Shin Koihime Musou ~Otome Tairan~

Title:Shin Koihime Musou ~Otome Tairan~
真・恋姫†無双 ~乙女大乱~ (Japanese)
Overall:Watch
Keywords: , , , , , , , , ,
Notables: GOTO Mai
KUROKAWA Nami
NARUMI Erika
NISHIZAWA Hiroka
The girls of Koihime Musou are recruited to find the rare ingredients needed for an antidote to a strange poison which General Kasshin was forced to swallow.

Based on a computer game by BaseSon. See ↗Wiki Entry.
Animation by Doga Kobo.
Series aired March thru June 2010.
12 TV Episodes (~25min).

[edit] The ↗Koihime Musou franchise:
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Watch Stretch [series:2314#628]
(All episodes watched):

A fun show--just not a very good one--does that make any sense? Like it or not, that's the best description I can think of for SKMOT. Or maybe I should rephrase it as a hit-or-miss show with a quirky premise and sense of humor. Dopey, silly characters (who sometimes go into SD mode) may endear themselves to some viewers while strongly repelling others. Anyway, seeing as this is the third series of the Koihime Musou franchise, those who will and will not watch have probably already been decided.

I am a KM fan who has watched both of the previous seasons, but to be honest episode one of Otome Tairan seemed a disappointment. Most of the jokes were pretty dumb and didn't summon anything more than a smile from me. I had heard that the girls would jump to the conclusion that Ryubi was pregnant and was looking forward to see how they could utterly misunderstand the signs, but the actual episode didn't have all that much to add to the amusing synopsis I'd read. So, I was a bit unnerved by the lackluster quality of this opening episode. However, I recalled that the first episode of the second season had a similar effect but the show turned out to be fun nevertheless. I decided I would definitely be watching this, but could only admit that those who hadn't already been hooked by the KM franchise would be hard to persuade to do the same. If this means I am addicted to Moe, then I plead guilty without reservation.

After two episodes this show was still not looking very good. Episode two was rather boring. What I would really like is some more time with the original, basic cast of characters, and in particular their sometimes racy and fun dialogue, but that seems to be missing from this episode altogether. Instead we seem to be drifting away into time spent with more and more supporting characters, and there are so many of those that I cannot keep track of anywhere near all of them. I suppose this is because KM is basically a parody of the famous story Tale of Twelve Kingdoms (or something like that), which apparently had a large cast as well. What we got this time was largely shallow arguments between children which were neither moving nor amusing. I have infinitely better things to do with my time than watch stuff like this, and was tempted to shelve this series.

Contrary to what I just said, episode three was enjoyable and an improvement even though it involved two obscure characters. Perhaps what set it apart was that it really did focus on these two people and their developing friendship, rather than the usual mix of wacky behavior by numerous different girls. In general, SKMOT consists of simple plotlines and modest jokes, but is kept watchworthy by the eccentric personalities of the countless characters (which once in a while get a little racy). Goofy ecchi, you might say. I can't help loving these characters; for all the problems early on, I look forward to new episodes. 'Butterfly Mask' is my favorite bit. As we near the end, the political situation gets serious and the girls set out to do what they can to prevent civil war and chaos. The final episode included a pleasing surprise move which was welcome considering there was a battle involving 130,000 warriors going on which apparently resulted in exactly one fatality. That's the sort of absurdity which is to be expected from Koihime Musou. For all it's weaknesses, this show has an endearing style to it. Little depth, just silliness and humor. Try it, maybe you'll like it--or maybe you won't.

My favorite line: "It's like you took a pair of underwear someone wore for three years, and boiled it in cat pee"

Last updated Thursday, July 15 2010. Created Tuesday, April 06 2010.

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