Avernus

If Van Helsing has taught me one thing, is that all monstrosities deserve their day in the sun. The time has come...for Graduation M.

*cue thunder claps*

It is, I should say now, *astoundingly* bad. But astoundingly bad in almost exactly the same way as, say, Saint Beast. It's astoudingly bad that *recognises* it's astoundingly bad, that positively relishes it. Indeed, if it wasn't astoundingly bad, it wouldn't be as good. It's got all the usual suspect seiyuu (well, no Koyasu-sama that I've noticed, but everyone *else*), it's got pretty awful animation, stupidly generic bishounen both in terms of character design and character, it's got shounen ai hints a mile wide, it's got unnecessary comedy cross-dressing... Frankly, what more could one want from a show?

And the proof you've been waiting for: yes, that's right. Endless screengrabs.

This is a show so shameless that it actually starts out with stat screens for each of the major characters. We have Arai, who likes to ride motorbikes like he's in Earth Girl Arjuna, and is therefore to be designated The Bad Boy of the group. he is voiced, in a shock casting decision, by Midorikawa 'Will Work For Food' Hikaru, who you may know from such classy roles as Heero in Gundam Wing and Schuldig in Weiss Kreuz. We have Nakamoto, who does indeed bear an extraordinary resemblance to Shin from Saint Beast. He likes kittens and also studying, and is therefore to be designated The Bookish One Your Mother Would Approve Of. We have Katoh, the one who engages in homoerotic basketball, and therefore is to be designated The Sporty One (or alternatively The One Who Escaped From Dear Boys). We have Mikimaro, who plays Graduation M (yes, it's sufficiently awful that characters play the game of the OVA. Oh yes.), and is always irritatingly genki, and is therefore to be designated The Uke. And we have Takagi, who earns his keep by modelling women's clothing, is vain and shallow, and shall therefore be designated The One Jane Likes (or alternative, Towa From Kaiken Phrase.) In another shock casting decision, he is voiced by Okiayou 'I have no shame' Ryoutarou, who you may recognise from such classic roles as Crawford in Weiss Kreuz and K-san from Gravitation. And, uh, Treize from Gundam Wing. *weeps for how the mighty have fallen*

With, of course, assorted guest cast of bishounen, including the student council president, who specialises in looking pretty and being evil. You can tell by the cravat-esque thing. I like him very much, and shall from now on call him Evil Blondy. There is the student council vice-president, who specialises in looking just like Amano-sempai and also in perving the rest of the cast almost indiscriminantly. He gets to shoulder stroke The Bad Boy and quietly stalk The Bookish One. I rather like him too. And we have the drama club president, who gets stressed a lot and is voiced by Miki 'I have a suit with pictures of breasts on it' Shinichirou.

The plot - oh, man, what does it matter? I mean *really*, if you haven't got the gist of the show by *now*... Oh, all right then. They're putting on a play - the catch is, the play is Little Women. Evil Blondy wants the five most popular boys in school to play the leads. They refuse. He persuades them by locking them in his yaoi dungeon. Yes, *really*. He actually has what the rest of us can only dream about. They agree. They rehearse. They have various hilarious differences of opinion. Through the power of man-love solidarity, the production comes together and everyone is happy. The end.

Only on the way we get The One I Like posing beautifully, the best character critique of Amy March, and the most threatening admission of romantic interest ever.

And of course, lots and lots of cross-dressing.

So go, watch Graduation M in the same spirit as Van Helsing!