[Spoilers] I My Me! Strawberry Eggs 25th Anniversary Rewatch -- Episode 2

Hey, guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the I My Me! Strawberry Eggs 25th anniversary rewatch!

^Just ^ignore ^the ^25th ^anniversary ^is ^in ^July…

Crossdressing and comedy. It has a long, storied history.

Nowadays, crossdressing in comedy is considered insensitive with accusations of it being transphobic and borderline homophobic. And while there is probably some truth to that, the reality is a lot of times it’s played with sincerity.

Some Like It Hot and Tootsie are two of the greatest comedies of all time. Mrs. Doubtfire is considered iconic and a defining part of Robin Williams legacy. All three movies play the crossdressing up for laughs but there’s quite sincerity about it to where the joke isn’t just “Lol, it’s a guy dressed as a woman”. And I think that sincerity applies to I My Me! Strawberry Eggs.

Strawberry Eggs, which is how I’ll be referring to it going forward, is very much a product of its time. It has that wacky slapstick type of humor common in anime at the time, like with shows such as Ranma and Love Hina. It also has a lot of heart that I think makes it a show worth revisiting.

This is easily the most obscure show I’ve ever hosted. I hope with this rewatch I can introduce people to this series that have never seen it before so they can become fans of it just like me. It’s been over two years since I last saw the show, so will my memory hold up or will it prove to be an outdated relic best forgotten to time? Let’s find out!

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

I’m watching the dub, by the way.

Dressing up for my work's Halloween costume contest today. I'm going as Willy Wonka. I hope I win.

Night time

Fuko all cut up

"Why do I feel like this?"

Suddenly, a creepy stalker

But Fuko thinks it's a ghost

But he escapes

Hibiki's dog trying to wake him up.

And a grenade goes off

Well, that's one way to get someone to wake up.

Gotta get ready to be a woman

Granny got this down pack

A secret underground lair

Landlord lady has seen some shit.

She reminds me of Edna Mode

Cafeteria now

The peeping tom continues to target Fuko.

"I don't mind if he's a man, but what if he's really a ghost?"

Fuko, your priorities are disconcerting.

Fujio seems to know who he is.

Kōji, Tofu, and granny eating food.

Lulu. That's granny's name.

Hibiki walking to work in high heels.

Does Lulu run a convenience story?

The guys seem to be big fans of hers.

Suddenly, Fujio

She's interrogating Hibiki's roommates.

Fujio now beating up Tofu for looking up his skirt.

Serves him right

I love Fujio lol

The girls all head off

Hibiki speaking in front of everyone.

Boy, cutting it close there

Now the principal is being informed of the peeping tom.

She wants Hibiki to stay at the dorm to watch over the young women.

Hibiki applying the makeup remover.

Fujio still targeting the old man Tofu.

Her friends are there as well

Hibiki coming to his defense

Thankfully, they don't recognize him.

It's totally Kōji, isn't it?

Hibiki and Fujio really snapping at each other.

Hibiki making a line he's telling them not to cross.

Fuko is here now, and she's insistent it's a ghost.

Hibiki gets punched for his troubles by Fujio.

I really like Fujio lol

Hibiki at the women's school

She's ready to do her protecting. As a woman, of course.

Everyone wants to talk to her

["Her"](#aliens)

Talking about her moving in

Now Hibiki is catching up with Fujio and company.

Fuko is in bed sick

They now think the long haired guy is the pervert.

Oh, the irony...

They want Hibiki to join them for the bath.

Thankfully, he knows better than to do this.

Hibiki in a dress

He pulls that look off really well.

Fujio here

Oh shit. He took off the cups :O

Fujio talking about Fuko having nightmares.

"Would you please sleep next to her to keep her company?"

Are authority figures at schools allowed to do this with students?

Hibiki now in bed with Fuko

This is awkward

At least he's not doing anything questionable.

"I did it. I ran all the way. Sensei, thank you so much."

Aww, how sweet

Suddenly, a guy

It's... Tofu...

[](#forgotkeys)

Is Tofu indeed the peeping tom?

Fuko waking up

Hibiki heading out to pursue the man.

Now all the girls are gathered together.

Fuko worried about the guys at the apartments being in trouble.

Hibiki running in a dress

Definitely can't be easy

Granny pulling out her gun

Fuko warning the tenants

The girls all break in

Tofu and Kōji... are both in on it...

Kōji says he merely finds the uniforms artistically appealing.

And that doesn't stop the girls from beating them up.

Fuko noticing that Hibiki is wearing a bra.

And so she shoves him into a bunch of boxes.

Thankfully, she doesn't know the truth.

"Geez. They're all idiots."

Ain't that right, granny. Ain't that right.

Seriously, how is Tofu and Kōji not arrested?

Hibiki walking to school with Fuko.

She asks Hibiki if all men are perverts like those two guys.

Hibiki says probably not

Well, that was a silly episode.

Overall, a bit of a mixed bag. I liked the focus on Fujio here, and I thought the bedroom scene between Hibiki and Fuko was really well done. The peeping tom stuff with Kōji and Tofu being the perverts makes me not like them, but at least they got beat up for their troubles. I dunno, it's tough knowing they're probably going to be around going forward and yet their main characteristic is they like young women's clothing. It definitely doesn't age the best.

I continue to like the little gags with Hibiki struggling to be a woman. And granny continues to be a very fun character. So far, there's definitely more to like here than there is to not like.

I think this is a middle-of-the-road type episode. If memory serves, this is probably the weakest of the bunch. Even still, it had some good moments and at least Kōji and Tofu got beat up for their troubles.

First timer!

>What are your thoughts on the show seemingly setting up a red herring where it seemed like nobody from Hibiki's place was the pervert only for it to be revealed Hibiki's place was where the pervert is?

I really didn't think it was the old guy lol. My thought process was that it would be too obvious, and he was already openly being a pervert, so why would he hide? Guess I was wrong.

>What are your thoughts on anime's long, somewhat disturbing infatuation with perverts?

Call me old fashioned, I find it funny lol. I'm of the opinion that in anime, anything goes.

On to the episode!

I definitely like the OP, feels very nostalgic even though it's my first time watching this.

Looks like we have a peeping tom on our hands. I don't think it's gonna be Hibiki.

I really like the old lady, but I do feel bad for anyone living under her rule lol.

Damn, Hibiki's gonna move into the dorm? There's no way that's gonna go well.

Of course they had to ask she-Hibiki to join them in the bath, because why wouldn't they?

Oh my fuck, he forgot one of his boobs hahaha!

Very dangerous position for him to be in, sleeping with the student. Though he behave, so we'll see where things go from here.

Goddamn, I didn't expect the most obvious suspect to actually be the culprit lol.

ED isn't bad either, but I prefer the OP.

Another very fun episode!

**First Timer, Dubbed**

I’m still recovering from the plot being a man crossdressing just to teach at a school so he can pay rent and also grandma is packing and the principal thinks men can’t love, but fuck it, we ball, I’m rolling with it.

I feel like there used to be at least one (1) episode that focused on a peeping tom or some Pervert of the Week, and the protagonists had to take down the mofo or clear their names. It was a strong presence.

Hibiki is an odd but good-hearted dude.


***

**QotD**

1. I overthought the whole thing. Who’s that peeping on ***high school girls?*** It was ~~Agatha~~ Old Dude all along.
2. In my youth, this coupled with some other troubling old school tropes is what made both my bio dad and uncle hesitate with having me pick out my anime independently. I understand. I can’t speak on domestic fan groups outside of a few friends who are domestic anime fans, but internationally, it seems that my corner of the internet has been more critical or makes it a more controversial topic with exaggerated perversion for comedy, especially when the victims are minors and the perpetrators are adults. I’m relieved that the anime I watch doesn’t really have it in spades or it’s a lot more subtle, even if it gets old quickly.

**First Timer**

I don’t think I mentioned it last time but I really like the OP here. I find it very calm and soothing.

So the catalyst of today’s episode is someone creeping on Fuko in her room. I doubt it’s Hibiki. And that old guy who lives in the same building doesn’t look strong enough. So by process of elimination it’s probably that other guy who lives with them. Either that or a completely new character.

I can’t say this enough but I love Lulu. She’s really funny, I just really like tough, crazy old ladies.

Also, her character design definitely feels like a bit of a relic. I feel like the standard design of old people as tiny in anime isn’t as common as it used to be anymore, it was mostly phased out after the ‘90s.

The only modern anime that still do that are mostly just remakes and reboots of older shows or, for some reason, Frieren.

Lulu also apparently has a secret lair under her home. I have not ruled out Lulu being an ex-secret agent yet.

How old is Fuko supposed to be anyway? She looks younger than her friends. So either she skipped a grade (which I doubted because, no offense to Fuko, but she doesn’t seem very bright) or she just looks young for her age.

Apparently Lulu also just lets people cut through her house to get to school? I think that’s the weirdest thing about the anime so far.

I know Fujio and her friends are being portrayed as unreasonable here, but I get where they’re coming from. I’d be super suspicious of the men who lived nearby too if I were in their shoes. (Also the end of the episode shows that she was totally right to be so paranoid and distrustful too)

I do think it’s funny how Fuko’s caught up on her ghost theory this whole time. She’s reminding me of Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

Okay I am seriously uncomfortable with the weird romance angle between Fuko and Hibiki. Not just because of the age gap and power dynamic (although that is a big part) but especially because of the fact that Fuko is explicitly portrayed as less mature than her friends. Just makes the thing seem creepier.

The fact that Hibiki seems equally uncomfortable with the situation though has me hoping that maybe at least this is just going to be a one sided crush on Fuko’s side.

So both the other guys at the apartment were in on it. Yeah I don’t like either of them.

I don’t think I mentioned the ending song before either but it’s definitely pretty fun.

**Questions of the Day:**

**What are your thoughts on the show seemingly setting up a red herring where it seemed like nobody from Hibiki's place was the pervert only for it to be revealed Hibiki's place was where the pervert is?**

I mean I never totally bought it. I only assumed the old guy wasn't in on it but he totally was. Really I should have known better. I always suspected the other guy though.

**What are your thoughts on anime's long, somewhat disturbing infatuation with perverts?**

I blame Go Nagai.

Serious answer time though, I think the idea of anime being more perverted than other types of media is a bit overstated. Looking at American media for a second, look at the large array of poorly aged sex comedy films from the '80s like Porky's or Revenge of the Nerds. Or at how most female superheroes are typically drawn in comic books.

Anyway when it comes to pervert characters in anime though I don't like them. But I tend not to like them in most media. The two guys in this episode I find particularly gross.

I miss this show very much. I remember writing an essay in 8th grade language arts about some of the characters, I remember writing about how tough Fujio was

# First timer sub

Interestingly, in the first episode, I felt that the girls’ views on boys—including the principal’s—were too extreme. They looked at the opposite sex as if they were “wolves.” Which I found a bit strange. But now, everything makes sense. Two of the three adult men currently living there have a habit of spying on female students, and one of them made our Fuko cry! Interestingly, at first, both Hibiki and I believed them. Episodes 1 and 2 nicely portrayed the school and societal context—the man you spend every day with might secretly be a pervert! But I prefer Hibiki's answer: not all men are like that! Episode 3 should introduce formal PE classes and how Hibiki turns things around.

ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION(S)

What are your thoughts on the show seemingly setting up a red herring where it seemed like nobody from Hibiki's place was the pervert only for it to be revealed Hibiki's place was where the pervert is?

This naturally explains the principal's and students' views on men.


What are your thoughts on anime's long, somewhat disturbing infatuation with perverts?

The popularity of harem anime in the early 2000s leaves me with no doubt about this premise. While the anime may appear to be a gender-swapped version of a harem, at its core is quite interesting: a teacher trying to help a student who is struggling!