Squid Girl Episode 3, Season 1

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.

Another trio of stories explores Squid Girl’s adjustment to the surface world and introduces another regular character. Surprisingly, there is a common theme running through all of them – fear. Don’t be afraid, come on in, the water is fine...


Aren’t You a Scaredisquid?


The first story gets going with a satiric shot taken at ghost hunting “reality” shows, which Takeru loves to get scared by. I had to love Squid Girl’s reaction to the show and we find out she is a skeptic on anything that can’t be seen. That leads to a moment of evil inspiration for Eiko, who decides she will find a way to scare the ink out of Ika.


In Japan, there is a tradition amongst the school age kids of having tests of courage involving things such as going to graveyards at night. Used to be that kind of thing was done here, but it seems to have fallen by the wayside.  Anyway,  Eiko’s plan goes awry, despite bringing in other friends Goro and Sanae. Or perhaps, because of it…

The madness of Sanae is on full display here, which is expected. Goro’s behavior – not so much. Way to go, Mr. Lifeguard! Of course Squid Girl is not afraid of the inky darkness and soon gets separated from the others. Not happy to have gotten lost, the ever confident squid takes unique measures to find them.


The horrors of the graveyard are fully revealed and the big question is whether or not Squid Girl will be able to find her way home. Fear, surprise, and an almost fanatical devotion to sea life puns follow.

Isn’t That a Squid’s Natural Enemy?


The miserable revelation that it will take years to pay off her debt demoralizes our young inkvader. But that is not her biggest problem. Acutely conscious of her place in the food chain, the sudden appearance of killer whales off the beach has Squid Girl paranoid.


We also find out Ika see’s the world differently from everyone else. Very differently, as her fears get the best of her. This is bad, because it nearly leads to Takeru drowning. Time for Chizuru to turn on the charm and sucker Goro into teaching her brother to swim.


The pride of squid everywhere is at stake and Squid Girl will not allow some puny human to teach the boy! But what about the killer whales? Sheer silliness, fear, loathing, and tentacles are the highlight of this segment.

Who’s the New Fish?


A new waitress surfs onto the scene at Lemon Beach House as we meet Nagisa, a tomboyish surfer girl. Things go swimmingly until she sees Ika Musame and panics. Finally, a natural reaction to a tentacled monster from the sea! However, Nagisa is the only normal one amongst a bunch of weirdo’s as she soon surmises.


Nagisa’s terror is the sweetest sound to Squid Girl’s ears for she finally has scared someone. But Chizuru and Eiko are determined to show how harmless she is to the new girl. That must be countered if Ika’s dreams of world domination are to pass!


Extreme cuteness, fearful determination to save the world, and squid fishing make this the most amusing of the segments.

Thoughts

The gentle yet often sharp humor that makes this fluffy series so much fun is on good display across all three vignettes in the third episode. Already the series is hitting its stride, which is a good sign. Welcome social satire shows up from time to time to add an edge to the slice of life stories but it never undermines the sweetness at its heart.

Using fear as a common theme through the three stories was clever as we got to see different kinds on display. As always, it is Squid Girl’s reactions that get the biggest laughs. Fortunately, the supporting cast all get their moments too.

As always, I come away in a better mood after having watched Squid Girl. With season two’s new episodes streaming at Crunchyroll, I find myself smiling a lot lately.

Squid Girl Episode 6, Season 1

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.


What happens when you mix a Kamen Rider spoof, higher math, and a love quadrangle?  You get unadulterated silliness of course! Episode six goes exclusively for the laughs while portraying the battle between Squid Girl and everyday life.


What’s a Squid Doing in a Hero’s Show?


The madness begins with a spoof of children’s traveling shows that mixes Noh theater with Kamen Rider  to create the twisted Noh Mask Rider. One has to applaud the warped mind that came up with this and that mind belongs to Masahiro Anbe, the creator of the manga. Imagine combining Shakespeare with Sponge Bob Squarepants and you get an idea of how wrong this is.


I cannot blame Squid Girl for her reaction to the show, for I find the whole concept hilarious too. But hey, the kids like it and there is a place for everything I suppose. The appearance of the villain gets her attention, for he is Demon Squid and he is out to punish humanity for mistreating the oceans!
Now where have we heard that before?

Soon she is rooting for the villain and the cast of the show are afraid they will have a riot on their hands. The diminutive blond in particular shows an inappropriate coping mechanism as things spiral downward.


A costume theft, adoration from the crowd, and radical deviations from the script ensue. You know it cannot end well…

Is Studying for the Fish?


Eiko may be the voice of reason, or at least normality, but when confronted with an implacable enemy she begins to crack. I speak of mathematics, of course. Noticing her outbursts while studying, Ika-chan can’t understand why the high schooler is having problems. To Eiko’s shock and dismay, it turns out she is a squidding genius!


Neither one of the girls handle this revelation well. Some very creative imagery reflects their inner emotions and thoughts, which are all a tad insane. While I can remember some frustration with homework those many moons ago, I don’t recall have a psychotic break over it. Nor did I have delusions of grandeur like Squid Girl, who thinks she has found her ticket to world domination.

It is one thing to be a math genius, it is another thing entirely to use it in the real world as our feisty hybrid finds out at the beach. But what is Eiko scheming and why does she have that evil smile on her face?

Is This Gilly Love?


In the final segment, Nagisa takes a starring turn after nearly drowning. Saved by Goro, her gratitude gets mistaken for something more by Eiko. Meanwhile, Squid Girl continues to torment the paranoid surfer girl since she is her “favorite prey.”


Eiko does her part to fan the flames of misunderstanding in the hopes of generating a soap opera at the beach. Actually, most of the misunderstanding is on her part as she reads just about everything wrong. This does not help Nagisa’s precarious state of mind one bit as she worries about the squid invasion and Goro.


Ika has her own worries about the situation brewing and soon a romantic farce breaks out. In the end, it looks like Nagisa’s prior observation about everyone being weird is turning out to be true. Will any of the relationships work out?

Thoughts


This is a particularly good episode in the series and left me wanting more, which is aggravated by the delay of the second set of DVD’s until December. Cultural satire is the focus of the stories and they have a nice edge to them rather than being soft on their targets. Kid shows and soap operas are such universal fare throughout the world that the humor translates out very well.

The math story is also a winner, but mainly due to the imagery which is amongst the most creative shown to this point.

Bonus: Noh Mask Rider


The first segment is a classic in the series and still has me amused as I write this.  Capping off the lunatic story is the opening title sequence for the Noh Mask Rider show complete with theme song.

The overwrought lyrics are hilarious, especially the origin ones. Ridiculous amounts of emotional angst centered around the superhero character makes for a fantastic lampoon of the genre. I would love to see a Noh Mask Rider OVA one day.

Squid Girl Episode 10

UPDATED: August 27, 2018

After being up for six years, an incredibly vague DMCA notice to Blogger from MX International Inc. caused this post to be taken down. 

Specifically, it stated: "The original works are copyrighted Japanese anime television broadcasts and translated releases by MX International Inc. Pursuant to 17 USC sec. 512(c)(3)(A)(ii) the official website for 'Squid Girl' includes a representative list at the below url" Said redacted URL was for TV Tokyo's website. 

Other blogs hit in the same notice look like they were hosting pirated videos. It appears Fair Use of screen captures may be going away since there was no video content in this post. All images have therefore been removed from the post and we'll see if it gets removed again.

Original post follows:

A rainy day brings out artistry in the Aizawa home, Sannae finally realizes she may have a problem, and a baseball game tests Squid Girl’s athletic abilities. From horror to the despairs of addiction to the thrill of competition, a lot of silliness happens -- but there are some surprising moments of angst to be found amidst the comedy this time out.


Rain Rain, Gill Away?
When a typhoon hits Japan, the normal summer fun goes out the window thanks to the associated torrential rain. A frustrated Ika Musame is taught all about teru teru bozu making by the Aizawa siblings and a nice little lesson about Japanese culture is explained to the rest of us. Personally, I love these moments in anime because they offer a glimpse at everyday practices in Japan.

Piracy and Anime

Being the type to delve into how industries operate when I’m interested in their products, I’ve been watching the problems with the anime industry – especially in the United States. Boom and bust cycles are fascinating to observe and the anime here in the States managed to do that in in the space of one decade. So an interview with the former Bandai Entertainment USA director of marketing gives a rare insight to how things actually work. Be warned, there is profanity in the podcast.

As I’m listening to it, the brief mention of how online piracy damaged sales caught my attention. It got me thinking on how a niche industry can be devastated by people stealing the product and never paying for it. Disclaimer: It isn’t right to steal from the big industries like Hollywood or music too. Also, I won’t get into the manga side of things.

Many are the mistakes that have caused companies to fold or retreat from the anime market in the U.S., but the explosion in file sharing coincided with rise and fall in my eyes. Once broadband saturated the country around the middle of the 2000’s, piracy of videos increased. That was also when anime imploded.

Proof the Japanese Are Weird

Hatsune Blitzkrieg.

I rest my case.

At least Squid Girl and Godzilla got some cameos in this odd tribute to the vocaloid idol. It still amazes me how obsessed Japan is with the Nazis, which goes to show how poor a job McArthur did in running the occupation.

Speaking of Squid Girl, the second season will start coming out on DVD in March. That’s good news for those of us who revere our squid overlord.

Squid Girl OVA Mini Episodes, Season 1

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.

Having struck pay dirt with the appearance of Mini-Squid Girl in episode five, the crew behind the show decided to make a couple of shorts that were bundled with the Blu-rays released in Japan. Over four minutes of concentrated cuteness  contained in each will leave you smiling.

OVA 1

When Eiko goes off to school, her pet Mini-Squid Girl plans to get some extra sleep. To her deep surprise, another version of her is already sleeping in her bed! We will call her Dark Mini-Squid Girl, for her clothing and cap are black instead of white.

Apparently evil, the mirror images end up fighting very quickly with the interloper having the upper hand.

The animators make full use of the small girls interacting with a world of giant items. Who knew a remote control truck could be so terrifying?

Eventually the fight goes too far and a dangerous situation develops.

OVA 2

Shimmering waves of heat rise from the desert sand while Mini-Ika trudges along. The smell of shrimp cooking gets her attention and we find it was the beach, not the Sahara.

A tiny creature, Mini-Squid Girl finds herself in constant peril while trying to obtain that delicious shrimp. Many are the terrors she braves in her quest for crustacean.

Then the ultimate boss appears and she is a terrifying foe indeed. It will require divine intervention to save Mini-Ika!

Thoughts

The two direct to video mini episodes are incredibly cute and recall the best shorts put out by Disney and Warner Brothers during the mid-20th Century. For some reason, cartoons do a better job at depicting small people dealing with giants than any other format. Each episode is a delight, with the second being funnier and the first more charming.

Little kids would absolutely love these videos. Adults will find them amusing and oh so cute.

One technical comment and it has to do with a spelling error on the DVD menu – episodes is spelled “EPISDES”!

Squid Girl Ep. 12 First Season Finale

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.

The delightfully silly first season of Squid Girl comes to a close with only two stories instead of the usual three. Raucous beach action fills the first third, while an unusually down story takes up the rest. Laughter, unnecessary violence, and heartfelt emotion show off all of the show’s best attributes in memorable squid fashion.

What a fun ride this little series has been. It was only my second dip into comedy anime and I am glad to have found such rampant silliness able to cross over cultures.

Anysquid Up for a Game?

Beach volleyball has grown in popularity worldwide, but it seems that it really struck a chord in Japan. There have been anime and manga devoted to it, so it makes sense we would get a good spoof of the sport since the series is set on a beach.

When the Aizawa family spots a signup sheet for a volleyball tournament with a grand prize of a 3D television set, dedicated gamer Eiko can’t wait to sign up. After being told what 3D means, Squid Girl decides she is in too. Setting aside their differences, the two form a team determined to dominate the contest.

Every regular in the cast shows up to form teams: Takeru and his friend, Goro and his lifesaver buddy, Sanae and Cindy (the All-Stalker Team), the Three Idiots, the fake Squid Girl and her dad, and even Nagisa and Kyomi. Returning from Episode 6 is the the little blond announcer from the Noh Mask Rider play. She covers the carnage that team Lemon Beach House inflicts on their opponents in hilarious fashion.

There is injury, abuse, and fear in these contests, for the two girls are terrors on the sand. Drawing the little kids first, Ika and Eiko show no mercy and no sportsmanship. That 3D TV will be theirs, no matter what and heaven help anyone who gets in their way. But eventually they run into worthy foes and find themselves pushed past their limits.

Will they win the TV? For that matter, will anyone survive the matches?

We’re in Squid Trouble?

This double length story serves to end the season (and the series if it did not get a sequel) and take the show back full circle. After a particularly busy day, exhaustion hits our plucky heroine. Unable to move her tentacles one centimeter, she cannot even feel them. Initial amusement by the others turns to worry and multiple therapies are tried to get them working again.

Not even the most radical of treatments works, but even worse is that all of Ika’s other superhuman (or super squid?) abilities are fading away. A theory is formed by Cindy and the Three Idiots that atrophy is happening. This is because Squid Girl is adjusting to life on the surface and does not need her tentacles anymore in some accelerated evolution.

Highly depressed by this, Ika retreats into solitude to reflect on what this means for her and the invasion of the surface world. In a charming moment, she decides that maybe she has succeeded in invading the hearts of the humans around her and sets out to prove it. Yes, she has a plan, which is never good news.

Being the genius Squid Girl is, it involves saying she’s leaving so that everyone will beg her to stay. Floating the idea that she needs to go back to the ocean to regain her powers results in a lot of support for the idea, even from Sannae. Disappointed, she heads off into the sea…

…and does not return.

Summer ends and the Lemon Beach House closes with the arrival of Fall. Winter passes into spring in a lovely, if sad, montage of the supporting characters moving on with their lives. Occasionally they run into each other, but it isn’t until the next summer that they reunite to remember the strange girl who invaded their lives. Life has become boring without Ika around and the sense of loss is palpable.

A sudden arrival is very much like the events of the first episode, but the reaction of Eiko is completely different. While this may be a slice of life series, it does have some character development and the change in Eiko is subtly handled, but emotionally satisfying.

Yet something is very wrong. Squid Girl has cut off her tentacles and is speaking strangely by speaking normally. Gone are the squid and fish puns, replaced by a very annoying “you know” added to the end of every other sentence. That has to be a tribute to “degeso” which is added at the end of most of her Japanese dialogue. Which of course is a riff on the formal ending of “desu” from old Japanese… Oh, look it up for yourselves. Back to the story!

None of her powers have returned, but her ambition has expanded to conquering the universe. There must be some kind of strange inverse compensation going on. Anyway, Ika goes about resuming her life at the restaurant and adjusting to living like a normal human.

Oh and in Japan, gals cutting their hair shorter is usually viewed as a sign of being heartbroken, often over a breakup. So there is more to her lopping her tentacles off than removing something useless.

After days of this, Takeru voices deep frustration and anger, for Squid Girl is no longer the girl they knew. His emotional outburst exposes her deep depression and the story ceases to be amusing. Instead, it has become a gentle drama that is better executed than I expected.

Depressed and feeling alone, Ika is approached by a strange girl, slightly older and vaguely inhuman. A sweet conversation about the people of the surface world follows as the girl in red gives some good advice. She seems vaguely octopus like, wouldn’t you agree?

Will Squid Girl adjust to being human? Will she ever get her powers back? And why has a death flag been suddenly raised?

Thoughts

The final episode is a solid one, starting out with boisterous physical comedy and ending with a sadder character driven story. It demonstrates how far Ika has come from that first failed attempt to take over the Lemon Beach House, while pointing out what is really important in life. Animes often stress the importance of friendship, but here it is about more than that. It is about family.

A strange and motley collection of people have become Squid Girl’s family with the Aizawa’s being the core and the others being her extended oddball cousins. She also has a best friend in Kyomi and girls her age to run around with. But one of the relationships stands out more than the others.

Her relationship with Eiko is very much that of siblings, complete with rivalry and friction. The focus of the episode is rightly on the two with everyone else in supporting roles. After all, Eiko was the first to deal with her that fateful day she tried to invade the restaurant.

I loved the series after watching it on Crunchyroll when it had completed. Having it released here in the States was a huge surprised, as was the excellent job done by the English voice cast. Now if Media Blasters can hold on long enough to license the second season and get it out I will be very pleased. Though not quite as good as the first, it is more of the same – which is well worth watching.

The end credits are replaced with a montage of daily life for our favorite squid and feature callbacks to all the characters. It makes for a very sweet ending.

BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!

Chizuru breaking out the Noh Mask Rider Anya mask along with a red haired wig to impersonate Eiko was ridiculously funny. Her destruction of the opposing team was straight out of a shounen anime. But with the tournament won, Ika tragically finds out that just because the shrimp on screen looks real doesn’t mean it is edible.

It was strange to watch Squid Girl swimming like a normal human. The whirlpool created by the Three Idiots nearly killing Eiko was unexpected and actually created tension.

Ika cares about Eiko more than she would ever admit, like many a younger sister. Her determination to save the other girl brought her tentacles back, showing she has learned to value the people around her. There may be hope for the girl yet.

Such a sweet moment between the girls. Of course, Ika had to ruin it and deserved what she got. Still, her prior actions speak volumes.

Squid Girl Episode 11

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.

The anime series proves it can do horror when a creepy doll is found, science fiction when Cindy turns her sights onto a new target, and nature documentary when a mountain hike goes terribly wrong. Laughter keeps on coming no matter what the genre is when Ika Musame invades it!

Proving the quality of the early episodes was no fluke, Squid Girl stays strong in its penultimate installment of the first season. In fact, it is one of the most solid episodes of the entire series.

Why Is This Doll So Fishy?

There are few things creepier than a doll designed to be cute, but that looks disturbing instead. Clowns may be one of those things, but even an evil clown would have trouble competing with the doll that stars in this tale.  Depp is an old toy of Eiko’s that she finds in a storage box in the Aizawa residence. Right away, the thing is unnerving to Squid Girl and most likely anyone watching the show. The animation also takes an unsettling air of a horror movie, which is something the Japanese excel at.

As darkness falls, the atmosphere grows more sinister in Eiko and Ika’s bedroom. Unable to sleep due to the doll looking at her, Ika Musame turns it around so she can get some sleep. It works, but when she awakens the doll has turned back to stare at her with those unfeeling blue eyes.

A mystery has begun, one that digs into Eiko’s forgotten past. Who is Johnny? And what does Johnny have to do with Depp? Only with the help of Sannae will the answer be found and it is not one they want…

Why So Susfishous?

Cindy Campbell is back to investigate a suspected alien, as we find out thanks to hearing her thoughts. After witnessing too many inhuman feats by Chizuru, it has dawned on her and the Three Idiots from MIT that data is needed. Data provided by DNA extracted from her blood!

Harris is the first to try to retrieve a sample, but his invisibility suit causes more problems than it assists him. With the restaurant in an uproar thanks to him, another plan must be enacted. A drone of brilliant design is then employed by Clark with disastrous consequences.

Things quickly spiral out of the control of the mad scientists and a frightened Nagisa can only watch helplessly. The true meaning of fear will be learned.

Want to Gill Up the Mountain?

Nature is a wonderful thing filled with beauty, fresh air, and exercise. Sadly for Squid Girl, she does not appreciate any of those. So when the Aizawa clan go for a mountain hike, Ika is not happy to find out how difficult going up a mountain is. Unable to escape the terrible tag team of Chizuru and Eiko, the miserable fish out of water grits her teeth and endures locomotion using only her legs.

There is another thing about nature that is very appealing and that is observing wildlife in their natural habitat. Here Ika learns about squirrels, monkeys, and other animals on the mountain. It is an up close kind of education; the kind kids enjoy the most. After all, survival skills television shows have been very popular lately.

Greater challenges await the young squid along the way to the summit. Once there she may find the most frightening creature of the them all…

Thoughts

Silly is becoming an inadequate word to describe this series. It takes silly to an exponential degree, then multiplies it by comic madness to achieve its sweet, but warped goals.  For a slice of life show, it is amazing how it spoofed three different genres so effortlessly.

The Three Idiots are particularly amusing in the second segment and a brief cameo in the third. Actually, the supporting cast carries a lot of episode eleven. It is not something you notice right away, but repeated viewings made it stand out to me. That is a good testimony of how well developed they have become by late in the season. No setups are needed, the writers just wind them up and let them go.

Speaking of writing, the stories bounce around from different time periods in the manga, but it all works seamlessly in the adaptation. A lot of credit needs to go to the production crew for I think this is a rare case of an anime being better than the manga it was based on.  I do not think there are any Ika Musame purists out there to complain, so I should be safe in making that statement.

The first story has a rare reference to the missing Aizawa parents who have never been seen. Their absence is something of a mystery.

All in all, this was a great episode and now I am saddened that the season is coming to an end. Only one full episode and two mini Squid Girl videos left to review.

BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!

The reveal of Johnny is deftly handled and I loved how the one hand poked out of the packing like a zombie hand from a grave. I admire how they built up the suspense and still managed to be silly at the same time. It was great fun.

The second segment’s best part was Chizuru. I would take her up against any shounen fighting character and bet on her winning. Oh and that innocent face she made at the end, it was even more scary than her opening her eyes.

When the cobra showed up to torment Ika further, I was laughing a little. When she lost to it, I was laughing out loud. The duel with the echo is pure early invasion and still amusing. Sannae’s Marilyn Monroe like summer dress and entrance was kind of strange if not alarming. When it turned out to be an innocent scene, I was relieved.

Anime Worth Watching: An Opinion

A comment from Hanny has me thinking about which anime I like and how to go about recommending them. The problem is the style and content varies so much that they are hard to compare to each other. If I were an otaku it would be so much easier because I would like every new piece of trash that comes down the pike. But since I am just an entertainment lover and anime is just a minor subset of what I watch, my likes are very different.

Then there is the problem of trying to rank TV series against theatrical movies, which causes my brain to melt down. But hey, I like tilting at windmills, so here goes. My top three TV series are tied at number uno, so things get messy right off the bat:

1. Fractale, Area 88, Kimi ni Todoke
2. Spirited Away
3. Summer Wars
4. Only Yesterday
5. Squid Girl
6. Princess Mononoke
7. Howl’s Moving Castle
8. Porco Rosso
9. Castle in the Sky
10. C: Control
11. Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth
12. Space Brothers
13. Bleach
14. Kiki’s Delivery Service
15. Tiger and Bunny
16. Whisper of the Heart
17. Bubblegum Crisis Toyko 2040
18. The Cat Returns
19. Denpa Onna
20. FLCL
21. Akira
22. My Neighbor Totoro
23. Nausicaa Valley of the Wind
24. Hellsing

Squid Girl Episode 9

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.

In the space of one episode, the show goes from sweetly silly to lunacy. Squid Girl discovers makeup, the dangers of doorbell ditching, and that being fought over is not as much fun as it sounds. But things are not all bad as she makes a friend.

The misadventures of Ika Musume aka Squid Girl are at their best when they mix a dash of sentimentality into the antics. Since most of the stories have a basis in every day events, there is ample opportunity to do so. It is the first story that uses this recipe to best effect and I judge it the most memorable in the episode.

Want to Ring and Jet?

I knew other kids who doorbell ditched when I was younger, but I never found it amusing. Usually the targets were old folks who would become very confused and flustered, which irked me. So when the episode opened with Takeru and his friend doing it, I was prepared to be annoyed. Especially when Squid Girl is taunted into playing “ring and run.”

Seen ringing the doorbell by Chizuru, the hapless girl freezes. Luckily for her, the woman answering the door provides her an out by assuming she a friend of her daughter’s. Bluffing her way out of it, it almost works – until the girl shows up.

Panicked, Ika yanks the girl to a neighboring park and begs for her help in covering up the lie. Kiyomi turns out to be a bright and sweet girl, not to mention forgiving. Her solution to Squid Girl’s dilemma is clever, very clever indeed.

Having made her first friend around her own age, Ika gets carried away and invites Kiyomi to her house the next day. Just one little problem: she never asked for permission from Chizuru, the one person capable of annihilating her. Guilt ridden and paranoid, the big question is whether or not Squid Girl will survive long enough to be friends with Kiyomi.

Do Mollusks Wear Makeup?

The discovery of a tube of lipstick belonging to Eiko awakens the girly side of Squid Girl who cannot wait to experiment with her new look. Delighted that makeup can attract more attention, she finds that it draws even more unwanted advances from the ever annoying Sannae. There is power to be found in style though.

But what style should she go for? Looking around the Lemon Beach House, Ika and Eiko find a wide menagerie of styles. Some are amusing riffs based on other animes, but others are horrific examples from reality. Overhearing a pair of girls talk about how they wrap men around their fingers piques the fish out of water’s interest.

But just how far will Squid Girl take things in her quest for power? And who else in the cast will receive a dramatic makeover?

Aren’t You Armed with a Secret Weapon?

The sudden appearance of Cindy the alien researcher on a sweltering hot day unnerves the staff of the restaurant. Her persistent efforts to haul Ika Musame off to be studied draws the attention of the tentacle haired girl’s main stalker. Yes, Sannae has shown up and will brook no competition. Soon a fight is brewing, complicated by jealousy of Eiko’s spending time with Squid Girl.

As if that was not insane enough, the three idiots from MIT show up in beach wear. Of course, for them that also means lab coats so that the nerds can carry their experiments with them. A very dangerous, if seductive, offer is made to Ika and things escalate out of control quickly.

What horrific events could lead to the above screen captures? What could enrage Chizuru so? It is time for the cast to find out just how deadly the mild mannered young woman can be…

Thoughts

Episode 9 is one of the better entries in the series, mainly due to the first segment that introduces Kiyomi to the ever growing cast of characters. The friendship that starts there becomes a source of some of the sweeter stories later on. One has to like Kiyomi, since she is a refreshingly nice girl without any odd quirks. Her assumption that Eiko and Chizuru are Ika’s sisters is never refuted and the sense that they are family has grown quite strong by this point.

The makeup focused story is great fun too. It serves as a chance to make fun of extreme styles, while also showing Ika becoming a little more normal. But only a little, as the ending shows. I really enjoyed Goro’s lines and the odd relationship he has with his fellow protector of the sea.

Sheer insanity dominates the final story and the ridiculous spectacle of Sannae and Cindy competing over Squid Girl is mad enough, but then the mad scientists drive sanity right over the cliff. But the real star of this segment is Chizuru.

This review is brought to you by Chizuru’s death glare. You really do not want to upset her enough for her to open her eyes.

Squid Girl Episode 8

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 faces a serious illness, discovers a new ability, and discovers the wonders of umbrellas in an uneven entry in the comedy series. While first two segments are a mixed bag, the third story redeems the episode with one of the more charming stories of the series.

Who’s a Sick Cephalopod?

Having tentacles would be very handy in my opinion, especially if they were as capable as Squid Girl’s. However, I could see them getting hurt in all sorts of accidental ways. But having one get caught in an ice shaving machine was not one I could imagine.

When a dazed and muted Ika Musame starts shaving one of her tentacle tips off and doesn’t notice, Eiko becomes concerned. Looking flushed, everybody’s favorite inkvader appears to have come down with something. Funny, I was expecting her to look green around the gills, not flushed.

Finding all the  suggested ideas from the Aizawa family to be less than helpful, Squid Girl reveals that her illness is something potentially much more serious than thought. Bed ridden, delirious, and desperate her condition spirals downward.

Desperate times require desperate measures as Eiko does her best to help Ika. Help from an unlikely source is forthcoming, but is the cure worse than the illness?

Is That a New Agilllity?

Squid Girl demonstrates a new ability, that of being an art critic when it concerns sand castles. Not impressed with her critique or effort at making a better one, Takeru’s friend mocks her back and points out she has weird things on the sides of her hat. Yep, we have arrived at third grade humor here.

Only just realizing she has fins on her head makes the anthropomorphic squid wonder what they are for – especially once they start twitching. Calling in outside experts to help her figure it out, i.e. her immediate friends, is once again not very helpful.

But there are bigger fish to fry when the dad of Takeru’s friend shows up to do battle over sandcastle building. Inexplicable power ups, cheating, and more art critiques follow.

Shouldn’t You Jet an Umbrella?

Another rainy day and a need for supplies introduces Squid Girl to the wonders of umbrellas. Fascinated like a little kid, Ika marvels over the mechanisms and different kinds she sees. Smitten with the cheap vinyl umbrella given to her by Eiko, the younger girl cannot resist playing with it.

Left to her own devices while Eiko shops, Ika drifts off into a world of fantasy and fun with her umbrella, Squid Unit 01. Yes, she even names it and decides it is her most useful tool for invasion. As she daydreams about their adventures together, Squid Girl keeps adding names to it such as MK II in spoofs of mecha and other animes. Playing around in the rain never looked like so much fun.

But all good things come to an end…

Thoughts

The first two stories are mildly amusing here and there. I suspect children would find them more amusing. Fans of Sannae will be pleased as she gets a lot of time in both and masochistic slapstick abounds. It is hard to peg anything in a slice of life comedy as filler, but both stories have that aura about them – though they are adapted from the manga.

It is the last story that lingers in the memory and salvages a very uneven episode. Perhaps it is because I can remember how amazing the first umbrella I saw was and how much fun the first retractable one encountered was to play with. In this episode, a pure example of childhood innocence and fun can be found.

That awful crushing sadness of breaking something you love is also beautifully presented. Often it is the first encounter with heartbreak for a young soul and I loved how it was handled. It simply rang true, as did Eiko’s older sister method of dealing with the situation. The growing sense of family relationships between Ika and the Aizawa’s adds much to the show, elevating it to more than just a comedy. That last scene of the two was gently sweet in its humor and rang just the right note.

Squid Girl Season 1 DVD Set 2 and Ep. 7 Review

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.

Squid Girl Episode 5, Season 1

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.

Another identity crisis due to mistaken identity, the perils of inkvading high school, and a surprising final segment start off the second disc of set one. The usual laughs and insane situations are there, but don’t be surprised if you come away with a tear in your eye rather than a smile after watching this episode.

Are You from Planet Calamari?

Proving that the previous episode’s mild fan service was no fluke, the first third starts off when an impossibly proportioned blond in a bikini enters the Lemon Beach House. We can tell she is a great beauty because all sorts of sparkles emanate from her hair as it waves in slow motion in the sea breeze. Well, that and the male customers completely lose their cool at the sight of her.

Immediately sizing her up as a foreigner, Eiko panics. Once again showing her sadistic streak, Chizuru forces the teen to wait on the newcomer. It soon turns out that Eiko’s command of the English language leaves much to be desired.

Luckily for her, the blond is fluent in Japanese and is here for a very specific reason. It seems there are rumors of an alien having been sighted at this location. Now who could that be?

And so Cindy Campbell, M.I.T. graduate and alien hunter extraordinaire joins the cast of loonies. Squid Girl is understandably rather upset with being called an alien and even more so with Cindy’s nearly Sanae like desire to haul her off to a laboratory. Not only does the American look good in swimwear, she is a true mad scientist – and mad scientists don’t take no for answer.

Is our tentacled protagonist really a Squiddian invader from outer space?  Can Squid Girl find her way back to normalcy? And just what is normalcy for her anyway?

Want to Join a New School of Fish?

One of my favorite things about Squid Girl is how everyday events become  epic adventures for our blue tressed heroine. If you were wondering if her adoptive family had lives outside the beach, wonder no more. Summer vacation is over and Eiko proudly dresses in her school uniform. After some confusion over cosplay, Squid Girl demands to come along. Rebuffed, she sneaks into school anyway to do some reconnaissance like a proper inkvader.

Exploring all the empty rooms she can get into, it becomes clear to Ika that this is a military training facility. Why they even have a place to take care of the wounded. It is a perfect base to stage her takeover of the surface world from! Or at least that is how she sees things.

Violence, hostage taking, and PA announcements lead to a potentially deadly situation. Can this be peaceably resolved or will the inkvasion finally begin in earnest?

Who’d Like a Pet Squid?

The final segment is a big change of pace and is original to the anime. I do not want to give too much away, but the nearly dialogue free story shows a deft touch while tugging at the audience’s heartstrings. It all begins with Eiko finding a mini Squid Girl in a jar on the beach one rainy day.

What follows will be familiar to anyone who has raised a pet, especially if they have wooed a feral kitten.

This story shows what heights the animators are capable of rising to as what should be a simple overdose of cute becomes something deeply touching instead. It was so popular that two shorts were done starring Mini Squid Girl for the Blu-ray release in Japan along with figurines.

Thoughts

Squid Girl is a light hearted series that occasionally will surprise with sharp insights or genuinely sweet moments. It is the latter that you will remember from this episode. It is something of a sucker punch and all the more effective for it.

I have to praise the English language voice cast again. They have done a bang up job and I also have to give the dub writers a hand for how they rewrote the scene between Eiko and Cindy. It was cleverly handled.

This and Episode Six are the only episodes on disc 2 and for some reason the same extras from the first disc were repeated. I have hopes that the second set coming out later this month will have the Mini Ika Musame shorts on them as they are very cute.

Squid Girl Episode 4, Season 1

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.

The silliness with a heart continues as everyone’s favorite invader from the bottom of the sea learns about money, family life, and suffers from an identity crisis. There will be puns.

Want to Buy Sumfin?

Fulfilling her vow to protect the ocean by picking up litter, Squid Girl is amazed at the volume of trash humans produce. But what is that strange object? A terrified (as always) Nagisa identifies it as a wallet and Ika gets her first lesson in money. As a reward for finding and returning, the owner gifts her with 10,000 yen.

While she knows of money, Squid Girl has no concept of how it all works and quickly is barraged with more advice than she can handle. After all, she is just a fresh squid to the surface world.

Sent to shop with Nagisa, the whole world of consumerism opens before her. But little does she know she is being stalked by Sanae who was able to smell her a block away. Yes, smell her. Sanae has more screws loose than a rusty old Yugo.

Shrimp addiction, Chizuru’s sadistic streak, and mental illness all get covered in this very amusing story that plays out like a warped after school special. In the end, there is no way to disagree with Nagisa’s quietly horrified take on the whole situation.

Care to Come Aboard?

Ever wondered where Squid Girl ended up living after invading? Here we get the answer when she isn’t allowed to follow Eiko and her family home for the night. So her base, The Lemon Beach House is where she spends her nights.

But a tragic death of an appliance and the binding of another means it will be a very boring night for a young squid. Drastic measures are required and the fallout from them the next morning can only lead to one thing…

Yes, Chizuru has decided to let Ika stay over at their house! Crabby Eiko is less than thrilled for good reason, given the damage all those tentacles can do. What follows is very sweet, though. Having her first experiences at normal things families do, Squid Girl has a great time.

Video games are played, boredom resurfaces, and what appears to be a shout out to another blue haired anime girl follow.

That’s So Fishy Its Fake

Sheer insanity.

That’s what this wonderfully loopy segment is and it all starts with an innocuous reconnaissance run on a popular neighboring beach. Eiko and Squid Girl are stunned to find kids recognizing her and pulling on her tentacles. Could she be that infamous?

Not exactly. There is another Squid Girl!

Instant identity crisis time for our tentacled would be terror when she confronts her “twin.” It does not matter that the other Squid Girl is a shapely young thing wearing an obvious and oversized mask. Much like when Takeru made a squid hat in episode one, she cannot tell the difference.

But forget the deep sea existential crisis, the real humor is in the insane creation of the rival restaurant owner. We get to see not one, but two versions of his brilliant work. Let us say that the more he innovates, the less appealing his work becomes – even if it has animatronic tentacles and other special features.

An hilarious competition of the Squid Girl’s ensues with the fate of Ika’s future on the line. There will be collateral damage, scares, and a stunning reveal. Just what lurks beneath that expression of the new girl?

Thoughts

Episode 4 has all of Squid Girl’s best points on display. Segment one has the foibles of Squid Girl featured, plus a nice moral message to start it. There is an endearing quality to the show and the middle segment captures the warmth the show often exudes. Part of the fun is seeing the title character have new experiences, but the sense of appreciation for everyday things is rewarding as well. But the sheer insanity of the final story is the episode stealer.

Highlights from the three segments for me:

The short exchange between Chizuru and Eiko when the younger sister sent Nagisa to escort Ika shopping. A very nicely written bit.

The reaction to the box’s contents at the end of the first segment.

The warm fuzzies generated by the montage in the second story.

Realizing how none of the main females in the cast have a ridiculously buxom body that is so prevalent in anime. Eiko, Chizuru, Sanae, Nagisa, and Squid Girl have relatively normal body types. The appearance of the new girl brought that home, because she is the stereotypical anime girl in appearance.

I also liked the hint that the stereotypical beauty seems to be on the shy side in this episode. That final look back added an unexpected moment of poignancy to an otherwise gonzo story. We will see her again.

It seems the American voice actors have settled into their roles by this point in recording and I have to say they do a good job. The refreshing normalcy of the voice portrayals of Eiko and Nagisa stood out to me.

Squid Girl Ep. 2, Season 1

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.

More characters join Squid Girl’s expanding cast as the aquatic invader attempts to make sense of the surface world. A lifeguard gets her attention, she gains an admirer, and fireworks ensue -- but not necessarily in that order.

Aren’t We Squids of a Feather?

Starting off with a spoof of Baywatch makes sense for a comedy set on a beach and it is made all the better after it is revealed to all be in the head of the local life guard. So enters a new character, Goro.

When the pretty girl he is chatting up notices someone in distress, he springs into action. Wait… Is that Squid Girl out there flailing madly? Apparently she forgot to stretch her tentacles before entering the water and suffered a cramped one.

Yes, I know what you are thinking and it is addressed in a most amusing way. But back to Life Savers… err, Squid Girl.

One quick rescue later, Goro is horrified to find out that he has rescued a monster from the sea. Fortunately, Eiko and Takeru are present to explain things. Well, as much as you can explain someone like Ika Musame. We also find out that Goro has quite a crush on Chizuru.

Oddly enough, the life guard and invader hit it off when they both reveal themselves to be protectors of the sea. But their ideas of how they protect the sea are just a bit different and a falling out is unavoidable. Squid Girl decides there isn’t room enough for two protectors….

Hijinks ensue and a serious moral lesson is learned in the end; something not unusual with this show.

Consquidilations?

The second segment is about something everyone can relate to: birthdays. Puzzled by the spectacle of a family having a birthday party at the Lemon Beach House, Squid Girl wants to know just what the squid is going on. Once she finds out what a birthday is and that it involves cake, gifts, and attention, she pitches a fit.

Yes, it is time to declare it is her “hatchday” and demand a celebration. Chizuru thinks it is a great idea, much to her younger sister’s dismay. So preparations begin with locking Squid Girl in a back room to keep things a surprise. Ever snoopy, her imagination gets the best of her as she overhears the conversations.

Hey, calamari is tasty, so I can understand her paranoia.

What follows is a nice illustration of one of the show’s best strengths, that of portraying those first time experiences from childhood. Amidst all the goofy comedy and slapstick antics are sweet reminders of how things we now take for granted were once magical. Do you remember what it was like the first time you tried to blow out candles on a birthday cake? How about the first time you played with fireworks?

It is all there, the good and the bad, but exaggerated which makes for great fun.

A feeling of family is also beginning to develop nicely. That is good, for dangers await the squidling.

Want to Swim Out and Play?

Sometimes danger comes disguised in the most innocent of packages. That is a hard lesson to learn growing up and a lot of adults never do. Take the two screen caps above, for example. One is of a cute little puppy and the other is of a sweet looking teenage girl. Which is the dangerous one?

Eiko’s friend, Sanae, brings her new pup to the restaurant to show him off. He is a big hit and an envious Squid Girl cannot believe that the dog is considered cuter than she. Ika is such a child in so many ways, good and bad.

Her demand for equal treatment leads to hilarious proof that you should be careful of what you wish for. It is an utterly silly scene that would not be out of place in an old Looney Tunes cartoon.

Hmm. I wonder what a meeting between Daffy Duck and Squid Girl would be like?

An invitation to visit Sanae’s place is made and this is where we find out why the series is rated for 13 and older.

Yep, we have just encountered a tired anime trope, that of the lesbian teen with a raging crush on a main character. Sanae’s attentions toward Ika are uncomfortable for the young squid and disturbing to Eiko, who doesn’t verbally pull her punches. Oh if that were only the problem with Sanae. When Eiko takes the puppy for a walk, Squid Girl ponders turning the air conditioned house into her invasion headquarters.

But who is the hunter and who is the prey?

Sheer lunacy, trauma, and shameless inkjet printing follow with a nice visual moment to wrap up the episode.

Thoughts

As I wrote earlier in the review, the reminders of magical moments of childhood is one of the things that makes Squid Girl such an appealing show to me. Genuine warmth can also be found between the comic bits, which make it more than just a gag show. That is why the middle segment was the one I liked the best out of this episode.

Ika Musame is an interesting character, with it becoming a little clearer that she is a good girl at heart, if obsessed with global domination. The relationship with Eiko is settling into something more like siblings. Specifically, siblings close in age who always fight with each other.

Sanae is very annoying. But beyond that, she is very creepy and while it is treated light heartedly stalkers are not that amusing to me. That is not to say this segment was unamusing, merely of questionable taste. That could be said about the character of Sanae, period.

The quality of the video continues to impress me greatly. For a lowly DVD to scale up as well as this one does on my 1680 x 1050 monitor is very unusual. It matches the quality of 720p videos I have purchased from iTunes, which is mind blowing. Keeping each disc to three episodes and keeping the quality high is probably the reason for this.

Squid Girl Episode 1 and Season 1 Part 1 DVD Set Review

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.

A ferocious being from the depth of the sea sets forth to invade the surface world and wreak havoc on humanity in retaliation for pollution. Another Japanese giant monster movie? No, it is Squid Girl and she is here to dominate all you minnows! Well, if she could get over her shrimp addiction and pay off the putting a hole in a wall. It is squidtastic fun as we follow Squid Girl’s dealing with life in on the surface.

In late 2010, an anime debuted in the wee hours of the morning  (2 AM) in Japan and the world was never the same. A little heralded manga character suddenly became an Internet meme and amassed a cult following world wide. Her name? Ika Musame, or Squid Girl!

Each episode adapts three of the original short manga chapters, with each segment having an equally punny title. Be warned, Squid Girl is all about the puns, but interleaved with often witty observations about modern life. On to the review and Squid Girl’s weird and silly world, degeso!

How About an Inkvasion?

The show opens with a female voice ranting about the pollution in the sea and threatens an “inkvasion” of the human world. Ominous tentacles and a Jaws like camera point of view set a dark horror movie mood.

Which is promptly demolished by the aural assault on the ears that is the main theme. It is quite horrible the first time you hear it, but then it grows on you and I’ve become quite fond of it -- especially after reading the lyrics. The opening montage has quit a few spoilers for the series and makes it clear there will be no scares.

The creature approaches the beach, which is rather picturesque and home to a seaside restaurant, Lemon Beach House. Like Amity Island, the tourist spot has no clue what is about to hit it.

The creature leaps upon a table and makes a declaration of war.

The customers are stunned.

You would be too, if a blue haired girl in her early teens espousing world domination laced with fish puns interrupted your lunch. Alas, the waitress is not impressed and hauls the invader out back for a few choice words.

In back of the restaurant, Squid Girl explains who she is and why she is there. Thinking that she is just a cosplayer, Eiko listens to her demands and nicely tells her to go home. Showing the temperament of a Humboldt, Ika dashes in to tell her off only to be told by the gal running the place to take a couple of orders to a table.

Which she does without question.

The azure haired would be conqueror finds herself bussing the tables and quickly overwhelmed by the requests from the customers. A crisis follows causing her to remembers why she is there and it is time for another talking to out back.

It seems our little aquatic invader had miscalculated the number of humans in the world and can’t even handle 30 customers. The shock of finding out there are billions of humans is almost too much for her, but a mosquito turns into another challenge to her competence at warfare. Consequently, Squid Girl loses her temper and shows that she isn’t human after all in a hilarious battle to the death with the insect.

But there is collateral damage from the fight and her fate is not what she had expected. Now she is a waitress slaving to pay off the damage to the building.

What the squid?! This isn’t how inkvasions are supposed to go!

Aren’t We Brothers in Arms?

Settling in to her new job, Squid Girl finds herself being followed and one panicked encounter later has a willing soldier under her command. Sadly, he turns out to be Eiko’s little brother, Takeru. So much for relying on humans!

Spurned by the speciesist Squid Girl, Takeru comes up with a cunning plan. It involves paper and scissors, mistaken identity, and the gillibility of certain squid.

With a willing comrade in arms, what could go wrong? Well, err… lots?

Who’s the Mightiest Squid of All?

In the final segment, Squid Girl’s many faces are shown to great comic effect when things move to a horror movie like setting of an isolated Lemon Beach House. How can it be isolated on a busy beach, you ask. Rain. That foe of fun in the sun has driven all the customers away.

But it does give Squid Girl a chance to ask who the gal with the gill long hair is. She knows that the woman runs the place but is clueless otherwise. It turns out it is Eiko’s older sister, Chizuru.

The cold temps trigger a sneeze from Ika and that sprays ink all over Chizuru. She takes it calmly and goes off to shower, leaving the place in the care of Eiko, Takeru, and Squid Girl. Ah yes, the old divide and conquer opportunity arises. But first, the young invader (or is it inkvader?) is horrified to find out that squid ink is used as a sauce for spaghetti. Even worse, squid meat is consumed with it!

It is eat or be eaten time!

Easily besting the two kids, Squid Girl gloats when Chizuru of the ever closed eyes returns. One final boss to beat and it will be INVASION TIME!

So begins the tales of Squid Girl and her attempted invasion of humanity. Loopy, silly, filled with puns and more than a little sweetness, Squid Girl has to be one of the most improbable hits in anime history. Episode 1 does a good job of setting up the main characters for this slice of life comedy, degeso.

Thoughts

Squid Girl is great fun and always leaves me with a smile, which is something I have come to value more as I have grown older and the world darker. A lot of comedies could learn from this adaptation as it shows impeccable comic timing in direction and line delivery. That made it something of a worry when I read it was going to come out with an English dub on the DVD alongside the original Japanese.

While I still give much higher marks to the voice actors of the original, the American cast does a good job, especially the voice of Squid Girl. Though she doesn’t have quite the bombast when Ika is in scheming mode, the voice actress has caught her character well. The puns are slightly different than in the subtitles, but all are witty and convey the charm of the original.

The decision to dub should broaden the audience and that is a good thing. Everyone could use a little Squid Girl in their entertainment diet. Or at least squid ink spaghetti.

The show is aimed at teenagers and older, not little kids. In fact the case says “13 AND OLDER” on the back. But there will be things that will amuse younger ones, so I leave it to the discretion of parents to judge for themselves whether their kids should see it.

Technical

The 1:78 anamorphic widescreen transfer is gorgeous and I hope the screen captures show that well. Since there are no plans for a Bluray release in the States, this is as good as it gets.

Sound is good, with Dolby Digital surround actually using the rear speakers at times. That kind of surprised me, since this was a relatively low budget anime.

Language options include English, English with subtitles, Japanese, and Japanese with subtitles.

On Disc Two, extras are found which include:

Textless Opening

Textless Closings for all six episodes (subtle visual changes in each), but you can’t choose to watch them individually.

Interview with Hisako Kanemoto, the Japanese voice actress who plays Squid Girl.

Hat Folding video which is a continuation from the interview. Fans on the Internet figured out how to make Ika’s hat like Takeru did.

Trailers for other titles put out by Media Blasters. WARNING: the first preview is of a smutty series and is out of place on this set.

The DVD Case:

Oddly enough, this is the second time this month I feel that the presentation of the DVD case merits mentioning.

First off, the layout is rotated ninety degrees, which is very unorthodox. But given how off kilter Ika Musame’s world is, it seem appropriate. It also allows the whole cast to be shown and the art conveys the lively energy of the series.

The second thing to note is something I noticed when I found Disc 2 rattling loose from shipping. Take a look at the center plastic holder for the DVD. The prongs are Squid Girl’s tentacles! Very clever.

The case itself has a chemical smell to it, but I imagine that will pass in time.

Media Blasters and Anime Works deserve a lot of credit for putting this out in the first place and even more for the quality of the DVD’s. Nobody expected this to be a hit, not even the producers of the show. I for one, would like to thank them for helping us submit to our new squid overlord.

And so in tribute I will leave you with 8 bit Squid Girl from the opening to admire: