The Wallflower, Volume 1
Developed by Nippon Animation
Released by ADV films on December 18, 2007

Plot: A rich older woman shares a mansion with four beautiful/radiant/popular high school boys. Five minutes in she tells them to either start paying rent, or teach her niece social graces. What makes this task hard is that the niece (Sunako) is an obstinate shut in with hilariously morbid tendencies. Just like everyone else, she thinks the boys are ungodly attactive, but feels their beauty will actually cause her physical harm.

Hilarity ensues as our heroine sets her hormonal urges against instincts for self preservation. Of course, being a "Wallflower,"Sunako tends to have her own moments of radiance, be them often in non-traditional ways. I'd say she should get her own show, but she pretty much already does. Every other character, while enjoyable in varying amounts, is nothing compared to the semigothic, nerdy girl who defies all logic. The image of her cooking fish in a brutal manner will make me smile for days to come.

What it boils down to is that Sunako is intelligent enough that we love her, yet bizarre enough that we find her discomfort amusing. Think of the gothic merchandise of Emily Strange, but without the annoying precociousness. The best part about her character is that Sunako doesn't actually think anything she does is funny. The other characters however, think they are hilarious or gorgeous, and play it accordingly. All and all, the dichotomy works, as it makes our female lead that much more refreshing amongst her flat peers.

Each boy comes with his own stock personality, the flirty one, the androgynous sensitive guy, the shy intellectual, and the tough guy with a heart of gold. Thebishonen quartet tugs at every girl's heartstrings, but never in harmful way. Fans of My Fair Lady (or its not musical equivalent Pygmalion) are sure to find the show's training/lady creation palatable. The verbally abusive tendencies of "tough guy" (Kyohei Takano) are a wonderful counterpart to Sunako's feisty nature and unwillingness to change. However, that is about about the only three dimensional interaction any of the males have. Within the first volume, bothKoyhei and Yuki get solo time, aimed at making the characters "real." Hitting their mark, both men soften up and tell the stories about how its hard being "pretty." Being composed of an author's script rather than flesh and blood, Sunako was deeply moved by their trite ramblings. I'd assume the real Sunako would see through this, but then again, she isn't quite all there.

The technical side: I'm a romantic comedy fiend, but this show's shifting art style wore me out. Nearly every other moment was populated with either anatomically incorrect chibis, or the sharp angled beauty shots shojo is known for. This shift is so constant I frequently couldn't find my footing. An example: As I mentioned before, Sunako has a "once an episode" beauty shot, but even this dramatic moments lose impact amongst the thirty-five pointless glamour shots the boys get. That said, the animation is crisp and seems to accurately capture themanga style. Hat's off to Nippon Animation for such an skillful transition.

ADV didn't pull any punches on voice acting. This all star cast includes names that even an untrained eye would notice. It seemed only appropriate that a series full ofbishonen heartthrobs would include fan favorites such as Chris Patton, Greg Ayres, and Vic Mignogna. Non-Threatening and stalked by fan girls, these actors had the difficult role of playing themselves. Yet, for all their appropriately hammy acting, novice voice actor Hannah Alcorn (Sunako) isn't overshadowed.

The translation seems to have been handled well. After watching both the Japanese and English actors, it seems that care was taken to highlight the comedy in such a way that it seems natural to English speaking audiences. Nothing so serious as changing intents, but it feels as though unless the viewer speak Japanese or just despises dubs, this show will be considerably more amusing in English.

Summation: Honestly, The Wallflower took me by storm. While not normally my area of expertise, the high energy vibes and fast paced comedy won me over. Fans of high school comedy, romantic or not, need look no further than this show.

My only fear is that successive volumes may wear out the show's welcome, as episodes six through twenty-five could easily be identical to the one through five. That however, is a bridge we'll have to cross with volume two, as it has nothing to do with how amusing this particular dvd is. Unless you're heart is covered in ice and comedy causes you pain, The Wallflower is a sure-fire hit this holiday season.