Naoko-san from Planet Yuri
I decided to watch another Anime Bunko OVA today. This one is pretty different from Minori Scramble both in tone and in direction. On the surface, it seemed like another wacky action/comedy, but while Minori was a straight up fun and wacky cartoon, Naoko-san is much more of a surrealist dry comedy. It's not so much about direct visual gags or punchlines, but rather a slow burn of constant bizarre nonsensical barrage from a strange character, until either the viewer gives up and quits, or snaps and embraces it.
I didn't really laugh at all for the first half, but early in the second half something just snapped inside me and I was randomly laughing at every other scene. It wasn't because what was happening was actually "funny" in the traditional sense, but because the build up of all the individual insane events just clicked. It probably won't work for everyone, but it's a very interesting adaptation nonetheless. The director certainly has a deep passion for the material, seeing how he didn't just direct and storyboard it, but he also did the character designs and all the key animation for the entire 30 minute piece, including the opening and ending sequences.
The subject matter is kinda adult, so I wouldn't recommend watching this with children, but the nature of those subjects are generally just in the dialogue. There isn't anything here which would qualify as fanservice and there is no sexual or erotic imagery that actually titillates, but the characters (okay it's really just Naoko) constantly talk about subjects which kids probably shouldn't understand.
I think the entire show can be summed up like this:
Erm... errr... okay?
Yeah, I think so too.
