Muteki Kanban Musume [56k is the main dish]

[Crube]

It's been a pretty slow Summer season, but there's more than just the intense political intrigue and social reform of Zero no Tsukaima!

Meet Miki Onimaru, a poster girl for her family's ramen shop for which she has just started working. However, under her normal exterior lies a true monster of bad temperment, and the strength of a bullet train. Unable to let any injustice (what she would call 'injustice' at least) go or to back down of any sort of fight or competition, life in the neighborhood where the shop resides has turned into hell. As such, the list of enemies and rivals she has is enormous. The largest one of them...

Megumi Kannazaki, who has known Miki since childhood, and has mutually hated her since that time as well. Miki always was a bit of a bully as a kid, and Megumi was just one more victim (at least Miki remembers her name, unlike others...nya.) However, she is not filled a burning fighting passion like Miki is, and is actually quite weak. To make up for it, she has mastered the art of throwing skewers. This skill originated from an observation that a thrown piece of chalk from their elementary school teacher hit Miki squarely on the forehead. After manipulating the teacher into training her to do the same, she's now able to hold her own against Miki the Beast.

They really, really don't like each other. This life-or-death, serious business conflict forms the basis of everyday life with Miki, but it doesn't stop there.

We've got Miki's mom, who has a worse temper and far stronger punches. Because of Miki's ineptitude at being a waitress inside the shop, she demoted her to doing deliveries. Most of Miki's adventures are out on the road, far away from the shop where she could do potential damage.

And of course Akihiko, who is the innocent bystander in the chaos Miki creates. More or less, he's the narrator and serves as the level-headed way of thinking in all of this insanity. An old family friend of Miki's running a grocery store. Pretty much your average guy, though he has an old school sense of justice burning inside of him and the ability to recognize clear plot expositions.

These people, along with those who would choose to side with or against Miki, make up one of the better comedies I've seen in quite some time. It's pure slapstick, but it has a hyperactive pace and no holds barred approach that can only remind me of some strange mixture of Excel Saga and a shounen fighting series. Think the first few episodes of Futakoi Alternative before it got awkward and creepy.

The first 5 episodes have all been subbed, by KissSub & Kyuu (and a few others, though as of now only Kiss is up to date). It may not make you question your standings on 18th century level social classes or whether you'd try to escape from a Harry Potter harem or not, but it does what it's set out to do very well: laughs with a good dose of burning shounen. It doesn't rely on silly fanservice or any of the other crutches anime comedies tend to go with, so in many ways it's a breath of fresh air. Download it, watch it, and prepare to never look at tiny dogs the same ever again.

Get episodes here.

[Tanni Foemangler]

if i had more free time, i'd be all over it

nice post, btw. very thorough :crube:

[TeleportSandwich]

Tries too hard to be funny IMO. The MGM Lion parody is priceless though~

[LinkOcarinaMan]

I really like this show, it reminds me a lot of Magikano with the eggagerated facial expressions and everything.

For the summer season, I like it more than Zero no Tsukaima, but not as much as Otogi-Jushi Akazukin. ^_^

[Akito]

Just watched the first episode. I like it so far, so I'll have to keep watching.

[Gundampilotspaz]

I give the series a B, for brilliant!