Despite this being one of my all time favourite shows I don’t think I’ve written much about it directly either here or on my pre-AWESOME ENGINE livejournal “HANGMAN’S NOOSE”.
Based on Kyosuke Usuta’s absurd 1995 comedy manga, this adaptation aired late night in 1998. Produced by Madhouse, it’s directed by Akitaro Daichi. Daichi may be the most under-rated anime directors around. Unlike a lot of directors he adjusts his style well to whatever material he’s adapting. However you can still tend to recognise his direction. For instance, a lot of his comedies, such as this, Gag Manga Biyori amd Elf Princess Rane all share an ultra fast rhythm that for my money puts them head and shoulders above similar shows such as Cromartie.
In this episode Okometsuba Fujiyama transfers to Wakame High hoping to make a new life for himself where he can make 100 friends. Unfortunately the first friend he makes is Masaru Hananakajima, a strangely coiffured chap who wears a long sleeve vest and mysterious golden shoulder rings. He promptly gives Fujiyama the uncool nickname Fuumin thinking he’s a fellow beard maniac and speaks of mysterious Mesos…
Masaru is clearly very odd. He explains he’s been in the mountains for 3 months doing special training in the martial arts. Specifically the martial art known as “The Sexy Commando”. When two bullies turn up to pick on him he gets a chance to demonstrate the art, by unzipping his trousers, pulling them down and running at them. Suitably distracted, he is able to dispatch the bullies with a single punch.
Such is the power of The Sexy Commando.
He then draws beards on their faces with a marker pen.
I actually started watching this a few weeks ago after a torrent was randomly posted online. I’m quite liking it, being fond of absurdest Japanese humor and all (Astro Fighter Sunred being the most recent anime comedy that I really liked), it’s just a shame the visuals are so poor, but then, in a way, I guess it may add something to general weirdness too.
I actually have no problem with the visuals. I can see where people might think they are poor, but they are pretty good representation of Kyosuke Usuta’s schizo artstyle.
They certainly do a much better job of capturing Usuta’s style than what I’ve seen of the recent Flash animated Pyuu to Fuku! Jaguar anime. Compared to what Daichi’s been doing in Flash with the GMB anime, the Jaguar anime is amateur hour.