Above: What can I say? Fanservice.

Hattori Junko

Hello, loyal mon0r readers. It is Valentine’s Day tomorrow (at the time of writing) and as such, I felt that it was my duty to bestow upon you an article full of love. That’s right, after the gargantuan Top Anime of 2011 post, Tsundere of the Week/Day/Month/Year/Whenever is back. I present to you, Hattori Junko.

Speak Softly, Carry a Big Stick

As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” This phrase was used as a slogan for the Roosevelt Corollary, an addendum to the oh-so-important Monroe Doctrine. Besides threatening Europe to stay out of American affairs, it also vowed to protect Latin America from what American politicians called “neocolonialism”. Furthermo-

“Enough with the history lesson, gramps,” you say, “I came here for an article full of tsunderes, not an article full of wrinkly old men.”

Hey! Roosevelt isn’t wrinkly. At least… not that wrinkly

As I was saying, if you would have patiently waited for me to finish talking, you would have realized that this has a point. The point being that whereas Roosevelt carried a big stick and spoke quietly, Hattori Junko did the same with a samurai sword. The only difference being that everytime Junko carried her large stick, she never shut up.

A Quick Introduction

Hattori Junko meets her crush, Akuto Sai, on a train headed to the Constan Magical Academy, where young adolescents duke it out in order to become enforcers of the law. As they zip through a magical train, the two of them start to bond over a common conviction: a desire to uphold the tenets and rules of the government and to punish those who would break them. Before they part ways at the train station, Hattori remarks that she is proud of Akuto for being so judicious.

Right after that, it’s revealed that Akuto is destined to be an Evil Overlord who’s hell-bent on bringing down the world in flames. Oh, the irony.

Above: Hattori spends more time without clothes than with them

Hats Off to Hattori

Hattori Junko isn’t a revolutionary character, nor does she bring anything new to the table. If anything, Hattori Junko is derivative of every other tsundere character out there. Sure, she doesn’t sport the trademark twintails or the high-pitched voice (a la Kugimiya Rie), but the fact that she hides her feelings from the one she’s crushing on is central to her character. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that a majority of her fans bond with her on some emotional level. After all, not being the female lead practically dooms her to a life of unrequited love and yearning (At least in anime).

But what am I saying? Those are all negative aspects of Hattori Junko. Let’s accentuate the positives – Hattori Junko is an upbeat, tomboy tsundere who takes life by the horns and does whatever it takes to ensure that her goals are met. She’s also surprisingly feminine at times of intimacy (as all anime girls are), and she has some kick-ass sword skills to boot.

Hattori Isn’t Hiding Anything (Especially Clothes, She Has None)

To wrap it all up, here’s a little poem of sorts, for the otaku in you.

The sweet smile when she sees you

The spring in her step

The spiked bat in her hands

when she stabs you and then,

The glow in her eyes

The joy she exudes

The verbal abuse

It will never end.