Pretty boys and scary girl get mixed up in spooky romantic hilarity in Volumes Two and Three of The Wallflower!

plot summary

The pretty bishonen are still scared (kawai! kawai!) of the dark and tangled mess which is Sunako, but they’ve gotten used to her weird, disturbing ways- mostly. They’re even starting to like her! Well, at least they like her sublime Japanese-style cooking.

All four beautiful boys have given up on ever turning Sunako into a lady, even if that means they have to pay full rent to Sunako’s Aunt. Sunako in turn dislikes ever being with the four if she can help it. More often than naught, however, she’s accompanying the lovely lads on their misadventures. But even though Sunako can’t bear to be around the Creatures of Light, as she calls them, she still has room in her cobweb-covered heart to help them out when they need a hand. And Sunako with her strange and almost brutal manner of “solving” issues, manages to make things easier and brighter, despite her storm-clouded demeanor.

review

This series is such a laugh. The way it pokes fun at the shojo genre, and the idea of bishis in general, is hilarious. It’s even funnier because the characters are in on the joke: (cherry blossoms gently drift down and the clip-clop of geta can be heard) Yuki comments, “What’s with this very Japanesey atmosphere?” (Takenaga makes an entrance amid the flowers).

Even someone who has no idea what bishonen and shojo are and sat down and watched this show, they’d still get the laughs. Handsome men (no matter the archetype) with awkward issues are funny, if done right, and Wallflower is done right.

Character Development

The delicate stereotypes of beautiful young men are shattered as we discover in these two volumes the secrets these four bishis hide behind their lovely faces. Takenaga is inept when it comes to women, Ranmaru is a pervy ladies man who always looks out for himself and Kyouhei is a borderline delinquent who dislikes dating. And poor Yuki, well, he just looks like a girl and that’s trouble enough in the world of anime.

Sunako is “hopeless” when it comes to ever being a lady, but you gotta give her credit for being herself, despite how other people judge her. The boys seem to be warming up to Sunako, so why should she change?

Conclusion

The Wallflower is an accidental romantic comedy in that the romance may or may not be what it seems. There’s more to this series than a run-down goth gal trying to become a refined lady, and more to the bishis than just a pretty face. Who’s to judge when the heart sees one thing and the eyes see something else? For me, I see these two volumes of Wallflower as a really good time, despite the series looking like a page torn from a shojo manga.

Rating

Volumes Two and Three of The Wallflower get 5 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info, Volume Two

• Publisher: ADV
• Release Date:February 26, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:6-9
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-14 D
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Retail Info, Volume Three

• Publisher: ADV
• Release Date:May 27, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:10-13
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-14 D
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen