English: Child's Toy
Synonyms: Kodocha
Type: TV
Episodes: 102
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 5, 1996 to Mar 27, 1998
Producers: TV Tokyo, Studio Gallop, FUNimation EntertainmentL, NAS, Pony Canyon
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Shoujo
Duration: 22 min. per episode
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
So ya XD I think Kodocha is spectacular. It's amazing and just blows me away. It's one of those animes that make me go crazy that I'm smashing my computer with a big smile on my face because it's SUCH a good anime I can't handle it and go insane. What else can I say? I first stumbled onto this anime I just thought it was annoying, kiddy, and pointless. But I decided to take the time to stap myself to the couch and watch the anime from the top, and I am SO glad that I did. But I happened to read Manga too and Manga is more awesome than Anime. I mean they dragged the manga into 102 episodes in anime bye introducing many subplots and new characters which are never been in manga.
Sana Kurata has a charmed life. Not only is her mother is a famous, award-winning writer, but she's the star of the hit TV comedy "Child's Toy" while still in the fifth grade. But Sana's biggest concern is Akito Hayama, a pint-sized hellion who's organized the boys in their grade-school class into a mass of unending noise and violence. With the help of Rei, her manager, chauffeur and "pimp," Sana is determined to win back control of the classroom from her new arch-enemy. But as her crusade continues, Sana moves further into Akito's life, and finds that he might not be entirely bad...or entirely safe.
The story was interesting enough to create an addict out of me. There are a lot of interesting plot points. I suppose there is no singular plot, but there are little "plotlets" that somehow connect in a weird way. In other words, when one problem is resolved, another one forms. It may seem like another cutesy shojo anime, but there are a lot of serious moments as well.
Although the length allows for some amazing development of Sana et-al, I can’t help but feel the show would have been better suited to a 26 episode affair, rather than the epic 102 marathon with many Hayama-less sections. A little perseverance through the stodge, and the viewer is treated to a family friendly romp that will appeal to a wide range of ages.
Komocha, as an older series, does not treat the viewer to stunning visuals and gorgeous landscapes. Unfortunately, this will be the turn-off for many of those “anime connoisseurs” who only watch animation from this century: there is no HD and the characters are quite frankly fugly, especially in the latter half of the series. Simplistic lines and muted colouring techniques go hand in hand with saucer-sized eyes that dominate 50% of someone’s face. It’s not terrible by any means, and Sana’s wardrobe changes are frankly adorable. However, the lack of fluidity and repeated use of ascii-style facial reactions prevent me from awarding a higher score.
Easily the strongest part of the show, the characters and their delicate interactions are frankly touching, especially that between Hayama and Sana. Their inability to communicate heartfelt feelings is both frustrating and adorable, even more so when new love interests are introduced and the two praised apart. The supporting cast don’t play a particularly large part in Kodomo no Omocha, but there are a significant number of memorable personalities, such as Sana’s pimp Rei (yes, pimp), or the insecure Tsuyoshi who plays the trumpet whenever he feels down.
Sana Kurata is a perfect example. She is, in fact, pretty annoying because of how dense she is, but in a way, you can actually accept that o_o; And the main reason for the acceptance of Sana is cuz she's just freakin hilarious. She just is. But her age set is perfect because when it comes to stuff like, the way she believes in loving someone with almost a 10 year age difference, you can see all the flaws but still understand why Sana believes she's in love. If she was in high school, you'd think that it's plain dumb for a teen to be in love with some 30 year old. Sana can get away with a lot of stuff due to her age. Hopefully I'm making sense here o__o;;
The character I am MOST impressed by is Akito Hayama. He's so well done and developed so perfectly, it almost scares me how the author can come up with such a character o_o
See... Akito is one of those quiet, reserved characters and so damn mature for his age. I like how he's laid back but it doesn't annoy me. Because I usually think those kind of characters are cliche and annoying because they're EVERYWHERE, but there's something about Akito that doesn't make him so cliche. He's a wreckless trouble maker, but from most trouble makers, you'd expect them to be loud and obnoxious, but Akito isn't. I think that's the thing that makes him unique, really cool o__o; With his personality, you can do a hell lot with him which makes him one of the best, flexiable characters you can think of in a story. I especially love his development throughout the anime. It's amazing how much an impact Sana put into his life. The way the author shows Akito's family life, how you can tell he's going to fall for Sana but when it happens you're ACTUALLY surprised by it XD It's just perfect.
Every single one of the Omocha opening tracks initially saw me pulling a face in disgust as the overly sweet tones permeated my brain. However, a view of the entire cast dancing in formation Broadway-stylee made something originally so wrong suddenly seem oh so right. The seiyuu for Sana is absolutely perfect, expressing both her hyperactivity and vulnerability without being excessively annoying. Her singing and rapping is absolutely hilarious, and totally out of place most of the time, adding to the overall crazy feel of the show.
I obviously enjoy this anime. Don't need to make a big paragraph on that XD I HIGHLY recommend this to girls. Guys, I'm not so sure o_o; But I guarantee you, you'll like this anime. This anime has the PERFECT amount of drama. It's not too serious and deep, BUT it's not dumb and cliche what-so-ever. In fact, it's extremely very well thought out. This kind of amount is perfect for me. So... watch Kodocha XD
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