The content of this piece was written during a viewing of the first episode of The Wallflower on September 6, 2010. Edits have been made for spelling and grammar, but the rest is completely untouched, and un-edited from its original format.
Fun fact: I use the term “man candy” seven times in this writeup. That makes it seven times I’ve used that term in my life!
9:07 PM: Good evening, everybody. Welcome to another show-blog.
9:07 PM: Tonight’s feature is .@funimation’s release of The Wallflower
9:11 PM: http://twitpic.com/2lzljs
9:11 PM: Anyway, I’ll start off with the basic information:
9:14 PM: Animated by Nippon Animation (Hunter X Hunter, Dog of Flanders)
9:15 PM: Directed by Shinichi Watanabe (Excel Saga, Nerima Daikon Brothers)
9:15 PM: Opening theme: Slow, Closing Theme: Carnation – both by Kiyoharu.
9:16 PM: The Wallflower is a license rescue from ADV Films, which was released in a single DVD set last year.
9:19 PM: It’s about time we began, so let’s start the episode.
9:19 PM: “It was about two years ago… I never even wanna think about it again. :I”
9:19 PM: …And a rejection >_> HARSH!
9:20 PM: “I don’t like ugly girls T_T” That’s gotta kill the ol’ self-esteem a bit
9:20 PM: Yyyyep… apparently, that set Venom free, or something as black stuff creates the transition to the credits.
9:20 PM: Which has… sexy naked mans o.o
9:21 PM: And a charming ballad-ish song.
9:22 PM: And now to an elegant garden, where sexy enjoys tea.
9:23 PM: And one of ‘em is pissy. >_> Wonder why?
9:23 PM: Guess we’ll find out. “A FEW DAYS EARLIER”
9:24 PM: Landlady’s having her niece move into the mansion… and she wants them to train her to be a respectable lady
9:24 PM: …in exchange for free rent for life. :D Failure sees tripled rent.
9:24 PM: And she’s gone. wtf Japan.
9:25 PM: Helicopter trip around the world to find love. “A-DI-OS AAA-MI-GOS OOOOHOHOHOHO! :>”
9:26 PM: And we’re finally getting names. Yay!
9:26 PM: Blondie = Yukinojo
9:26 PM: Red-head = Ranmaru
9:27 PM: Manly blonde chap = Kyohei
9:27 PM: hah :D All he cares about is a decent meal… apparently, the landlady cooked, too
9:27 PM: Brunette = Takenaga
9:27 PM: And creepy girl in bushes spying. >_>
9:28 PM: “Let’s gather some roses before the princess arrives. :3″ Smart idea.
9:28 PM: And a rustle in the bushes… They think it’s a cat – wait til they see the serial killer waiting for ‘em.
9:28 PM: “Meow :D -GASP- ‘_’ “
9:28 PM: …sounds about right
9:29 PM: HOLY CRAP IT’S SADAKO! O_O
9:29 PM: And the guys… insult her fashion sense. Idjits.
9:30 PM: “Are you Sunako by any chance? :O” “-nod-” “-SHOCK! :O-”
9:30 PM: The expressions in this are just priceless. :D
9:30 PM: And Sunako drags this black mist with her XD
9:31 PM: “CUT EM OFF T_T” -light bulbs pop- >_> Yeah… she’s a frightening one
9:31 PM: Hikkikomori are like that, though.
9:31 PM: Now at a restaurant – the cute maids fawn over the man-candy XD
9:32 PM: They really dialed up the sex on them.
9:32 PM: And they’re depressed about the rent… thingy. I would be, too. >_>
9:33 PM: “A normal girl -SPARKLE-” prompts destruction and riots. :o Frightening!
9:33 PM: And when they leave? They’re stick men. Love the visual style in this. It’s just crazy enough to work.
9:34 PM: Hah! 21-girl, collective nosebleed!
9:34 PM: “You SLUT T_T” Never heard a guy call another guy that.
9:34 PM: Back to the niece, who’s talking to… an anatomical model? Named Hiroshi? O_o wtf…
9:35 PM: …She hates the man-candy, and they fear her. It’s like a cobra against a mongoose… or something
9:36 PM: Kyohei gets feminine. NEVER heard a guy say “Iyaan! D:” before, either. o_o
9:36 PM: Back to Sunako… who’s watching horror flicks and surrounded by weird crap
9:36 PM: Yyyep – hikkiomori
9:37 PM: The guys are talking about how to get her out of the room… “I wanna make your skin pink! <3″ uhhh o-o
9:38 PM: Kyo, meanwhile, is just stomping in to demand his dinner… shirtless man candy leads to a screaming Sunako
9:38 PM: “Kyohei, did you finally hit her? o_o” …what kind of people are these? O_o
9:39 PM: Kyohei’s pissed. And he told her how it is… “Who would want to come inside this scary-ass room!? O_o” good question
9:39 PM: Yyyeah… scary ‘_’ Books on torture, skeletons, slasher flicks… NO light… she is the portrait of a serial killer!
9:40 PM: sorry – rapey skeletons. >_>
9:40 PM: Sunako facepalm as they don’t get it.
9:40 PM: Hah. She was nosebleeding.
9:41 PM: “How am I supposed to live with those creatures of the light? ‘_’ ” …Ohhhh – so she’s just emo.
9:41 PM: And creepy.
9:41 PM: And antisocial…
9:41 PM: And back to the man-candy, who are assessing the situation.
9:42 PM: Looks like Sunako finally left the room. Progress! :D
9:42 PM: And eyecatch.
9:43 PM: Sunako at a dark playground, with… 102 yen? to her name
9:43 PM: This means no hotel… camp-out time?
9:44 PM: Nope… perverts >_>
9:44 PM: Hah! On-screen text: “SADAKO!” as she gets this indescribably scary expression. XD
9:44 PM: That took care of ‘em fast
9:45 PM: “There’s no place for an ugly girl in this world. D:” aw :( They think she’s a ghost now
9:45 PM: “You gonna help her?” “Not unless she’s cute T_T” …assholes.
9:46 PM: Inferiority complex coming about now. “I just want to melt into the darkness. D: -DONK-” Kyo arrives to save the day! :D
9:46 PM: Or something
9:46 PM: Nope.. he’s just gonna yell at her for being a moron.
9:46 PM: And she’s making a fool of herself… aw.
9:47 PM: She’s not seeing this as entirely terrible now, apparently.
9:47 PM: …Especially as she peeps at Kyo as he tries to cook. ehe
9:48 PM: “Let’s just call some girls. ‘_’ ” “They’re loud so no T_T”
9:49 PM: heh.. Kyo shows that cooking is not his strong suit… and Sunako just watches.
9:49 PM: Apparently, she’s not made of stone after all o-o
9:49 PM: “What are you doing?! T_T” “Sit down T___T -psycho music plays-”
9:50 PM: She’s got a knife! I KNEW SHE WAS FREAKING A SERIAL KILLER!
9:50 PM: “Who’s gonna get killed first? ;o;” Kyo. Definitely Kyo.
9:51 PM: …or not. >_>
9:51 PM: She’s… cooking… very… very graphically.
9:51 PM: That childish laughter just doesn’t inspire confidence
9:52 PM: Now cooking begins. .. and it looks good :o
9:52 PM: …IS good. Makes all boys cry for mamma! Well… “Mommie”
9:52 PM: And she finally apologizes.
9:53 PM: “She’s got potential :3″
9:53 PM: …Gonna need more coaxing to see her face, though.
9:53 PM: “You screamed when you saw my face T_T” he’s gonna show the world her face… or rape her. Not sure which yet.
9:54 PM: The chase is on – “Somehow, this is erotic, yet not erotic at all. >_>” uhhh… ‘_’
9:55 PM: All through the house they scoot. Til she smacks her head on a shelf and knocks flour all over her >_> …How convenient
9:55 PM: The moment of truth.
9:55 PM: She’s gorgeous.
9:55 PM: “It’s normal, how boring T_T”
9:56 PM: Poor girl’s riddled with acne… and she has a unibrow. XD
9:56 PM: Cue nosebleed freakout that sends the girl to her room.
9:57 PM: Looks like Kyo’s up to the challenge, still
9:58 PM: “THE ROAD TO WOMANHOOD >:o”
9:58 PM: Extreme Makeover time!
9:59 PM: Apparently, they are girlier than… most girls with regards to this sort of thing XD
9:59 PM: Kyo-kun, denwa
10:00 PM: Heh.. Sunako returned to stalker-phase
10:00 PM: The game is on! Good luck, man-candy! You can do it! :o
10:00 PM: And end credits… with dancing anatomical model. WTF Japan
10:01 PM: Verdict: The series has potential, I’ll give it that. It’s not afraid to make fun of itself when needed, which helps a lot
10:03 PM: The exaggerated looks of the man-candy really help the show more than I expected, since it opens the door for a whole new layer of humor.
10:03 PM: It definitely doesn’t feel like Watanabe’s greatest work. However, it’s still fun to watch.
10:04 PM: I just worry that it’ll peter out in the middle of the 25-episode run, since the show feels it they really could just run its course in 12.
The Wallflower is currently available through FUNimation.
About Mike Ferreira
