AlAlexPaulLEWZ
April 13, 2022
Recommended
When watching anime and you're hooked on the story, you feel that time goes by too fast, quickly scarfing those 12 or 13 episodes in one go, and you don't notice that you have already consumed five hours. Conversely, if you're watching anime and it feels that time drags on and it passes so slowly, it's a sign that you're bored and it's not surprising that you'll find yourself sleeping within the next 15 minutes or so. But what if there's an anime that makes you, well, at least me, feel that time has slowed down, and actually made me feel drowsy—even making me sleep,but in my mind, not bored at all? That anime, my friends, is Ichigo Mashimaro, or in English, Strawberry Marshmallow.
Ichigo Mashimaro is a CGDCT, or cute girls doing cute things, comedic iyashikei slice-of-life and as such, it portrays the daily lives of five girls, Nobue, her sister Chika, and Chika's schoolmates and best friends Miu, Matsuri, and Ana. Due to the nature of the anime, there's no deep plot or story, so there's nothing much to critique about it. It does have your usual slice-of-life elements like the cast going to school, school breaks, summer homework, beach episode, festivals, candied apples, and many more from what you can expect from a series like this. But then again, even though it's repetitive "in my perspective" due to me already watching many anime and reading many manga similar to this series' premises—quite ironic for something adapted in 2005, by the way—it did not get boring.
That's where the iyashikei part of this anime comes in. For a quick refresh, the term "iyashikei" refers to anime and manga that "heal" the audience by instilling a calming feeling or evoking emotional catharsis. I guess that I have been a little bit sleep-deprived within these past few days and as such, this anime's relaxing aura healed me and allowed me to sleep soundly. Now that I think of it, it might sound that I'm just saying that the anime is boring to the point that it made me sleep in a respectful way, but I'll just hope you'll take my word for it. Like I said earlier, the plot isn't boring—there isn't even a plot in the first place—it's relaxing. And slow. But relaxing.
For a 2005 anime to be in 16:9 resolution is quite a spectacle and it really represents how anime is becoming modernized around that time. Apart from that, my thoughts about the art can be summed up into one sentence. The first line of the opening theme goes like:
" 'Kawaii' nante sonna koto iccha dame desu!" (Don't call us something like "cute!")
*inhales*
Sonna koto wa jijitsu dakara sou iimasu! (That's the fact so I will say it.)
The characters are simply cute. There's no need for any more convoluted explanations. It's simply a fact. However, each of their personalities shines the most in the nostalgic sense. It might seem strange that I feel nostalgic in the first place, but watching this anime really reminds me of me and my siblings' childhood. Since I am four years older than my sister and the fact that she has her group of friends and there is no one in the neighborhood that is my age, I really relate to Nobue's role in this anime where she looks after her sister and her best friends as the mature, well, at least the oldest one.
Moreover, the girls' personalities hit close to home as well as they really resemble my sister's group. We have Chika, who is the mature one in the group, but sadly she isn't comparable to my sister, who's more like Miu, the noisy, boisterous, and over-energetic girl. Then we have Matsuri who's the most timid and shy, who also reminds me of my cousin, and we have Ana, who's overly polite and has the aura of a prim and proper girl, and I think my sister also had that kind of friend, but I recall her moving away and I can't remember her name. What a shame. Still nostalgic though.
As for the sound, I'm just going to critique the opening and ending themes. However, this might be the most impactful thing this anime has left me, so I'll savor the moment and go through it profoundly. As such, I recommend that you finish the anime first before coming back here.
For the opening theme, "Ichigo Complete," is totally something I'd expect from an anime of this caliber—the four main girls singing together. It's common but it never gets old. From the opening line:
" 'Kawaii' nante sonna koto iccha dame desu!" (Don't call us something like "cute!")
Once again, how can I not say that they're cute if it's the truth? Then there's the bridge before the refrain, which is totally a perfect transition really good to the ears!
Chigu hagu na iro de ii mon rakugaki shichao (Mixing up the colors is fine, let's just scribble!)
Shippai mo atari mae da yo ne (It's perfectly fine to make mistakes, right?)
Watashitachi wo yurushite agenasai (So please forgive us!)
If that bridge isn't complemented by a good refrain, then it would be a waste, isn't it? Thankfully, it is a good refrain, and the energy radiated by it really gets you going, quite ironic from my earlier statement that this anime is perfect for getting a good night's sleep.
Okoranaide ne okoranaide suki ni sasete ne (Don't get mad at us, let us do what we want)
Otona ni wa wakannai (Adults won't understand)
Suteki! Kiseki! Kanpeki! (Wondrous! Miraculous! Perfect!)
"Kawaii" nante sonna koto iccha dame desu (Don't call us something like "cute)
Totetsumonai egao mashimaro na onna no ko (Us marshmallow girls with fantastic smiles)
As for the ending theme, Classmate, it feels weird.
Wasurekaketa yume wo omoidashitara (When I remembered the dream I've begun to forget)
Fuini kimi no egao ga ukande kita yo (You smile suddenly came into my mind)
From these first two lines, in my first impression, I immediately thought, what's with these awkward one-and-a-half beats that don't make any sense and make the song more difficult to sing?
Ashita sae mada shiranai (Even if we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow)
Nee, asonde bakari ita ano hi (Those were the days where we played a lot)
Kyuunasaka michi demo (Even if it was a steep uphill road)
Nee, heiki na furishite hashitta (We'd run while pretending we're fine)
At first, I didn't really think much of the song as it was, to be honest, clunky. But as the series went on, everything made sense.
Isoide isoide (Hurry, hurry)
Mimimoto de sasayaku itazura kageboushi (A mischievous silhouette whispers through the ear)
SKIRT yurameki suzukaze ga hiza wo tataita (The skirt flaps as a cool breeze waves through the knee)
Ano ne, kimi wa ima doko ni imasu ka? (Hey, where are you right now?)
I felt the strongest impact during episode 12. And that's where I finally got it. This song isn't just any song haphazardly written with lots of abrupt one-and-a-half beats and sung without any kind of musical proofreading, it's actually kind of a genius production. As the series went into its final episode, accompanied by this song, gives the feeling that not only the episode has ended, but the series as well. It has the spirit of ending written all over it. It pains the heart, telling you one and one thing only. It has ended. A sublime work of art. I love it.
Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the anime. Nostalgic to the point that it reminded me of my childhood, and it managed to slow down time for me, helping me fix my sleep schedule. It's slow-paced but not boring, and overall, another unique experience to add in my book. If you feel burnt out, burdened by the realities of this life, then Ichigo Mashimaro is there to relieve your pain.
