I might have to denounce ever being a critic after I make this statement.
No, probably not. I was always too kind a critic. If I was ever one at all. What am I getting to? Ultimately, I was entertained by Chu-Bra!!.
The first scenes consisted of a turtle. I like turtles.
I’m not yet going to pass the judgment of ‘I like it’, which would be too strong at this point. Simply, I didn’t finish the episode hating humanity or vomiting blood.
Chu-Bra!! is a series about lingerie. I knew that full well when I started it, so I had no expectations whatsoever. In fact, I probably lowered my standards.
No, I’m not going to deny that Chu-Bra!! is mediocre. Unbelievably mediocre, in fact. It’s so ridiculously mediocre that it didn’t anger me; I simply watched on, allowing this mediocrity to surprise me. It’s akin to Kamille; normally a whiny, impulsive teenage protagonist would be the subject of my loathing, but he’s simply so impossibly whiny and so ridiculously illogical that he transcends one’s boundaries of hate and becomes a ludicrous phenomenon that makes one smirk and breathe, ‘what?’ – yes, you’ve heard that one before, but that’s the gist of it.
Of course, that’s not the only reason it was entertaining to me, far from. Another thing is what Chu-Bra!! presents – besides the lingerie, besides the underage panchira, there exists a plotline of heroine Nayu being discriminated by her peers, who mistake her to be a prostitute because of her passion for sensual undergarments. This is a form of bullying too, and one we haven’t quite seen before; unlike the stale RediBato, Chu-Bra!! manages to put something new onto the table. Cases of underage prostitution are prominent in Japan, and Chu-Bra!!, though not acutely, reminds us of the effect this has on growing teenagers.
Problem is, that’s where it stops, as a less-than-acute reminder. Nayu makes friends in the first episode, everything is hunky-dory, and the series retains its lingerie theme and lightheartedness. You may start thinking I’m a madman, but I think that had they not done it this way, Chu-Bra!! could be an emotional epic. This is how: Onani Master Kurosawa.
OMK is one of the most brilliant manga works ever, period. Combining the lowest and highest points of the human condition and a stinging reminder that we are all ultimately human, as well as the power of the human will and the raw strife and emotion of self-correction, OMK certainly changed my life a lot more than those crappy dystopian novels thrown at me in school (Not that I’m attacking such classics as Nineteen Eighty-Four, which I wouldn’t lump together with literary messes such as Blindness).
Imagine if Nayu never made any friends. Imagine if she was continually misunderstood, being forced to hide her passion for undergarments and her job as a data-collector, imagine if she was thus directly bullied for it and even at one point sexually assaulted. How glorious it would feel for the audience, if through thick, thin and much humiliation, Nayu is finally able to make friends. Undeniably a much darker Chu-Bra!! from hell, yes, but I think that if such a storyline is properly told, it could be a very gripping, emotive piece about the struggles of a teenage girl with a hobby that clashed with the norm.
Perhaps Chu-Bra!! is pretending to be something it isn’t by half-assedly throwing out this plot point, but it allow me to conceptualize this full idea, for which I’m grateful. This can be said to be one of Chu-Bra!!’s drawbacks, but really, I’m not here to tell you it’s bad. Everyone else can do that.
At the very least, I think this darker rendition of the story is an interesting peek into what could’ve been. I feel that if it had somehow gone in this direction, Chu-Bra!! may even become a ‘memorable series in 2010’. Nay, even ‘of the decade’, if that’s not ridiculously pushing it.
It’s a what-if, but it’s food for thought. I’ll stop now, because the two exclamation marks after Chu-Bra are truly annoying to type.
Ningyo
Related posts:
January 9th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Oh ho… It’s certainly an interesting look on Chu Bra.
Sure, i doubt it’ll ever go the OMK route, but it sure as hell would’ve been worth the watch.
Hell, I’d rather see OMK animated. I’m just watchin Chu-Bra for the lulz.
January 9th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
I didn’t watched these yet but i will very soon. As i am a bit like the heroin i’ll feel connected to her in a way.
That may be a absurd reason to watch an anime but i’ll deal with it :D
January 10th, 2010 at 1:07 am
Hmm…Well…I might just actually keep watching this because of your post :P Made me think a little more about it than I had planned after watching the first episode.
January 10th, 2010 at 10:19 am
LOL -sigh-…..another of those somewhat perverted/half assed animes
the way you explained it, reminds me of one of those retarded animes that doesn’t even go anywhere the entire series. And i d think its kinda queer that a girl would have a passion for undergarments……thats just really weird and awkward -_-*
maybe i’m a guy, then i’d be preferably watch like action animes like one peice of gantz or w/e.
January 10th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
@Jubbz
Oh no, it definitely won’t go the OMK route. It’s too happy for that, and she’s already made friends.
An OMK anime would be golden though. It certainly would be a budget much better spent.
@Katsura-chan
I think that’s a perfectly viable reason. You’ve watched it already, right? What’re your thoughts?
@Karianne
I’m glad to have swayed somebody, but don’t let me force you to watch something you don’t want to. I really don’t think Chu-Bra will have anything more to offer besides what it’s given us in the first episode.
@mat
Indeed it is. And ahaha, queerness is 90% of anime’s middle name. As I said to Karianne, that’s probably the case; Chu-Bra probably won’t go anywhere after this. I was entertained by it, but not to the point where I look forward to the next episode. I’ll watch this sparingly, if at all.
I don’t quite like Gantz’s art style, but One Piece definitely is the bomb.
January 11th, 2010 at 11:21 am
I feel that if Chu-Bra does go in the direction you wanted it to go (fully flesh out the darker sides of bullying and perhaps even sexual assault), it will be so dark that it borderlines some hentai.
“How glorious it would feel for the audience, if through thick, thin and much humiliation, Nayu is finally able to make friends. Undeniably a much darker Chu-Bra!! from hell, yes, but I think that if such a storyline is properly told, it could be a very gripping, emotive piece about the struggles of a teenage girl with a hobby that clashed with the norm.”
In fact, this does sound like the plot for many darker hentai. While I do appreciate a more in depth take, Chu-Bra just does not seem like the right vehicle for that. Anyway, I’m not really sure where I’m going with this comment, but this is a really interesting look on Chu-Bra!
January 11th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
*writes down NingYo’s notes* Dude, you’re spot on. I love the review. I definitely think that if Chu-Bra went down the dark-highway you speak of, it’d be pretty interesting (not that it isn’t now), but I’m sure if a couple more characters/problems are introduced, like Kimi Ni Todoke (which I haven’t watched past episode 11), then we could have a solid B-show this year. I gotta agree with Yi, this is a great review :)
January 11th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Okay so watched the first episode :)
Surprisingly i wasn’t as excited i thought i would be :/
It does have an interesting plot (for an underwear lover like me) but something about the character design bother me.
I don’t like it very much so it’s a huge turn off for a show like this.
That don’t mean i’m gonna stop watching it, i hope, like you said it will turn to be darker and spooky ^^
That said it’s a fresh air in pantie shots to have adult underwear in a typical school environment. (oh my i sound so perverted loool)
January 11th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Comrades, I never said I predict Chu-Bra will take this darker turn. I simply said that I think it’d be really enjoyable if it did. Anyhow:
@Yi
The sexual themes of my idea may border on hentai, but I don’t think hentai quite captures the human depth I imagine dark Chu-Bra to have. I mean, Onani Master Kurosawa was far, far from hentai. Chu-Bra doesn’t seem like the right vehicle right now because it actually isn’t; and what makes it so is that the developers are maintaining lightheartedness. If it were less inclined towards underwear and moe-type jokes, one would be able to more easily visualize such an idea. As it is though, yes, it’s definitely the wrong vehicle.
I guess hentai has yet to come up with such an engaging story. That, or anything ecchi that also has an excellent story we’d call a visual novel.
@FaS
Glad you like it. Characters I wouldn’t know about, because I feel rather reserved about spamming a series with too many miscellaneous characters that would get in the way/be too easily forgettable, but problems definitely. I do suppose they will have more problems later on, just not half as sombre as we’d hope them to be. Still, it’s no surprise if these problems turn out lighthearted, because that’s in the light of the show.
@Katsura-chan
well, that’s alright as well, character designs are aesthetics, and aesthetics are a really inexplicable, subjective thing. Perfectly fine reason to not like it. That’s alright, there’s still other series to look forward to; January’s a bit mediocre, but it’s not thaaaaat bad.
And perversion should be something I’m much guiltier of :p
January 23rd, 2010 at 2:01 am
“How glorious it would feel for the audience, if through thick, thin and much humiliation, Nayu is finally able to make friends.”
Kimi ni Todoke? Kinda?
Anyhoo… that’s beside the point. Interesting side by side comparison you’re making there ^^; I’ve read OMK and watched Chu-Bra, so I can actually picture what you’re talking about.
Like you I really set the bar low on this show, but because of that I found that this is an incredibly fun and factually interesting! I’m actually learning a few things by watching this show. Who knows when I’ll be able to use what I learned from this show, but you never know. ^^
Though there are some yurrific scenes in this show, I actually leaned towards the interesting story-telling, mediocre or not.
And I’m disappointed… no suffocating oppai screenshot? :P
January 23rd, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Yes, it’s probably the most dissimilar comparison ever. But the sheer contrast makes it interesting, at the very least.
Maybe I should continue watching it for the factual information >.< Never know when you can save a woman's life…
Well, if the storytelling is interesting, then it's already far from mediocre. At the end of the day, it's okay to like Chu-Bra.
That screenshot strongly went against everything I was talking about so I made sure to keep miles away from it <.<
I also found it really disturbing, actually. If I ever tore a bra off and saw that I'd soil myself right there.