[Anime Reviews]

Moyashimon end: don’t let schooling interfere with your education

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Moyashimon]

So said Mark Twain, allegedly. That was my overall impression of Moyashimon: while every other anime show seems to be set in a high school, there’s the occasional exception that looks ahead a bit - the point where you’re still in the daily grind of studying but you’re *supposedly* an adult. Speaking from my own experience, further education was the best of times and it was the worst of times; if nothing else it was the most interesting and, for better or for worse, it was the only time of life where I wouldn’t want to change a thing. As anyone else who’s lived away from home at college or uni will testify, the whole independent living thing often teaches you more outside the lecture theatres than it does inside them.

Just another opportunity to show how I think Muuto rocks

I’ve seen other bloggers talk of Moyashimon as educational, and I can’t help but agree; after all, how many of us can now nod knowledgably and say we know where sake comes from? Although the series does pick out some very obscure and unlikely nuggets of trivia for the viewers’ benefit the experiences that Sawaki, Kei and their friends go through offer much more. I’m inclined to agree with Mr Twain (real name Samuel Clemens…honestly!) in that you only start learning about yourself and the world around you when you leave the security and expectations of your family and start to branch out on your own.

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[Anime Reviews]

Moyashimon 4-6

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Moyashimon]

Moyashimon may still feature the adorable microbes but it’s beginning to diversify into other areas of agricultural college, such as other course subjects and out-of-class social stuff. There were some marvellous bits of humour including the pitiful eco-tractor, the vegetable field raid and the practical class concerning bovine anatomy but one of the best bits had to be good old Itsuki-sensei, who was always on hand to leap the aid of his students, microscope in hand. Quite why he carries the thing around with him I’ll never know, but it makes him look like a superhero MICROSCOPE MAN or something. It’s great to watch how the off-the-wall humour is eased into the story as if the likes this are completely run-of-the-mill and natural; realistic fiction doesn’t lend itself well to crazy comedy, but this show seems to be managing just fine. I mean, where else could the likes of Haruka get away with embedding shuriken in her students’ heads?

Microscope Man is here to save the day

The series is keen to keep the microbes an integral part, as shown in the UFO club scene and its horrifying clouds of flu or the off-licence and more lessons in sake (I can’t wait to find out exactly what’s going on with that bar) but it’s not reliant on them entirely, as the scenes involving the field trip, paddy fields and the cow illustrate. Although they inevitably steal the show at times (not that it’s a bad thing) it’s turning out to be a well-rounded college show…but I’m getting a strange craving to drink more…

[4 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

2007 in 12 day 10: Moyashimon

Posted by Martin  [Tags: ABC, Moyashimon, Twelve days of Christmas]

I have a soft spot for student-based comedy drama, not to mention a vested interest in all things scientific. The whimsical win that is Moyashimon is right up my street in pretty much every respect; taking the bizarre premise of a guy who can see microbes without the aid of microscopes or magnifying glasses, it follows the progress of the strangely gifted Sawaki and his fellow students through agricultural college. Think of it as a rustic Honey and Clover, with added yeast.

[4 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Moyashimon 2 and 3: the science of sake

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Moyashimon]

This show reminds me of two things. Firstly, student life sometimes quite literally stinks. I’ve actually seen student flats/houses that look every bit as bad as what was on offer here (”Have a whiskey glass of coffee…sorry, I’ve run out of clean mugs.” or “Yeah, feel free to crash on a patch of carpet you can actually see.”) although my OCD leanings prevented my own places getting quite as bad. Make no mistake though: agricultural or not, life at college or uni is financially demanding and pretty messy. The portrayal of this in Moyashimon is shockingly realistic in that sense, save seeing the various types of moulds floating around in plain view and at times helpfully labelled that are all thanks to Sawaki’s ability.

Just your average student flat…

Secondly, science can be interesting and even fun. As I type this I’m taking a procrastination session break from revising for a practical bacterialology exam (EDIT: it didn’t go badly but a stray Staphylococcus knocked three marks off my score as ‘contamination’) but my own experience of microbes isn’t nearly as picturesque as the adorable oryzae squeaking “Let’s brew sake!” and giving us the full run-down of the process. WHY ARE SCIENCE CLASSES NEVER THIS MUCH FUN? Seriously, this would make a better educational video than the dull, dated tripe I sat through as a kid! Moyashimon is a really educational show but scientific interest aside, the enthusiasm for learning How Stuff Works is, ahem, infectious. I had the processes of beer, bread and wine production hammered into me in biology classes at school (all in theory, sadly) but as is so often the case, the Japanese way is a bit different so it’s interesting to see how their own national beverage is made.

[5 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Moyashimon: first impressions

Posted by Martin  [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, Moyashimon]

Cute talking microbes. That was the general summing-up of what could be the oddest but most inventive series of the season: Moyashimon (Tales of Agriculture). ANN’s listing gives the simple synopsis of “College student Tadayasu Sawaki has a unique ability. He can see and communicate with bacteria and other microorganisms. Hijinks ensue.” Not much to go on I admit, but there’s not a great deal else happening at first. In a way it reminds me of Honey and Clover in portraying the trivialities of humdrum student life in an amusing and realistic slice-of-life way. Plus cute talking microbes.

Moyashimon: wholesome and full of flavour, and packed with friendly bacteria

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