, I definitely plan to continue blogging about this series in light of how enjoyable this first episode turned out.

* Interestingly enough, the ending sequence is very akin to something I’d expect to see from SHAFT.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「蒼い春」 (Aoi Haru) by angela
Watch the ED!: Download, Streaming ▼

Preview

68 Comments

  5. I think the caption style would be great if the anime keeps up with lots of skits, though as I remembered people asked for more screen caps and preferred omni’s style.

    Bluance
    Reply

  8. Haven’t watched the episode yet but if y’all think it’s amusing, I’m sure I’ll get a few giggles out of it.

    As for the plan on blogging this, I support your decision. I actually liked your witty comments under the screen caps when reading the entries for Hayate no Gotoku. 😀 If you start posting this show like that one, then hey~ I’m down! lol Plus, it looks like it’s easier for you. You gave yourself a lot of work this time around so yeah. Cut back when y’can, mate..

    Shirt
    Reply

  9. I found the train scene where the men had their arms up due to the overwhelming number of girls in the coach pretty funny, which also pecked my interest into watching more. Its a pretty fun to watch.

    Siege
    Reply

  10. The pacing and direction for the first episode of Seitokai Yakuindomo is so haphazard – too many random sex jokes without any buildup. If the series doesn’t improve within the next couple episodes, I’ll probably drop it.

    Fat Cat Lim
    Reply

      1. It’s not so much that I don’t enjoy gag comedies (Mitsudomoe’s first episode was an absolute riot). Actually, the first episode did remind me greatly of Lucky Star’s first episode, but I still enjoyed the rest of the series thanks to its situational and observational comedy. But Seitokai Yakuindomo’s comedy is…odd. It’s like they’re having a normal conversation and then suddenly the president or the secretary will mention something sexual or perverse as the punchline. There’s no buildup to it, which results in some rather awkward scenes. I did like the last bit about the interview being similar to those in JAV, but again I question the need to splice those JAV-like scenes during the interview. It would have been better if they did it before the interview, not after. It doesn’t help that the director is the same as Princess Lover, a series which had promise but ultimately disappointed.

        Maybe it will get better along the way like Lucky Star, but if the next couple episodes follow the same pattern, then I’ll probably stick to Mitsudomoe to fill my gag comedy needs.

        Fat Cat Lim
        Reply

  12. I laughed a lot, but I’m not sure if laughed because it was funny or if it was just from the pure sexual immaturity and sex jokes coming out of nowhere xD. I laughed pretty hard at some parts though, so I’m gonna definitely keep watching this.

    Click
    Reply

  15. I feeel so sorry for anyone who actually liked this.

    While its NOT as bad as horribly horrible princess lover, its yet another show full of moeblobs with no depth and failed attempts at comedy.

    UnknownVoice
    Reply

  17. Well damn… I was about to post something stupid.

    I just came from a nap and my mind seems to not work well yet. I was like.. “What? That’s Angela singing!?” then again I was mixing up to different singers.

    megalith
    Reply

  18. If Hikasa Youko wouldn’t be there I’d drop this series in an instant. To me the “jokes” were not funny at all, I pretty much agree with Fat Cat Lim on this matter. The characters are pretty much retarded (I mean too retarded), I only like Suzu-chan so far, the funny scenes coming from her height are at least decent.

    I’ll be giving it another chance because I don’t really want to miss a series with Youko as the lead character, but for now, I’m very disappointed 🙁

    Jurkasz
    Reply

  19. This show is going to be an instant hit in my books. So much adult humor! lmao The porn jokes slay me. (I think I know to much. xD)

    “Namae wa?”

    “Eh-heh-heh?” lmfao

    I was in tears at the joke after Shino said her lips were tight. *laughs some more* Oh boy..

    So yeah. Dark Side Points for this show. 😀

    Shirt
    Reply

  20. My biggest gripe with this show is how things flow, but I guess that’s whats expected from a 4-koma. Personally this could end up being my favorite show this season if they fix the transitions from scene to scene. Would love any romance undertones in the show if only for comedic purposes.

    lHyDrAl
    Reply

  22. Well, somehow the main girl (the black haired one) kinda put me off with her somewhat brash personality (for some reason she reminds me of the main girl from Special A). On the other hand, the brown haired girl kinda reminds me of Code Geass’ Shirley Finette somehow.

    Sailor Enlil
    Reply

  23. This is a lot more ecchi than Ichizon but its stupidly funny. I liked how she introduced first the places that are normally used as backdrops for visual novels of an adult nature.

    Zaku_Fan
    Reply

  26. How many periods did the president had ? She was bleeding half the episode! lol! Princess lover was such a let down that it worries me here. Need a few more to decide, but is not what I was expecting.

    Island Esper
    Reply

  30. It was a nice intro/start to the main characters. The jokes were, as Divine pointed out, ranging from a “what did she just said?” to “LMAO”. Mitsudomoe will be my first choice for my weekly comic relief whereas Seitokai will be the runner up. It’ll be interesting to see how this series develop.
    I’m still looking for my Maeda Jun’s fix…Comedy and cuteness grinding to deep drama. Divine, anything this season you could recommend?

    Shinjiro
    Reply

      1. Darn! As much as I liked Angel Beats (Kanade <3), I prefered Kanon or Clannad (both original and After Story) since they really had more time to develop the characters and really make me feel like a wuss with teary eyes.

        Shinjiro
        Reply

  32. For some reason I like this series more than Seitokai no Ichizon. Maybe it’s because they show more scenery outside the Student Council room? Or maybe it’s because the main is more laid back and doesn’t care about building a harem? Better art? Oh well, either way I ended up enjoying this so it’s going on my watch list.

    And yeah, I think that format would be best for this series Divine, given how this is more focused on specific moments rather than the overall scenery or story (of which there is none).

    Suzuku
    Reply

  33. Boring characters – with your usual Japanese Bitch Boy and your run in the mill harem gal characters. Yeeeeaaahh…it’s not like we don’t see where this is going.

    After the first seven minutes, I skimmed through the rest. It has it’s moments, so I won’t completely write it off for now. But it’s starting to feel like a Haruhi wanna-be clone anime. At least Kyon is trying to save the known universe – what the hell is this guy going to do that will make him stand out from the other Japanese Bitch Boys?

    Remy
    Reply

  34. despite watching any of these new series i must say that they all look way too similar… i was hoping for a more diverse season of new series to watch but sadly i guess i’m stuck with 10 different variations of school comedy / dramas.

    jiak
    Reply

  35. Maybe it’s me, but some of the sketches seemed too disjointed. Not to mention the punchline came in the form of a quick chop, forcing me to pause the video every now and then – not unlike Shaft’s annoying style of sticking in these minor details hear and there.

    Still, this first episode had its LOLs. Like the threatening letter Takatoshi received about how he’ll have a stick up his ass if he dare does anything to Shino.

    Reminded me of the mixed reviews people had with the first episode of Lucky Star before things improved for the better as the script writers sorted stuff out.

    I’m gonna give this another episode to decide whether to go on. I only gave this a try because of Yoko and Satomi.

    Speaking of seiyuu:

    While she is better known as the rabid lesbo Kuroko in Railgun, Arai Satomi is just as spot on as the deadpan school reporter Hata Ranko. As if to remind us of that Lucky Star 4-koma feeling, we have Shiraishi Minoru as Tsuda’s classmate Yanagimoto Kenji.

    PS Last but not least, we have our Anime Engrish of the Week

    https://randomc.net/image/Seitokai%20Yakuindomo/Seitokai%20Yakuindomo%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2039.jpg

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  36. I am happy that i have found the gag anime of the summer 😛 i was starting to get lonely since b-h kei and arakawa had ended… although this is more of a mixture of b-hkei and kaichou maid-sama… i think this will be my summer anime 😛 …

    Kurerian
    Reply

  41. Really don’t know what to think about this one, 6/10 for now.
    Btw Divine, what were your final thoughts on Seitokai no Ichizon? I thought you only watched the first episode but you have it as ‘complete’ in your Anime List.

    Anyway, can’t wait for Strike Witches II and Sengoku Basara 2!

    NghtmrSrph
    Reply

    1. I found Seitokai no Ichizon got better later on. The humor was still kind of hit and miss with me due to all the references, but the series did make me take notice of Kondou Takashi‘s portrayal of Sugisaki Ken. His reactions to the student council members were what I enjoyed the most, and are the reason why I didn’t really hesitate to get into Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou after finding out he was starring in it.

      Divine
      Reply

  42. Wow. I love this anime already and I have only watched the first episode. It is so funny… I cannot wait for the remaining episodes.

    Is there a manga version to this? I want to read it now >_<"

    Densebrains
    Reply

    1. Shino drew a vagina-like design, like I mentioned in my post. It wasn’t censored in the manga, but looked like nothing more than a flower. But then again, we all know what connotations “deflowering” a girl has.

      Divine
      Reply

  50. If I was still in middle school, this would really really hook me, because these kind of jokes would have cracked me back then. It’s hilarious, for anyone who enjoys dirty jokes and sexual innuendo. Otherwise, most of the time, you’re going to be like… wait what? or Did she just say that? or a lot of “Really? REALLY!?” Not going to say that I’m wasn’t amused, but just pointing it out there. I will admit that the Suzu jokes are jokes are funny.

    Sora no Kaze
    Reply

  51. Looks like Seitokai Yakuindomo is what happens when you mix a gender-flipped version of the school from Kaichou wa Maid-Sama (with lots of MariMite-esque Les Yay – or not) with Seitokai no Ichizon (with added scenes outside the student council room and minus the the male lead’s desire to have a harem).

    Though most of the comedy was better off in a show like B Gata H Kei (the “tight-lipped” thing, for one), I had a laugh at the scene where Shino was scared of heights, which reminded me of a certain student council president from Hakuou Academy. Makes me wonder if Yoko Hikasa got some voice-acting tips from Shizuka Ito on how to portray student council president characters during their work together on Ichiban Ushiro no Daimao…

    “While she is better known as the rabid lesbo Kuroko in Railgun, Arai Satomi is just as spot on as the deadpan school reporter Hata Ranko.”

    Massive LOL and a “Hey! It’s That Voice!” expression from my bro as soon as he heard that voice… (I’ve already seen Index and liked it. Now if only I can get to watching Railgun…but I digress.)

    Despite the sexual innuendo-laden comedy, I’ll forgive Seitokai Yakuindomo for now since it’s the first episode. Whether the comedy improves or not in the next few episodes remains to be seen, but I’m already sold on the caliber of the seiyuus as well as the intriguing environment (at least in anime) of an all-girls school turned co-ed.

    Incognito
    Reply

  52. First episode was a disappointment. I thought it would be similar or at least as funny as Seitokai No Ichizon, but the cast wasnt that great. The girls are nothing compared to Kurimu, Mafuyu, Minatsu and Chizuru. The male lead fails in comparison to the great Sugisaki Ken. Oh man, I wish there was a second season for that awesome series.

    X
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *