My initial concern about “D-Fragments” (or ‘D-Frag!”) is that it was another of those hostage shows, in the fact that the main character is bullyragged into joining a club that he’d rather not join. The story focuses on a pseudo-connected series of sketches as delinquent student Kenji Kazama (hot and sweaty up there) is forced into joining his school’s struggling “Game Creation Club” by its members, a quartet of crazy women with their own eccentricities that drive him crazy. As he attempts to distance himself from the club, the more he seems to run into not only his fellow club members, but others from his school who drive him insane to different degrees.

As you can see, he makes Member Number 5 and thus the club is saved from extinction, especially since it is a spite club, but more on that later. The members are (this time, right to left from Kazama):

Takao, she is the source for all of the boob jokes and the president of the real Game Creation Club
Sakura Mizukami, called’ Water’ as her answer to all problems is to pour water on it
Roka Shibasaki, president of the club, she is ‘darkness’ as she puts a bag over people’s heads
Chitose Karasuyama, student council president, she is ‘earth’ as she throws dirt at them
Minami Ōsawa, the teacher adviser, the room is a place for her to sleep

The actual fifth member of the club, Hachi Shiō, is more of a lurker.

The series has the understory of these two rival game-creation clubs. It seems that Roka and Takao were the best of friends, but had a severe falling out and thus Roka founded this club to rub Takao’s nose in it. Takao has been actually wanting Roka to come back, and feels the best way to do this is to destroy the club. Ain’t friendship wunnerful?

Now, believe it or not, they are trying to create games, but they are mostly board games. However, you are going to have a bit of an uphill struggle, trying to market “Quest for Porn Mags in Space”, especially in an era of video games. Adding to the mix is that everyone in this school is bonkers. There are several rival gangs (in fact, Kazama was leader of his own gang, the Kazama Party), each vying for overall school leadership. It was kind of like “Cromartie High School” in how odd and strange everything was.

Although I liked the show, I feel that it was not as effective as it could have been, owing to the scattershot approach to the overall story. It really is a series of fragments and much like a puzzle; you have to put all these unusual pieces together to see the full picture. No one is too mean that they cannot be saved and no one is so important that they can’t get knocked down a few pegs. The real game in all of this is how to play the game of Life and not lose. Instead of gathering up properties or tokens, you get friends. Is that a bit too simplistic? Then come and enjoy the wacky students of the school. A good time will be had by all.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork 7 (Fantasy sequences work better)
Plot 7 (Too episodic)
Pacing 7 (Moves along consistently)
Effectiveness 7 (Some stories take too long to get to)
Conclusion 7 (It reaches a ‘coupler’, but doesn’t really end)
Fan Service 5 (A similar show would be “Maburaho”)

Overall 7 (Find a purpose and follow it)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. Is it my turn to roll?