Strawberry Marshmallow : My Review

My Rating

I suppose there are all sorts of anime viewers out there. I know what I like and what I don’t like but I suppose more of you probably disagree with me than not. StrawBerry MarshMallow is touted as a Cute sweet comedy with a strong resemblance to the likes of Azumanga Daioh. I am here to say it is not anything like azumanga! Sure it had cute just like azu… I just found the series to be spiced a little too much on the sweet side. I certainly wouldn’t group the two into the same category.

From seeing the package on store shelves and promos I have to admit I was interested in seeing Strawberry Marshmallow. The show got passed over several times for disks I knew would be good before I finally broke down and picked up a copy though. From an artistic standpoint I really liked the show. They definately got exactly the feel they were going for. A quiet mood with slow jokes that sort of jump out. As much is inferred as is actually shown leading to marshmallow’s unique style.

There is one common factor amongst all the anime titles I concider to be great. Great Music! Here is where Strawberry Marshmallow falls flat. The almost complete lack of music was probably done to add to the artistic style and feel. It fits the general mood of the show well. Slow and peaceful with the occasional loud outburst. I found it hard to really get into the scene without catchy background tunes. There is the occasional tune, but overall Strawberry feels very quiet.

The cast consists of Nobue, the older sister who is always broke, caring for and mooching off of the younger sister Chika and her friends. Matsuri is the shy friend and is almost so quiet she’s barely present in the series. Ana is an English born japanese immigrant who has been in japan so long she doesn’t speak english. Several comedic situations come up where she is trying to pretend she doesn’t speak japanese. Miu is a bit more wild and the only potential in the show for any fast paced comedy.

The Strawberry Marshmallow box set is in my oppinion a rent at best. Cute Sweet and Sarcastic are all true, but so are Dry, Slow Paced, and relatively Plot free. There isn’t anything in the show that even hints at bieng adult natured. There’s no reason you couldn’t watch it with a younger crowd. Well maybe one reason, they’d get bored with the slow pace and want to watch something else. Its not terrible, Its just not great. Its too slow paced to be interesting to a young person, and too mellow for most adults. There are a few moments that might make you tear up, but not enough to earn this one a reccomendation.