Posted by OP Sequence
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OP: 「地獄の沙汰も君次第」 (Jigoku no Sata mo Kimi Shidai) by (Jigoku no Sata All Stars)
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「地獄大一番／地獄不思議発見」 (Jigoku daiichiban/ jigoku fushigi hakken)
“The Biggest Hell/Strange Discovery in Hell”
Winter’s oddest series joins the fray.
I had very high hopes for this series going in, for a number of reasons. It’s a seinen, the director has a very solid track record (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is my personal favorite among his works), and the project seemed to have a generally literate air that struck me as highly unusual in today’s anime landscape. Also, to be frank, I’m still waiting for that first “wow” premiere that every new anime season since I’ve been a fan has provided at least one of (Noragami has been the best so far, but not a “wow”). This series and Inari Konkon were really the last two I saw as having a chance to deliver it.
Did it? In a word, no – though I did like Hoozuki no Reitetsu. To be blunt I can’t see this series possibly having anything close to a wide appeal, because not only is the humor bone-dry but much of it is derived from Japanese cultural references that only the truly obsessive English-language fans will get. It isn’t simply a matter of context – even setting that aside I’d call the premiere amusing rather than hilarious and say the comedy worked intermittently. There were a couple of pretty big laughs for me, but the episode as a whole didn’t stand out as spectacular or anything.
The basic story follows Hoozuki (Yasumoto Hiroki) the chief secretary of the Great Demon King Enma (Nagasako Takashi) as he tries to maintain order in a Buddhist afterlife that’s plagued by understaffing and overcrowding. Enma is a bit of an affable dunce, and it’s clear that it’s Hoozuki who keeps things running. He’s an odd sort, seemingly a bit of a sadist (he is an oni after all) but also a lover of cute things who has a special venom reserved for those who torture animals. He keeps giant “goldfish plants” as a hobby and watches “mundane” TV shows for relaxation, enjoying the cute presenters and the interesting travelogues.
We’ve seen variations on that theme before, but this one has its own unique charm – in terms of tone and comedic style this premiere actually reminded me a bit of Shirokuma Cafe. The series – like Shirokuma – looks as if it will be split into two weekly mini-episodes. The first this week was a rather biting satire of the Momotarou fairy tale, which is right up there with Kaguyahime as far as being beloved in Japan. Momotarou (Hirakawa Daisuke) is played as an egomaniacal incompetent (he carries a “Nihon #1” banner) whose animal entourage is at the point of looking for a new job. The best joke here is when the Akita dog Shiro (Kobayashi Yumiko) is K.O’d by Hoozuki’s “Your father is the Softbank dog!”. Very much insider humor there, but if you get the joke, it’s a good one. The problem is, there’s no reason anyone outside Japan would get it. In the end Momotarou and his animal friends end up getting job offers from the understaffed Hoozuki – the doubutsu in Animal-Torturer Hell, and Mamotarou as a woodcutter in Shangri-La (“Heaven’s #1 tourist trap”).
The second episode is basically Hoozuki and Enma-kun sitting in the cafeteria – the latter eating a “coelacanth-don” – watching a travel show about Australia and discussing Hoozuki’s personal peculiarities. It’s extremely weird, quite unlike any anime comedy I’ve seen in a good long time, and I suspect the sort of thing that’s going to be completely hit-and-miss with audiences. We get a Hunter X Hunter joke, a reference to how wallabies are huggable and kangaroos are boring, and the information that if Hoozuki took a living girl on a date, he’d take her to a cemetery. This was the part that felt most like Shirokuma Cafe to me – a mix of puns, intellectual dry wit, cute talking animals and general absurdity.
Who’s the target audience for this thing? Well, it is a seinen so I suppose that’s a part of it. There are certainly no cute girls here – the cutest characters are the furries and the boy-oni like Nasubi (Aoyama Touko) who seem to act as Hoozuki’s assistants, so perhaps this might attract a small sliver of the fujoshi audience that Shirokuma did. I did find it funny most of the time, but I don’t deny I have very skewed tastes. I can only say give it a try and decide for yourself, because you’re certainly not going to see anything else like it this season. It’s a Production I.G. (via Wit) show so it looks really good, with some humorous takes on Buddhist artwork, and both veterans Yasumoto and Nagasako are excellent and very funny (and perfectly cast). This series is going to fly so far under the radar that it might show up on a milk carton, but for the right sort of viewer it’s definitely worth searching out.
ED Sequence
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ED: 「大きな金魚の樹の下で」 (Under the Giant Goldfish Tree) by (Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus)
Preview
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It reminded me of Yu Yu Hakusho where the afterlife is also portrayed as a bureaucracy a bit. For a more western example, I’d say Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice.
This show is one I really wanted to like – but didn’t. It certainly isn’t the fault of the setting; the way Buddhist hell is portrayed is quite interesting and it has a lot of fun fantasy elements (goldfish plants!). Bonus points for originality too.
But, well, it is a comedy, and a comedy has to be funny. And that’s where the show fell flat to me. It’s probably a matter of personal taste and the culture barrier, but only one out of every ten jokes worked for me. Especially the second half was kind of a bore to me – I didn’t find their conversation very engaging. The feeling that you could get a lot funnier material out of this setting never escaped me either.
So, sadly, I’m letting this one go. Too bad, because I can appreciate the concept.
My thoughts exactly, the only thing I got out of thise episode is that I want to go to Australia too and that Goldfish-plants have interesting screams :/
I’m going to pass.
I enjoyed it. (Also a manga fan, so I was looking forward to it anyway.) It IS pretty dry, but it’s also pretty funny… IF you get the jokes. This kind of reminds me of Joshiraku, which was also squarely aimed at the domestic market, with no intention to internationalize it. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I doubt we’ll see Hoozuki T-shirts in Hot Topic.
My only complaint was that they didn’t sufficiently convey the horror of the goldfish-plant’s screams in the judging gag.
The giant goldfish tree at in the end credits was awesome, though.
I didn’t particularly like this first outing. Kept checking how much time had passed to often. Not that it’s particularly bad. Just not my thing I guess.
Good point comparing this to Shirokuma Cafe.
This show really have some similar vibe with that one which I really like.
Wow damn, almost felt like on drugs sometimes during this first episode!
It does have an oddly interesting atmosphere, though I have to say, I hope the core of the story isnt only about the staff and plain bureaucracy problems.
Definitely not an anime for everyone. Mind you, I am a man who is easily entertained, thus i found the anime acceptable. But just like what many of the RC writers used to say, Comedy is Subjective.
It’s one of those shows which is Very Japanese, although I’ve probably seen enough Momotaro parodies to get some handle on it.
I liked it, even when I knew there was probably something over my head there it still had more than enough humour I could appreciate.
Some friends of mine have recently been to Remarkable Rock, so I showed them this episode. They loved that part!
In one of the strangest announcements ever, this was licensed by Sentai today. I can’t even imagine what they’re thinking.
This is definitely funnier the second watching, with some knowledge of what’s coming. I picked up several more jokes, including the one where Kaguyu is berating the “animators” (student monks) of the Choju-giga at Kozanji. That’s about as close as I’ve ever seen an anime get to openly satirizing the deplorable working conditions at many TV anime studios.
Wha? Really? What’s next, “Shouten” on DVD for the NA market, too?
I like it, but even I don’t plan on buying the DVDs. (Watches Sentai set fire to a big pile of money.)
It got a little boring to me half way through but I managed to watch the whole thing anyway, hope it picks up the pace next ep
If for some reason the ED looks (and sounds) naggingly familiar, here’s another (for fereners) completely obscure reference: it’s a spoof of a very long running Hitachi commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHWXdcURHEE
The lovely trees themselves (monkey-pods) inhabit Moanalua Gardens,
http://dguides.com/oahu/attractions/parks-gardens-and-nature/honolulu-parks/moanalua-gardens/
a splendid park in the suburbs of Honolulu. You know, the Japanese fascination with all things related to Hawaii, like uh, Waikiki, hula dancing, Pearl Harbor, etc.