Mousou Kagaku Series: Wandaba Style

"Singing," many people would agree that singing can be one of the most funnest of pastimes. Whether it be simply to pass time itself, or just to make others feel good. Many love to do it in the shower, some like to do it in karaoke. But have you ever heard of people wanting to do it on the moon? Enter Wandaba Style... Story: 7/10 Now you might be thinking to yourself that this sort of idea can only come from a title that is rushed and uninspired. However, that is not so with Wandaba Style, as it actually does bring a pretty fun story into themix. The idea is that a certain young scientist (age 13) want’s to be the first person to make a rocket that is able to travel to the moon. So he enlists the help of a struggling j-pop group called "Mixed Juice", in hopes that together, they can make his idea become a reality. All the while, getting the recognition the group deserve. The first few portions of the series simply come down to the professor attempting to get to the moon. However, it doesn’t stay linear in this matter, as new plot threads are reveled, along with crazy mishaps. And that’s where Wandaba really shines, in it’s "crazy" style of humor. This comes in the form of the professor either messing up with his latest invention, to the girls having a wacky misunderstanding regarding an idea or event. As the story progresses, the ties between the characters become more evident, as pasts and story bits are slowly revealed. Now while this certainly won’t be the most drawn in anime you will ever see. It does do a pretty good job of mixing good character charisma and gags. It also takes a pretty interesting turn towards the end. The singing elements are also used to a good extent, and don't feel tacked on like you would first expect. The girls really do give off the fact that they are a struggling singing group, which is nice. Now it does have it’s flaws too. While the story does have some good humor in it, there are also some repeated jokes and scenes that might annoy some viewers. And the over the top humor won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, as it is pretty "been there done that", especially if you like this style of anime. Again though, what impressed me the most is that for a crazy style comedy anime, it actually does get you involved in the story, which begins to really pick up pace after the half way point. Plus you get some nice emotional and touching elements to it too, along with the humor. Regarding possible offensive material. "Wandaba Style" does have a pretty fair amount of fan service. This can include the girls having their close ripped off, to being shown in there underwear. It’s certainly not a constant in this series, but does pop up enough times to be mentioned. The dialog on the other hand, is quite clean. Animation: 8/10 Characters and environments are sharp and clean, with bright colorful visuals. The cast vary from be quite well portioned, to their silly over the top facial expressions. The whole over all feel of this anime’s color scheme can at times feel very 60’s. Such interesting features include a giant Mickey Mouse style glove hand, wacky rockets and other silly art styles, which can at times, give the anime a sort of western style cartoony flavor to it. It’s a series that doesn’t take itself too seriously most of the time, so it shouldn’t be anything too surprising when you see them. Sound: 8/10 The soundtrack is the strongest point in the anime, as expected from a series that features a j-pop group, you get some pretty catchy songs and beats through out the series. They’re very lively as expected, and put you in a good mood after watching it, especially when regarding the closing song. My only problem with the music, is that songs tended to get repeated in the story, and by the end I was a bit tired of hearing the girls main theme song so much, as they tended to play it a lot during the anime. Voice acting is very solid. The ADV dub is pretty good, and they matched well with the characters. The Japanese audio is the way to go though if you are debating between the two. Everything in it is just so much more nice to listen to, as each actress do each character in a humors way, yet aren’t annoying at the same time. Characters: 7/10 The cast of characters are quite charming and likable the whole way through, and the girls overreaction to many simple situations will no doubt put a smile on your face. However, they lack any kind of real depth to them at the same time. I was dissapointed that they pretty much remained who they are from the first episode to the end, with not much tid-bits given about their personal life. The characters who do end up having the most depth to them however, are the professor and his assistant/android "Kiku No. 8". As time goes on you end up seeing that these two are more than what they first appear to be, a scene which is especially apparent come the end. So while they won’t be the deepest cast of characters you’ll see, they make up for it with their charm and humor. Overall: 8/10 If you are in the mood for a fun and wacky ride, then I recommend giving Wandaba Style a try. It might not revolutionize the comedy genre, and some may find the humor to get a bit redundant at times. It’s still never the less a good comedy series to invest your time in, especially if you want one that puts a smile on your face afterwards.