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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
And Now, A Message From Hanage's Heart:, May 24, 2005
This review is from: The Super Milk Chan Show, Vol. 4: Milk & Kookies (DVD)
Super Milk Chan is, in short, one messed-up cartoon. Always a relentless parody of Japanese culture and animation, the jokes in the show tend to seem on the verge of being apt or clever, except for the fact that they're skewering Japanese culture, and not big ol' fat America. And nothing makes Americans uninterested in something more than something they can't quickly relate to.
So these two-part discs are made with that in mind. You get three versions of the three episodes: the original Japanese version, the translated-into-English Japanese version, and the based-on-the-Japanese-translation-English-version. Confused or uninterested yet? For some, at least one of the three versions will grab you - for me, part of the fun is being confused. My overall favorite of the three versions, however, is the original Japanese, because although reading subtitles can be tedious, every time someone makes an obscure Japanese pop-culture reference, a footnote clearly explains it. The Americanized version has the distinction of frequent profanity, which may improve the experience for those that enjoy their cartoons blue.
As for the show itself, it carries a distinctive animated style, seemingly borrowing from Japanese anime and American anime-influenced cartoons (Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack), to get a stylized but simple look awash in gaudy color. There's seldom any frenetic action - it's strictly comedy here. Get ready for lots of Milk and the President talking on the phone, Milk and Tetskuo talking over food, and Milk watching television. The near-constant inaction is another `joke,' albeit a dry one, so if that ain't your cup of tea, be warned. The show's lifeblood is dry running jokes/situations, from the dysfunctional ant family in the backyard, the Landlord's fruitless attempts at collecting rent from Milk, to Tetskuo's "I hope he's not my daddy!" private worry when visiting the King's Idea Laboratories.
While the Japanese vocal cast is pretty good (especially Milk - her voice is completely apathetic and devoid of inflection, very effective), the American cast is superb. Milk, the President, Doctor Eyepatch, Hanage (pretty much the lot of them turn) in sharp, strong and funny performances. The show's biggest strength probably comes from the vocal acting, turning bizarre and often pointless scripts into viable comedy fodder.
And that's the central theme of Milk Chan - pointlessness. Whether you're the President of Everything or the world's greatest five-year old superhero, life is essentially boring and aimless, and you secretly have no idea what you're doing. A depressing, but highly realistic message wrapped in a crunchy candy coating.
So, if you're looking for something off-beat (waaaay off-beat) and think the endless battering of Japanese/US pop culture by cartoon miscreants will be hilarious, get this disc, which features three good Super Milk Chan Episodes and four older, less good Milk Chan shorts. Challenging and odd, but ultimately rewarding in the end.
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"In the end... Humans are just sacks filled with blood.", February 3, 2005
This review is from: The Super Milk Chan Show, Vol. 4: Milk & Kookies (DVD)
First off, I want to clear up some misconceptions:
When you buy this DVD, it comes with 2 DVD's... The American(Fosterized) version, AND the original Japanese episodes. One DVD has an american flag on it, the other says 'Original Japanese Episodes'. The Japanese episodes come dubbed, and also with Japanese voice+subtitles. If you rate down this DVD for the poor American version then you're a bit on the dimwitted side. You get both versions.
Now, as for the review:
The American version is, well, moreso translated and changed so that American audiences would find it funny. A lot of people like it, a lot don't. Personally, I can't stand Tetsuko's voice so I didn't bother watching it. This is NOT the version that is shown on Adult Swim. Surprisingly enough, Adult Swim bought the Japanese version and not the American version! Weird? Yeah, it really is. A lot of self-proclaimed American "Otaku" (Ugh...) prefer this version. (Ironic!) Also, this version really DOES seem to be a huge joke on ADV videos behalf. It's almost like they're making fun of poor dubs. (But most people seem to insist they were serious about it. Who know, right?)
Now, the Japanese version. The Japanese version, even when dubbed in english, is really hilarious. The problem is that the humor is rather dry and cynical, so you need to really enjoy a less blatant type of humor. Each episode is self-serving, rather comparable to Aqua Teen Hunger Force, despite this being a genuine anime. The humor is also very centric on references to Japanese culture, something yet again that just simply won't be funny to someone who isn't familiar with the culture. Most of my friends whom watch Super Milk Chan seem to have the "Huh? Well, what's so funny?" attitude towards the series. "It's really not funny.." Asides from that, the actual content of the show is really hilarious, if not brilliantly done. There are some repetitive moments, but that alone is part of the humor and parody of this show.
Let me jump back to the American episodes -- If you've only seen Super Milk Chan on Adult Swim, then you HAVEN'T seen the American episodes. You've only seen the Japanese ones. If you thought that Super Milk Chan could be funny, but the Japanese episodes didn't 'click' with you, then buying these DVD's might actually be worth your time. I was surprised to find out how many people absolutely adore the American version of Super Milk Chan but hate the Japanese(Adult Swim) version.
Asides from getting the "Oh! Super Milk Chan" episodes on these DVD's, you also get classic Milk Chan shorts. These are just as good as "Oh! Super Milk Chan", but they are most obviously even MORE dated than Oh! Super Milk Chan, the artwork alone being a bit on the lower quality. (But not at all bad.) Which leads to another unfortunate thing, "Oh! Super Milk Chan" does sorta date all the way back to 1998. So even if you DO get a lot of jokes, or cameos in the series they may just be too old to still be funny. (But I think everyone could be amused with the President having a PS3.)
So yeah, these DVD's are worth the money, and the series is really a brilliant comedy. But just a comedy; Don't expect a story. You get both the US and Japanese versions of the show with these DVD's, and if you don't like the Japanese version which is being aired on Adult Swim, you might want to give the American versions a try. Chances are you're missing out on something if you've already decided you hate Super Milk Chan. (Dr. Eyepatch. <3)
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