UPDATE September 4, 2018
More DMCA take downs have hit the blog despite screen captures long being considered fair use. Due to my not being able to afford a lawyer, I have no choice but to remove them or have the blog suspended. Only the words will be left.
TVTokyo is proving to be foolishly draconian in targeting posts meant to get people interested in seeing the Squid Girl anime and perhaps even purchasing it on DVD or Blu-ray. Being anti-piracy myself this is infuriating that they are targeting posts I wrote hoping to encourage people to try out a delightful show.
Squid Girl returns to inkvade TV sets in the final volume of the first season. Will she take over the world or settle for taking the hearts of the viewers? Oh and was that defective DVD case problem fixed? Read on to find out!
There is still a place for utterly silly humor and the best place for it is in animation. Without the constraints of reality, there is a freedom to have anything happen. The idea of an anthropomorphic squid hybrid walking around trying to invade the world is a perfect example of this.
Squid Girl could have relied on pure silliness exclusively, but fortunately the original material and the anime adaptation have a gentler side. The little things in life are shown both comically and with warmth in a blend that makes you smile, if not appreciate life a little more. Episode 7 is a gentler and slower moving one that relies more on character insights and situations than slapstick comedy.
Is Somesquid After Me?
Poor Nagisa. She gets the job of her dreams at the beach so she can surf whenever she likes, only to find herself working next to a possibly alien invader out to conquer the world. Being the only sane one in a bunch of weirdoes is a burden to the teen, but someone must protect humanity. Right?
So when she is invited to the Aizawa residence for a welcome dinner for joining the restaurant staff, Nagisa is shocked to find Squid Girl living there. Unable to resist tormenting the only human afraid of her, Ika Musame brags how her plans are going ahead.
Despite seeing the relative normality of Squid Girl’s life with the family, the surfer girl becomes even more paranoid. Delusions about brainwashing going on lead her to ask to stay overnight, where she observes the invader’s behavior. Confused by what she sees, Nagisa decides a desperate new tactic must be used to save the Aizawa clan and humanity.
Heartbreak follows as does a terrific talk between Eiko and Ika-chan. Will things go back to normal? Is there a normal in this show?!
Why Don’t We Inkvestigate?
A rare bridge between segments has Nagisa meeting Cindy Campbell for the first time. Yes, the alien obsessed blond from MIT has returned to try to get Squid Girl to submit to being tested. For some reason being a lab rat does not appeal to the betentacled girl.
Tired of the lack of respect, not to mention fear, from humans, Ika decides that she needs to change her identity to gain that. It is time to become Squid Queen! Since royalty requires servants, she hatches a plan to recruit followers – a plan that includes blackmail. Yes, she will stoop that low to get her tentacles around the globe.
Sadly for her, she is outwitted once again by Cindy and agrees to go to her lab in exchange for her servitude. Realizing she has been played for a sucker, Ika reluctantly goes. Surprisingly, the lab is a hidden lair in the rocks near the beach! Inside are three more MIT graduates, Martin, Harris, and Clark. Like Cindy, they are obsessed with aliens.
Finding herself in the clutches of mad scientists can Ika survive without being dissected or worse? Or will childish verbal games be her undoing…
Can I Inktrest You in a Job?
Eiko rescuing a pretty girl being hit on by Goro’s life guard buddy leads to Ayomi joining the waitressing staff of the Lemon Beach House. Yes, she is girl who wore a fake Squid Girl head in an earlier episode. Her beauty is only eclipsed by her terminal shyness. The girl does not even speak and only nods in agreement.
With a beautiful girl as a lure, business booms and Squid Girl finds herself in the rare position of not being the center of attention. But that is not the worst thing the day has to offer. Being traded to the girl’s father to work at The Southern Winds has to be worse. Harsh does not begin to describe the man’s methods. If you have ever been in boot camp and had a DI you will recognize some similarities.
Being thrust into the spotlight leads to a sad epiphany for the young squid as the episode ends. Can Ayomi find her voice? Can Ika handle working for her father?
Thoughts
That was a fun episode despite not being manic. I particularly liked the clever usage of music with melodramatic tones used for Nagisa’s delusions and the 60’s movie homage for the mad scientist lair.
Speaking of (or more accurately, writing of) the mad scientists, this is the introduction of their reoccurring characters. On the Net they are often referred to as the Three Idiots for good reason. There is a bit of snarky social commentary about wasting one’s talents that I also appreciated.
Eiko gets some good character moments in each segment. It is nice to see a “voice of reason” character treated well in a comedy and she gets some great lines throughout the series.
One of the best sight gags I’ve seen in a cartoon is committed by Cindy and that had me laughing out loud. Keep an eye open for that.
Technical
The unorthodox case covers continue and the front is a clever lampoon of group photos gone wrong. The back has a typo in the first sentence that proves you cannot rely on spellcheckers alone. Also, the synopsis is annoying because it overplays Sanae’s unwanted obsession with Squid Girl as if it were the main story. Ah, otaku’s and their obsession with perviness.
The case itself is a vast improvement over the previous one. Many discs from set one were damaged in shipment due to the poor quality of the cases. Gone are the flimsy center post design and the plastic is much firmer with less flex. Discs will not depart on their own with this case. Kudos to Media Blasters for rectifying the problems there.
The second set for Season 1 of Squid Girl maintains the high visual quality of the first set reviewed here. The video scales up nicely again and the sound is clear Dolby Digital.
Episodes 7-10 are on Disc 3 and Disc 4 contains the final two episodes plus the same trailers from the previous set.
But the big bonus are the two OVA episodes of Mini Squid Girl on Disc 4. These short and relentlessly cute stories are great fun.
All in all, Media Blasters did a good job on the DVD sets and now have announced there will be a Blu-ray set released this coming Spring.
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