Wow, this ended up being the most picture-centric post in a long while. I guess I just like the subject matter! I’m a few days late with this, but the 2nd episode of Rosario to Vampire is out, and we do get several important questions answered. However, due to the NSFW nature of some of the pictures, I’ll have to ask you to head below the fold after the first few questions.
Yes, she’s still a glompire.
Yes, she’s still smitten with him, and no, that’s not a good thing to hear your vampire girlfriend say in the morning.
Really not a good thing. Yes, she’s still going to nibble on him.
No, a nekosensei is kawaii, but not as much as a nekomeido.
No, this doesn’t count as symmetrical docking. Dammit.
Yes, in fact, all the girls’ skirts are that short.
Yes, the panty shots will continue for the forseeable future.
Yes, Tskune undoubtedly knows where his balls are, unlike Shungo.
Before we get into the questions raised by this episode, I will mention one other question they answered. I was wondering how Moka would keep other guys from harassing Tskune and finding out he’s a human/pushover. Well, she may be a bit of an airhead, but she’s not stupid: she spread the word that it was Tskune that took down last week’s bad guy. So now, none of the guys want to mess with him. On the other hand, one of the girls wants to mess with her, through him, and that’s where the trouble starts.
Now, to the questions…
Who is this bat, and why is he always breaking the fourth wall? For lack of a better name, and in the tradition of “Pyoro,” I’m going to call him Chuu. (Note that whenever Moka bites Tskune, the picture cuts to a classic shot of “lipstick lips” and a we hear a high pitched “chuuuuuuuuu” sung, almost “chyuuuuu”. Would chu = kiss?
Why is Moka stating the obvious?
Uhhhhh ….. will what?
Oh. How large are those things anyway?
What, that they are lighter than air?
And, um. I forgot the question. Nice piece of tail. And, uh, wing.
How much juice could the average harem produce, compared to the Energizer Bunny?
This is actually a pretty cute series so far. Whereas GSNK was fanservice and stupidity, R+V is fanservice that doesn’t shoot for the lowest common denominator, even while it’s pandering. (Hm. Oddly, I wrote “demoninator” at first. Gotta wonder about that…) Actually, I think it would be more accurate to say that it doesn’t require the viewer to turn his brain off to watch it. Comparing this show to the prior season’s harem fanservice entry is no contest. Whereas Mayu would constantly break character and vamp Shungo unintentionally or for the stupidest of reasons (if any), and Reika had to develop multiple personalities to do the same, these girls throw themselves at Tskune while staying entirely within character. Also, in GSNK, we could never be sure just how much danger Shungo was in from either Mayu or Reika. Here we know for certain, Tskune is in constant danger of being found out and killed. The result is a much higher tension and comedy level; one that doesn’t keep the viewer wincing and wondering if this show is too stupid to watch.
The third image contains my favourite artistic trick which they kept from the manga: drawing Tsukune with monster teeth when he’s shocked.
As for the busty succubus (not normally something I would complain about) I think certain attributes can be taken too far. Those things have ceased to be breasts and have become something new and utterly strange.
Yes, “chu” is the sound effect for a kiss.
The neko sensei, Shizuka Nekonome, is played by Kikuko Inoue. The wikipedia article says that she likes gold fish (the real ones, not the crackers). What do you think of her lesson in this ep?
The fansubbers’ notes passed really quick, and I didn’t go back to review them. I did note it had something to do with a piece of classic literature, supposedly about a fake goldfish. I figured there was a joke in there somewhere.
I can believe in “spontaneous breast inflation” as a succubus power. Maybe they respond to her mood.
-j
And don’t forget the *boing*. Definitely the *boing*. I have to wonder if those things are prehensile, like her tail. (That’s Tskune she’s got by the neck in that shot, with Moka grabbing him. Nice strong vertebrae… on both their parts.)
Oh, and clearly she’s a new species of monster as well: a succubust.
-j
Stop it, J. Just… stop it. Please.
Heh. “My work here is done.”
-j
Nekonome -sensei was saying that among famous novelists who are cat lovers, Uchida Hyakken stands out. He was a of pupil Natsume Souseki… The bat then appears to comment that everything Nekonome-sensei is saying relates to modern literature. The rest of her lesson isn’t translated. The translator’s note: Uchida Hyakken (real name Uchida Eizo) was a Japanese author who wrote many novels, one of them being “I am a Cat: the Fake Version”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uchida_Hyakken What else can you expect from a nekomusume?
The next char introduced is a goth-loli witch, the opposite direction from Kurumu-chan.
Sucubust. *GROAN* That’s almost as bad as Pete Abram’s succu-bus.
Anyway, after 24 hours of enforced absence from the internet (thanks a million, AT&T), I’m back. And I’ve found a series that takes fanservice far, far beyond this series into the ecchi zone.
Yep, that’s right, with no internet, I hit the “unwatched pile” and loaded up Witchblade. I’d criticized it for having too much fanservice before, but I had no idea. OMG, I had no idea….
I grabbed the fansub of the first episode before it was licensed. That was all I really needed to see.
Oh, no. You needed to see MUCH more. Gouge-your-eyes-out more. As in, were-they-trying-to-remake-Kekko -Kamen more.
/reaches for the DVD’s…..
OK, THAT one’s going into the “to buy” list. (At least one DVD, at least.)
I’d recommend DVD2, that’s where the fanservice goes ape. And the animation quality goes crap, unfortunately. Screenshots done, but I don’t think I’m going to get all the uploading done tonight.