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K e r o
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O m a
k a s e
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Reviewed
in April, 2001 by Mark Vallen, Jeannine Thorpe, and John Lentini
©.
Screen shots generously provided by John Lentini.
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| (Comments
by Jeannine Thorpe) What makes the Card Captor Sakura
2nd Movie truly a well rounded film is that it balances the
intense emotion and drama of the feature film with the funniest
animated short I've yet seen, Kero-chan ni Omakase. Just
like the short at the end of each TV episode of the same name,
this short directly following the film is devoted entirely to
the always exciting world of Kero-chan. But unlike the TV shorts,
this movie short focuses on Kero-chan's other favorite thing
besides admiring battle costumes, food! In
this brief but extremely fast paced and hilarious segment, Kero-chan
and his dark guardian counterpart Suppi-chan (Spinel
Sun) are completely obsessed with and will do anything to get
their mouths around the yummy Japanese treat, Takoyaki
(grilled Octopus dumplings). This obsession results in the funniest
scenes Kero-chan has ever been involved in, topping even the
infamous "Brandy Chocolate" episode of the Card Captor
TV series! What was particularly great for me watching this
was that I hadn't seen much of Suppi before, so seeing the two
"guardian beasts" together was a special treat. A
delight to watch over and over again, I know fans will be chuckling
about this short for years to come! |
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(Comments
by Mark Vallen)
This is one of the funniest animated short
films I've ever seen!
The fast moving story has all the energy, vitality, and imagination
of early American slapstick animation classics like the Daffy
Duck, Bugs Bunny, or
Road Runner cartoons,
but there's also a Rube Goldberg feeling to the plot.
Goldberg, the American Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist once
said his creations were "symbols of man's capacity for
exerting maximum effort to accomplish minimal results."
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And
maximum effort is what Kero-chan and Suppi have
to expend in order to achieve the minimal result of eating
a highly prized delicacy. The fun begins when the two are
presented with a plateful of takoyaki (grilled octopus).
The gluttonous Kero-chan nearly finishes the entire stack
of grilled dumplings before thinking to offer the indifferent
Suppi a taste. Upon eating the second to the last takoyaki,
Suppi develops a craving for the grilled octopus that's as
strong as Kero-chan's.
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A
fight then ensues over possession of the last dumpling...
with the prized morsel inadvertently getting tossed out the
window! From then on the two characters compete with each
other over who will catch and eat the ever bouncing, rolling,
and flying dumpling. Each chase scene unfolds into an even
more impossible situation, with the two constantly frustrated
in their attempts to eat the delectable treat. At one point
the kinetic
takoyaki arcs through the clear blue sky... shedding it's
dumpling casing to reveal the glistening Pink and White Octopus
morsel within. It's a moment of truth for the now almost insane
duo, who nearly faint at the sight of such perfection!
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The
two never do catch up with the object of their desires,
and so they unhappily retreat back to their abode. In their
discouragement they mope around until Suppi eventually falls
asleep. Then in a wonderful touch of irony, the two are
once again presented with another plate of takoyaki...
so the anime ends in much the same way as it begins! Kero-chan
ni Omakase is
a quintessential Japanese anime whose non-stop humor hinges
upon one of Japan's most beloved culinary treats. Even
so... if you've never had Japanese food, you'll still marvel
over the excellent quality of this animation, its exaggerated
caricatures, break
neck speed pacing, over the top chase scenes, and insanely
funny storyline. Yeah, this one's a gem!
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| (Comments
by John Lentini)
Do you hear what I hear? Well, yes, that's Kero-chan whoofing
down food again, but listen closely. That would be Yamazaki
Takashi telling another off the wall story, he is very
good at stretching the truth. Of course, Mihara Chiharu
would just tell everyone his stories are nothing but lies,
but Yamazaki's stories are very entertaining if nothing else.
But wait, isn't this a short story about Kero-chan and Suppi-chan?
Well, yes, you're correct again, however there is one thing
that is often overlooked in the fantastic world of Card Captor
Sakura. Mihara
Chiharu and Yamazaki Takashi have
to be about the cutest little couple in anime, that are not
the focus of the anime series. So overlooked are these two,
there wasn't even a clean shot of them both in this short.
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Though
that didn't stop another Yamazaki's story, or Mihara called
him a liar yet again. So next time, you focus in on Card
Captor Sakura, remember the great star of the show, Sakura,
or in this case Kero-chan. But also remember that the best
anime series have a fully rounded cast of characters to
support the show and make it that more enjoyable for the
viewer, much like a well prepared plate of food.
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