Kashimashi ~Girl Meets Girl~

I especially like shows which identify some sort of "impossible" event (like an accidental sex change), and run with them, exploring all sorts of intriguing and fascinating possibilities which then become available. Just such a show is Kashimashi. Hazumu, a boy who against his will has been transferred into the body of a girl, can hardly be blamed for being attracted to girls, even if that makes him/her a de-facto lesbian. He/she was always somewhat effeminate, even before her "accident", so the changeover isn't all that radical. Her childhood female friend Tomari, on the other hand, is so butch that a number of girls find her attractive, much to her chagrin. She seems to have always had a sort of subconscious love for Hazumu, and perhaps assumed he would inevitably be her mate--now she doesn't know exactly what to think. Yasuna has likewise liked Hazumu for a long time but, due to a strange boy-phobia, was afraid to admit it 'til now. But now that Hazumu is a girl, she is free to express her affection. Basically, everyone has a perfect excuse to behave in a yuri manner.

This show has a touch of naughtiness to it, as it addresses topics that would never be mentioned in a show without such a bizarre premise. Early on I had high expectations for hilarious gender-bending comedy but was surprised to find that, though there is a good dose of humor, this series concentrates more on the emotions of the characters. It's still intriguing and fun, and having rewatched it with more accurate expectations I realize what a good job it does of carrying the plot forward in a touching and plausible manner--once you've suspended disbelief regarding the aliens, that is. I think it's fair to say that "originality" is a strong point of this series. Depending on whether I was thinking of Hazumu as a girl or a boy, different thoughts would occur to me regarding what she/he should or shouldn't do. I think I finally settled into thinking of Hazumu as sort of sitting on the fence between being male and being female. Maybe some of the fun of this show comes from not having much idea what to think at all.

Besides this "Girl Triangle", the supporting characters are interesting, too. Aliens Sora Hitoshi and Jan-Puu were humorously naive about Earth customs. Asuta, Hazumu's longtime male friend, finds himself attracted to her now that she's changed sexes. Tomari's friend Ayuki had a lot of depth, which is a welcome bonus considering her relatively minor role. Is she attracted to Hazumu as well, but content to keep it a secret? Hazumu's mother beating up her perverted husband was amusing but got old after awhile. Finally, where would this show be without Namiko-sensei, the pathetically lovesick teacher? She's the one character I most sympathize with, and I hope everything works out OK for her in the end.

Whereas in most anime romance series it's pretty clear from the start which boy and girl will eventually wind up together (and a lot of suspense is therefore killed), right up to the end of Kashimashi I had no idea who, if anyone, Hazumu would eventually choose as a girlfriend.

REVIEW NOT FINISHED YET

Analysis : All R1 episodes watched

• Drama : Low/Med
  
• Comedy : Med/High
  
• Action : None
  
• SciFi : High
  
• Ecchi : Med
  

Kashimashi, a very interesting story. High Drama, Angst, relationships, perverted people, and tons of Yuri that isn't yuri.

I do feel that it's a shame that Bandai never put out a dub for this. I think people would even enjoy it more if Tomari and Yasuna had English voices attached to it.

Originally slated for 12 episodes. The animators added in a '13th' episode that basically adds in the knowledge that everyone knows about the alien (Which they didn't) and changes the ending DRASTICALLY. Basically the show has 2 endings, #12 (True) and #13 (Gift).

Too bad it doesn't really spend any time with Hazumu and the true things he has to live with as a girl, but it did need to focus on the whole Tomari/Yasuna relationship.