Anime Review, by Xbolt
The invader comes from the bottom of the sea!
Ika Musume is about a fearsome squid girl who comes out of the ocean to subjugate humanity for constantly dumping trash into the water. Her first target is an unassuming beachside food stand, the Lemon. After punching a hole in the wall with her tentacles, Squid Girl is defeated by the Lemon’s owners, and put to work as a waitress. (Her tentacles allow her to carry lots of stuff.) Eventually, she gets to be good friends with the Lemon staff. Her dialogue also incorporates lots of squid-based puns.
The Aizawa family manages the Lemon. Eiko is the formal manager of the Lemon, and always has to keep Squid Girl in check. Despite that, she cares about Squid Girl more than she lets on. Chizuru is Eiko’s older sister. She’s a kind person, but has superhuman strength and reflexes. You do NOT want to see her angry. Takeru is their younger brother. He likes playing with Squid Girl.
And then there’s lots of other characters. Sanae Nagatsuki develops an unhealthy obsession with Squid Girl. Goro Arashiyama is a lifeguard dedicated to protecting people on the beach. He has a crush on Chizuru. Nagisa Saito works part-time at the Lemon. She’s afraid of Squid Girl, who enjoys the fact that there’s at least someone who thinks she’s fearsome. Cindy Campbell and the Three Stooges (Harris, Clark, and Martin) are extraterrestrial researchers who believe that Squid Girl is an alien. The Stooges were top of their class at MIT. Kiyomi Sakura is the first person that Squid Girl officially makes friends with, after a prank gone wrong. The Southern Winds Owner is the owner of the rival beach house Southern Winds. Hoping to capitalize on the popularity of Squid Girl, he has his daughter wear (rather creepy) Squid Girl masks to attract customers.
*whew*
Anyway, Squid Girl is a very funny show. My wife and I were constantly laughing throughout it. You can watch the anime here.
Xbolt was homeschooled his entire life before entering college. Majoring in game technology and web design, he graduated with highest honors and is now married. Visit Xbolt’s blog: http://blog.xboltz.net