Mysterious Girlfriend X

[pfarber]

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First off, this ain't porn. Mysterious Girlfriend X (MGX) does have some... err.. I guess you can call it 'nudity' (I worked in a prison and while pornography was not allowed, illustrated/cartoon images were, at that time, allowed.. so I have seen much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much worse). So yeah.. my tolerance may be a little higher than most. But objectively (and honestly) what is shown, and again, there is nothing explicitly shown... there are shadows and other tricks to convey the images they want to imply, really is not gratuitous and without the implied nudity the story would suffer... unlike any R rated movie that simply jams tits and pussy in your face.

You have to understand the metaphor of the drool (yeah, drool). If they simply kissed then there really isn't a new story to tell. Really.. MGX would really be nothing more than a well put together anime with good, solid characters and drama that would fade into obscurity. But add in the fact that the drool (yeah, drool) is actually a plot point in later episodes and a catalyst for character development it is actually a brilliant twist.

To read about the manga/anime go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysterious_Girlfriend_X

So Akira Tsubaki is a 17 year old Japanese guy who has, from the start, a bit of a crush on Mikoto Urabe the 'Mysterious' new transfer student. Why he ever tasted the drool (yeah, drool) on her desk is beyond me (keep it frosty Japan, we need you to come up with weird shit like this) but it links Urabe and Tsubaki to each other.. to the point that they can convey emotions and feelings via the exchange of drool (yeah, drool). The story explains this somewhat, so I'm not going to. But at times I think that it is a very effective way for the characters to communicate than simply saying 'I'm happy'. In fact, Urabe uses this connection to her advantage frequently. Whenever Tsubkae has doubts about her feelings towards him she lets him experience her emotions with the drool and settle the matter. It is also a way for Urabe to better understand Tsubake. While it is her belief that she is only connected to one person by the drool (yeah, drool) but she actually does form a second drool (yeah, drool) bond with Ayuko Oka and again, while they communicate verbally, much of the time they share emotions via the drool (yeah, drool).

The relationship between Tsubake and Urabe is also odd. Sure, there is the drool... but Urabe is more controlling of the two and Tsubake seems to take enjoy his submissive position (some have said that there is a dom/sub aspect to MGX but I don't think there is a good argument for that). Urabe refuses to let Tsubake call her by her first name (that's actually a big deal) and Urabe also controls the 'ritual' of the daily 'drool swap' (yeah, drool). Urabe is much more confident in sharing her emotions and teaching Tsubake the 'power' of the drool (yeah, drool) and really does 'lead' him on many discoveries about himself, herself, and their relationship.

The thing that really impresses me with the story is that Urabe is dedicated to Tsubake. And while Tsubake is tempted by his old school crush, Urabe is confident that she is the only love in his life.. not matter what. And while this does lead to the 'implied nudity' of the 'drool test' (yeah, drool test) she knows without a doubt that the other girl has no chance of being picked. It really is a well told story and shows how deep these two characters are connected. And that's what I like the most about MGX.. she is a strong female character and the unquestionable bond these two characters share... even when Tsubake is tempted with the one thing that would have a chance of breaking that bond.

The last episode is really quite well done. MGX is one of the very, very few anime that puts a good ending on the story. We know that Tsubake and Urabe are deeply connected, but when Urabe asks about Tsubake's mother (he never knew her as she died when he was an infant) and then asks to visit her grave with him is really a well done character 'cherry on top' moment that emphasizes the deep bond she has with him. Many feels were had when Urabe told Tsubake to put his left hand on his mothers grave marker as they swapped drool... they connect and she is able to pull out of Tsubake and share in the emotion he had when his mother passed. As they both cried at the grave marker she explained that this is how he must have felt when his mother died. Very, very well done end to just lock down characters and how they felt for each other.

There is some comedy in the anime... 'panty scissors' is a real thing. FEAR THE PANTY SCISSORS!!! Dammit Japan... panty scissors?

The anime is only 13 episodes and is in available in dub and sub. I watched the subbed version and it was quite good. But I am a sucker for a strong female protagonist.

Just realize that the drool is, like I said, just a metaphor.

My ratings:

Animation: 9 well done, fluid, few mattes.
Sound: 7 the foot dragging sound started to irritate me.
Story: 9 well done, unique twist
Characters: 8 Urabe really never had a back story while Tsubake did. The main characters were well done.
Ending: 10 solid ending, wraps it all up and is very satisfying.


Time to play Fuck, Marry, Kill

Fuck: Ayuko... annoying, but big boobs
Marry: Urabe points for dedication and panty scissors
Kill: Hayakawa no one needs a petty bitch like that

Ayuko Oka	Mikoto Urabe	Aika Hayakawa
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[pfarber]

I watched the English dubbed version in 720p and I have to say it is quite well done. The voice actors are well chosen and the Urabe's slow, monotone voice fits her perfectly. Tsubake's voice is also appropriate. All the other characters are good, although for the age rage of 16-18 some of the voices are a little to 'squeaky' for my liking... but still good.

The one thing that I have noticed is that if you watch the English subbed version, then the English dubbed versions that Japanese voice actors are just so, so, so much better. Its not a translation issue, either. For example in the original Japanese version when Tsubake tastes the drool (yeah, drool) there is a 'omgph' or cheesy biting sound that is quite well done and appropriate. In the English dubbed version it is there but does not convey the same effect... to the point that is is noticeable.

I would always recommend that for shorter drama anime (less than 20-30 episodes) that you really do watch the Japanese version with English subtitles. If you were to watch two scenes of an anime, one Japanese/subbed and the other English dubbed you will simply get more information from the Japanese version. The original sounds are there and the Japanese just have a much, much better voice acting background. There are some very well done English dubs (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya comes to mind.. but even then the song 'God Knows' done in episode 11 is just so much better in Japanese than English).

I give the same scores for the English version.

[pfarber]

Mysterious Girlfriend X OVA

OVA mean Original Video Animation. These are extra episodes that were not broadcast, but 'direct to video/dvd/blu-ray' content for boxed sets.

There is a summer festival and Urabe and Tsubake's are invited by Tsubake's friend Kouhei Ueno so he can get some alone time with his girlfriend Ayuko Oka. That's basically the plot. But since its Japan there is a twist... two fox demons (mischievous spirits in Japanese lore) capture Urabe so they can steal the bottle and cup that is part of the pattern of Urabe's yukata. So Tsubake saves her because of, you guessed it, drool (yeah, drool).

Nothing revolutionary in the story... just more of the same... Urabe and Tsubake are still deeply connected, although we do learn that traditionally females go commando in a yukata (is that thing? Like for real!!?!) so no panty scissors.

The fox demons capture Urabe, Tsubake saves her, and then notices that the bottle and cup on the butt of her yukata are missing. To compensate Urabe for taking the items, Urabe finds a love bracelet and gives it to Tsubake. Since Urabe lost her sandals, Tsubake carries her down the steps and they make a pledge to go to the summer festival next year, but as a true couple, not as part of a group.. many feels were had by this one simple statement by Urabe.

I liked the OVA. It shows that the bond they have is still there and that they will have a future together. Some have complained that throughout the series and even the OVA that they have never kissed, and that they are still not using first names. I have not read the manga (which has many, many more chapters) but I have seen a few panels (you have to wait until they are fun-subbed and re-done with English text) but I think that their physical connection (kiss, names, holding hands) is more of a plot device to build suspense. There are many chapters where they 'almost kiss' but whaa whaa something always interrupts them. Any way, the real bond they share is, you guessed it, the drool (yeah, drool).

Just think of it this way... when you were dating (I am not married, but I do have a girl friend of 6 years) think of all the things that your girlfriend put in HER mouth. Drool doesn't sound so bad now, does it? You married guys won't even remember what I am talking about