First Look: Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

Title: Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Genre: Sci-Fi

Summary: The story revolves around a highschool boy named Niwa Makoto. He lives with his aunt’s family since his parents are away on business. It is there where he meets his mysterious cousin of the same age Touwa Erio — who happens to tie a futon mattress around her upper body and is a self-proclaimed alien. Her staple food is pizza. Erio had been missing for half a year and was found floating in the sea. She doesn’t remember anything about what happened during that period of time, but she began to think that it was the act of an alien and wanders the neighborhood wrapped in the futon.

First Look: This anime has gotten more more curious than anything. Four episodes in I still don’t know exactly what its about. The curious little Touwa is a cute, beautiful girl who has lost her memories. To compensate for the losses she starts to believe she is an alien. Wrapping herself in a futon and avoiding school, she basically completely shut out the outside world. Her mother, a bit of a ditz, doesn’t seem to care that her daughter is in her own little world. Actually, she just tells people to ignore her. She also seems to be a bit of a tease towards her own nephew. But that’s a different story completely… probably. You can never tell with these SHAFT productions.

I’m not sure why I like the series, but I’m quite hooked to it. Curiosity is the best word to describe what I’m feeling when I watch each episode. It seems to just be one of those time killer comedies. But at the same time it feels like there is something more to it. It’s like a re-discovering story. A tale about a young girl who lost her way, and a helpful hand trying to guide her back to the right path. Then again, it could just be a strange tale that just makes for a unique setting more than anything. There really isn’t much to say for the story other than it is strange. That’s probably the most appealing thing about it really. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a girl eat pizza while wrapped up in a futon? Plus the rest of the series is pretty funny. The aunt specifically is a pretty good character. She’s cute but a bit intimidating at times too. When she tried to push Niwa away from Touwa hilarity did ensue. There also seems to be a good set of girls lining up behind Niwa, though I’m not sure if anything will actually happen. Right now I’m more hoping that Niwa doesn’t fall in love with his cousin. It’s pretty much my only fear with the series, the rest of it seems quite entertaining.

The art style as usual is amazing. The quick scenes, beautiful character design, and awesome effects really make the series better. I think that SHAFT picking up such a strange story was for the best. They always seem to have the perfect mix of mystery and comedy imbedded into their art styles. When I first saw Touwa at the very end of episode one I was definitely taken back by her beauty. Well, as much as a 2D girl can take me back at least. The long blue hair waving in the night sky as the moonlight reflects off her skin. Quite the image. Plus seeing her sitting in a bike basket was kind of cute. the other girls are also rather cute in their own way. A bit weird and a bit hyper make the perfect combination for moe.

Final statements: Like I said I have no idea why I like this series. Maybe I’m into the weird stories, looking for a quick laugh. I’m keeping it on watch because I’m really curious how it is going to progress. Who knows, maybe it will turn into something more than I expected.