PLOT: Rarely does a show make such a strong impression with its 1st few episodes than Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge does. I laughed till I cried during the 1st episode – think I watched it a few times and then made my sister watch it too. The show has very strong beginning and end, but the middle is a bit flabby – these are mostly anime original episodes, but even the middle episodes are still entertaining. The humour is OTT with lots of slapstick and visual gags, which get recycled quite a bit but still remain funny. There is also a fair bit of character development for the main characters, particularly Sunako & Kyohei throughout the series, but mainly it’s about the lulz.
ANIMATION: The art style takes a while to get used to – the character designs are not standard bishie fare, they look slightly odd and effeminate with their massive pouty lips, but once you get past that its fine – after all its really the reactions of the other characters to the bishies ‘dazzling good looks’ that makes the comedy work. Sunako herself is very pretty when she’s in lady/kickass mode, but for the majority of the time she’s drawn as a chibi. All the characters are prone to revert to chibi form at the drop of a hat – it is a bit overused, but normally only heightens the impact of the humour. Spontaneous showers of rose petals, sparkles & nosebleeds are also normal in Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge to the extent that it’s a parody of overused shoujo conventions.
MUSIC & VOICE ACTING: I remember that the soundtrack was very rock orientated with great OP & EDs and I also loved the voice cast to bits. Sunako stands out for me as well due to her dramatic mood swings.
Overall a fun comedy series – recommended if you just want to have a good laugh.
