First Impressions / Series Introduction / Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo

OP Sequence

OP: 「Kuchizuke Diamond」 (くちづけDiamond) by WEAVER

“I’ve Turned Into Her”


「アイツになってんじゃねーかぁぁッ!」 (Aitsu ni nattenja nee ka!)

Anticipated Adaptation:

I was anticipating Yamada-kun getting adapted after reading the manga for the past few years. There are some adaptation changes that are worth discussing, but before that I think it’s better to focus on the episode itself, and how damn good it was. I liked the source material already, and I’ve always got my fair share of laughs from it, but it’s rewarding to see it get an adaptation that works. LIDEN FILMS don’t have a lot of successful anime to their name, but with Arslan Senki and now Yamada-kun both airing this season, I think they may have proven their worth.

Kissing & Switching!:

If you didn’t know already, Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo is basically about kissing & switching! People kiss, and they switch bodies, among other things. It’s a goofy genderbending premise, but for it work out you need enjoyable characters to go along with the antics, and we have that in our two protagonists: Yamada Ryuu (Osaka Ryota), a delinquent boy with terrible grades and a terrible attitude, along with Shiraishi Urarara (Hayami Saori) an honour student who keeps to herself and doesn’t cause a fuss. Together, they sound like a match made in hell, but within moments it’s clear that their chemistry is heaven. Would they be together if not for the fact that they switched bodies? Maybe not, but now that they’re caught in that situation they’ve just got to run with it. It was really funny seeing them both react and spend a day in one another’s body. Both of them already inspected the others junk (Yamada was much more thorough, however), but where Yamada at least tried (and failed) to blend in, Shiraishi’s act was completely out-of-character, but that made it even more hilarious!

Yamada-kun nails its comedy every time, but it can also deliver some serious scenes, most notably when Yamada finding out about the bullying that Shiraishi has to suffer through. She’s given terrible bentos, her notes are scribbled with horrible words, and her locked is stuffed with junk and death threats. It’s all very dramatic, but it happens – bullying is the worst, and it especially sucks to see a sweet girl like Shiraishi be a victim of it. This type of story resonates with me, as I personally suffered bullying in high school because of my sexuality, but I had to get past it remain strong, like Shiraishi does. But her reaction to Yamada finding out? She apologises, and then tells him not to do anything about it. It’s quite sad, but we manage to get a dose of comedy to keep the mood light. The balance is key here, and in this first episode Yamada-kun got just right.

They really did look like fools repeatedly tumbling down the the stairs, trying to get back to their original bodies. But it’s worth it in the end, as Shiraishi points out that it may have been the kiss they shared that switched them… and it was! So they kiss, and kiss again, and keep swapping back and forth. These two have OTP written all over them – but then in comes possibly my favourite character, Miyamura Toranosuke (Masuda Toshiki), who figures out their act and manages to get beat up in the process. He’s a bit of an idiot, but a loveable one who isn’t afraid to kiss Yamada in order to test the theory. I say that he isn’t afraid, but I’ve always through of him as bisexual, from his forward introduction to everything that comes after this point – I won’t spoil, but let me just say that Miyamura never shows any dislike for locking lips with other boys. Everyone kisses everyone in this series, so all fans will be accounted for. At the end we also see the introduction of our fourth Supernatural Studies Club member, Itou Miyabi (Uchida Maaya), so you can expect her to be thrown into the kissing circle (or square) next week.

6 Chapters in 1 Episode:

I think it’s worth noting that 6 chapters (nearly the whole first volume) were adapted in this one episode. I said in the preview that I originally thought this was going to be 2-cour in order to tell the overarching plot that will come into fruition, and because of the 12 episodes limit I expected the story to end halfway through. But it appears we may just get that chunk of the story told by skimming through the chapters that don’t matter as much. It’s a risky move, but as long as it stays like it did for this first episode then I don’t think I can complain. I know that they rushed through the original material, but the pacing was still rather pleasant. If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t have thought anything differently, so LIDEN FILMS are doing something right here.

Overview – What’s Next?:

I didn’t want to get my hopes up for this one, since I’m a fan of the manga and wasn’t keen on being delivered a poor adaptation. Thankfully, it was a really impressive first episode – funny when it tried to be, sprinkled with moments of cuteness and hints of romance, and blessed us with an abundance of kisses. If the second episode captures the essence of the manga like this one did, then don’t be surprised if this pops up on RandomC this time next week.

Full-length images: 1, 2, 10, 29.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「CANDY MAGIC」 by MimimemeMIMI

Preview

56 Comments

  3. There are more kisses than in all fanservice animes I can think of combined (some would say it’d only take one or two kisses for that matter). That’s somehow refreshing for a japanese show.

    anothercat
    Reply

  4. As a manga reader, I can say that the character designs are much different than the manga. Take Shiraishi for example. Which isn’t a bad thing since the art is still amazing.

    I guess the only quirk here as a non-manga reader is how, in the first episode, one is already spoiled on who the 7 Witches are, which is kinda fun to guess and deduce while reading the manga.
    https://randomc.net/image/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo%20-%20ED%20-%20Large%2005.jpg

    But damn I love this OP! Kept on hitting the replay button in YT for it
    https://randomc.net/image/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo%20-%20OP%20-%20Large%2006.jpg

    Red HeartGold ZX
    Reply

    1. Well, thanks for making me notice it. I’d never get spoilt just by watching this scene for a second or two, as I even forgot there was such a scene. But now it will sadly stick to my memory.

      brajt
      Reply

  5. Let the kissing orgy begin! (●´з(ε｀○)
    https://randomc.net/image/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2024.jpg

    We know the true reason she didn’t want to switch back was so she could explore the strange thing between his legs. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
    https://randomc.net/image/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2008.jpg

    Can you hear that? Yes, that’s the sound of a thousand yaoi fangirls screaming.
    https://randomc.net/image/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2038.jpg

    Silke
    Reply

      1. Actually when I first came across this manga a while ago I’ve stumbled upon a translated interview she had. She stated she put in all the girl x girl and guy x guy moments because she felt like it and while wasn’t a fan of those genres (she meant that she didn’t hate BL and GL but is moreover indifferent). She just said she just liked writing different people kiss each other lol. So no, its not because she’s a woman or has personal tastes that she puts in BL stuff. Its just her being open-minded with her writing.

        asdf
        Reply

  6. If you haven’t read the manga and you don’t want to be spoiled so fast, seriously, fast forward and skip the OP. My only concern with this series is how much and how fast it’s going to cover per episode (12 episodes apparently). If it’s going to speed up that fast, then it’s probably not going to be fun to watch.

    The manga is a very interesting read due to the build-up and stable plot which is a very long process. It’s still ongoing although it has transcended beyond the original plot and it’s becoming daftly confusing. Still, if you’re a fan of rampant kissing among guy x girl, girl x girl and guy x guy, this series should be a massive hit.

    Props to the voice actors for having to take up dual roles every time they body switched (which is extremely prominent and not going to be just limited to Yamada and Shiraishi).

    Azsurance
    Reply

  7. This is really goofy. Most of the comedic scenes made me chuckle and I like the sweet OP. Sometimes it can be hard to remember that the story has a good element of romance to it (I say it like I know it, but I’m just going with the tags :p) when you have that many antics.

    The show looks very much like Yoshikawa Miki’s work in how the comedy works and feels as it did in Yankee-Megane, and I’m happy to actually watch another show I have no prior knowledge of be so fun and entertaining. The tsukkomi-bokke parts are gold and Miyamura’s a riot.

    Oh, this is good. I’m a little concerned about pacing after hearing how they blazed through several chapters in an episode, but with something as wacky as this that still finds space for serious moments (and perhaps romantic ones in the future), I think I’m sold. 🙂

    Owaranai
    Reply

  11. It was a good 1st impression even if there are a lot of manga scenes being omitted,
    Show Spoiler ▼

    .

    Even if this is a good one doesn’t mean it’s fine to skip the next parts of the original source.

    Nevertheless, the reasons why I’m watching this (even though it’s almost like Inou Battle, but better):
    1. The OVA made a good impression on me as it’s a good balance of comedy and seriousness.
    2. It’s neither a harem nor reverse-harem anime. (though I admit I’m working on a reverse harem LN).
    3. Liking Miyamura’s odd personality and sexuality that gives a sense of good comedic timing with his odd antics on the witches’ powers, especially Yamada’s.

    Though I can’t say for sure he’s a witch because being a witch means you’re a girl, right?

    Looking forward to the next episodes where maroon-haired girl might have an intention in joining the club…whether or not it’s a case of getting close to someone. hehe

    https://randomc.net/image/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo%20-%2001%20-%2039.jpg

    Richie Kim
    Reply

    1. I’m gonna have to completely disagree with you. There’s lots of romance in this series, though I won’t give away any details. All I’ll say is that it becomes vital to the overarching story. If anyone is into shipping, this is a great series for it.

      Samu
      Reply

      1. I get the feeling we won’t get to the point where it becomes particularly relevant. But then again, it’s been awhile since I watched a manga adaptation so maybe they’ll make it far enough(pls no rush tho).

        erohakase
        Reply

      2. There are only slight teases here and there. This is not a series where any real progress is made on the shipping fronts (most aren’t), which is why it’ll probably frustrate shippers when its over.

        Shellshocked
        Reply

      3. Uh, sure there are a lot of teases between most of the characters but there is still the major fact that:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        To say there is no ‘real progress’ in the romance department is simply wrong, sorry.

        Samu
        Reply

      4. Agreed. It seems like some readers/viewers might be referencing from other Yoshikawa works. For one, while Yankee-Megane was tonnes of fun, it hardly met any of my expectations for concrete romantic developments.

        I won’t spoil anything either and I’ve only started reading the Manga, but it is safe to say that romance is very much a core attraction of the series. Not forgetting the humor, of course. 😉

        Owaranai
        Reply

  14. 12 eps, with a 153 chapter ongoing manga eh? It’s a given that it’s gonna be some rushing here, no matter how little they decide to adapt but like most anime-only viewers, this premiere definitely hooked me in. I’ll prolly even read the manga after it the show delivers.

    MgMaster
    Reply

    1. Assuming they’re intending to conclude the 7 witches arc within 12 episodes, there will be a lot of rushing. Even a character so far away in the series has appeared on the OP 🙁

      Azsurance
      Reply

    2. I can’t say for sure that the 7 witches will be discovered with only 12 episodes.

      But, one thing I’m sure of is that this anime might be a 2-cour part with the finale ending with Show Spoiler ▼

      .

      Moreover, 2nd cour could occur in Fall 2015 so don’t jump to conclusions that this season has only 12 episodes.

      What’s more whoever we see in the opening will be discovered in the 2nd cour, especially this lady here… https://randomc.net/image/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo/Yamada-kun%20to%207-nin%20no%20Majo%20-%20OP%20-%2004.jpg

      So I believe this anime will have 24 episodes, and if it succeeds in ratings in Japan, there’ll be 2nd season as there’s more “calamity” involving the witches’ powers and more new characters [according to the manga].

      Hopefully my prediction will come true because I believe this anime’s potential in becoming a hit this season.:]

      Richie Kim
      Reply

      1. Whilst split cour would be ideal to tell the major story arc, I doubt it will happen like that. The OP itself showed characters that won’t be introduced for quite a while, and if they were saving them for the 2nd cour they wouldn’t appear in an OP for the 1st. They charged through nearly a volumes worth of chapters in one episode alone, so I don’t think it’d be much a stretch to assume that the 12 episodes will cover what we’d expect to see done in 24.

        Samu
        Reply

      2. Yeah, that’s the character I’m referring to, anyone who has already read through the manga would know who she is and how is she relevant. But point is, she’s really far, far, far down in the series (in fact, you’d know who the 7th witch is before her) which once again brings to my concern of how fast they may be moving per episode.

        The OP is really a nasty spoiler.

        Azsurance
        Reply

    1. That’s exactly what I thought after watching. And to think this show was on my maybe list! If the next episode is just as funny I will most definitely stick around, and I hope Samu does too!!!

      Jani
      Reply

  20. Loved reading the manga, up untill the end of the arc…
    Was put of by the PV’s but still curiosity got the best of me and i watched the first ep.

    Despite the rushing, still had me intrigued >_<

    .Mero
    Reply

  22. I didn’t pay much attention to this one in the season previews, but after reading this episode impression I gave the episode a try…..and I like it. Not usually the type of thing I go for, but there was just something about it that makes me want to check out the next few episodes at the very least.
    Plus, the OP and ED songs are great. Not too bothered if I get spoilered, the videos/music are too nice for that:)

    Aki-Chan
    Reply

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