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Happy
Lesson Vol. 3: Mama-Lama-Ding Dong
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I still haven't quite been able to determine if short run anime series are
a blessing or a curse. The positive side is that while there are some
fantastic series out there that run a full twenty plus episodes, there is
often a tendency for them to drag in spots. The shorter anime titles, the
ones that run around ten plus episodes, usually get to the heart of the
matter much quicker, but there's that tendency to get a little too attached
to them, and then the final credits roll. There are also those times where
the series is left unresolved, such as the case was with Hellsing
(don't get me wrong though, I really do love that series quite a bit.) I
know ahead of time that Happy Lesson was a shorter series, however it
doesn't feel like "Mama-Lama-Ding-Dong" should be the final volume.
It is . . . and there's no getting around it.
Happy Lesson has been a fairly crazy anime event. My initial
impression from the description was that it was just going to be an attempt
to replicate the success of Love Hina, but Happy Lesson has
really been doing its own thing with the most part, although you can
definitely find some comparisons to the adventures of bunch at the Hinata
Lodge.
If you've missed the overall premise of the show, Happy Lesson
follows the mixed up life of Chitose Hitotose, a young high school boy who
wants nothing better than to simply be left alone. He's not really having
problems at school or anything like that, but instead, problems at home,
and while that might seem to be very typical for anyone that age, Chitose
is in a different situation. His parents have died, and to take over the
roll of parents are his teachers, six of them to be exact. You'd think that
having six lovely, single young ladies around the house would be every
man's fantasy, but the abuse that he's had to deal with is enough to make a
person crazy.
The most important part of this relationship however has been keeping it a
secret, and so far, everyone has managed to keep that guise up. However, we
all knew it was coming, and Fumitsuki, the class president and resident
nosey girl, has accidentally overheard what's been going on, and she's
determined to get to the bottom of things. And when the mama's find the she
knows, it looks like the jib might finally be up. This does present the
perfect chance for Chitose to plead his case however, and we discover that
despite the negative side of having these women taking care of him, he
really does appreciate it, and he knows perfectly well that without them,
his life wouldn't be nearly as interesting as it has been. How does it all
end? Well, you'll just have to watch and see.
Kanna also makes her presence known, and felt, quite a bit in the se final
episodes. This is the girl that we were introduced to in the last volume,
Kitsuragi's former friend who is still determined to take over the world,
and despite that goal, has managed to find herself hopelessly in love with
Chitose. Kanna is a bit of a nut case, but that's one of her more enduring
qualities, making her one of the cute girls in the anime world. I think
that the glasses help with that as well.
If there's one episode on here that stands out above all of the others
though, it's got to be the first one. Kitsuragi makes a rather interesting
device (not that its anything unusual for her) that allows her to take on
all the personalities of the other mamas. The six of them were bad enough,
but to get them all rolled up into one ends up being tiring for poor
Chitose. The whole scenario adds up to quite a few hilarious moments, and
probably the most memorable episode of the entire run.
The final volume however still doesn't manage to impress me too much in the
extras category. This volume only comes with the clean open and closing
animations for the series and then character sketches. However, I do still
like the enclosed mini-booklets that have come with each volume that gives
us a bit of characterization concerning the anime characters themselves as
well as the US voice actors. It also makes it much easier to tell who is
who (there's still only a few characters I know right off and I always have
to think a minute on who the others are.)
This might be the end of Happy Lesson, but really, it's just the end
of the television series. There's still more out there, and it's just a
matter of time until we see at. As far as the ending, I'm not completely
pleased with it, but I'm also not at a point where I completely hate it
either. Instead, it's just mediocre, but left wide open for more. Overall
however, Happy Lesson isn't a bad little series at all, and fans of
Love Hina, Hand Maid May, or any other number of
buddy/romantic comedy anime series are going to get a great deal of
entertainment out of this one.
Episode 11 - Dizzying ~ The Big Transformation of Her Dreams
Chitose unfortunately finds himself once again the unwilling participant in
one of Kitsuragi's crazy experiments. It seems however that this time, it
was a failure, or was it? Chitose suddenly begins taking on all of the
traits of the other mama's, and with Chitose being the target of all this
affection, and Kanna having shown up to try and capture him, life is going
to be even more mixed up and crazy that usual.
Episode 11.5 - Nice and Warm ~ All Alone With Kanna
Uzuki wins a trip to a hot springs, which will include the whole family,
but Chitose has no intention of going. Instead of forcing him this time,
the mama's simply decide to let him stay by himself, and that's going to be
the perfect opportunity for Kanna to make her move, if she can figure out
exactly what it's supposed to be. An injured puppy however might prove to
be the perfect solution.
Episode 12 - Love-Love ~ Koyomi's School Festival
It's time for the annual school festival, and this is going to be one to
remember. Uzuki has decided to put on a one-woman cosplay show, Kisaragi is
showcasing her strange experiments, Kanna is trying to sneak in, and
Chitose simply doesn't want any part of it. He'll do anything he can to get
away, but that's an idea that's not going to be so easy to pull off.
Episode 13 - Teary ~ Did I See a Secret?!
The festival continues, but Chitose's secret has finally been discovered.
Fumitsuki has overheard Chitose and the mama's talking, and now she knows
that all of them are living together, but what she really wants to know is
why, and she sets out once again on her mission to find out just where
Chitose is living. But now, she's in a position where she can keep
everything to her self of bring it out in the open for everyone.
-mike-
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Genre:
Comedy
Series Director:
Akira Suzuki
Directed by:
Episode 11 - Noriyuki Nakamura
Episode 11.5 - Taisuke Miyajima
Episode 12 - Naoyasu Furukawa
Episode 13 - Daiske Takashima
Written by:
Episode 11 - Kiyoko Yoshimura
Episode 11.5 - 13 - Takao Yoshioka
Voice Cast:
Daisuke Kishio (Chitose Hitotose)
Akiko Kimura (Kisaragi Ninomai)
Kaoru Sasajima (Satsuki Gokajo)
ikuko Inoue (Yayoi Sanzein)
Ruri Asano (Mutsuki Ichimonji)
Kimiko Koyama (Uzuki Shitennou)
Ryouka Shima (Fumitsuki Nanakorobi)
Nana Mizuki (Minazuki Rokumatsuri)
Mie Sonozaki (Hazuki Yazakura)
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DVD Features:
Dual
Language Japanese/English
English Subtitles
Clean Opening
Clean Closing
Character Sketches
Reversible Cover
Contains Episodes 11 - 13
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