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The Show:
One of the shows that have surprised me the most recently
has been Sgt. Frog. It looks like
typical kiddie fare, but it's actually an outrageously funny comedy
along the
lines of Excel Saga. This second set
includes 13 more shows that will keep fans laughing.
There's more outrageous invasion plans, some
unexpected problems for the Keron invasion force, and even a couple of
new
characters pop up.
Series Background:
The Earth is in danger.
A ship full of troops from the planet Keron are in orbit and
ready to
invade, but first they send down a squad of five frog-like
reconnaissance
soldiers led by Sgt. Keroro.
Unfortunately for the invaders, Keron is an idiot.
Soon after landing on Earth he meets up with
the Hinata family, mother and manga creator Aki, son Fuyuki, and
daughter
Natsumi. In the first episode Fuyuki
takes Keroro's very powerful control ball and accidently sends a signal
to the
invasion fleet to flee the planet, leaving Keroro and his comrades
behind.
Aki quickly agrees to let Keroro stay at their house, in
exchange for some 'light' house work (so she can chronicle his
adventures in
her manga.) He agrees and basically goes
from intergalactic soldier to slave in one quick motion.
The frog lives in the spacious basement which
sounds like a sweet deal until he discovers that the Hinata's house is
built on
the ruins of a mental hospital which was built on top of an old
cemetery and
the basement is haunted by the ghost of a wrongfully committed female
patient. There's always something, isn't
there?
In addition to Keroro, there's also Private Second Class
Tamama who goes along with whatever Keroro says; Corporal Giroro, the
group
weapons master who is constantly irritated by Keroro's lack of an
invasion
plan; Sergeant Major Kululu, the intelligence expert who invents
various items
at the drop of a hat; and Lance Corporal Dororo, who follows the ways
of the
ninja and has vowed to protect Earth, even from his team mates.
Though he's trapped on Earth (or Pekopon as Keroro calls it)
that hasn't stopped the soldier from trying to conquer the planet... his
love of
Gundam models has. He spends all of his
free time building models and recreating famous Gundam battles, and
only thinks
about destroying humans when he has to.
This volume:
With the main characters all introduced in the first set,
this one is free to jump in with the silly stories and not waste any
time
explaining things. They take full
advantage of that with some great episodes.
In Lose the Boss! a top secret
message from headquarters arrives which relieves Keroro from duty. He's replaced by Tamama (even though he's not
the highest ranking officer) and the young Frog quickly lets the power
go to
his head and starts a dictatorship. Then
they all take a break at the beach in Wet
Hot Beaches with one wrinkle: Aki
can't go so Kululu invents a growth ray that turns Natsumi into an
adult so she
can chaperone. When Keroro discovers
some rare bootleg Gundam models at the beach he freaks out and forces
the adult
Natsumi to enter a stand-up comedy contest (where the Gundam's are
given out as
prizes) and uses another one of Kululu's devices to make her swear like
a
sailor. Of course things don't go quite
as planned and mayhem ensues.
The funniest title award goes to The Clone Wars (The
Unsucky Version) in which the Keron Ball from
the first episode is brought back and accidently starts making clones
of
Keroro, and it won't stop.
Like the first collection, this is a funny set. The
jokes come fast and furious and their
over-the-top silly without being stupid.
The one character that really stands out as having the best
lines
doesn't actually appear in the show however:
the narrator. He really adds a
lot of humor to the show, complaining because he wasn't given a script
and
hence doesn't know what the episode is about, pointing out plot flaws,
and even
quitting at one point (though he returns when his bookie threatens to
break his
legs if doesn't come up with some money soon.)
The DVD:
Audio:
This show comes with
the original Japanese soundtrack in stereo and a DD 5.1 English dub
(with
optional subtitles). I viewed the show
in Japanese and spot checked the dub track and found them to be both
fine, if
unexceptional, mixes. There are not a
lot of effects in the show, but the 2.0 track has some good separation
and the
5.1 option does make some good use of the rears in the occasional
action
sequences. The rare explosions do sound
better on the dub track though they aren't as forceful as I would have
liked. Whether you prefer watching anime
with subs or the dub, you'll be pleased with this set.
Video:
The show was made in 2004 and features a 4:3 image that
looks very good. The colors are solid
and bright, the lines are tight, and the blacks are deep.
There was a bit of aliasing in the
background, but nothing too tragic.
Overall this is a nice looking show.
Extras:
Not much in the way of extras. The second
disc includes a clean opening and
closing as well as a text 'Pekopon Invasion Database' which is a
gallery of
character designs.
Final Thoughts:
I was impressed with the first collection and this set is
just as funny. The show has a bizarre
sense of humor that really works and there each episode kept me
laughing. If you're looking for a light,
entertaining
anime to start watching, look no further.
Highly Recommended. |
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