The “Budokan Genre” has always been temperamental when it comes to its series, garnering mixed feelings with its different adaptations. However, it’s never even fun watching them anymore ever since Sumomomo Momomo ended… until now.
Asu No Yoichi combines some of the routine but effective factors in the past series, and combines them with a dash of harem elements to liven up the mood. Now, I wouldn’t really say anything about the “effective” part. What caught me in Sumomomo caught me again here, so you can say it’s a preference. But hey, it’s a good show, and almost everybody agrees to that bit. Typical start of main character on some mountain province? Check! Kung Fu? Personal harem? Check! Boobs, “accidents” and panty shots?! Check!! Lolis, OR SO YOU THINK?! Check!! BDSM MARTIAL ARTS PRACTITIONERS!?! CHECK!!! Any aspect of a series that’s Sumomomo incarnate, you can find it in here. And I’m having fun with Asu No Yoichi the same way as I had fun with Sumomomo. With that in account, I think I don’t need to specify any material type since both of their manga sources speak for their anime counterparts and vice-versa.
All aboard!
Characters are based on a classic selection, with inclinations on the harem side of the story. We have our mountain samurai sent by his father to live in the city to learn new things so the latter can finally stop getting PWNT by his son, four girls from a respectable family of martial artists, who agreed to take in the freeloading samurai, two female BDSM practitioners who gives the reason “It’s part of the Kung Fu! You don’t say when I can kick your ass in it!” as an excuse to wearing slick undergarments, a big oaf of a delinquent who doesn’t have the balls over anything except on getting beaten up in more ways than one, and some shady, ninja-ish characters who want our samurai protagonist dead… or at least swimming on his personal pool of blood or something. Looks like a promising roster, no?
Nutcracked: WHACK!
Storyline takes on the typical “you-have-nothing-else-to-learn-here-in-the-mountains-go-to-the-city-and-live-there” style. We’ve seen a few of that already (thank you, Ranma 1/2), though having it sit on the harem side of the plane gives it an extra boost, since the combo is well-known for its evil plot advances. There’s the slapstick comedy, perverted and sometimes intended accidents, Kung Fu fighting, repeat, then some. They’ve been failing a bit on making it non-linear, though. Just little changes from what seem to be a typical love polygon being introduced episode by episode beefed up with the usual display of Budou, nothing special. Pacing may be a bit fast, but it’s too soon to say something of the sort source-wise, so I think I’ll give it some time for development. At least it opened an important aspect before it moved on.
You see, the series does not really tackle the martial arts bit in particular detail. More like it established a balanced ratio between the Kung Fu and the non-Kung Fu parts. Not all characters are martial artists, and they have normal lifestyles, just like most of us. They have their own likes, dislikes, hobbies, jobs, and more of the like, which our swashbuckling friends try to figure out and vice-versa. That is what separates it from the other famous series: Not all of us want Kung Fu. Not all who learn Kung Fu wanted it. And like it or not, learned it or not, change or no, some of us just want to stay as is. Such a humble reminder is needed to solve the seemingly large equation and make it work, and it did.
FUKU NO NUSAGU, ICHI NO OUGI: YOICHI!
Fights are also one of the factors I check when I watch Budokan series, and as such, I highly anticipate them. I like to see how Yoichi wields his sword, how Anjera’s claws are used effectively, how Ukyo will utilize his fan, or how Sakkon will mix her drugs-ohwaitthatsnotsomethingyouguysshouldknow (okay, that’s enough spoilers, haha). Here, you can see how fluid and plausible the moves can be, the degree of how they were performed, and the experience of the performer in doing so. I like detail, especially on martial arts. And given a sound mind and body, anybody can perform some of the moves to a degree. I practice myself, so I should at least know that.
Knowing the show twists into a story of its own, it’s too early to close the book when you’ve only read it halfway. My say may change by the time the series ends, but as of now, I’m entertained. To be exact, it’s refreshing to see the same old factors of the genre running on a new and effective story. If this goes all the way, you can expect my word on it, bushido-style.
Indeed, for its type, Yoichi is very enjoyable. I suppose the way they rehashed the jokes and how the main character himself is actually not weak for once in such harem series is a plus.
Well, that being said, Yoichi is probably 2009′s latest “Invincible Character” nominee, given the beating he’s taking. And he’s not even bleeding that much yet. But hey, we’ve seen the Keitaro Urashima antics already. It’s raining tsundere punches EVERYWHERE.