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silverthunder) wrote2008-05-15 10:24 am
silverthunder) wrote2008-05-15 10:24 am
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Peach Girl
Well, I've finished watching Peach Girl.
Peach Girl... didn't surprise me, and yet it did. It's a shoujo romance: a love triangle between a pretty girl and two very pretty boys. It's a pretty standard formula, but this series is one of the lucky ones that has hit the right tone and managed to be interesting. The plot is nothing particularly special - it's your typical high school drama/romance type with a good blend of light comedy. The main character, Momo ('peach' in Japanese, hence the title) is often picked on at her high school because of her dark tan and sun-bleached hair, which she got while she was on the swim team in junior high. Her classmates leap to the assumption that she is a 'beach bunny' type, an airhead party girl who messes around with a lot of guys. This assumption is perpetuated by some completely baseless rumors that are spread about her, causing her to have a hard time making friends. Momo is in love with Toji, a somewhat shy and reserved baseball team member who she has crushed on since junior high. At the same time, she catches the eye of Kairi, a confident and humorous playboy-type who doesn't seem to want to quit hitting on her (and always at the worst possible times). In the meantime, her "best friend" Sae is out to ruin her life for reasons that aren't entirely clear at the start (we have to assume it's jealousy). Sae seems to enjoy stealing the things Momo likes - her style of dressing, any kind of admiration from their peers, and of courses her romantic interests. Kairi sees right through Sae from the start, but Toji (along with the rest of the student population) has a bad habit of believing her lies and unwittingly going along with her evil schemes.
You know, I probably got addicted to this series because of Sae. I hate her so much, it's almost agonizing to see her get away with as much as she does. I couldn't stop watching because I wanted to see her get what was coming to her. And even after she does, it doesn't seem like she's going to quit trying! This girl is the most manipulative, sneaky, underhanded bitch I've seen on screen in a while. She only cares about herself, and pushes her supposed 'best friend' down deliberately for the sake of attention and status, including spreading nasty rumors, making herself out to be the victim, and pursuing Momo's romantic interests.
The first 'arc' of the series is fairly straightforward: Momo loves Toji. Momo knows that Sae is out to ruin her life, and notices that Sae is coming close to figuring out said love for Toji. She misleads Sae by saying she loves Kairi (picking him almost at random to point at in the hallway). Sae approaches Kairi, and is shot down and told that he prefers girls more like "her friend". Kairi pursues Momo, ignoring the fact that Momo is becoming increasingly frustrated by his attention - finally she tells him that she loves Toji. Both Sae and Toji happen to be nearby to hear this. Toji and Momo end up dating, but they have to deal with Sae's scheming, which continually breaks them apart and turns everyone in the class against Momo. At the end of this arc, with the help of Momo's steadfast ally Kairi, Sae's manipulations are revealed, making her the class pariah instead. Momo and Toji resume their relationship and all is good. Right?
Well... with 19 more episodes in the series, probably not.
I have to say, despite the fact that I wanted Momo to come out on top and be happy with the one she loves, through most of the series I was more a supporter of Kairi than of Toji. For one thing, Kairi is more interesting - he's funny and he has a much better chemistry with Momo. Their interaction is lively and engaging. For another, Kairi is probably the only person who can see through Sae - even Momo is deceived more than once. And he never once doubts Momo, remaining her friend and supporter even when she makes it clear that she loves Toji over him. It was ridiculous easy for Sae to discredit Momo in Toji's eyes - he continually accepts her lies and refuses to believe his own girlfriend. Personally, I think Kairi was the better choice all along, but I can't say Toji isn't a nice guy too. They both really love her a lot.
It wouldn't be a shoujo romance if there weren't five billion complications involved in either relationship, though. Hell, there's probably still about five billion complications involved in Momo staying single. I just don't know what they are, because she's never given the chance to really try. If Toji's not involved with her, Kairi wants a turn and vice versa.
Momo isn't even a very complicated character, although she's mostly a sympathetic one. She's a teenager girl, and she's prone to fits of extreme emotion and dramatic declarations like "I'll die if I'm not with you!" She can also be quite hypocritical; it's kind of frustrating in later episodes to watch her fall into the same trap she was so upset to see Toji fall into at the beginning. She learns her lesson the same way he learned his - to her credit, though, she learns it more quickly and doesn't get suckered again. At the same time, she's a fairly sensible girl when she's not riled up - she approaches her romance in a straightforward way, presenting her feelings at the onset and allowing her partner to decide how to accept (or reject) them. After her breakup with Toji (the one that stays final), Kairi comforts her. She tells him straight out that she's using him as a crutch and still has feelings for Toji, and advises him to back off because she might hurt him. Perhaps it's this brutal honesty that persuades him to remain with her. Then again, knowing Kairi's relationship issues, that's totally not the only reason - or even the most compelling. But I'll get into that soon enough.
Sae isn't particularly complicated either. She isn't a happy person, and is never satisfied unless she's the one on top with all the good stuff while everyone else stares at her in envy (especially Momo). This seems to be her motivation for trying to ruin Momo's life; she just can't stand to see Momo be happy for some reason without butting in and trying to destroy it. She does get her come-uppance, but I never managed to feel much sympathy for her. She has done too much, and I honestly feel she doesn't pay enough for it. By the end of the series I can understand her character, but I can't bring myself to like her.
Toji is probably the least complicated character in the whole bunch. At the beginning of the series, he annoys me. Yeah, I can understand that he's naive enough not to suspect guile in others. But you'd think that he'd at least be willing to accept his own girlfriend's word over Sae's. There's a lack of trust implicit there that I don't like, and while he learns his lesson, unlike Momo he doesn't seem to learn it well enough. I was so pissed that he chose to break up with her in response to Sae's manipulations rather than trust her enough to explain and allow her to assist in making that decision. A relationship should be a partnership - he seems to have missed that lesson somehow. I was disappointed in his lack of trust in Momo right at the start, and that doesn't seem to change throughout the series. That said, though, he does genuinely care about her and he lacks the commitment issues Kairi has, which makes his relationship with Momo less convoluted. Plus, he's the more stable of the two and the more straightforward. His feelings for her are touching and almost heartbreaking in light of what he suffers for her sake. I can't say I have objects to the two of them being together; they make a wonderful couple, and he really does deserve her. I just prefer her with Kairi.
Through the first part of the series, Kairi is the viewer's breath of fresh air. As I said before, he's the only one not taken in by Sae's scheming - with good reason, because as it turns out, he's used to that kind of behavior. He remains Momo's steadfast support and in the end of the first arc is the hero who saves the day (while Toji is being led around by the nose and finally directed to do the right thing). Unfortunately, he does this behind the scenes and doesn't get the girl after all of it. This suits him fine on a subconscious level, because as we learn when Momo begins to fall for him seriously, Kairi doesn't seem to be emotionally equipped to deal with requited feelings. Which explains why it was so easy for him to accept her when she admitted to still being in love with Toji. He can pursue her wholeheartedly, fall madly in love, and nurish dreams of their future as long as she isn't taking him seriously. As soon as her emotions engage, he immediately dredges up his first love and insists that he's still in love with her. As far as I can see, this is nonsense - it comes to him way too quickly after the sincerity of his feelings towards Momo. Either it's bad writing or it's Kairi's defense mechanism - I gave the writer the benefit of the doubt and assumed the latter, which I think turned out to be correct given how Kairi explains his feelings later in the series. His love for Misao is a convenient escapism designed to push Momo back to arm's length where he can pine after her in relative safety - until of course he figures this out and realizes Momo is his One And Only True Love(tm). Kairi's unselfish actions in the early part of the series are understandable - and less altruistic - when looking at things this way. He may care deeply about her happiness, but it's also just easier for him to be in love with someone who isn't going to return it.
I think human beings can only carry this sort of attitude so far. If Momo really hadn't been at least somewhat in love with him - hadn't shown any inkling of it - Kairi might've been able to keep pretending he didn't care. As it is, he snaps at the end. I can't say I wasn't expecting it. I love this pairing partly because of his desperation to be with her. He tries so hard. Poor guy.
Speaking of unbelievable plot elements... there are several in this series, and you really just have to accept the fact that the characters are all a little dumb in order to buy them. The fact that anyone at all would accept the fact that Toji spontaneously goes from being in love with Momo and hating Sae to dumping Momo because he loves Sae just blows my mind. Something is going on here - duh! And no one thinks to investigate this beyond having Momo cry at him? At the very least, the previously resourceful Kairi should be able to squeeze this information from somewhere. One could argue that he might just not want to since he wants Momo for himself, but we've established from his character analysis above that this is probably not the case. The audience - most of the audience, at least - knows that this is a plot device designed to make the switch from exploring the Momo/Toji relationship to exploring the Momo/Kairi relationship before The Big Choice at the end, but given how many Sae-created obstacles Momo/Toji has overcome in the past, this seems like an abrupt and not-quite-believable severance.
Like with most shoujo romances, I got just a little tired of all of this convoluted angst. With series like this, it seems like things just get piled on because the characters have adjusted to the last piece of drama and the writer is desperately afraid that things will get too boring. I'd have been happier if she didn't heap on the Misao thing in addition to Kairi's issues with his brother; doesn't he have enough drama already? Guess not.
I might've wished that the rest of the series after Kairi and Momo get together would be about them sorting out their relationship (since I really prefer that couple), but I knew that something still had to be resolved with Toji, because he oh-so-unselfishly gave Momo up in order to protect her, and she didn't even know about it. Somehow, this secret had to come out and this of course leaves her in love with two men at once. At this point, finally, Momo will make an educated choice (well, relatively educated - of course the LAST piece of information has to come at the LAST possible moment to make a dramatic scene). She knows both of them quite well and loves each of them in different ways, and she's going to have to choose between them. At the beginning of the series, she picks Toji without knowing what she's giving up in Kairi. Now she knows exactly what she's giving up by choosing either. Drama drama drama DRAMA!
All in all, this series is often trite, over-the-top, and downright frustrating in places. However, it was an entertaining watch; you root for Momo and hope for Sae's downfall. It's so easy to get involved and to cheer for this relationship or that, and the funny moments are really cute. It's not a favorite or particularly great, but it catches at your emotions and gives you a good ride. If you like shoujo romance, you're probably going to like this. If you enjoy the overdone angst and the piling on of drama after drama, you're definitely going to like this. If you're like me and just in it for the squishy happy moments, you'll still find something to enjoy here.
The opening video tells you just about everything you need to know about Peach Girl.
Peach Girl... didn't surprise me, and yet it did. It's a shoujo romance: a love triangle between a pretty girl and two very pretty boys. It's a pretty standard formula, but this series is one of the lucky ones that has hit the right tone and managed to be interesting. The plot is nothing particularly special - it's your typical high school drama/romance type with a good blend of light comedy. The main character, Momo ('peach' in Japanese, hence the title) is often picked on at her high school because of her dark tan and sun-bleached hair, which she got while she was on the swim team in junior high. Her classmates leap to the assumption that she is a 'beach bunny' type, an airhead party girl who messes around with a lot of guys. This assumption is perpetuated by some completely baseless rumors that are spread about her, causing her to have a hard time making friends. Momo is in love with Toji, a somewhat shy and reserved baseball team member who she has crushed on since junior high. At the same time, she catches the eye of Kairi, a confident and humorous playboy-type who doesn't seem to want to quit hitting on her (and always at the worst possible times). In the meantime, her "best friend" Sae is out to ruin her life for reasons that aren't entirely clear at the start (we have to assume it's jealousy). Sae seems to enjoy stealing the things Momo likes - her style of dressing, any kind of admiration from their peers, and of courses her romantic interests. Kairi sees right through Sae from the start, but Toji (along with the rest of the student population) has a bad habit of believing her lies and unwittingly going along with her evil schemes.
You know, I probably got addicted to this series because of Sae. I hate her so much, it's almost agonizing to see her get away with as much as she does. I couldn't stop watching because I wanted to see her get what was coming to her. And even after she does, it doesn't seem like she's going to quit trying! This girl is the most manipulative, sneaky, underhanded bitch I've seen on screen in a while. She only cares about herself, and pushes her supposed 'best friend' down deliberately for the sake of attention and status, including spreading nasty rumors, making herself out to be the victim, and pursuing Momo's romantic interests.
The first 'arc' of the series is fairly straightforward: Momo loves Toji. Momo knows that Sae is out to ruin her life, and notices that Sae is coming close to figuring out said love for Toji. She misleads Sae by saying she loves Kairi (picking him almost at random to point at in the hallway). Sae approaches Kairi, and is shot down and told that he prefers girls more like "her friend". Kairi pursues Momo, ignoring the fact that Momo is becoming increasingly frustrated by his attention - finally she tells him that she loves Toji. Both Sae and Toji happen to be nearby to hear this. Toji and Momo end up dating, but they have to deal with Sae's scheming, which continually breaks them apart and turns everyone in the class against Momo. At the end of this arc, with the help of Momo's steadfast ally Kairi, Sae's manipulations are revealed, making her the class pariah instead. Momo and Toji resume their relationship and all is good. Right?
Well... with 19 more episodes in the series, probably not.
I have to say, despite the fact that I wanted Momo to come out on top and be happy with the one she loves, through most of the series I was more a supporter of Kairi than of Toji. For one thing, Kairi is more interesting - he's funny and he has a much better chemistry with Momo. Their interaction is lively and engaging. For another, Kairi is probably the only person who can see through Sae - even Momo is deceived more than once. And he never once doubts Momo, remaining her friend and supporter even when she makes it clear that she loves Toji over him. It was ridiculous easy for Sae to discredit Momo in Toji's eyes - he continually accepts her lies and refuses to believe his own girlfriend. Personally, I think Kairi was the better choice all along, but I can't say Toji isn't a nice guy too. They both really love her a lot.
It wouldn't be a shoujo romance if there weren't five billion complications involved in either relationship, though. Hell, there's probably still about five billion complications involved in Momo staying single. I just don't know what they are, because she's never given the chance to really try. If Toji's not involved with her, Kairi wants a turn and vice versa.
Momo isn't even a very complicated character, although she's mostly a sympathetic one. She's a teenager girl, and she's prone to fits of extreme emotion and dramatic declarations like "I'll die if I'm not with you!" She can also be quite hypocritical; it's kind of frustrating in later episodes to watch her fall into the same trap she was so upset to see Toji fall into at the beginning. She learns her lesson the same way he learned his - to her credit, though, she learns it more quickly and doesn't get suckered again. At the same time, she's a fairly sensible girl when she's not riled up - she approaches her romance in a straightforward way, presenting her feelings at the onset and allowing her partner to decide how to accept (or reject) them. After her breakup with Toji (the one that stays final), Kairi comforts her. She tells him straight out that she's using him as a crutch and still has feelings for Toji, and advises him to back off because she might hurt him. Perhaps it's this brutal honesty that persuades him to remain with her. Then again, knowing Kairi's relationship issues, that's totally not the only reason - or even the most compelling. But I'll get into that soon enough.
Sae isn't particularly complicated either. She isn't a happy person, and is never satisfied unless she's the one on top with all the good stuff while everyone else stares at her in envy (especially Momo). This seems to be her motivation for trying to ruin Momo's life; she just can't stand to see Momo be happy for some reason without butting in and trying to destroy it. She does get her come-uppance, but I never managed to feel much sympathy for her. She has done too much, and I honestly feel she doesn't pay enough for it. By the end of the series I can understand her character, but I can't bring myself to like her.
Toji is probably the least complicated character in the whole bunch. At the beginning of the series, he annoys me. Yeah, I can understand that he's naive enough not to suspect guile in others. But you'd think that he'd at least be willing to accept his own girlfriend's word over Sae's. There's a lack of trust implicit there that I don't like, and while he learns his lesson, unlike Momo he doesn't seem to learn it well enough. I was so pissed that he chose to break up with her in response to Sae's manipulations rather than trust her enough to explain and allow her to assist in making that decision. A relationship should be a partnership - he seems to have missed that lesson somehow. I was disappointed in his lack of trust in Momo right at the start, and that doesn't seem to change throughout the series. That said, though, he does genuinely care about her and he lacks the commitment issues Kairi has, which makes his relationship with Momo less convoluted. Plus, he's the more stable of the two and the more straightforward. His feelings for her are touching and almost heartbreaking in light of what he suffers for her sake. I can't say I have objects to the two of them being together; they make a wonderful couple, and he really does deserve her. I just prefer her with Kairi.
Through the first part of the series, Kairi is the viewer's breath of fresh air. As I said before, he's the only one not taken in by Sae's scheming - with good reason, because as it turns out, he's used to that kind of behavior. He remains Momo's steadfast support and in the end of the first arc is the hero who saves the day (while Toji is being led around by the nose and finally directed to do the right thing). Unfortunately, he does this behind the scenes and doesn't get the girl after all of it. This suits him fine on a subconscious level, because as we learn when Momo begins to fall for him seriously, Kairi doesn't seem to be emotionally equipped to deal with requited feelings. Which explains why it was so easy for him to accept her when she admitted to still being in love with Toji. He can pursue her wholeheartedly, fall madly in love, and nurish dreams of their future as long as she isn't taking him seriously. As soon as her emotions engage, he immediately dredges up his first love and insists that he's still in love with her. As far as I can see, this is nonsense - it comes to him way too quickly after the sincerity of his feelings towards Momo. Either it's bad writing or it's Kairi's defense mechanism - I gave the writer the benefit of the doubt and assumed the latter, which I think turned out to be correct given how Kairi explains his feelings later in the series. His love for Misao is a convenient escapism designed to push Momo back to arm's length where he can pine after her in relative safety - until of course he figures this out and realizes Momo is his One And Only True Love(tm). Kairi's unselfish actions in the early part of the series are understandable - and less altruistic - when looking at things this way. He may care deeply about her happiness, but it's also just easier for him to be in love with someone who isn't going to return it.
I think human beings can only carry this sort of attitude so far. If Momo really hadn't been at least somewhat in love with him - hadn't shown any inkling of it - Kairi might've been able to keep pretending he didn't care. As it is, he snaps at the end. I can't say I wasn't expecting it. I love this pairing partly because of his desperation to be with her. He tries so hard. Poor guy.
Speaking of unbelievable plot elements... there are several in this series, and you really just have to accept the fact that the characters are all a little dumb in order to buy them. The fact that anyone at all would accept the fact that Toji spontaneously goes from being in love with Momo and hating Sae to dumping Momo because he loves Sae just blows my mind. Something is going on here - duh! And no one thinks to investigate this beyond having Momo cry at him? At the very least, the previously resourceful Kairi should be able to squeeze this information from somewhere. One could argue that he might just not want to since he wants Momo for himself, but we've established from his character analysis above that this is probably not the case. The audience - most of the audience, at least - knows that this is a plot device designed to make the switch from exploring the Momo/Toji relationship to exploring the Momo/Kairi relationship before The Big Choice at the end, but given how many Sae-created obstacles Momo/Toji has overcome in the past, this seems like an abrupt and not-quite-believable severance.
Like with most shoujo romances, I got just a little tired of all of this convoluted angst. With series like this, it seems like things just get piled on because the characters have adjusted to the last piece of drama and the writer is desperately afraid that things will get too boring. I'd have been happier if she didn't heap on the Misao thing in addition to Kairi's issues with his brother; doesn't he have enough drama already? Guess not.
I might've wished that the rest of the series after Kairi and Momo get together would be about them sorting out their relationship (since I really prefer that couple), but I knew that something still had to be resolved with Toji, because he oh-so-unselfishly gave Momo up in order to protect her, and she didn't even know about it. Somehow, this secret had to come out and this of course leaves her in love with two men at once. At this point, finally, Momo will make an educated choice (well, relatively educated - of course the LAST piece of information has to come at the LAST possible moment to make a dramatic scene). She knows both of them quite well and loves each of them in different ways, and she's going to have to choose between them. At the beginning of the series, she picks Toji without knowing what she's giving up in Kairi. Now she knows exactly what she's giving up by choosing either. Drama drama drama DRAMA!
All in all, this series is often trite, over-the-top, and downright frustrating in places. However, it was an entertaining watch; you root for Momo and hope for Sae's downfall. It's so easy to get involved and to cheer for this relationship or that, and the funny moments are really cute. It's not a favorite or particularly great, but it catches at your emotions and gives you a good ride. If you like shoujo romance, you're probably going to like this. If you enjoy the overdone angst and the piling on of drama after drama, you're definitely going to like this. If you're like me and just in it for the squishy happy moments, you'll still find something to enjoy here.
The opening video tells you just about everything you need to know about Peach Girl.