Sgt. Frog, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

Mine Yoshizaki (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2004

Gun-toting, Mutinous Frogs!: It's the dawn of a new school year for Fuyuki Hinata. As if the stress of starting junior high wasn't enough, he must also deal with Sgt. Keroro, the froglike alien with apocalyptic intentions freeloading in his attic. But if Fuyuki thought the Sergeant was a handful, wait'll he gets a load of the rest of the battalion. Members of the Sarge's lost platoon are starting to surface like a plague of frogs, and not all of them agree with the way that Keroro's been running the invasion. When the gun-crazy Corporal Giroro sees the pampered pet that his superior officer has become, will he take control of the mission?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Pinky and the Brain for the manga fan!

Anime currently being developed in Japan.

Full of parodies of the most popular Anime & Manga series including; Gundam, Initial D, Chobits, Neon Genesis.

Five Alien Military frogs with distinct personalities. Sgt., Private, Corporal & Master Chief...and one new comer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: TokyoPop (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591827043
• ISBN-13: 978-1591827047
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #833,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sgt. Keroro Reporting for Duty!, October 9, 2005

By 

Tom Emanuel (Deadwood, SD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sgt. Frog, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

The basic premise behind Mine Yoshizaki's SGT FROG manga is this: froglike alien Sgt. Keroro and his extraterrestrial compatriots, in a failed attempt to conquer Pokopen (the Earth), find themselves stranded in the company of two Pokopenian siblings, Fuyuki and Natsumi Hinata, and their friends and family. Hilarity ensues. There you go. That's the series - beyond that there is no real coherent plot. But that's not particularly important, because the fact is a complex storyline isn't required for madcap comedy of this order.

The best comparison you can draw to Sgt. Frog is probably to Pinky & the Brain: overloaded with pop culture (Japanese anyway) allusions and socio-political send-ups, our protagonist conjures up preposterous scheme after preposterous scheme, to no avail. Another easy comparison would be with Invader Zim. The biggest difference between Sgt. Frog and these others, however, is the ensemble size: while P&B revolved around the clashing personalities of the title characters, and Invader Zim a team of four or so, Sgt. Frog is propelled by a stable cast of about a dozen unique, distinctly off-the-wall personalities.

There's Natsumi Hinata, for instance, the Pokopenian teen whose authoritative hot-headedness remains the biggest obstacle on the path to invasion - apart from Sgt. Keroro himself, equal parts inept interstellar conqueror and freeloading plastic Gundam model fanatic. Then there's Natsumi's younger brother Fuyuki, a quiet, introverted kid with a keen interest in the occultm or Momoka Nishizawa, the insecure heiress to a worldwide fortune with a keen interest in Fuyuki. Not to mention Private Tamama, one of the Sgt.'s fellow-invaders, whose adorable exterior belies a violent split personality; the ditzy Lady Angol Moa, sent to Earth by her father the universal Lord of Terror to destroy it, but diverted by Keroro's misadventures; and many more.

The various plots, goofy and overblown as they are, make full use of the characters' interpersonal chemistry. For instance: when the School Sports Festival rolls around, athletic Natsumi petitions mom Aki to join her in the child-parent activities. But Aki is unable to attend due to her demanding career as a manga editor, which causes her to be gone most of the time anyway. Natsumi is forlorn by yet another absence, and while Keroro schemes to stand in for Mom Hinata in an attempt to put Natsumi in his debt, Corporal Giroro, whose hard-boiled shell hides a monstrous affection for the girl, has other plans. Meanwhile, Fuyuki suffers from a lack of self-confidence living in his sister's athletic shadow, and wealthy Momoka's attempts to aid his cause at the Festival, like having her bodyguards tranquilize the other racers, are sweet but probably misguided. That's just a sampling, from one of the tamer chapters at that - the insanity quotient is generally far more in excess.

Many of the installments have sensitive undercurrents: unrequited love, the clash between friendship and duty, jealousy, emotional insecurity, family dynamics, and so on. But there's something of overanalyzing in that evaluation, because any pyschological underpinnings involved are offset by copious coatings of over-the-top illustration, harebrained scenarios, laugh-out-loud hilarious gags, and unforgettably zany characters. Be forewarned: in spite of Keroro and Company's admitted adorability it's not for kiddies - there's enough sexual suggestion here to border on ecchi at times. But it's all in fun, and if you have a well developed sense of the absurd, as I like to put it, Sgt. Frog is as good n' silly as it gets.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The inept invasion continues..., June 10, 2007

By 

ewomack "ewomack" (MN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sgt. Frog, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

Volume two of "Sgt. Frog," "Keroro Gunso" in Japanese, carries on the tale of the abortive takeover of planet Pokopen by small frog like aliens. Sergeant Keroro, abandoned by his platoon, finds himself holed up in the Hintata house somewhere in the Japanese suburbs. So far he has become addicted to Gundam and has mastered the fine art of house cleaning. But earth has not shuddered a micromolecule at his inocuous froggy prescence. The humans even pose significant challenges. Natsumi-san simply kicks his [...] every time he gets out of line. And throughout volume two the heinie walloping never lets up.

Encounter XI starts by displaying Fuyuki-kun's amazing, though amaterish, manga skills and Natsumi's basketball prowess. Typical Japanese kids until they return to their atypical house, which now crawls with alien invaders. Keroro entertains cute Private Tamama and the Lord of Terror Moa with his lyric writing abilities. But before they know it the indefatigable Corporal Giroro blasts through the tv set and whoops some buttocks into shape. But he's no match for Natsumi, physically or emotionally (following the obligatory shirt-changing scene, that is). Giroro acquieces to the Pokopeians and soon takes up residence at the Hinata house, though he wants to revive the sagging invasion. Meanwhile, Tamama and Moa make rather inappropriate Pokopeian suits for Keroro to ease his cabin fever. Giroro comes with some surprises, though, including the knowledge that the rank mark on their helmets enables an anti-barrier of invisibility.

By Encounter XV the new foursome have constructed a complex pokopen invasion operations center. Fuyuki and Momoka, who has insatiable hots for Fuyuki, stumble across this via a strange refrigerator in the Sergeant's room (complete with undies). They foil the purebred Andromedan Husky and the trap ceiling before Giroro escorts them to the control room. Invasion plans get set aside for New Year's celebrations, preceded by a rigrous cleaning of the Hinata house. Keroro shows his true colors, much to Giroro's frustration. In the end, they all sit down to Toshikoshi Soba noodles and a "red and white" singing contest. An interesting interlude. Then Keroro's father plans to visit the Hintata house, which throws the Sergeant into a tizzy since he has taken to the Pokopeian lifestyle. Natsumi and Fuyuki agree to stand in as slaves, but Natsumi ultimately avenges the whippings Keroro delivers to her posterior.

The next Encounter, XVIII, takes place during Japanese Valentine's day, when girls give chocolate to boys they like. Fuyuki collects a surprising amount of these, but the only one that ends up meaning anything is the package he gets from Momoka. Tamama's depiction of Keroro in chocolate makes for an oh so touching ending. Hearts will flutter. Next, the invasion group decides that they must search for Kururu, the Unil Strategy and Communications Staff First Sergeant. They scour the country, from Hoikaddo to Miyazaki. Meanwhile, a stange but talented poet and manga artist, who goes by 623, stalks the Hinatas. He finds his way to the invasion operations control center and makes a jaw-dropping announcement. He also threatens Giroro's affection for Natsumi. Lastly, in Encounter 20.5, Natsumi turns into the all-powerful 723. She turns out not too all powerful as she dangles from a rope in the volume's final panel. The invasion force gains a new member and new momentum. "I will get rid of rice bread! It'll all be cake! And Coke shall run free from every faucet!" Tamama announces to Mutsumi's, or 623's, pleasure. But Aki, the Manga publishing mother, age unknown, is on her way home.

Volume two of "Sgt. Frog" maintains the pace established in volume one. With each new character the satire expands the anti-militaristic subtheme. One language note, the Hinata family's names correspond to three season in Japanese. Natsumi has "summer," or natsu, in her name. Fuyu or "winter" lurks in Fuyuki's name. And Aki, the mother's name, means "fall." American readers will learn some things about Japanese culture while reading Sgt. Frog and other manga. This along with a good time make "Sgt. Frog" a worthwhile read. Dominate on!