Yukan Club - Episode 5
No mystery this week but plenty of trouble! There were some lovely moments, but also a fair few things I didn't like.
Yukan Club - Episode 05
Plot: Bad times ahead for the Kenbishi household as Yuri's scary mother decides she wants cute, girly little granddaughters and Yuri is just going to have to get married to provide her with some! But the only man strong enough to control Yuri is Seishiro, and he doesn't want the job...not until some rather thoughtless comments from his friends and his older sister provoke him into wanting to prove his own abilities as soon as possible. Seishiro's unexpected desire to marry Yuri thrills her family but sets everyone else - especially Noriko - against him, and his new underlings are not that keen on the idea either. After beating Yuri in a fight, Seishiro sets his sights on global domination, complete with some evil-but-very-hot glasses, and it takes a knock-down drag-out fight with Miroku, a heartfelt challenge from Noriko, and the intervention of a truly obnoxious monk to straighten him out. In other news: Miroku let me down by not bursting into tears this week - evidently, he has no problem getting emotionally distraught over the problems of strangers but when it's his own friends involved, forget it. He did, however, have quite a few moments where he seemed about to cry, and one where he appeared to have been crying before Seishiro walked in but I couldn't confirm because of the camera angle.
This week's episode can be divided up quite nicely into two categories, so that's what I'm going to do. The bad first.
The Bad
The episodes so far have been an effective mix of serious stuff and comedy, but this one tried too hard to do both and failed miserably as a consequence. The effects, like the monk's moves, just seemed out of place, and it didn't seem like the sort of plot where everything should just have gone back to normal afterwards.
I like CLAMP, so I automatically associate guys named 'Seishiro' with being dark, hot and evil. (And having incredibly complex relationships with other guys named Subaru, but let's not go there.) And Yoko plays evil well. What I had trouble buying was that Seishiro could go so completely over the top - I'd have found it easier to swallow if he'd been possessed or something, because then at least he'd have had a better excuse than his own ambition. It was slightly mitigated by the fact that he never attacked Noriko, only evaded her attacks, but for him to throw away the rest of his soul like that...
Yuri and her mother are starting to irritate me even more. (The Vatican? Westminster? What is her mother on, anyway?) I feel so sorry for Yuri's dad. I think he should just move in with Miroku's family, and he and Tokimune can be stupid, funny old men together. (With the two cops snapping pictures and bemoaning their fates, of course. Love those guys.)
That damned monk. I hate guys like that. I get flashbacks to Kenshin and Ranma.
The Good
Nice version of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'. Still loving the music in this series, and having 'Keep the Faith' during the fight with Miroku worked a treat.
Speaking of the fight...Jin can't film a drama without getting in a scrap of some kind, can he? He must have an awful lot of practice at stage-fighting by now. But it was good, they really went for each other, and for some reason, watching Seishiro half-strangle Miroku from behind was enough to send little shivers down my spine.
Seishiro. In. Glasses. That, I think, says it all.
NORIKO!!! Finally, she got something to do, and she went to town with it. Loved it all, from the subtle jealousy, heartbreaking acceptance and quiet shock to the direct, straightforward battle challenge. I was so proud of her. She looked really beautiful this episode (such a contrast to Yuri, who is cute but when she's annoying she only looks scruffy) - beautiful, elegant and determined.
The flashback was great as well, and chibi!Noriko was perfect. The slap, the tone of voice, everything. So cute! (And I say this as a person who hates kids.)
Bido entertained me in odd moments - preening in Karen's mirror, his expressions during the fight with Miroku, and the random orange juice thing that I really don't get. (But then, Miroku's little dream song baffled me as well. What on Earth does that boy dream about?)
The Seishiro/Yuri Tripitaka/Son Goku comparison. Can we have Yukan Club infiltrate a theatre group or something so they have an excuse to cosplay like this?
In conclusion: there's not an awful lot I can say about this episode, probably because there was no crime, no mystery (unless it's why Miroku did not burst into tears this week), no Otokoyama, and I didn't care for the plot. But Noriko came into her own, Seishiro and Miroku had a fabulous fight scene, and Bido's beautiful face was missing in the end. Sure, the jigsaw was very, very obvious, but I love that they then had to look for Bido's face.
And Yoko is mean, going after poor Jin's collarbone like that when they were giving away the manga! (But it did make me giggle.)
Next week: Oh joy. I'm not that fond of Koyama. He's not my least favourite member of NewS - I reserve that position for Nishikido Ryo - but I can't say I'm thrilled to see him guesting. I'll be expecting him to be a marriage swindler. (Thank you so much, Kurosagi.)
Yukan Club - Episode 05
Plot: Bad times ahead for the Kenbishi household as Yuri's scary mother decides she wants cute, girly little granddaughters and Yuri is just going to have to get married to provide her with some! But the only man strong enough to control Yuri is Seishiro, and he doesn't want the job...not until some rather thoughtless comments from his friends and his older sister provoke him into wanting to prove his own abilities as soon as possible. Seishiro's unexpected desire to marry Yuri thrills her family but sets everyone else - especially Noriko - against him, and his new underlings are not that keen on the idea either. After beating Yuri in a fight, Seishiro sets his sights on global domination, complete with some evil-but-very-hot glasses, and it takes a knock-down drag-out fight with Miroku, a heartfelt challenge from Noriko, and the intervention of a truly obnoxious monk to straighten him out. In other news: Miroku let me down by not bursting into tears this week - evidently, he has no problem getting emotionally distraught over the problems of strangers but when it's his own friends involved, forget it. He did, however, have quite a few moments where he seemed about to cry, and one where he appeared to have been crying before Seishiro walked in but I couldn't confirm because of the camera angle.
This week's episode can be divided up quite nicely into two categories, so that's what I'm going to do. The bad first.
The Bad
The episodes so far have been an effective mix of serious stuff and comedy, but this one tried too hard to do both and failed miserably as a consequence. The effects, like the monk's moves, just seemed out of place, and it didn't seem like the sort of plot where everything should just have gone back to normal afterwards.
I like CLAMP, so I automatically associate guys named 'Seishiro' with being dark, hot and evil. (And having incredibly complex relationships with other guys named Subaru, but let's not go there.) And Yoko plays evil well. What I had trouble buying was that Seishiro could go so completely over the top - I'd have found it easier to swallow if he'd been possessed or something, because then at least he'd have had a better excuse than his own ambition. It was slightly mitigated by the fact that he never attacked Noriko, only evaded her attacks, but for him to throw away the rest of his soul like that...
Yuri and her mother are starting to irritate me even more. (The Vatican? Westminster? What is her mother on, anyway?) I feel so sorry for Yuri's dad. I think he should just move in with Miroku's family, and he and Tokimune can be stupid, funny old men together. (With the two cops snapping pictures and bemoaning their fates, of course. Love those guys.)
That damned monk. I hate guys like that. I get flashbacks to Kenshin and Ranma.
The Good
Nice version of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'. Still loving the music in this series, and having 'Keep the Faith' during the fight with Miroku worked a treat.
Speaking of the fight...Jin can't film a drama without getting in a scrap of some kind, can he? He must have an awful lot of practice at stage-fighting by now. But it was good, they really went for each other, and for some reason, watching Seishiro half-strangle Miroku from behind was enough to send little shivers down my spine.
Seishiro. In. Glasses. That, I think, says it all.
NORIKO!!! Finally, she got something to do, and she went to town with it. Loved it all, from the subtle jealousy, heartbreaking acceptance and quiet shock to the direct, straightforward battle challenge. I was so proud of her. She looked really beautiful this episode (such a contrast to Yuri, who is cute but when she's annoying she only looks scruffy) - beautiful, elegant and determined.
The flashback was great as well, and chibi!Noriko was perfect. The slap, the tone of voice, everything. So cute! (And I say this as a person who hates kids.)
Bido entertained me in odd moments - preening in Karen's mirror, his expressions during the fight with Miroku, and the random orange juice thing that I really don't get. (But then, Miroku's little dream song baffled me as well. What on Earth does that boy dream about?)
The Seishiro/Yuri Tripitaka/Son Goku comparison. Can we have Yukan Club infiltrate a theatre group or something so they have an excuse to cosplay like this?
In conclusion: there's not an awful lot I can say about this episode, probably because there was no crime, no mystery (unless it's why Miroku did not burst into tears this week), no Otokoyama, and I didn't care for the plot. But Noriko came into her own, Seishiro and Miroku had a fabulous fight scene, and Bido's beautiful face was missing in the end. Sure, the jigsaw was very, very obvious, but I love that they then had to look for Bido's face.
And Yoko is mean, going after poor Jin's collarbone like that when they were giving away the manga! (But it did make me giggle.)
Next week: Oh joy. I'm not that fond of Koyama. He's not my least favourite member of NewS - I reserve that position for Nishikido Ryo - but I can't say I'm thrilled to see him guesting. I'll be expecting him to be a marriage swindler. (Thank you so much, Kurosagi.)