Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Hachi-One Diver eps 1-2


I love midnight doramas cause there is no expectation of decent writing or good acting. Its all about enjoying shows that are so bad that they're good. And of course the extra fan service that these shows always have since they do not need to cater to families. Hachi-One diver intrigued me cause its about Shogi. One of my favourite mangas ever is Hikaru no Go which is also about a board game. HikaGo showed that any competitive event can captivating. It just requires excellent writing.

I'd certainly like to do a few things if I were Kentaro.....

In Hachi-One, Kentaro is a Shogi player who failed his pro exams and currently gambles on Shogi for a living. One day, he challenges Akiba no Ukeshi (Naka Riisa)and is completely defeated. Dejected he goes home and calls a maid cleaning service only to find that Akiba no Ukeshi works as a maid as well. Basically, we have a student-mistress show where the mistress is also the maid of the student.

Kawaiiiiiii~~~~~~

I kinda had high hopes for the show but quickly realised not every midnight dorama can be Liar Game. However, this show has one very good thing going for it: Naka Riisa as Akiba no Ukeshi/Miroko. OMFG, she is so fucking moe I cannot stand it. Everytime she is on screen my happiness index just goes through the roof. Technically, she's not super hot but OMFG, she can probably kill people with her moe-ness.

If there were maids like her in every country there would be no wars....

Its all about the eyes, the sort of blank look with slight nodding of head. Hachi-One has revealed to me the secret of heaven. Heaven is being able to call a bust and moe maid to clean your room.
Kentaro, (the main character) has no idea how lucky he is. My main problem with the show is how Ikari Shinji like Kentaro is: ie an emo and a wimp. Kinda lost count of how many times he's cried in two episodes.

Best view in the house....

On a side note, watched the new Eva movie last week and OMFG, I hate Shinji for what he's done to anime/manga main characters. What happened to the generic nice guy main characters?!!! Why must main characters be so pussified and sensitive? I'm not asking for Golgo 13 but Shinji has eliminated clear cut masculine/feminine roles. Sigh, if I can go back in time I'd try to at least force Gainax to let Shinji grow some balls and stop his whining in Eva.

I can only dream......

Back to Hachi-One. While still better than crap like First Kiss and Last Friends, Hachi-One would be unwatchable for me without Naka Riisa. Avoid unless you dream of maids.

Luckiest man in the world...

6 comments:

takodori said...

Hi. I can't wait to read your comment on Ep.3. It's bursting.

Anonymous said...

Moving away from the serious topic of moe for a moment, I'd like to recommend two game playing animes (both subbed by triad):

1. Kaiji - about the psychology of extreme risk. Very well written. The hapless are tricked into insane gambles with their lives and limbs as their stakes. Reminds me of liar game, but personally I didnt get on with liar game as I'd already seen kaiji. In short if you like to watch blubbering wimps humiliated and die through not being able to perform in high risk situations, then this is for you. Downside is no chicks nor fan service...so it being well written counts!

2. Akagi - Again extremely well written, and has to be as there is also no fan service. This time Mah Jong is the game. Be prepared to pull an all nighter after seeing the first episode. Dramatic tension is extreme.

I also loved hikaru no go and it didnt matter that the target audience was teen, its part of its style.

Both kaiji and akagi's target audiences are most definitely adult. They are without side romance plots, gambarre nor hopeless idealist type sentiments. Gambarre without talent is tragic (although entertaining in an uncomfortable way). Highly recommended.

Anonymous said...

back to moe...

One of the tragedies of our time is that there are no kendo outfit cafes. On the other hand maid cafes are one of the shining gems of nippon culture that constantly demands that I immigrate to japan immediately.

Another tragedy is that there is no straight forward home kendo outfitted service equivalent to home maid service. Perhaps it cant be helped and Id have to join a kendo club once in japan.

Anyway Im terribly torn between watching either mop girl first or hachi-one..either Naka Riisa or Koide Saori

Do you feel my pain?

I could avoid this if there were standardised ratings for each review, say 1-10 for kawaii, moe, pantsu & oppai...heheheh

Edmund Yeo said...

Oh yeah, I actually saw an episode on TV two weeks ago. She was hell moe, but I don't understand Japanese (much), so didn't really pay attention to the rest of the drama.

Akiramike said...

Saw a bit of Kaiji a few months ago. I'll get it if I can find the time to watch it. I guess I'll have to start watching Hachi-One's softsubs as the hardsubs are slower. Thanks for the recommendation suparuki!

Wewi said...

Hiya Maiku,

Amazing realisations:

1. "hamsapsukebe" google search brings your site to the top, congrats!

2. Your "Best view in the house" realistically only last the first year of living together. After that, you will spend the rest of it searching the VERY first reason why you did it. (sigh.. LOL). Sorry fellas..

3. New age girls much less traditional girls (good luck in your conquest of finding one) would be bothered with all those costumes and traditional greetings. After all, these days negligees and lingeries are the way to go. But after my favorite quote "Those are just wrapping papers, the present is what's inside".

4. To see what happens after living a while with number 3, refer to number 2.

5. The ONLY real thing is your last cap "Luckiest guy in the world". And that's why the best things in life are free.

6. "They" (females) KNOW their own weapons. Oh yes they do!

PS. Don't get tricked! lol