The surprising, wacky, and off beat series Kodocha returns with the fifth volume, and this time things are a little different.  Sana's mom publishes her tell-all book about she and Sana's life, and the revelations have an impact on Sana, putting her on an emotional roller coaster.  That's not to say that the series has turned maudlin, it hasn't.  There's still the bizarre humor that fans have grown to love, but this volume proves that there's more to the series than just its odd sense of humor.

Series recap:

Sana Kurata is 11 years old, in the 6th grade, and a TV star.  The only girl in her class with an agent, she has to balance her school work with her career.  Sana's mom is an award winning author who has taken to wearing very odd hats, lets a chipmunk live on her head, and doesn't want to turn in her latest manuscript.  The other adult in Sana's life is her agent, Rei Sagami, who is very loyal to the budding star, and she has a big crush on him.

Though her TV show is doing well, school is not so good.  She has the misfortune of being placed in the worst class in the school.  The guys are very disruptive and they are led by Akito Hayama, the toughest kid in class.  Though Akito starts off as Sana's blood enemy they eventually become friends.  And maybe a little bit more.

After having a relaxing summer break and nice vacation, Sana heads home where her mother's new book is about to be released.  This is something that she's really worried about, though viewers aren't sure why.

This volume:
 
As Sana returns from her vacation, things are a bit tense with Mama's new tell-all book about to be released.  To make matters worse, the husband that Mama divorced when she was 20 pops back into her life to borrow some money.  He's a gambling addict, and but he swears that he just needs a bit to get by.  Luckily Sana's mom has a plan to handle the deadbeat, one that involves a remote control chair, bungee cord, and a giant boxing glove.

When the book does hit the stands, there are some shocking revelations about Sana and her mom that no one expected.  With these secrets now out, reporters flock to their house and camp out, hoping to get a statement.  Hayama manages to sneak through and, with Sana in disguise, whisks her off to his house where she can lay low for a few days.

The first three episodes on this disc all deal with the new book, and the emotional strain it puts on both Sana and her mother.  Though there are still some humor in these shows, they have a more somber tone and the events that unfold change both mother and daughter.

The last episode on the disc is a clip show.  I usually dread these and often fast forward through them, but this one was funny, which shouldn't surprise me but it did.  In typical Kodocha fashion, they put a spin on the episode and turned it into a game show.  Competing are Sana, Akito, some guy who watches the show with his daughter, and the manga artist herself Miho Obana.  Clips are shown, and then some tough questions are asked with each participant trying to win.  A very cleaver and entertaining way packaging a money saving clip show.

This volume contains the next four episodes of the series in a white keepcase.  Unfortunately, FUNimation is still including trailers before the main menu that you can't skip past.  This is really irritating, and this from someone who loves to watch the trailers on anime discs.  I wish they would stop this annoying practice.

Audio:

This disc has the original stereo Japanese language track as well as an English dub in both stereo and 5.1.  I alternated between the Japanese track and the 5.1 dub while watching this show and found both of them to be equally good.  The English track has some very good talent, and Laura Bailey does an outstanding job as Sana.  The way she pronounces the phrase "monkey-boy" while insulting Akita and his pals always gets me laughing.  When she talks fast, it gets even more humorous.  Make sure you listen to her "next episode" tags at the end of each show.  Her delivery really made the English dub very entertaining.

The sound quality is very good.  The 5.1 dub makes very good use of the surround speakers as well as the front soundstage.  While the Japanese track isn't as enveloping or dynamic it too sound very good.

Video:

The full frame video looks fine.  The lines are tight and the colors are solid.  I was surprised to see a few spots on the image, but these were fairly rare.  There is very little aliasing or other digital defects.  A very good transfer.

Extras:

As for extras on this disc, there's the second part of the interview with director Akitaro Daichi which runs about twelve minutes.  He talks about the show and casting of the voice talent.

There is also another Mr. Stain on Junk Alley short.  This is an odd CGI series that's worth watching.

Final Thoughts:

Though there are some weighty issues tackled in this volume, the series manages to keep its sense of humor without making light of the topics they are discussing.  This is a series that really took me by surprise.  Funny, entertaining and easy to get into, Kodocha is a show that more people should be watching.  Highly recommended.