Death Valley Driver Anime Review #13 - Kodomo No Omacha

Akitaroh Daichi, when knowledgeable anime fans speak this name several things pop in their heads. Insane is one of those words. Why? Daichi has directed 3 of the most anarchistic shoujo/comedy shows of the past 10 years. Just last year Daichi gave us the hilarious “Jubei-chan The Ninja Girl – Secret Of The Lovely Eyepatch”. Before that there was the insane to the point of not understanding it at all “Elf Princess Raine”. Well before either of those came the television adaptation of Miho Obana’s shoujo comedy “Kodomo No Omacha” (A Child’s Toy). Referred to by its fans affectionately as “Kodocha”, Obana’s original manga appeared in Ribon magazine. Ribon was famous for having been the shoujo home of Osamu Tezuka, Japan’s revered “Manga No Kami-sama”. Sadly, since Tezuka’s death in 1982 Ribon had been losing a large share of its readership to rival Nakayoshi. Backed by the strength of 2 serials in the 90’s, Naoko Takeuchi’s “Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon” and Studio CLAMP’s “Mahou Kishi Rayearth”, Nakayoshi had become the market leader in shoujo manga. Ribon was looking for a strong story to boost their sales and “Kodocha” did just that. The manga began in 1994 and the anime started with the fall TV season 1995 with a Fridays at 6:30pm airtime. To say that “Kodocha” was a hit is an understatement. No sooner did the first episode air than buzz overseas begin. When several fan-subtitling groups undertook the task of subbing “Kodocha” it became a hot item. Anime fans overseas were willing to settle for 3rd generation TV source copies just so they could sit and laugh their Asses of at the anarchy that was “Kodocha” (1). The show ran a full 2 years and most fansub groups that undertook the task haven’t gotten past episode 30. Still a look over at the Anime Web Turnpike will reveal quite a number of links for “Kodocha”. Enough with the backstory, onto… well… umm… the story.

Kodomo No Omacha TV Episodes 1-3
Kurata Sana is not your average 6th grader; unless your average 6th grader happens to be the star of 2 hit television series’. Yes, Sana, star of both “Zenjirou’s Kodomo No Omacha” and “Magical angel Sana”, I quite the active little girl. She is also quite the spoiled little brat used to getting her way. She is helped along in her tantrums by her manager Sagami Rei and her mother Kurata “Mama” Mariko. Mama is quite the unique character. Known for her wide collection of bizarre hats and her pet squirrel Maro-chan, who lives in said hats, Mama is actually a well regarded novelist who wrote the Aoki winning book The Pimp And I, detailing her life with her deadbeat ex-husband. Since then Mama has been working on novel #2 and is hounded by a clerk sent by her editor. Mama escapes the clerk, usually by driving away in her toy car (No, I’m not doing drugs, that’s what happens. Hell, she even escapes the guy by using her hat that looks like a space shuttle as a smokescreen in TV Episode 10).

Upon entering 6th grade she is shocked to see the classroom in complete anarchy. The homeroom teacher, Michiya-sensei, has given the boys free reign because of their leader, one Akito Hayama, the closest thing to All Japan level stoicism in anime. Seriously, this kid makes Misawa look like Ohtani when it comes to being stoic and cool. It seems that young Akito caught Michiya-sensei in a compromising position with another teacher and even has a lovely photograph of the two. Thus to avoid the photo from making the rounds across the school Michiya-sensei lets Akito and his hooligans run roughshod over the classroom. Needless to say, Sana is not to pleased with the situation.
Sana makes it her duty to break Akito’s hold on the class. She recruits a timid boy named Tsuyoshi to help her. Tsuyoshi reveals that Akito is in fact acrophobic. Using this information Sana challenges Akito to a bungee jumping contest from the top of the school gym. Akito accepts and the entire class is psyched for the contest. Akito jumps first and due to his fear of heights exhibits fear by gulping. Sana knows she has the contest won but when she jumps she, for no very good reason mind you, becomes afraid of falling. Yes the logic of this little girl baffles everyone but it makes for great comedy. Humiliated, Sana comes up with another plan, something a little cruder in execution. Relying on Tsuyoshi once again this time she uses her manager Rei as well. Sana decides to lie in wait in front of Akito’s house. When Akito comes out, Tsuyoshi pushes him into a well-lit area and then pulls down the unsuspecting boys pants. At that moment Sana, who had been hiding in the bushes, snaps a picture of the now depantsed Akito. Sana gives the Polaroid to Rei, who was waiting nearby in a car. Sana then negotiates a deal with Akito; control of the classroom returns to Michiya-sensei immediately or else Akito will be all over school in all his depantsed glory. Knowing he’s been whipped, Akito agrees, but not before swearing revenge.

Analysis
This is only the beginning folks. The rivalry between Misawa and Kawa… uh, I mean Akito and Sana continues to build. By episode 8 the rivalry becomes mutual respect and Akito even confesses to Sana “I don’t hate you”. Sana thinks nothing of this until she runs into Akito’s father who reveals that when Akito says that he doesn’t hate something it means he loves it. Of course romance is balanced out by wacky comic stuff. When Sana cooks up a scheme she has one creepy laugh and of course any scene with Mama is pure gold (especially in episode 10, when Mama meets Akito for the first time. Akito, being the observant one, asks Mama about the beloved Maro-chan, namely where does he go to the bathroom when living on her head? Mama is quick to have Maro-chan come out of the hat and sit on a plant. She then hands him the smallest piece of toilet paper you’ve ever seen. Akito, being all stoic as Misawa and all, accepts this as perfectly normal). Be watchful every episode because Mama changes hats, in one episode she wears 3 different hats (the amusement park hat with Maro-chan riding the roller coaster is my fave).
The show is mainly a comedy but has some very serious episodes, those shows tend to deal with something important happening to a key character that result in Sana and Akito bonding and becoming closer (Akito’s father being hospitalized after a heart attack in episode 11 is an example).

What can I say? I love this show and everyone I’ve shown it to comes away loving it. Even my friend Mike Davis, (No, not Maniac Mike Davis), who despises shoujo came away liking this show. As far as getting episodes of the show, several fansub groups have done at least to episode 32. Check the Anipike’s fansub links. US Anime Distributor Animeigo informed fans this summer that “Kodocha” was on their “radar”, whatever that means.

James Final Take On Kodocha – A great show. Screw star ratings. It’s all about the show and whether I think you should bother with it. In this case not only should you watch it but also you should watch it and watch it with your friends. If they don’t laugh like maniacs then they just passed the entrance exam to be a future All Japan headliner.

James
Who just realized he totally forgot about Babbit!