Love is never simple. This is what Amawa Hibiki learns in the fresh and charming series I My Me Strawberry Eggs, a romantic-comedy by Pioneer. This little gem of a series has one of the most complex love triangles ever seen. In fact, it can only be called a love polyhedron.
Strawberry Eggs is a gender-bender comedy about Amawa Hibiki, a male teacher, desperately in search of a job. He's recently graduated from college with a degree in physical education; however, he is unable to find a teaching position. With his rent due, he has only one school left to try, a prestigious private academy near where he lives. Unfortunately, it turns out that Seito Sannomia, the feminist principal and descendent of the founder, does not hire male faculty, believing that men are unable to give the students the love and care that they need. In fact, she's been lobbying to have the academy changed to an all-girl school. Now, with no other school options left, Hibiki, with the help of his landlady, Ba-chan, has no choice but to become a woman (Not that way! You hentai!). As Miss Amawa, he not only has to pay his rent, but to show Seito Sannomia that men can care for their students just as well as any woman.
Throughout the series, they have the standard elements expected in a comedy. The typical cast for the students: Yuuko, the love interest, Fukae, the cool loner, Seiko, the extremely shy girl (She can't even be touched by a male without going catatonic.), Fujio, the tomboy, Miho, the slu...er...flirtatious one, etc. And we can't forget the rest of the cast: Laurel and Hardy-like team of Kochi, the dirty old man and Mori, the dirty young man, and Vice Principal, the man-hating main rival of the series. They have the typical slate of episodes: the ghost story, the thief story, the camping trip story, the class physical story, Family Day story, etc. In fact, a lot of the overall aspects are relatively rote.
However, the beauty of this series is the little details. Amawa Hibiki's personality is exactly the same as Miss Amawa. With most gender-benders, the personalities are different depending upon what clothing is worn. However, that would have defeated the purpose of series. If he had to act differently as a woman to succeed, that would have proven Seito Sannomia right. Because he is the same in either mode, it goes further to prove the point that men are just as good as women.
Another great aspect of the series is how the males are treated. The female faculty makes the boys do all cleaning, the boys are doubted in their abilities, and, basically, demeaned and held in contempt. Overall, the faculty lowers them to that of a second-hand citizen. This shows Seito Sannomia and Vice Principal as hypocrites whenever they talk about the loving their students and 'power of one.' This best illustrated in the segregated Sex Ed class. Vice Principal teaches the girls that love making is akin to rape and that the men will abandon them once they've sated their lust. The boys are taught that everything that goes wrong in relationships and marriages is their faults and to look their parents' marriage as proof.
Finally, there is the crown jewel of this series: The Love Polyhedron. Let's see if it is possible to do this justice. Fujio is in love with Fukae. Fukae is in love with Yuuko. Yuuko is in love with Miss Amawa. And Hibiki is in love with Yuuko. The only way they could have made it more complicated would have been to make Vice Principal secretly attracted to either Amawa Hibiki or Miss Amawa.
The acting here is heartbreaking. The usually outspoken and self-assured Fujio is not used to feeling romantic feelings and is shy and hesitant around Fukae, fumbling where she was once confident. She is afraid of revealing her true feeling, so that she can't get hurt.
Fukae tries to protect Yuuko without showing his feelings. In fact, he so unused to showing any feelings, he doesn't know how to express them when he is given a chance. But the little ways that he defends her speaks volumes. He is even willing to give up his love for Yuuko so that she can be happy, while still trying to shelter her from others.
Yuuko's uncertainty to her sudden attraction to Miss Amawa is incredibly endearing. She has never been attracted to a woman before and is confused by her emotions, which go against everything that she's been taught. She tries to deny it, but in the end, comes to terms with her love for Miss Amawa.
Then, there is Amawa Hibiki. He finds himself falling more and more in love with Yuuko everyday, but two things stops him from making a move. The first is his ethics. He strongly believes that it is morally wrong for a teacher to get involved with a student. Because of his powerful feelings about teaching and ethics, he denies his emotions for Yuuko until the end. Second is the fact that Miss Amawa is a 'woman.' Is Yuuko merely attracted to Miss Amawa because she is a woman and her appearance, or is she attracted to Miss Amawa as a person? Here is where it all comes together. Since Hibiki didn't change his personality when he is Miss Amawa, if Yuuko is attracted to Miss Amawa in that manner, then there shouldn't be a problem. Miss Amawa is Amawa Hibiki and it would be okay in the end (Well, there is still the fact that she's 14 and he's about ten years older than her.). But if Yuuko is attracted to Miss Amawa as a woman, then it wouldn't be right for Hibiki to take advantage of Yuuko. See where this all gets complicated. Just try not to think to hard on it, it'll tie you in knots. You can't think too hard about the relationships without getting turned around and a little confused.
The animation is soft and bright. Instead of solid shading, the show uses light brushing instead. This makes character's blushes subtle and charming. Yet the images are clear with no murky shadows or blurring. The characters are realistically drawn. No multicolored hair or outrageous haircuts here. Let's leave those for the wackier and more out-there series. For a relatively straight series like Strawberry Eggs, it would have hurt its case more than helping it.
The songs are lovely and emotional. Romantic, yet with a bitter-sweetness to them. Totally appropriate to the material. (Unlike M.D. Geist, an incredibly gory and blood-soaked action film with no romance in it at all, yet has a sappy love song over the end credits.) The music is very subtle; underscoring what is on the screen and making the scenes more poignant.
The voice acting is great. They didn't have Miss Amawa's voice be a male's voice only a couple octaves higher. They actually got a woman to do the voice (The explanation is a little electronic gizmo worn around the speaker's neck that changes their voice.) Yet both voice actors use the same vocal nuisances to show that it is the same character. And the other voice matching is near perfect. Fuuko is quiet, almost introversive. Seito Sannomia is cold and aristocratic. Vice Principal is loud and slightly melodramatic, without slipping into Nahga from Slayers territory. The actors really captured their characters this time instead of trying to Americanize everything.
In the end, this is a great romantic comedy for those who are looking for a series with a more down-to-earth and serious-minded outlook. It may have no action, no slapstick, no fan service, yet all other elements blend together to make a delightful little confection, sweet without being too sugary. If you're in the mood for a good romantic-comedy, this should be moved to the top of your list.
Not really much else I can add to this, as Justin covers everything in the series and hits all important the points. My general reaction to it was that it was enjoyable until the ending, which feels too... abrupt, for lack of a better term. Almost rushed, and it seemed to stick out compared to the rest of the series, which had good pacing. While I enjoyed the series overall, there was something about the ending that, while I won't say ruined things, left me feeling dissatisfied. Not so much with what happened, but with the way it was executed. But that might be more a personal reaction than anything inherently 'wrong' about it.
I'd definitely recommend it for anyone interested in the genre, though.
The ending was rushed because the funding for the project was cut.
I think, given the constraints they had to work with, they did a fabulous job. I'm not entirely sure I agree completely with the down-to-earth solidity of the story, however, if only due to Mori and the old guy's insanely unlikely (and yet, so amusing) antics. Let us not forget the presence of the old woman, and her faculty with machines, either.
However, these departures from reality almost never involve the main characters, except peripherally, and they're blended so well that you don't feel jarred by them at all.
IMMSE was, and remains, one of my all-time favorite anime.
Quote from: "Brian"
IMMSE was, and remains, one of my all-time favorite anime.
Here! Here!