A little over a year ago, February was devoted to some weird reviews. I didn’t realize it when I but my 2nd overview this past Friday, but it seems like insanity has once again crept onto my blog. Today, I’ve got a review for a very recent anime. I honestly don’t know how to describe this show. Equal parts informative, odd, and entertaining, this series really came out of nowhere, and I’m kind of glad I found it. With that said, lets look at a review for the educational & strange slice-of-life series Oshiete! Galko-chan. Here we go!
Story/Setup
Now here’s the first component of what makes Oshiete! Galko-chan so strange. Instead of a single story that spans the entire show, instead the anime covers the subject matter that girls go through. Feminine Hygiene, clothing, physical oddities, and even facts about the body of girls/women are covered throughout the entire anime at one point or another (Galko’s ample chest is often the subject of jokes, and even a little bit of men’s health is covered as well). Even something as simple as friendship (Not the MLP kind) & the construction/destruction of personalities are discussed in this series. All of these are really bizarre things to cover in an anime, and guys watching it might get weirded out by some of the more girly things show discusses sometimes. For me, I thought this was quite refreshing! With a lot of modern anime covering the same subjects, it great for a show to come around that deals with something a little more real. Oshiete! Galko-chan is actually quite an educating anime for boys & girls (Or men & women), and is a highlight for the series.
Animation
A big plus for Oshiete! Galko-chan is it’s animation. This is a damn good looking show: backgrounds are simple but nice, characters look fantastic, and in a pleasant change of pace, the series uses color wonderfully. With some modern anime relying are darker colors & tones, it’s quite refreshing to see an anime look & feel so vibrant, not to mention cheery. If you don’t feel perky while watching this, I will be shocked!
Voice Acting
At this moment in time, Oshiete! Galko-chan isn’t available in the states on a physical level. As such, there are only subtitles available right now. I should say, however, that the Japanese voice actors suit their assigned characters perfectly. Nobody comes across as overtly annoying, but nobody is weak either. If this ever gets dubbed in the U.S., I sincerely hope the actors do it justice!
Characters
Characters are a double-sided coin for Oshiete! Galko-chan. On the one hand, there isn’t much to the characters. Due to the pacing of the episodes (More on that below), you don’t have that much time to get to know them. They almost have a “Flash In The Pan” kind of vibe around them. On the other hand, what personality that does exist gives you a clear picture of what that character is. Galko is a very stylish girl, but unlike the typical Gyaru (Transliteration = Girl), is actually quite innocent. She can be very emotional, enough to the point where she can cry if she gets involved with a book or movie. Galko even makes her own bento lunches & bread, so she’s a little more hands-on than other Gyaru of her generation.
Galko’s friends are personable as well. Otako is her nerdy book-minded friend, who tells & ask Galko about suggestive subjects (And enjoying the embarrassment), and gets annoyed when Galko falls asleep. Ojou is the airhead of the trio, but is quite friendly & innocent, and is the daughter of a rich household. All three complement each other, whether through their strengths or their weaknesses, and it’s fun to see them interact with each other.
The other characters that populate Oshiete! Galko-chan are kinda fun as well. Otao is a young otaku boy that’s quite shy, but has a big crush for Galko. Bomou is a quiet fellow, but changes his attitude one Galko changes his hairstyle. Nikuko, known as “Sonic Meat”, is a chubby girl with a bubbly personality to match. There’s plenty of other side characters as well with their own personalities, but you’ll have to watch the show to find out!
Availability & Pricing
As I said in the “Voice Acting” section above, this series isn’t available in the west on a physical level. Luckily, websites all over the internet have the show available for viewing. In fact, Crunchyroll is one of the major sites that has Oshiete! Galko-chan for people to watch. Here’s a link:
Oshiete! Galko-chan (Crunchyroll)
If you don’t want to deal with the commercials, here’s a youtube playlist:
Oshiete! Galko-chan (Youtube)
Other
Oshiete! Galko-chan, as I’ve stated before, is an outright bizarre anime. Along with it’s subject matter, the show’s structure is what makes things strange as well. As per most modern anime, Oshiete! Galko-chan is the typical 12/13 episode long series, but each individual episode is just a minuscule 7 minute & 50 seconds. Due to the runtime, Oshiete! Galko-chan goes by so fast you’ll have to watch them all a second, maybe even a third time to remember them. If there was ever a major flaw to this anime, it would be this.
Also, Seven Seas has recently licensed the manga for Oshiete! Galko-chan. However, you’ve got a while to wait before the 1st volume comes out. November 22nd of this year, to be exact. On top of that, not many chapters of the comic have been translated online, so finding them might be a little tricky.
Overall Impression & Rating
Oshiete! Galko-chan is just one of those anime that comes right out of nowhere, and leaves an impact you can’t quite make out. It’s so down to earth, but so strange, you don’t know how to interpret was you saw. Yet, this series makes for a highly refreshing change of pace, especially when you compare it to most of the modern anime out there. Even when compared to some other high-school based anime, something about Oshiete! Galko-chan makes it better. Despite a short running time, I’d highly suggest giving Oshiete! Galko-chan a watch. Even if you don’t remember all of it, what you will remember will not leave.
Oshiete! Galko-chan gets a 9 out of 10.
So that was my review. I’ll see you all next week, when I’ll have something else a little out there to review. See you soon!
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If you’d like a more in-depth look at the Gyaru culture, check out the Wikipedia link below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyaru
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