Ishida & Asakura

Ishida & Asakura is a Japanese anime television series that aired on YTV in 2013. The show is based on a manga series by Masao and is produced by the animation studio DLE under the direction of Pippuya.

The series revolves around the rather unusual yet hilarious friendship between the main characters, Ishida and Asakura. Ishida is a stoic, intelligent, and somewhat quiet individual. He has the ambition to become a teacher in a girls' high school, driven by a seemingly innocuous desire to be surrounded by young and beautiful female students.

On the other hand, you have Asakura, who is contrasting in every aspect to Ishida. Asakura is the exact opposite: simple-minded, somewhat naive, and often to be found daydreaming. Unlike Ishida, Asakura doesn't aim for a career that places him among hordes of teenage girls. Instead, his ambition is straightforward and oddly unconventional - he wants to own a flower shop. Interjections of mild humor about these contrasting ambitions form a vital part of the storyline.

Throughout the series, these two best friends navigate through their high school life with their contrasting dreams, providing the viewers with a perky and lighthearted storyline. The show brilliantly amalgamates the themes of friendship, adolescence, school life, and contrasting dreams, all imbued with a sense of humor and randomness that singularly defines this anime series.

The show also introduces several other characters, each with their unique personalities and quirks, further diversifying the storyline and the humor quotient. Yamada, an aggressive classmate obsessed with his popularity and supremacy in the school, often serves as an antagonist, with his intense rivalry against Ishida. His attempts are mostly met with comical outcomes due to Ishida's intellect and Asakura's naive interventions.

Then there's Satou, the only girl in the story and another important character, presenting a slight hint of romance to the plot. Her intense admiration for Ishida subtly diversifies the essence of storyline, intertwining humor with the fluttering emotions of young love in the academy.

One unique aspect of the show is its episode length. Each episode of Ishida & Asakura is just two minutes long, packing a punch of humor and eccentricity within a restricted time frame. This helps maintain the series' quick pacing and quirkiness, keeping the audience consistently entertained without overstaying its welcome.

The animation style of Ishida & Asakura is incredibly simple yet effective. Despite the minimalistic design, expressions of the characters are beautifully captured, further enhancing the humor. The visuals are bright and colorful, reflecting the lighthearted tone of the series.

Furthermore, the voice acting deserves a special mention. The diverse range of voices corresponding to each character adds depth to their individual storyline, making the humor more relatable.

The music, opening and closing themes, further aid in setting up every episode's mood pretty well, with upbeat tunes that fit in perfectly with the overall tone of the show.

Ishida & Asakura, despite its short run time, offers a memorable experience. It masterfully encapsulates the complexities of high school life and the unusual dreams of teenagers through a comical lens. You may not find an intricately crafted plot or deep character development due to its short episodes. Still, if you seek a light-hearted, humorous anime that you can binge on a lazy afternoon, you might find Ishida & Asakura worth a watch.