Forum - View topicWhat makes Squid Girl work?
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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Squid Girl has been getting pretty high ratings in the encyclopedia, and for the most part I agree. I almost didn't start it based on the description -- what kind of Americans like squids anyway?
It turns out to be surprisingly funny and cute. You can't help but root for the squid and at the same time enjoy her reactions when she has to confront her miscalculations both major and minor. But I can't say why it strikes me that way -- anyone else have the same reaction and perhaps an explanation? |
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batou37
 Posts: 455 |
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I loved it and thought it was hilarious. For some strange reason the adding "squid" or "squidding" or some other variation to every sentence never got old to me. Squid girl just seemed to strike the right balance as a character being funny, cute, caring, smart but at the same time dumb, strong, and endearingly ignorant where it was just the right amount and never really went overboard on any one thing. The whole premise was just so weird that it also was something new. I remember reading about it before it came out and thinking "a girl thats a squid that wants to take over the world to stop pollution? Wait what?" It's a show that I have already gone back and watched a few episodes and they still give me laughs. I really hope for more.
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~~EpiC~~
 Posts: 243 |
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 Tell me about it. I had stayed far away from this one because of the name until two weeks ago. I was bored out my mind and decided to watch it after some site labled it as shounen. I was like wtf? So I just had to make sure it would suck, just in case. Then, I couldn't stop watching it.
What I like about it besides taking me completely off guard? Hmm, I'll try to say some things. It's kind of difficult. I really like the arched segmentation of each episode. Each episode breaks it up and puts you in a slightly different situation. And they are all situations that someone who never interacted with humanity would run into sooner or later. It pokes fun at its own lapses in logic. It doesn't overplay jokes. For instance, I think it was episode 9, the part with the lipstick. They started using sexual innuendos. They were hilarious. But it only did them for like two minutes total. The jokes that aren't really funny are And the characters were charming and squid girl was adorable. Oh and the person that likes squid girl is a chick! Hilarious in a fresh way. I guess. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15595 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Well firstly I might just add that for Western viewers there was some success with comedic invader with Invader Zim, for me the it kind of reminded me of it and made it funnier. It was kind of original, I don’t think I have seen a ‘cute invader’ except maybe in Excel Saga, but Ika has personality, and on that note I don’t think I had even heard of a ‘Squid girl’ before.
It stays generally pretty innocent, some referenced it as being like the manga Yotsuba&!. Gags usually only go for as long as 1/3 an episode, so it doesn’t feel overdone, and a breather can be put in. But they also mixed in gags that could shock, but not go too far, like throwing up ink, that freaky mask, crazy lesbian and ‘friendly mysterious people’. I might put it as using mixes of child like wonder, the main character switching into anti-villain, funny that she views herself as some sort of monster, actually they do a good job at giving her a multi faceted personality, but still make her feel like one character. Some good secondary characters, but even if you did not like one secondary character it was not a problem because there were swapped. A good mix of many things. Oh and a vocal tic de-gesso. If you want to get attention online which can create memes recommendations, then giving a character a catchy vocal tic can be a very good way de-gesso. |
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HaruhiToy
Posts: 4118 |
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DP could you define that term? I hadn't heard it before and searching only comes up with references to Portuguese. ------ All good responses here -- I'm glad I'm not the only one around that ended up hooked on it. There seems to be some elusive sense of play to Squid Girl that ends up appealing. Last night I watched the episode with the umbrella. Going just by the premise it should have been just too stupid to watch, but somehow it made me laugh several times. (Reminiscent of a similar scene in Totoro -- something about umbrellas.) I guess the secret is not trying to do too much. That sort of restraint on the part of the director must take a measure of courage, given how tough the anime business is. [EDIT: Don't double-post. ~Zalis] |
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batou37
Posts: 455 |
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I've gone back and watched the teru teru bozu episode a few times already. The drawings really killed me, when she held up her first one that looked like a 2 year old holding a pencil wrong drew it I couldn't stop laughing, and then her interpretive drawings made my stomach hurt even worse from laughing. Her self portrait was so fitting to the show as a whole, and really showed the duality of the character where she thinks she is this rampaging monster but everyone else sees her as a harmless slightly weird kid. The expressions on the rain charms she made of them strangling was also classic. Something that I would have never thought of but makes so much sense....I mean they are hanging from their necks. Just all in all a great episode.
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egoist
 Posts: 7762 |
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Squidish form of "desu", "dearu", etc. |
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garfield15
 Posts: 1541 |
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It reminded me a lot of Sgt. Frog and was just as funny.
Also, for some reason, unlike other verbal tics, "-de geso" and "-ika" never got old. |
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Bored_Ming
 Posts: 242 Location: The Edge of ...... |
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I really liked the animation. The characters were easy to tell apart and were kept active. The use of Squid Girls tentacles was really inspired at times. From serving beer, drawing pictures and simple actions like hopping up onto a bed from the floor. There were always interesting things going on with Ika. I really did not expect much from it so it was a real pleasure that this show was really good. I put it up there with Shiki, Angel Beats and Asobi ni iku yo! as one of my favorites of the year.
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catstigereye
Posts: 356 |
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what caught me was the humor of the show and it kept me watching till the very end. It even made my some day own list if someone ever releases it state side and i can find a job again!
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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Do correct me if I fail to grasp the concept here, but is this not quite a central example of a trait (or indeed a trope) commonly referred to as "smurfing"? |
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