Your Additional Letters of MB Appreciation

Some of the letters sent since the last update of the MB Guide

Marmalade Boy was the first shoujo TV series ever done in the US.

Prior to Marmalade Boy it was felt that shoujo would not be accepted...EVEN by the established anime fans...so shoujo anime titles weren't tried as FANsubs, let alone commercially. Marmalade Boy was the first shoujo series fansubbed in the US (Canada had done some though),

Those who love Marmalade Boy are absolutely mad about it. It's just not one of those half-way feelings.

"As our local club come near the end of the Marmalade Boy saga I've gotten to thinking about MB and how it's affect me... Quite simply, I would not be an anime fan without the Marmalade Boy. Sure, I'd watched Sailor Moon on TV, read a Ranma TPB, and took Akira out of the local public library, but I wasn't hopelessly obsessed. Far from it - I didn't even know what "anime" was." "But a chance encounter with Marmalade Boy (the episode when everybody first discovers the Namura (no "chan for you!) Meiko scandal) quickly sucked me into the culture of the Otaku. No other show has ever grabbed me in such a complete fashion since, with the exception of Oniisama E. and the Ghibli films" "But what is it about Marmalade Boy that demands my devotion? Darned if I know, but I'll give it a shot..." "Probably the first attraction was it's almost puritanical nature...to this day, it's one of the few shows (aimed at the old than "Hello Kitty" audience) that has foregone the infantile panty jokes and predictable T&A that plagues most anime. It was a refreshing breather to see something that I wouldn't be worried about showing to my mother!" The second thing to hit me was the "realty" of the characters and their behaviors. Sure there's wild slapstick and implausible melodramatic situation, but the characters act as you and I would...very little rings false about their behaviors. And actions have consequences in Marmalade Boy - unlike, say, all those anime where the female character are subjected to gropings ("Hey, that's sexual assault" I often find myself yelling at the screen) which no one seems to concern themselves with and never have any emotional effects on the victim." "But what I probably enjoy most about Marmalade Boy is it's high melodramatic character. It reminds me of the Klondike Melodrama that's performed during a local festival each year. Marmalade Boy is a modern manifestation of the Vaudeville Play. We "Boo" and "Hiss" at the villains and cheer the heroes. It's a masterful mix of comedy and pathos".

",,,I cried through all of Volume 16 of Marmalade Boy. I've really been hurting for Miki ever since Yuu left for the U.S., but all I did was sob from the time she met up with Jinny to the time she decided to start seeing Kei. Now I just sniffle every once in a while. I'm glad you explained what "tired" means." Monica *********** "I just want her (Karen) to know how much many of us appreciate her work. We ran all 76 episodes of Marmalade Boy at our club here at UCR, and everyone absolutely loved it. She has a wonderful style, and the care she takes with timing and editing really shows in the finished work. " JB ********** "My husband and I (we are newlyweds) decided that we will make our future children watch MB> Since MB thoroughly deals with dating situations, MB may help our future children cope with jealousy, rejections, love, infatuations, and other emotions. Is this a neat idea, or are we just a bit fanatical?" Vaughn and Jenny ***********  "I just wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed watching "Marmalade boy!. My twin sister and I first discovered this series about a year ago." Teri **********

"Tonight, I just finished watching the last episode of the Marmalade Boy series, and I must say, wow, what a wonderful show this was. I think this is one of the best anime series I have ever seen - the characters just seem to grow on you so well! Too bad it's over! I wish there were more series like this one... Maison Ikkoku comes close, but I thought Marmalade Boy was more romantic and touching. :) Thanks so much for translating this series." Phillip *********  "You won't believe how much Marmalade Boy has meant to me. I even tried writing an essay about Marmalade Boy in my Japanese class here at U.C. Berkeley...but I had to scrap those plans as my limited vocabulary was in no way sufficient to allow me to "critique an art form" as my Japanese professor put it. Anyway, if you for your loving devotion to subtitling Marmalade Boy, I probably would not have experience the emotional roller coaster that Koishikawa-san was put through." Larry   ************ "Marmalade Boy was and is one of my favorite series. Without your version, I would not have known of the series' existence." "Your work has given me a great deal of pleasure. You have my regards and respect." Neil *********