Oh! Sûpâ Miruku-chan

Here is a show that's bound to confuse just about anybody. A show that breaks the boundaries of it's genre, and is a perfect example of a show that you either love or hate.

The plot: Milk Chan, a 5 year old "superhero" without super powers, lives with her useless (and often abused) robot Tetsuko, and an alcoholic slug named Hanage (name translates to "nose hair"). Oh, and the President (of well, everything) has her go on missions. Oh, and she's a foul mouthed, lazy, selfish brat.

Of course, the plot doesn't really matter. Much like "Ren and Stimpy", the show highly revolves around surreal situations and oddball humor. It also features random Japanese pop culture gags (i.e Riki Choshu), odd supporting characters (such as a homosexual landlord) odd one liners ("He who controls Ramen controls the universe",) odd catchphrases ("You Dumbass!") and...ah hell, the whole show is odd.

When it came to Adult Swim in 2004, it was largely hated, and is still largely hated today. When I look back though, I think it ticked off comedy fans because it was an anime, and ticked off anime fans because they wanted something more action oriented. However, those with some patience (and some time to spare) might find something oddly enduring about the anarchistic weirdness on display. .

I own the first two DVD's of this series, and I have to say, it's one of my favorite anime series right now. When they brought this anime over to America for the first time, ADV realized they had two choices: make a dub with all the original Japanese references so that the die-hard purist anime fans will be happy, or change the references so that American audiences can understand it better. They decided to go with the former. Now, I understand that some of you are going, "Woo-hoo!" and in some cases, that would be justified. But not in this one. Super Milk-Chan just contains too many obscure Japanese references that it's not funny to Americans. There's no way around it: American culture is too different from Japanese culture to make for a smooth transition. I've seen the original dub. It just wasn't funny.

So then they made a second dub. They changed all of the references and replaced the Japanese live-action scenes with their own. And you know what? It was just funnier that way. Buy the DVD, but watch the second dub only. And I don't want to hear, "But it's not accurate to the original version!" Who cares? It's still funny and spontaneous and just so well done, and in the end, it's much more palatable and more enjoyable for American audiences.

I wanted to like this show. I saw the ads, all of the bright, goofy characters. It looked like something I'd usually enjoy. After watching it though, I was highly disappointed. It just wasn't funny. Maybe it's because I'm not from Japan, but the humor just doesn't work. There are times when you can tell the show is making a joke, but I've never laughed once ever. That's the worst kind of miss as well. I've seen every episode aired so far just because I haven't gotten around to changing the channel, but every time, it feels forced. Milk-Chan herself is just irritating. The swearing seems like it's just there because they can. In fact, every character is just annoying. The worst is when they keep doing the unfunny joke over and over. Such as Milk talking on the phone with the president. He just kept pounding on the desk. Over, and over, and over. It got so irritating so fast. The more I write this, the more I hate this show. Give it a shot yourself, I guess, but don't expect anything.

When I first saw this show I didn't think much of it. Then when I saw it again, I still didn't think much of it. That's when it hit me! Like a a Monty Python 16 Ton Weight! This show is pure genius! It is the South Park of Japan. The animation is poor at best. The kid has a foul mouth, and gets in unbelievably outrageous situation. And every show is the same, but different. It can become so addictive you almost want the whole series running on a loop 24/7. You may read some reviews saying this show is bad. Well, yeah, it is. But just because something is bad has never stopped people from wanting more of it. Super Milk-chan is bad the way booze and ciggies and fattening food is bad. It just leave you wanting more. The more you watch, the more you want.

I have no real idea how to explain this show, but I think I like it. It totally defies description. I can't even explain how this show might have been conceived or written. There are definitely some strange people somewhere in Japan (not unlike here). But, it's so bizarre, I'm thinking of buying one of the DVD's. I wonder if the translation is a part of the charm, or if this show was equally obscure in Japanese. It's doesn't really matter. I just keep watching it thinking I'll figure it out eventually, but I kinda hope I never do. Perhaps it's best that I don't. I can't even figure out if the cultural references are real or not. Should rice cakes be chewy or crunchy? I think I'm going to go get some sushi or something.