Anime: Tenshi na Konamaiki

What happens when a young, strong-headed boy turns into the cutest girl anyone has ever seen?

Tenshi na Konomaiki is a fun adventure that plays with the idea of a "man inside a woman's body". It's a fusion of action and romantic comedy and definitely one of the better ones at it. Though the series is a bit on the long side, the many side adventures only adds to the comedic or dramatic aspect of the show.

Though the animation style is a bit old (and peculiar) the story and characters more than make up for it. Tenshi na Konomaiki is a fun-filled story with a good amount of depth. Definitely one of the better series that I've watched.

Animation:
The animation looks a bit strange at first (I thought "cheeky" referred to how his/her cheeks were drawn at first...) but is fine for the most part. Colors and drawing are average and the comedic style at times is quite nice. Fight scenes are okay but could have been done better. Overall it's decent but not spectacular, definitely not as crisp as 2010 shows.

Sound:
Sound is pretty average in this series. The OP/EDs didn't really interest me that much though I am still confused about the latin-ish roots of the songs... BGM was fairly plain for the most part though a few tracks do repeat. In any case, you have Onizuka (GTO) doing the main male voice so there's ample voice talent. Megu's VA does a great job of sounding "boyish" while still registering as a girl... must have required quite a bit of practice.

Overall: Music: 3/5, VA: 4/5.

Story:
The story is centered around a guy/girl named Megumi that wishes to be the best man among men but instead is turned in to the best woman among women. The only person who knows of the wish is Miki, Megumi's childhood friend who was also present during the wish.

The story is based around Megumi's trials as he tries to figure out how to live life as a woman, while also striving to keep his inner manliness. His goal becomes even more difficult as he attracts a group of loyal male followers.

There are many small (1-4) episode-long mini-plots that often end with Megumi and her gang fighting a bunch of gangsters/punks/etc. However, these mini arcs also have quite a bit of romantic humor as the guys hit on Megumi, who obviously can't stand the fact that they are actually hitting on a "guy".

There are many themes in the story, the strongest one being manliness. All the "good" guys strive to be as manly as possible, or to at least try to define what that is. Megumi is often found deciding between acting like a guy or girl which makes for some humorous moments.

There are some serious portions to the series including the final arc build up but overall the series is mostly light stuff. The conclusion is done fairly well with a solid explanation though they definitely leave the window open for a possible follow up.

Overall the story is wonderfully done with lots of intricacies that will reward a careful viewer (and I don't mean fan service).

Character:
The characters are all very unique and have distinctive styles. While it is true that most of the characters are all deeply entranced by Megumi, the relationships between all the characters develop significantly. Many of the personalities sometimes clash resulting in very humorous situations.

The focus of the series is mainly on Megumi and Genzo, a strong delinquent who carries many traits over from Onizuka.

Value:
This series was a pleasure to watch, and may be re-watched again. A teasing question to ask at the end of the series is whether or not you think Megumi is a guy or a girl after all. The length of the series is long, but it is a humorous, rewarding watch overall.

This anime is about a beatiful young teenager girl who behaves like a boy and beliefes that she was morphed into a girl after wishing to become the strongest man from an omnious demon in a book.
Thus she tries to get a male body back while suffering from the many things "girls shouldnt do" and attracting many boys cause of her beauty.

The animation is fine, not new, not old, it compliments the fighting scenes. Exspeccialy the expressions for humor are well done.
7

The sound is fine too, though you might dislike some of the voice actors. I couldn't find any really annoying ones, though.
The op and ed are normal too, not worth watching again and again if you ask me.
The sound compliments the situations with humor as well as the animation does.
7

The story is kinda dull most of the time thus the watching flow drops often, too. Sometiems there are some elements that drag the story of her trying to get a boy again further but if you ask me those are minor details.
The greatest time of the anime is spent with easy going school life with many troublesome and humorous situations, some of them funny and entertaining, while others are rather boring.
The ending is kinda unfinished, too, atleast thats what I felt.
A bit under average
6

The characters are well done for the most part, they all have a funny and a serious side depending on the situation.
However there aren't that many new characters stepping into the story either, so after half the anime there wont be much surprises since you can alrdy imagine what the characters will do in that and that situation.
Average, but a bit too less different ones
6

The value, well... there arn't that many animes where a girl strongly believes she's a boy, but otherwise you could've made much more out of that idea.
The main part focuses on humor and animes like that exist in bunches. The humor has creativity and uniqueness, but it's still nothing that justifies this anime to be worth keeping.
Under average since solid, but not too special
5

The enjoyment... well the ideas is indeed unique and her character is an interesting one too, though sometimes I couldn't help but getting annoyed about some parts.
Sometimes the flow drops dramaticaly since no new characters appear and the main ones just follow some boring side story.
But when they do some stupid things together and the humor appears this anime tends to be pretty amusing and entertaining.
If you just watch it once it would probably be good entertainment if you feel like watching a comedy anime, but sadly sometimes there's just boring story without funny jokes.
All in all average
7

Amatsuka Megumi is a high school girl who is so beautiful and elegant that all the guys around her call her "angel." She is also a tough little cookie who beats down one of the toughest thugs in the school on her first day. Her friend Miki really wants her to act more ladylike, but Megumi has other ideas. After all, she was born a boy, and she plans on turning back into one just as soon as she finds that annoying little demon that turned her into a girl in the first place.

ANIMATION

All the characters have wonky looking eyes, and Megumi (who's supposed to be very beautiful) often comes off looking a bit freaky. You get used to the animation style as time goes on, but it is a bit jarring at first. Those moments when characters go into "comedy mode" tend to work much better than the "serious" character designs.

SOUND

Both opening theme songs are excellent. The ending themes. . . take them or leave them. I usually just skipped past them. Background music is also average.

Voice actors. . . this is where the series shines through. Damn it, the guy who does Genzo's voice is the most hilarious seiyuu I have heard in a long time, ("Meguuuuu-chan!") Megumi's voice actress uses male speech patterns, and she manages to pull off the "pissed off guy trapped in a woman's body" thing quite well.

STORY

The series has two major story arcs. One is Megumi trying to turn back into a guy. The other is Megumi trying to fend off all the guys who want to get with her. In particularly, she's having trouble with Soga Genzo, a particularly thickheaded thug who goes to embarassing lengths to try and get her to notice him.

Along the way, Megumi winds up facing strange book-demons, a bastard fiancee who won't leave her friend Miki alone, gets caught up in a mob hit, and winds up outsmarting a girl who has tormented her since middle school. It's anime love comedy, nothing too special here.

CHARACTER

Okay, I've just got one thing to say. WHY IS EVERY SINGLE MIDDLE AGED MAN IN THE SERIES A BASTARD PERVERT? Geez, just for once I'd like to have ONE MALE CHARACTER who doesn't try to feel up Megumi just because. God, they all have the same facial expressions and hand gestures, even. According to this series, every Japanese school girl lives in constant danger of molestation by total strangers. Maybe that's true. I dunno, I live in California.

Characters. . . hm. Megumi is equal parts tomboy and lady, your basic guy in a woman's body - nothing too special here since Ranma, except that Megumi struggles more to act masculine (watching her freak out after she gets caught acting like a girl is half the humor of this series). Miki is her encouraging friend. We've got the pervert, the "average guy," and the holdover from the samurai era. The perverted father, the frightening mother, the evil fiancee, the girl who bullies everyone else, etc. etc. [Puts away stereotype checklist]

There is one character who really stands out: Soga Genzo. In my opinion, he really is the main character of TnK, even more so than Megumi. He's a clingy idiotic thug who should be irritating as hell, but the creators manage to make him likable enough that we as the viewers wind up cheering him on. . . until we remember that Megumi is really a guy. Then we feel sorry for the poor bastard.

VALUE

It's worth a second view-through if you have nothing better to watch.

ENJOYMENT

Aside from some really drawn-out plots involving Megumi beating down a series of stereotypically evil bastards who want to molest her, I enjoyed the series quite a bit.

CONCLUSION

It's not bad. It's probably the best "gender-swap comedy" I've seen in a while. If you like those kinds of stories, you'll like Tenshi na Konamaiki.

Oh, and none of the girls in the "Miss Megu Look Alike Contest" at the end of some of the episodes look anything like her. I was expecting long, light brown hair at least.

I stumbled over this series by randomly browsing the AniDB. It's a great series, well worth watching for anyone. It's one of my personal top ten favourites now. :)

Background story
Megumi is a attractive young woman who just started high school together with her best friend Miki. She is so beautiful and kind that boys are all over her and everone calls her an angel. But what is she really? Actually, she starts her first day of high school with crotch-kicking, beating up the strongest guy of her class because he pisses her off. She talks like a guy and doesn't act like a girl at all.

Six years before, Megumi-kun, a young boy, was playing outside with his friend Miki, a young girl. A man in a weird cloak came running by, being chased by three other brats. Megumi jumped in and fought off the brats, and the man gave him a magic book for a reward. When he opened the book, a clown came out, offering him a wish. Without hesistating, Megumi wishes to become the man of men. However, that clown was evil and turned Megumi into a girl instead. No one, except for Miki who witnessed the magic, remembers that Megumi was originally a boy, not even her parents. In her anger, Megumi tossed the book into a nearby river, and thereby lost her only means to get turned back into a boy.

Thus, Megumi has been forced to live as a girl for the past six years. And that's where the series starts... high school. How will she handle the boys that are interested in her?

Animation
The animation seems solid to me. There are two different styles, a 'realistic' mode where art is pretty and sharp and animation is fluid, and a 'comic' mode where people get circles for hands, triangles for mouths and edgy animation, and a few others which I can't put. The style often switches really fast according to the situation, so it's fun to watch once you're used to it. They didn't put quite as much effort in some filler scenes though, they look crappy compared to the rest of the series.

Sound
The music isn't something I'd put into my playlist, although there are some really nice tunes which support the flow of the story.

Much more outstanding are the voice actors. Especially the main character must've been extremely tough to act, Megumi has so many different moods. Sometimes she talks normally like a girl, sometimes like a boy, then like a girl who's really scared of something and then again like a guy who's about to beat up someone. I never get tired listening to her.

All other characters as well, there isn't a single voice that I don't like and the main characters are well distinguishable.

Story
It's really hard to come up with a summary for this. It shows the life of a boy who was forced to live as a girl for the past 6 years, and her friend Miki, the only one who knows that fact.

On her first day in high school, her beauty leaves such an impression that a group of boys from her class all try to get a date with her. She, however, thinks of herself as a guy and thus doesn't ever want to be kissed by another. She's lost between gender... is she a boy or a girl, should she stop trying to find the book that could turn her back, and start going out with boys?

It's a romance comedy but not cheesy at all. It hit exactly my wavelength...

Character
The main character with her boy/girl problems is clearly the most interesting. Her best friend Miki, however, is utterly worthless. While Megumi beats people up, Miki is shy, weak and fragile. I wish she was a little bit more wicked. Luckily enough, there are other interesting characters, mainly the boys who try to date Megumi. One of them is the deliquent she beat up on her first day of school, and he slowly changes into a really friendly guy. He actually goes through the whole town to everyone he had fights with and says "Sorry I beat you up". It's fun to watch this development. Over time, you get background stories for each character as well, making them seem more alive.

However, I must give a lot of minus points for characters. Many series come with such a custom type of character that I'm tired of seeing them. The most classical example is 'pervert old man'. Another example is 'super rich person', and of that kind, this series just has too many. Worst of all, the main character is one of them. Megumi lives in a huge mansion, one day her mother comes in her private helicopter and lands on the helipad in the back garden and you think: The hell?

It's both annoying and unnecessary to make these characters super-rich. It doesn't add anything to the story. There is a spoiled brat girl who has 20 or so subordinates who do everything she says. Oh dear god, this series doesn't need such characters, why have so many of them? They could've told the same story much better with average people.

Value
Finally a series that has some points I can comment on in the 'value' section. Usually I never know what to write here, so here goes.

Besides being an extremely enjoyable watch, which alone is enough to give this a good value rating as well, this series earns a lot of points for giving each episode it's own intro and outro scene. The intro scene will prepare you for what will come in this episode, and the outro scene (which comes after the credits but before the next episode preview, so be sure that you don't miss it) usually rounds things up.

It's a great idea to do things this way, because it gives you more to think about every episode.

Enjoyment
I really enjoy watching this show and can't wait for the next episodes to come out. I'll definitely rewatch it too, just for the fun of it. In my opinion, this series should be much more popular. There wasn't a single episode I completely disliked.

Update:
Now that the series is completely subbed, I must say that it drifts too far into the comedy direction to the end. Although I still enjoyed watching it, it felt more like I was watching one filler episode after the other. The series was definitely stronger in the beginning. The ending is abrupt, which kind of fits the comedy style of the last couple of episodes, but that does not make it a good ending.

There is not much I can "really" add to the excellent previous reviewer who hit most of the nails, so to say.

ANIMATION
The animation style is strange but you soon don't notice because the story and characters pull in your focus and you won't notice it after a while.

SOUND
Overall the soundtracks are good, not always sparking but of reasonobly good quality through and through. The opening and closing themes are excellent. They are tracks that would make it most peoples must have lists.

STORY
As sub-stories go, there are a lot of the tried and true episodic stories you have seen in every other school style anime out there but with TNKs own unique twist to the situation at hand. And yes they do pretty much hit and or twist them all.

CHARACTERS
Characters are pretty two dimensional to start with but with time most of the main characters begin to flesh out a bit. Unfortunatelly most does not mean all and the others are your classic cutouts with the edges showing. Fortunatelly this doesn't hurt the series too much.

COMMENTS etc
As for the intro/closings, watch each version at least once since they are quite enjoyable in themselves.
As for the Minute or so clips after the closing, yes they do help explain whats going on or at times do the "I fooled you" or just a bit of slapstick to leave you chuckling.
The look-a-likes are more just random schoolgirls poseing for the camera it seems. Ah well, you can't have everything your way, right baka echii boys?

VALUE / ENJOYMENT
This series is highly addictive in a fun/weird sort of way. Sorta like pocke or cheese poopers.

How it all began - the Unknown one.
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I found out about this anime in autumn of last year by a coincidence. I was quite surprised that noone in #ar actually watched this anime. This was a must check anime...

Facts Facts Facts - A single group project?
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It is only done by a Anime-Empire, pretty slow, but at a high level. Since A-E was so slow they even switched to DVD source since ep 23. TnK will never get licensed as it seems.

Suprise Surprise, a graphics disaster?
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First surprise was the rather unusal drawing style I was confronted with when I watched the first episode. Very soon you get used to the drawings though, and you gotta love it after a while. Especially when characters are angry, or when they are in ?love-love? mode the facial expressions are drawn in a special way which makes it even funnier.

The Story - or, why some Japanese names are for boys and girls?
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The whole story of TnK is a bit weird. The main character is a nice girl, who claims to be originally a man, but who was transformed in the women of all women by a ghost living in a book. Too bad that this ghost was a bit distracted and fulfills a wish by Megumi, our main character, in the contrariwise direction. Good for Megumi, the name fits for boys and girls. Now the story goes on very fast, as Megumi is considered an angel she is fastly surrounded by some boys. One of them, Genzo, is in deep love with Megumi and tries everything to show her his love in all situations. Genzo though is a very rough boy, only nice in front of Megumi. Even though he wants to protect Megumi it turns out that he needs the help from the "strong-as-a-man" Megumi. Together with some other boys, Megumi and her girlfriend Miki encounter rivals, get to know each others past and try to convert the more and more women a-like Megumi back into a man.

Whenever I think ... - the Music
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Nice intro songs and a nice ending song, a bit rock with pop, and synthie a-like background music is creating the style of the anime and makes the combination of art and music a quite good combination for a comedy.

Resultu dechu!
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TnK brings you quite some amusement and a story that isn't that loose. The jokes aren't always that convienient. And it sure is fun to see a boy in a women body becoming that popular, and nobody even believes it. A must-see for a all anime-comedy freakz.

Watching Tipps
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Many people like skiping intro and outro, if you do just stop when the outro starts you miss something from TnK. After the outro there's always an additional scene, quite often that scene really smoothens the flow of the whole episode or is even an essential part to get the end of the episode. So, you cannot skip that! You can skip Miss Megumi-look-a-like contest though, no hotties in there.