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ADVOCATE FINAL REVIEW FOR MEDAKA BOX
By Raiji Magiwind
Medaka Box
Original Story/Plot - Nisio Isin (Story), Akatsuki Akira (Art) | Being Serialized in Shounen Jump (Weekly) | Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Martial Arts, Romance, School, Shounen
Overall Synopsis of Series
Quoted from MyAnimeList
When newly elected Student Council President Medaka Kurokami institutes her idea for a suggestion box where people can submit problems that need to be solved, she's expecting things like rescuing lost puppies and giving advice. What she and her best friend Zenkichi find instead, however, are the first hints of an unbelievable secret, and their school, Hakoniwa Academy, and Medaka herself are somehow at the very center of the growing maelstrom! As what seemed like an innocent past time turns into a dangerous game, Medaka and her recruits to the Student Council discover new depths to both themselves and their own unexpected abilities. And then things get really out of control!
Plot/Story
The series here starts off as some random off the wall school anime, but don't let it fool you, as even though things in this season seem slow and just odd, it is quite literally but only the beginning of the real insanity.
Total Stars: 4 of 5
The series thus far starts off kinda slow, but this is but a sampling of what Medaka Box is really all about. Once you get to the end of this season, you can see that the series is much more then just a random school anime.
Characters
--Medaka Kurokami--
Medaka is an incredibly beautiful and talented first year student. She became Hakoniwa Academy's Student President as she managed to get 98% of the student body's support. One of her pledges during her campaign was to set up a suggestion box (which later became known as the Medaka Box), along with her childhood friend Zenkichi, goes out to solve any and all problems that comes through.***
She is very confident and isn't ashamed of any part of her body at all. She is extremely intelligent and can understand all her subjects well. She has a positive outlook on everyone and everything surrounding her.***
Medaka sees it as her job to enhance the national prestige.***
--Mogana Kikaijima--
The Student Council Treasurer. She is originally the ace of the swim team, befriending Yakushima (the swim club's captain) and Tanegashima (the swim club's vice captain). All three had an incredible obsession with money for personal reasons and want to gain enough money to fill a pool and swim in it. When Kikaijima was a child, her father left because the family was in debt, and her mother became sick from working herself in to the ground. All the people that Kikaijima had thought were friends left her because her family had no money. Kikaijima believed that "anyone would be sad if they lost their wallet, but if we died, nobody would care." Medaka corrects her by saying that if they died, she would be sad for them. Afterward, Kikaijima is recruited as the treasurer, and is the only member of the group who is paid for her job.
Though Medaka successfully reforms Kikaijima from her old ways, it still does not keep her from being obsessed with money. Shortly after she joins the Student Council, she charges Zenkichi for accidentally seeing her changing and then again for insulting her and one last time for saying she had a great body. She develops strong relationships with the Student Council members, particularly Medaka and Zenkichi, after being encouraged by Yakushima and Tanegashima to make friends outside of the swim club. Like Akune, she is regarded as a "special" and is one of the school's many scholarship students. Kikaijima has an incredible lung capacity, allowing her to hold her breath for a month if she chooses. She can also focus her voice as a sound cannon and destroy physical objects with ultrasonic shrieks.
--Zenkichi Hitoyoshi--
The male protagonist, childhood friend of Medaka, and the Student Council General Affairs Manager, reluctantly joining for the sake of protecting Medaka; in the pilot chapter, Medaka assigns him to become the Vice President. Zenkichi always shows enthusiasm toward Medaka’s cause for helping others and will punish anyone who opposes that cause. It is later revealed that he is the one who reformed Medaka into her current personality. It is implied he has feelings for her. Little is known about Zenkichi's past except that he has been with Medaka since they were two years old. The relationship between Shiranui and Zenkichi is frequently commented on by their classmates, often negatively, on how they interact with each other. Shiranui has commented that she is only friends with him when she is in the mood. Ironically, Shiranui's grandfather notes that Zenkichi is probably the only person who can get along with Shiranui. Zenkichi eventually reveals his feelings directly to Medaka before sacrificing himself to destroy Kumagawa.
--Kouki Akune--
The Student Council Secretary and the oldest member of the Student Council, as he is a second year while Medaka, Zenkichi, and Kikaijima are in the first year. Originally part of the judo club, Akune has been infatuated with Medaka since middle school and hates Zenkichi for being able to spend so much time with her. In middle school, he had been a violent delinquent known as the "Destroyer" and had been assigned by Kumagawa, the president of the middle school Student Council, to beat Medaka. While she was injured, she did not fight back; Akune continued until Zenkichi gathered a group of Medaka's supporters to avenge her. When Medaka stopped Zenkichi from hurting Akune, Akune immediately developed feelings for her, which she refuses, and gradually becomes less violent and shows little desire to actually hurt others.
Because of his natural fighting abilities, Akune is known as the "Prince of Judo" and the star of the judo club. Because the captain of the club, Nabeshima, despises natural genius, she arranges a match between Zenkichi (whom she favours) and Akune in order to recruit Zenkichi to succeed her as captain of the judo club if he loses to Akune, who will join the student council. Akune loses the match, but is still recruited into the Student Council after Nabeshima tells Medaka that Akune has beautiful handwriting. Both he and Kikaijima are considered to be 'specials', above average, but not quite abnormal. It has been said that Akune's ability is being able to copy other peoples abilities, but to a lesser extent.***
Total Stars: 4.5 of 5
Even though the characters seem a bit odd, the fact there is still a lot of untapped potential that we don't see in this season which will hopefully be elaborated on more as the series continues.
Art/Theme
Total Stars: 4.5 of 5
Surprisingly the art for the anime of Medaka is interesting and sometimes bright and crisp. Meanwhile fights are insane and there are a lot of odd things one notes in the series.
Overall/Closing Comments
Even though the season was only 12 episodes, I think it has set up to be an interesting series, if it continues on the raw path its on. Mind you be warned getting through the first season may be hard for some, but once you do, you'll be past the Enforcers Arc and ready for the start of where the shit really hits the fan with the Flask Plan Arc. There is already plans for a second season, and with it I do believe is when we will start getting to where things in Medaka Box get interesting and one will also see that the series is more then just a a crazy fanservicy school based thing it appears to start off as.
Total Stars for Series Overall: 4.5 of 5
Likelyhood to Recommend:YES
