Yoiko

No reviews yet? Here I come!
'Yoiko' is a classic, hilarious, ecchi anime from the late 90s. The story is about Fuuka, an elementary school student that looks like a hot 20 year old. So of course everybody mistakes her for an adult, which brings her into one funny situation after another. Her female teacher wants to look like her, the young boys in her class fall in love with her, and then theres her perverted cousin (I think) Jiro who involuntary shares his bedroom with her, and feels cursed by the god of masturbation. Fuuka's mind sure is one of a child! Her unusual ... ideas and her naive soul is essential to the comedy of Yoiko.
The animation is nothing outstanding, but you do get some fan service, well mainly Fuuka in lingerie or naked under the shower lol I just laugh through all episodes, every character is crazy and so is their behavior (especially the teacher's) and all of them make this show a happy meal for the audience, the eps. are rather short (10-12 minutes), but because the show is so funny it feel's more like 5 minute episodes! So if you don't mind old school anime art (which I love), you will probably enjoy this too. And although I say this is an ecchi anime, it's far away from being dirty. What else is there to write... give it a try 8/10!

Yoiko is exactly what it says on the tin. A fifth grader who looks like a college freshman and her wacky adventures after she transfers schools. Lots of lascivious suggestions, some downright lewd scenes, and plenty of grownups we are supposed to feel disgusted about due to staring at someone who we know is supposed to be 10, all wrapped around what would otherwise be a fairly basic grade-school comedy show.

The writing is the main stumbling block here. The comedy is poorly timed, the jokes are flat, the characters are bland, and just about everything is in tonal whiplash mode in order to wrap ... itself around the initial concept. It can go from full Golden Boy ecchi to a bargain basement Azumanga ripoff in seconds. Even under the best of circumstances, that would be a difficult task to pull off. With this show, it is far from what I would call a good job.

Art and animation are another category that seems to be a miss. 1998 had some excellent series with work that can hold up to the test of time. Yoiko is not one of them. The art is basic as a whole, without the style or panache needed to pull something like this off. The animation is merely competent, with no flair or sign that the animators were enjoying their work. Unfortunately for them, this is the kind of show that really needed a stand-up job from the art department. Studio Peirrot was not up to the task. At all.

Even for a normal series, I could not recommend this in good conscience. Add on the subject matter, as well as starting off each episode with a lengthy nude scene featuring someone that the show doesn't let us forget is only ten years old, and you have a title that makes me want to suggest that it be actively avoided.