American TV needs more Shojo Anime

In my younger days, back when anime was still trying to break through to mainstream, there was a little show called Sailor Moon. Why point out Sailor Moon you say? Simple. Sailor Moon was one of a kind in that day and age. It was the only Shojo anime on American TV. That is overly ironic though, because now there is virtually no Shojo anime aired in America, but anime is bigger now than its ever been here in the states.

  So what went wrong? Why was there a sudden decline in shojo, or "girl's" anime? Sure we can argue that Inuyasha falls into the shojo bracket, but Adult Swim pretty much sees it as an action or shonen like the rest of the anime they air, and its pure accident that it got grouped in. I honestly believe its not purposely being ignored, though. It may just be that Americans love explosions and strong male protagonists so much that channels are afraid to air an anime with a female lead role that has romance, fashion, friendship, and other shojo motifs as the main focus. (Thanks a lot Goku, you overrated bastard.) 

   However, all hope is not lost.  Shojo could have a second shot at fame in America if its done with the right anime. The reason why Sailor Moon was such a hit, is because it was a shojo with a lot of shonen and action elements. So, an anime like Shugo Chara, could be perfect to reintroduce shojo to America. It's aimed at a slightly younger demographic than Sailor Moon, but it has that same type of blend and deep engaging plot that both guys and girls can get into.  All they have to do is air it alongside the Pokemon and Beyblade shows (just make sure 4kids doesn't get it) and it could potentially bring shojo to the mainstream American audience. Who Knows? Maybe it has the potential to pick up where CardCaptor left off.

That's my take on it all. Like what you read? comment, follow me on twitter, or click that button to buy me a taco. Until next time, Be you. Be true. Be human.

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The Queen's Classroom Review

 Ohkay! I'm starting this review off with a SPOILER ALERT! Oh Dong Goo doesn't get the girl, he doesn't get any sugars, and he is totally friendzoned! Now that we have that out of the way, I love this show. Everything about this show was spot on. The acting, the music, the presentation, it was all perfect.

  The Story revolves around Shim Ha Na, Oh Dong Goo, Eun Bo Mi, Kim seo-hyun, and their homeroom teacher Ms. Ma. Teacher Ma has a very unconventional way of running her class, which landed her the nickname of Teacher Witch amongst her students. She would give tests and punsih the lowest scoring students by making them clean the school. Oh Dong Goo's tomfoolery caused Shim Ha Na's pencils to be broken which lead to her having one of the lowest scores and being forced to clean with him. From the cleaning duties, the two form a friendship and Kim Seo-Hyun and Eun Bo Mi ends up cleaning with them and forging strong bonds, due to the fact that they rebelled against the teacher. Teacher Ma, determined to break the bonds between the students, temporarily turns Eun Bo Mi against them and even has Shim Ha Na's close friend, Na Ri, to be her "spy" for a brief time. However, when Na Ri cracks under pressure and attempts to burn the classroom down, Teacher Ma has to step in and stop her, resulting in her hand getting cut by a razor and drawing the attention of Na Ri's mother.

  It's around this point in the show that Shim Ha Na and the others start to question if the things Teacher Ma do and say are really all that bad or mean. Teacher Ma has already shown a somewhat caring side by saving Shim Ha Na from drowning. However, even other teachers such as the young impressionable Ms.Yang question her motives. It seems the only person that fully understands what is going on is the principal. As Na Ri's mother pulls all kinds of strings with the higher ups in an attempt to get Teacher Ma fired, it's slowly revealed that she isn't nearly as mean as she lets on. She keeps a detailed data page on all of her students' life inside and outside of school. Because of this, she rarely gets any sleep and spent almost every night trying to get Oh Don Goo's mother to take him in, since Madame Oh, his guardian, does not have long to live. It's also hinted that she got rid of the loan sharks that were bothering Eun Bo Mi's mother. Ultimately the school board decides to suspend her from teaching for a year, and she is hospitalized due to overworking herself for the kids' sake. The rumor of her being fired quickly spreads through the school and the students finally realize that she is a good teacher and demands to have her finish teaching them for the 6th grade. Teacher Ma appears before the class one last time, and in her own cold-hearted emotionless way, expresses her feeling for her students, bringing them all to tears before she leaves the classroom for good. The kids all became closer, smarter, and more prepared for the real world thanks to her, and Ms.Yang even is shown as trying to copy her teaching style at the end of the final episode.

  Clearly a lot more happens then that quick synopsis, but I'd be writing a book if I went into too much detail, in the purpose of my review is to get you to watch the show, not read my review and ignore it. Teacher Ma beats out Yumiko from Gokusen for the best teacher in a tv show/anime ever. I was hoping she would be openly nice to the students at least once during the show, but that wouldn't fit her character. I'd also like to point out that Janey (GP Basic) played her role well. It's believable that she really acts that way at school. The show is based off of a Japanese drama from 2005, but as of now, I don't see anyway that it can be better than this remake. I give The Queen's Classroom the highest score possible from us at E-stranged, a Pineapple! I look forward to watching and reviewing the original. Now go watch this masterpiece right now!

The Queen's Classroom Preview

  Okay, so this show isn't an anime, it's a Korean Drama based off of an old Japanese Drama from 2005, but dang it Shim Ha Na's face is close enough to an anime character's. Admittedly I only started watching the show because I heard Janey from GP Basic and D-Unit was playing as a student in it. I was expecting cheesy acting and a lot of things to complain about, and to my surprise, I was dead wrong. The acting is top notch, the story is deep and engaging, and the soundtrack is pretty good too. (PSY's "Gentleman" and KARA's "Step up" play in two separate episodes) The story revolves around an "evil" teacher who is very strict with the children of her class and gives them unusual punishments. There's even times when she plots to break bonds between students, believing that it is a weakness that needs to be eliminated. As the story progresses, it becomes more clear what her objective is and she seems less evil and more human. I still have a few more episodes to watch before I've completed the series, so keep an eye out for a full review soon.