Yuri Mania 24: Kanamemo 11-13 END

Gokigenyou minna-san! I've finally finished the slice-of-life, occasionally yuri show that is Kanamemo (last week). So I thought I'll finally give the last few episodes a review (or just a summary). Pardon the lateness and I'm sure a lot of people have forgotten about Kanamemo, but I'll try to refresh your memories on this fun little show.

Episode 11

In this episode seems like half the cast gets sick! I have to say it's a typical episode of a slice-of-life, but of course there are some twists including the disgustingly yuri couple.

So it starts off with a rainy day where Kana comes home soaked right through her dress... I was waiting for Haruka to show up, but to no avail... It's the end of summer, but it seems to rain in Tokyo as much as it does in Vancouver. So it's no wonder a lot of them got sick.

Ok, a little hard to see but here Haruka is imagining herself sharing udon with Kana as a cold remedy... They had to stop unfortunately ^^;

So Yuuki got sick and Yume follows (after she did Yuuki's share of work). The only remedy apparently is to sweat it out and get a good night's sleep (which you'll have to watch yourself since I'm not screencapping that :P).

Oh Kana... maybe when you're older.

One of the most disturbing scene in the episode. Saki gets sick and Kana's imagination runs wild!

So eventually the cold/fever reaches the youngest (?) resident. Kana is the only one at home at the time, so she panics as per usual and worried for no reason. It gets a bit annoying how Kana is so persistent on trying to take care of Saki. So I know how Saki feels.

Turns out all she needs was a cute little furball to make her feel better.

And of course Kana gets sick too. It's not surprising since she's everywhere in the residence. This is where I got interested because it delved further into her fear of loneliness. Behind all the fun throughout the show you can't forget that Kana has pretty much lost her grandmother and losing more of what she calls family is definitely unbearable.

Not really my favourite episode, but I really enjoyed Kana's insecurity because in a way it reflects myself. Ah, but then again I don't care at times because I've got many things to occupy myself instead of thinking loneliness... Yeah, sorry, I'm very much an escapist.

Episode 11

Eyecatches can be quite fun ^^

The end of summer also means the flea market for the Fuushin Gazette. Also the only way they'll get enough funds to get an air conditioner.

Knee pits!

Yuuki and Yume never fails to keep their love alive... even in public in the flea market. Good thing for us, eh?

Once again Saki shows her super duper kawaii mode! And quickly changes back.

Kana eventually sneaks... Err... goes out for lunch, but Saki tells her to get change for their sales. And that's when she bumps into a familiar stranger.

Literally bumps into her.

Ok, Kana won't know her, but she is Marimo-chan who appeared in episode 8. The former employee of Fuushin Gazette. She's also selling at the flea market... but 10 yen per vegetable!? That's crazy price! I can see why she's lovable.

Somehow Kana gets roped into helping her... She is very influential after all. Eventually Kana can't help but follow her...

To her doom! No, just kidding... but it is quite a flip...

Eventually they found a sweet olive tree. I have heard of this tree because of its sweet smell, but I can't remember where I've heard this before. I'd like to have a whiff of this one day if it means relaxing under the tree in the shade and worry about nothing. The perfect setting for Marimo-chan to do her magic, as Kana puts it. Just like that, Kana's feelings of loneliness dissipates... And I'm glad for her. Because her attitudes changed quite a bit in the next episode, and I like it!

Kana seems to have forgotten something...

OMG! A Noizi Ito art for Kanamemo! KAWAII!

Episode 13

In the final episode, Haruka kidnaps Kana and Mika and does her way with them... Poor things, so young...

Ok, not really... it's the final episode, but the silliness seems to have gone higher in scale than before! The somber feelings of Kana's loneliness disappears and she gets much more confident.

But I'm still not confident with her bike riding skills...

So she's back to this bike riding training. Why? They're going to hire a new help and Kana's finally become a sempai! A sempai has got to know how to ride a bike, right? That's ok... I didn't learn how to ride a bike until I was 15...

Saki denies Haruka of gropi... interviewing the new helper.

Something I haven't seen in a while is Mika's blushing infatuation with Kana. I really wished this wasn't the last episode... I wanna see Mika's happy ending with Kana as well, lol.

Kana discovers a secret and makes a new face. A confident, sneaky face that even Haruka would be proud! Go get her Kana! This scene is definitely my favourite of the whole show. For once Kana is the seme! Someone go make a doujinshi of this, please!

I usually don't take screencap of that robot who does the fade away, but I cannot resist when he says "KanaMika". Tohoho. More of KanaXMika please! ^.^

This had to be the silliest scenes after that previously great scene... They're pretending to ride a bike and racing. When I first watched it, it felt like it was dragging... SOOOO SILLLY! XD Great ending by Kana though. It really reflect the fun side of this anime. It's corny yet you can't really show this to kids, can you?

An actual "Kanamemo"!

The change of scenery of Kana wanting a new diary felt like it was an episode of Azumanga Daioh. It seemed like there was a missing title for the second half of the episode. 2,980 yen is a tad expensive for the diary that Kana wanted, so eventually the other girls plotted... Umm... planned to give her the money.

You want a Kana? Only 2,980 yen! Order now!

So the plan was for them to gather money for Kana by asking her to do menial tasks, even verbally abusing Haruka... I wonder what she said that made Haruka blush!?

Aside from the silly bike riding pretend, it's a great final episode. Kana's really confident and she's really become part of the crew. The ending art (the very first picture on this post) of this episode was done by Shouko Iwami herself. I've only read one other Iwami's books called Suzunari. It involved the supernatural yet it was very down-to-earth because of how it told the story of relationships. Without relying on the supernatural, Kanamemo really touches on similar relationship themes.

It's a fun show and if you overlook the yuri scenes and fan service you can see the heart-warming story underneath it. I've really enjoyed the show, but it isn't my favourite. A lot of its silliness just bores me and the musical episode did nothing for me. I think it's worth watching at least once, but for me, I don't think I'll watch it again. Well maybe not until much, much later when I finally finish my unwatched pile (which will be in another hundred years), but I need some time before I go back to this show.

Yuri Mania 23: Kanamemo 7-10

Gokigenyou minna-san! I've been neglecting these yuri posts for a while... Not to mention I've neglected my duties of posting about last summer's slice-of-yuri-life show, Kanamemo, for 4-5 months now. I apologize and will finish what I started with this first of two parts of "The Rest of Kanamemo" posts.



The screenshots I've taken are mostly the fan service, but remember there's a story that goes with them. I'll summarize the story and input my opinions in them as well. I hope to not spoil the story lines, but it is a down-to-earth slice-of-life anime that doesn't really involve earth-shattering situations... Unless you look at it through Kana's eyes.

Feel free to refresh your memory on Kanamemo on the first episode summary and/or read the rest of the episode summaries before this one.

Episode 7

This episode happened sometime in summer during the Obon festival/holiday in Japan. I really like how they match the episodes along with what's happening in the current events.

The Obon festival is when spirit of the family members who have died return to visit. When the festival is over they return to the land of the dead. A tradition is also mentioned here about the cucumber and the eggplant. In the morning, they add legs to the cucumber because it represents a horse; which makes the spirit arrive faster. When they go home they go on the eggplant because it represents a cow; which makes them leave slower... You really do learn some things by watching anime :)

Hinata gambles with Haruka... She loses and offers Kana for her gambling debt... Haruka humbly accepts.

Obon is also one of the only times the newspaper have a holiday. So the cast enjoy a day off at the office and then the festival at night.

Haruka-obaa-chan? Is this what's gonna happen when Haruka has grandchildren??

A little bit of Yume X Yuuki

Do you like the lilies or the fireworks pattern? Or do you prefer me?

That also gives an excuse for the cast to wear yukata and some brief (albeit covered by cats) changing scene. I'm definitely getting hungry just looking at all the festival foods. I wonder how much they are if they can stretch their 1000 yen allowance so much. Especially Kana treating this little girl who she doesn't even know with lots of things from the festival... Who is this mysterious little girl?

Really nice to learn about Japanese culture through anime and I understand a lot more of the festivals that's going on in Japan during the summer.

Episode 8

Haruka receives a gift from the sky

It's still summer and still hotter than ever... Much different than what it's like here in Vancouver. Anyhow... The episode starts with Kana trying to escape the heat by climbing on a tree because a cat knows where to find cool places.

Haruka enjoying her gift...

However, this episode is about the past... A certain person from the past that got to Saki's heart. If you can even imagine that's possible after seeing her cold attitude throughout the series. She is Marimo-chan, possibly the Yume to Saki's Yuuki ^^;

Which brings us to a cold snap that happened last year. Now that's closer to what it was like here! This episode really shows Saki's tsundere side that doesn't show too much in the previous episodes. So in Kana's eyes, someone that can have an effect like that towards Saki must know magic!

I'm loving the eyecatches and the end illustrations for each episodes.

A flashback to a different character is nice... but I would love to see more of her. She looks like about Haruka's age, but I don't think she's obsessed about groping girls ^^;

Episode 9

Really now? Can't even show the hole? =/

Haruka knows everyone's (girls from 7-15 years old) body, including their growth.

This episode starts with the RIP heard around the... dining room. Kana's gaining some weight and her pants can't hold it anymore! So she decides to go on a diet... A very peculiar cosplay diet at that...

That changed quite quickly though. It ended up with Kana and Mika taking care of a classmate's dog because she will be away for half the day... WUT? They can't leave a dog alone for half a day!? Anyway... It sounded like a good opportunity for Kana and Mika to get used to dogs and exercising at the same time.

This episode also delved into Mika's past with dogs. I have to say, Shouko Iwami, the manga artist, is really good at creating these bittersweet moments. I've seen this quite a bit with Suzunari. It's quite wonderful how a 4koma can deal with serious subjects as well.

Haruka was restrained completely for most of the episodes! They know her attacks quite well now...

Well... She's in police custody now... How'd she get out of this for the next episode??

I really found it jarring at the switch of focus of the episode. I should really know these kinds of shows do that a lot by now, but it was quite a strange switch. Good to learn more about Mika though.

Episode 10

Yume's an ojou-sama?

This is where Iwami's writing really shows its bittersweet moments. This episode deals with the feelings between Yuuki and Yume, but also Kana's feelings towards the rest of the cast. It all begins with Yume leaving in a fancy car and Kana misunderstanding why Yume left; which gives her sympathy towards Yuuki who look distressed.

The cop from the last episode should've detained her longer...

Kana tries very hard to not remind Yuuki of Yume at all in this episode because she thinks they're finally separated. In the second half of the episode she begins to wonder about her own loneliness and wondered about what happens when nobody is there for her.

Is this how you make real iced tea??

Again it's all a misunderstanding on Kana's part when Yume returned. Though she can't help but wonder about her loneliness for not having someone close to her like Yume and Yuuki. But of course she does have her yuri pairing, whether she realizes it or not ^v^

Kana running with a piece of toast in her mouth! KAWAII!

Someone put a restraining order on Haruka from the school!

It's around this episode that I'm starting to learn the pattern for each episode now. Something humorous in the beginning with a groping by Haruka, Kana's event (serious or humorous) and conclusion. It becomes quite predictable how the show runs, but this has quite a serious turn in the middle of this episode.

That's all for now. I would've loved to finish it off in one post, but I took too many screenshots and perhaps wrote too much. Until next time, gokigenyou!