Let me first say that I haven't seen either shows in the Onegai series. Many seem to be saying that the show is pretty much Onegai Teacher reincarnated, so I guess I'll be one of the few watching the show without those Onegai/nostalgia goggles. What drew me to this show was that the character designs were strikingly similar to Toradora and the more recent AnoHana. It turns out that they have the same character designer and even the same director.
Knowing that, I came into the show being prepared for some drama. However, I got a much more mellow feel from the show after watching the first episode, you know, except with the main character almost dying and all. At most, it'll probably be Ichika leaving at the end of the season, with the spaceship flying off during the ED possibly being a hint. As for the color palette, I found it to be a bit dull and faded, but I guess that adds a bit to the mellow atmosphere. Also, I heard JC Staff is one of the few studios that produce their anime in 540p, which is why it doesn't look as sharp. I don't really have a citation for it, so it'd be cool if someone could confirm this.
Why don't we get the cliches out of the way? Somewhat bland male protagonist sitting in the "protagonist seat." An alien girl transfers into the school and is about to move into the protagonist's home and are going to be living alone together very soon. There is also a childhood friend that happens to be the opposite sex and has a crush on the protagonist, the MC being oblivious to this of course. All that being said, I found all the characters likable and mildly interesting, save the MC being a tad bland. At least he's trying to do something with himself by making a movie right?
An alien and a lemon for upperclassmen! Voiced by Haruka Tomatsu and Yukain! Even though I haven't seen Onegai Teacher, it doesn't take a genius to tell that Ichika and Remon's character designs are based off the show that aired almost exactly a decade ago. I found Ichika to be very cute in that she tries to act as human as possible and tries not to stand out but failing. Remon on the other hand is probably the most observant character in the series. She's probably going to be putting the other characters in situations that not only for her enjoyment, but for others to have fun as well. She even subtly lets on to the audience that she knows Ichika is an alien.
That profile sure is thorough! I don't really understand why males in anime seem to be obsessed about three sizes. Are Japanese men like that in real life? I mean, they have eyes they can see with, does knowing the exact size enhance how the girls look to them? Maybe it's just like how they think one's blood type is indicative of one's personality. That aside, I really like this Tetsurou character. He's not your typical perverted friend of the MC and be the butt end of jokes. In fact, he's quite the ladies man! I wouldn't even be surprised if he ends with a girl, namely Mio. The two of them seem to have a kind of rapport going. Along with Remon, Tetsurou is likely going to be facilitating character interactions between the MC and the other girls, since his motto is that he's a man of action.
I found the tomboy childhood friend to be quite cute, too. It's really kind of hard not to root for her to win, even though I doubt that she has much of a chance in this one. I mean, the MC is still calling her by her family name. I think one of the defining factors of the series is how they're going to handle the impending love triangle. I really hope they don't drag it out.
The kiss of life! Injecting high-tech alien medicine that can only be transfered mouth-to-mouth! We finally get to see the small animal-like mascot character to help save the day. All in all, I would say this was a pretty good premiere. Even though everything fell into place very predictably, I'm already interested in what will happen to the characters. What movie will they make? What is Ichika doing on Earth anyway? Are they going to further explore technological aspect of the aliens? How will the romance aspect of the show unfold? Will Ichika leave Earth during the final episode? These are the questions that will keep me watching the show. Also, full ED song when?
-Bern
