Yukan Club - Episode 07
It's Saturday afternoon in England, which means...it's time for Yukan Club! Join me for a delightful tale of guns, good-looking foreign princes with awkward domestic situations, great outfits and gorgeous English!
Yukan Club 07
Plot: Miroku reinvents the television (next week, he's working on the wheel) and the members of Yukan Club alleviate their usual boredom by watching the news about Prince Kasaru (I have no clue how you actually romanise his name, so I'll go with the subs). Good-looking foreign prince coming to Japan because his country's not safe for him right now? Right up Karen's alley. But her plans to romance Kasaru go slightly awry when first he's more interested in vending machines than fancy teashops, and then they both get kidnapped by revolutionaries from Kasaru's homeland. Since King Garcia refuses to release the general who tried to overthrow him (a wise move) even at the cost of his son's life, it's down to Yukan Club to infiltrate the TV studio where the hostages are being held. Cue dorky police antics, gunfire, remote-control cars, world's most adorable trio of superheroes...and a giant pink bunny.
In other news: Last week, Noriko cried. This week, Karen cried. Miroku seems to have lost his ability to turn on the waterworks, damn him. Even Bido was tearful when he thought Karen had been shot. Miroku wasn't...because *he* was the one who got shot. It almost broke my heart when he quietly got everyone's attention, then pulled his top aside to show the bullet. Good thing he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Seishiro obviously makes sure the You Can Cleaning van is extremely well equipped!
I'm not sure what to make of this episode. I can't talk about Mike He, because I know nothing about him except that I'm glad I wasn't watching without subs - I don't think I'd have understood much of his dialogue otherwise. Ditto for the revolutionaries and their Engrish. I didn't care for Kasaru (in fact, I keep typing 'Karasu', and then I get images of the YYH character), I'm not that enamoured of Karen, and the plot was pretty predictable.
That said, there were some excellent reasons to watch too! Some of the comedy was really well done. For example, the revelation that Yuri's dad and King Garcia had been at Cambridge together - and Seishiro's reaction to it! Who on Earth would've suspected that old man... Then there were language issues with Kasaru, and the different ways the Japanese refer to their fathers. I like the way Yukan Club took to him immediately, though I don't think it was all that warranted given that he didn't start to show much personality till he was out with Karen, and talking about his home country. But I think they're a good group of friends to have - particularly for people in trouble!
The problem was when comedy came at not so appropriate moments. The last half of the episode was quite dark, which I applaud, because we were talking real danger, guns, death and all the rest of it. Mixing the comedic moments in with the action worked fine up until they got out of the TV studio to get on the bus, and Karen's heel snapped, Miroku...didn't faint, but he did fall to the ground and start slurring his lines. I kind of wish they'd shown you Miroku starting to collapse, and then changed to the club room where someone makes a comment about how it's a good thing he was wearing the vest so he's not actually injured, or something. Don't build up the tension and then diffuse it with a bad joke, okay?
Similarly, Tokimune's asking BusDriver!Seishiro if his instructions to his dork sidekicks were okay. Now, I appreciate that Seishiro's some kind of genius and he'll probably rule the world some day, and it's his plan, but I just find it odd (and rather tragic, actually) that the police commissioner is seeking approval from a high school student. Tokimune's right to say that this is serious, that it's not something Miroku and his friends should be getting involved in. I appreciate that in this sort of series, it all works out and obviously the kids triumph over the adults every time, but the club members (Yuri in particular) have no real understanding of the consequences of the risks they take.
But enough with the negativity, let's look on the bright side! (I'll get to the English in a bit.) Costumes! Dr. Noriko is quite fearsome, isn't she? Very stern and foreboding. But when she was dressed as a newsreader, I thought she looked like she belonged on Star Trek. Maybe it was the hair, I don't know. And I loved hearing her translate into English for Miroku's father. In any case, Noriko is easily the most beautiful of the Yukan Club girls. (And when I say 'girls', I mean real girls, not just gorgeous crossdressers.)
Seishiro the bus driver and Seishiro the paramedic didn't do much for me, but when he was all anti-terrorist and ready for action? *purrs* (Like the sound effect when he heroically leapt out of the box, too.) I could cheerfully watch a series about Seishiro, Miroku and Yuri dressing in black and teaming up to...uh...impersonate Jack Bauer. Yuri's black boots were gorgeous too. Sure, the girl does bright, gaudy clothes well, but she looks damned good in black. Liked the bright pink bunny rabbit too! Not sure about the delivery girl outfit - every time I see that much yellow on one person, my thoughts turn to Bruce Lee. Or to be more precise, to Ohno cosplaying as Bruce Lee.
Miroku didn't do much, driving the ambulance, but my love for Jin in black - Jin in black and beating people up, even - is unsurpassed. As a TV station employee, with his hair cutely caught up in the cap...aww... *must stop my mind from wandering*
Special mentions go to Bido in glasses, and the black and pink ensemble Karen was wearing when she first met Kasaru. (I hated the rest of her outfits.) Kasaru, incidentally, looks about as good in the school uniform as the rest of them do - which is to say, not at all.
And hey, they finally showed a class! Except nobody was actually studying because of the heavy police presence. Sure, it was overdone but the lunch scene made me laugh a lot. I was expecting police, fine, but a barrier and all those students gathered round? No wonder Seishiro felt like a panda in a zoo! (And what a nice panda he would've been, too.)
I know Karen's a gold-digger. I appreciate that finding a rich man to marry makes up the bulk of her personality. However, I think the way she adapted relatively easily to Kasaru's change of plans for their "date", and how she vowed to stay with him even though it was dangerous, says a lot more about the type of person she is. She does care, and she cares a lot - she just hides it under a very shallow layer of jewellery and party dresses. But because she is that shallow, it's fairly easy for her to bounce back from heartbreak. (Yes, I know, in this series nobody is ever affected by anything. Still...) Seishiro was right on the money by suggesting the rich Greek guy to get Karen over the shock of learning that Kasaru could have up to ten wives, of which she would be the last. (Miroku, I can't believe you suggested bowling! Hitting things is a nice way to expel frustration and anger, true, but no girl feels glamorous in bowling shoes and I'm pretty sure that's what Karen needed right then!)
I can't say anything about the music this week because although everything was beautiful, nothing caught my attention enough to single it out. I still need to track down the OST.
Obligatory Jin commentary: English! Seriously, Jin sounds so good now! (Albeit kind of American.) I understood him perfectly. It's obvious those six months in LA paid off; I'm very, very proud of him. But it's one thing to hear him in lyrics, or speaking scripted lines - what I'd really like is to hear more spontaneous English in an actual conversation. And it goes without saying that he looked fabulous this episode.
Best scene: Surprisingly, not the English, or even Jin-in-a-box. No, the scene I loved the most is from about 31 minutes in, when Yuri, disguised as a pink bunny, distracts an armed revolutionary, making him run round the corner. Miroku leaps out over the Information window, grabs him from behind (looking kind of like Ueda as he does so) and chloroforms him (maybe?). Seishiro then punches him in the stomach and steals his gun. Once the guy is on the ground, PinkBunny!Yuri comes and sits on him in a very self-satisfied way. Go, my superhero team! I like to try to pick some sort of deep, meaningful scene for my favourite, but I love this one for purely shallow reasons!
Conclusion: Like episode 6, I'm not that wild about the plot or the guest star, but the trimmings more than made up for it! The outfits, the action, the English, the danger...and my poor baby getting shot. Poor Miroku. But now he has a nice story to tell his millions of friends.
Next week: Everybody knows this by now - crossdressing! Again! And this time, Miroku joins in the fun! Jin always looks pretty in a dress, and he finally has a decent wig to go with it, so I shall be looking forward to this immensely. Seishiro looks like the kind of girl who'd trick you into marriage then kill you once he's got your money, and Bido looks like a cute blond bubblehead. Seems like there are explosions in store for Miroku's dad!
Yukan Club 07
Plot: Miroku reinvents the television (next week, he's working on the wheel) and the members of Yukan Club alleviate their usual boredom by watching the news about Prince Kasaru (I have no clue how you actually romanise his name, so I'll go with the subs). Good-looking foreign prince coming to Japan because his country's not safe for him right now? Right up Karen's alley. But her plans to romance Kasaru go slightly awry when first he's more interested in vending machines than fancy teashops, and then they both get kidnapped by revolutionaries from Kasaru's homeland. Since King Garcia refuses to release the general who tried to overthrow him (a wise move) even at the cost of his son's life, it's down to Yukan Club to infiltrate the TV studio where the hostages are being held. Cue dorky police antics, gunfire, remote-control cars, world's most adorable trio of superheroes...and a giant pink bunny.
In other news: Last week, Noriko cried. This week, Karen cried. Miroku seems to have lost his ability to turn on the waterworks, damn him. Even Bido was tearful when he thought Karen had been shot. Miroku wasn't...because *he* was the one who got shot. It almost broke my heart when he quietly got everyone's attention, then pulled his top aside to show the bullet. Good thing he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Seishiro obviously makes sure the You Can Cleaning van is extremely well equipped!
I'm not sure what to make of this episode. I can't talk about Mike He, because I know nothing about him except that I'm glad I wasn't watching without subs - I don't think I'd have understood much of his dialogue otherwise. Ditto for the revolutionaries and their Engrish. I didn't care for Kasaru (in fact, I keep typing 'Karasu', and then I get images of the YYH character), I'm not that enamoured of Karen, and the plot was pretty predictable.
That said, there were some excellent reasons to watch too! Some of the comedy was really well done. For example, the revelation that Yuri's dad and King Garcia had been at Cambridge together - and Seishiro's reaction to it! Who on Earth would've suspected that old man... Then there were language issues with Kasaru, and the different ways the Japanese refer to their fathers. I like the way Yukan Club took to him immediately, though I don't think it was all that warranted given that he didn't start to show much personality till he was out with Karen, and talking about his home country. But I think they're a good group of friends to have - particularly for people in trouble!
The problem was when comedy came at not so appropriate moments. The last half of the episode was quite dark, which I applaud, because we were talking real danger, guns, death and all the rest of it. Mixing the comedic moments in with the action worked fine up until they got out of the TV studio to get on the bus, and Karen's heel snapped, Miroku...didn't faint, but he did fall to the ground and start slurring his lines. I kind of wish they'd shown you Miroku starting to collapse, and then changed to the club room where someone makes a comment about how it's a good thing he was wearing the vest so he's not actually injured, or something. Don't build up the tension and then diffuse it with a bad joke, okay?
Similarly, Tokimune's asking BusDriver!Seishiro if his instructions to his dork sidekicks were okay. Now, I appreciate that Seishiro's some kind of genius and he'll probably rule the world some day, and it's his plan, but I just find it odd (and rather tragic, actually) that the police commissioner is seeking approval from a high school student. Tokimune's right to say that this is serious, that it's not something Miroku and his friends should be getting involved in. I appreciate that in this sort of series, it all works out and obviously the kids triumph over the adults every time, but the club members (Yuri in particular) have no real understanding of the consequences of the risks they take.
But enough with the negativity, let's look on the bright side! (I'll get to the English in a bit.) Costumes! Dr. Noriko is quite fearsome, isn't she? Very stern and foreboding. But when she was dressed as a newsreader, I thought she looked like she belonged on Star Trek. Maybe it was the hair, I don't know. And I loved hearing her translate into English for Miroku's father. In any case, Noriko is easily the most beautiful of the Yukan Club girls. (And when I say 'girls', I mean real girls, not just gorgeous crossdressers.)
Seishiro the bus driver and Seishiro the paramedic didn't do much for me, but when he was all anti-terrorist and ready for action? *purrs* (Like the sound effect when he heroically leapt out of the box, too.) I could cheerfully watch a series about Seishiro, Miroku and Yuri dressing in black and teaming up to...uh...impersonate Jack Bauer. Yuri's black boots were gorgeous too. Sure, the girl does bright, gaudy clothes well, but she looks damned good in black. Liked the bright pink bunny rabbit too! Not sure about the delivery girl outfit - every time I see that much yellow on one person, my thoughts turn to Bruce Lee. Or to be more precise, to Ohno cosplaying as Bruce Lee.
Miroku didn't do much, driving the ambulance, but my love for Jin in black - Jin in black and beating people up, even - is unsurpassed. As a TV station employee, with his hair cutely caught up in the cap...aww... *must stop my mind from wandering*
Special mentions go to Bido in glasses, and the black and pink ensemble Karen was wearing when she first met Kasaru. (I hated the rest of her outfits.) Kasaru, incidentally, looks about as good in the school uniform as the rest of them do - which is to say, not at all.
And hey, they finally showed a class! Except nobody was actually studying because of the heavy police presence. Sure, it was overdone but the lunch scene made me laugh a lot. I was expecting police, fine, but a barrier and all those students gathered round? No wonder Seishiro felt like a panda in a zoo! (And what a nice panda he would've been, too.)
I know Karen's a gold-digger. I appreciate that finding a rich man to marry makes up the bulk of her personality. However, I think the way she adapted relatively easily to Kasaru's change of plans for their "date", and how she vowed to stay with him even though it was dangerous, says a lot more about the type of person she is. She does care, and she cares a lot - she just hides it under a very shallow layer of jewellery and party dresses. But because she is that shallow, it's fairly easy for her to bounce back from heartbreak. (Yes, I know, in this series nobody is ever affected by anything. Still...) Seishiro was right on the money by suggesting the rich Greek guy to get Karen over the shock of learning that Kasaru could have up to ten wives, of which she would be the last. (Miroku, I can't believe you suggested bowling! Hitting things is a nice way to expel frustration and anger, true, but no girl feels glamorous in bowling shoes and I'm pretty sure that's what Karen needed right then!)
I can't say anything about the music this week because although everything was beautiful, nothing caught my attention enough to single it out. I still need to track down the OST.
Obligatory Jin commentary: English! Seriously, Jin sounds so good now! (Albeit kind of American.) I understood him perfectly. It's obvious those six months in LA paid off; I'm very, very proud of him. But it's one thing to hear him in lyrics, or speaking scripted lines - what I'd really like is to hear more spontaneous English in an actual conversation. And it goes without saying that he looked fabulous this episode.
Best scene: Surprisingly, not the English, or even Jin-in-a-box. No, the scene I loved the most is from about 31 minutes in, when Yuri, disguised as a pink bunny, distracts an armed revolutionary, making him run round the corner. Miroku leaps out over the Information window, grabs him from behind (looking kind of like Ueda as he does so) and chloroforms him (maybe?). Seishiro then punches him in the stomach and steals his gun. Once the guy is on the ground, PinkBunny!Yuri comes and sits on him in a very self-satisfied way. Go, my superhero team! I like to try to pick some sort of deep, meaningful scene for my favourite, but I love this one for purely shallow reasons!
Conclusion: Like episode 6, I'm not that wild about the plot or the guest star, but the trimmings more than made up for it! The outfits, the action, the English, the danger...and my poor baby getting shot. Poor Miroku. But now he has a nice story to tell his millions of friends.
Next week: Everybody knows this by now - crossdressing! Again! And this time, Miroku joins in the fun! Jin always looks pretty in a dress, and he finally has a decent wig to go with it, so I shall be looking forward to this immensely. Seishiro looks like the kind of girl who'd trick you into marriage then kill you once he's got your money, and Bido looks like a cute blond bubblehead. Seems like there are explosions in store for Miroku's dad!