Happy Lesson OVA: Mama Mia! - Underland Online
- Underland Online
- Mike
- 06/08/04
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Happy Lesson OVA: Mama-Mia
The mama's are back again.
Happy Lesson certainly wasn't going to end with the television series, and there is plenty more comedy and craziness in store. However, there are a few things here that anyone who has seen the original series is going to find to be slightly different. Remember, this is an OVA, and you'll soon discover why things get a little confusing.
Happy Lesson, for those who already don't know, is the story of Chitose Hitose, a high school orphan who has moved back into his parents' home. However, Chitose needs someone to look after him, and he's got a new mother, five of them as a matter of fact. An eclectic collection of his high schoolteachers has decided to move in and take care of him, and that's where the insanity starts. You might think that with five good-looking teachers, life is going to be a dream, but the abuse that he must endure on a daily basis is almost too much. Add in two 'sisters', one who is a J-pop idol and another young, cute girl and its not a recipe for pleasure, it's the making of a disaster, at least for Chitose.
The original Japanese release timeline regarding
Happy Lesson is where things get a bit confusing, and it took a bit of research to determine exactly where the OVA falls in place with the series. Originally,
Happy Lesson began of course as a manga, just like any anime series does. The next step from there surprisingly was that it became a radio program, something that is actually quite common in Japan. From there,
Happy Lesson made the transition to video games, and finally, it became the anime that we all know and (hopefully) love. However, it wasn't the television series that came first, it was the OVA series, and there are things that you will find to be very different.
The concept is the same, and there aren't any changes with the mama's, but at first, I thought there had been some sort of mistake. The first OVA episode is also the same one that began the television series, though there are some differences. Some sequences have been cut a bit shorter, and there are some bits that didn't make it into the televised version at all. It's listed however as an 'alternate' version, which I find to be a bit misleading. Labeling it as the 'original' version seems as though it would have made a little more sense, and is much more accurate.
There are three episodes total; the fourth is actually absent from the release, which is somewhat of a surprise since it was released in Japan back in 2003. The other two episodes concern the group taking a vacation to the beach and then a look at Christmas break. This is where some of the changes begin coming into play. The beach trip finds Chitose under the usual strain of physical abuse of course, but he also meets with Hazuki. She's the same idol singer, but this is the first time he's seen her in years. It's a definite contrast from the television series. This episode also makes reference to Mina, and she shows her cute little face in the final episode. However, now she is 'like a sister' to him, and it seems years ago when they were still in the orphanage together he had made a promise to marry her when they were older. It plays off a little like Ai Yori Aoshi, though the difference is the Chitose has no intention of marrying poor Mina, and that leaves her heartbroken. Everything works out in the end though, and we find the Mina has now moved in with Hazuki and things are left wide open for the future.
I suppose though that no matter how this was released, there would have been a bit of confusion with the series. Personally, I would have went the route of first releasing the OVA first, then following with the series. The real question now is what is going to come next? Japan has seen quite a few releases for
Happy Lesson over the years. The logical progression should be to release the
Happy Lesson Character DVD's (and that would be a good opportunity to release a special edition version if ADV does in fact have plans to release the limited edition figures that the Japanese fans were graced with) and then move on to releasing the
Happy Lesson Advance and then finish off with the Final Episodes that began coming out back in May of '04. However, I'm not really sure how much of
Happy Lesson ADV has managed to secure the US distribution rights for, and it seems that all too often, a series might be grabbed by one company, and then other versions released by someone else (such as the case with Sakura Wars and Saiyuki.)
There isn't too much included in the way of extras. There are the usual clean versions of the open and closing animations. I'm not really too keen with the ending, but I really like the opening for the show. The song itself is very catchy, and I really like the quick cuts and television static that are used in the first few seconds. This shows a good deal of ingenuity and thought. There are characters sketches included as well. Inside the case you will find a reversible cover, and it's a bit of a toss up on which I like better, as well as a mini poster with all of the mama's on either side.
My final decision on this one ends up being a split. If you've never seen
Happy Lesson and have been curious about checking it out, this really might be a good introduction to the series. It's quick, but it gives you a fairly good taste and probably won't spoil your appetite for the television series. If you have in fact watched the TV series though, you might be slightly disappointed. I don't think that the OVA's were bad, but it's also a definite change from what I've already watched, and was expecting just a bit more.
Episode 1 - Exciting ~ Mama-Teachers
Meet Chitose, an orphaned high-school student that live anything but a normal life. Now, meet his surrogate mother. Wait. That's mothers. You see, five of his high school teachers have decided to move in with him and care for him, and with that many mama's, life is going to be anything but normal.
Episode 2 - Exciting! Vacation!
The mama's have planned a little getaway at the beach to make life a little easier. Chitose however ends up running into his sister Hazuki who is now a famous J-pop idol. But, what should be a happy reunion is going to be anything but that with five crazy mother's babysitting him.
Episode 3 - Uneasy ~ Happy Moms
Another of Chitose's 'sisters' arrives, but Mina is really just a close friend from his days in the orphanage, very close as a matter of fact. Year ago, Chitose promised to marry her, and now that she's coming of age, she's decided that it's time for him to make good on his promise. However, it's something that he's not ready to do, and it's going to make for a very uncomfortable Christmas.
Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 (Archive on Thursday, July 08, 2004)