The Show:
Sports anime and manga are very popular in Japan, though only a few
series have made it across to Pacific to the US. The latest show
in this genre to be released in America is Dan Doh! a show based
on golf. Aimed at young boys, this show aims to teach fair play
and the value of friendship. Unfortunately the program doesn't have
the charm of shows like Princess
Nine and Fighting
Spirit. There isn't much drama and the plots are a little
too simple for older viewers.
Tadamichi Aoba, or Dan Doh as his friends all call him, loves to play
baseball. One afternoon after breaking the principle's bonsai plant,
the administrator extolls the virtues of golf to the young kid. Dan
Doh isn't that interested in the game until he learns that golf pros can
make millions of dollars. At that moment he decides to become the
best golfer in Japan. He wants the money so that he can locate his
mother, who he's never seen.
Along with his two best friends Yuka, and Kohei, Dan Doh starts practicing
even though his father is violently opposed to the boy playing golf.
Be a fortunate accident, Dan Doh and company bump into Shinjo. He's
was a very gifted golf player who had to quit the game after a car accident,
and agrees to coach the trio.
Soon after starting lessons though, Dan Doh and his friends are teased
by a bully. In Dan Doh's anger, he agrees to enroll in the Kumamoto
Junior Championships in order to prove that he has a talented coach.
There's only two weeks until the tournament though, so they trio practices
as much as they can.
That all takes place in the first episode. The nine other shows
on the disc deal with the actual tournament itself. The three friends
are split into separate groups, and they all have different challenges
to overcome, the least of which is the fact that they've promised their
coach that they'll only use three clubs. (A six iron, a sand wedge,
and a putter. This isn't a big problem though, because apparently
a six iron makes the ball fly just as far as a driver.) Though Kohei
is playing with some nice people, Yuka ends up being sexually harassed
by a team of bullies. Dan Doh plays with some arrogant brothers,
and even has to overcome the fact that someone is cheating to make sure
that the young prodigy doesn't win.
This program is really different from other sports anime. Most
others spend a lot of time discussing the rules, strategy and problems
associated with the sport, which in turn makes the show worth watching.
Dan Doh doesn't really do this. The show really fails to make
the game interesting. The strategy and tactics that go into golf
are glossed over. They don't define a lot of terms, explain the use
of the clubs, or even list a lot of the rules. I don't play golf,
and I was confused in parts, especially when someone switched a ball in
Dan Doh's bag. You can't switch ball brands in the middle of a game?
Also, Dan Doh isn't playing the game because he loves it, it's because
he wants a lot of money. Granted he has a good reason for this, but
it does seem a little mercenary of him. The show also wants to establish
that he has a lot of talent, mainly by having people say "Wow, that kid
sure has a lot of talent", but he ends up relying on luck most of the time.
The wind will blow his ball into the cup or across a ravine. The
first time you can let it go, but by the third time it gets a little hard
to swallow.
Instead of making golf look like a fun game, the show makes it look
like the sport of idiots. Dan Doh not only holds his own, but does
incredibly well after only a couple of weeks of practice. So do his
two friends! This is the first time they have EVER played a real
game (Dan Doh has admits at one point that he's never held a driver), they
make some really dumb choices at various time, and they all get incredibly
low scores. (Yuka gets an 82 in both of her first two games.)
They make it look like any dolt can play well if they would only draw a
smiley face on their balls.
Even though there are many flaws with this show, it's not all bad.
Dan Doh, though he's a flat two dimensional character, is likeable enough
and they manage to eek out a little drama over the course of the show.
The program comes across as light entertainment and if you don't think
about it too much it can be enjoyable.
Oh yeah, be sure to watch the end of the "next episode" bits.
At the very end of each episode they have a golf ball with a character's
face on it and a voice over. Some of these are so bizarre that they
are humorous.
The DVD:
This volume includes the first 10 episodes of the series on two DVDs.
The pair of discs come in a clear single width case with one DVD on each
side.
Audio:
Viewers have the choice of watching this show in the original Japanese
or an English dub, both in stereo. I alternated between tracks as
I watched the show and both sounded good, though I preferred the original
soundtrack slightly. The English actors did a good job and their
voices fit the characters well. There weren't any obnoxious phoney
accents either, something that I was glad to hear. Both tracks were
free from distortion and other audio defects. There are also optional
English subtitles, or sign only subs.
Video:
The full frame video also looked good. The lines were tight and
the colors were solid. The image was a little jerky when it came
to pans across static images, but not distractingly so. Digital defects
are very minimal with even aliasing being very minor. Overall a good
looking show.
Extras:
The only extras that are included in this set are clean opening and
closings.
Final Thoughts:
This show has some major flaws, but for a program aimed at younger viewers
it's not too bad. Not nearly as interesting as other sports
anime, Dan Doh doesn't have much charm or the engaging characters
that the genre is noted for. The story is a little stupid, and if
you think about it there's a lot that doesn't make sense. If you're
willing to turn your brain off though, it can be fun to watch, especially
for younger viewers. The volume is a great deal too. With 10
episodes for only $29.95 MSRP, it cost about 1/3 of the price of many series.
This would make a good rental.
Buy: