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. .

Though I'm probably one of the few, I'll proudly proclaim here and now that I like Super Milk Chan. I find it to be very funny. I cracked up throughout the homeless episode, and even more at the sequel to the homeless episode, (which was exactly the same as the original homeless episode but with different props and jokes...too funny).

Yes, there's no real plot, though I guess that in and of itself could be considered a plot, and yes, the characters are rude. I just find the idea of a 5 year old super hero with no real super powers, who curses out the President, drools constantly, drinks milk from a bottle, and refuses to pay her rent (rent? ...for a 5 year old?) unbelievably hilarious.

I've read comparisons of Super Milk Chan and the PowerPuff girls, many of which are accurate. Both the PPGs and Milk receive information about crimes or other disasters in progress from top political figures. For the PPGs it's the Mayor and for Milk it's the President (of everything). They both resolve the crime or conflict by the end of the episode. They're both cute in a disturbing way. They're both children, and both shows have a sizeable dose of pop culture mixed into the episodes.

That's just about where the comparisons end. Whereas the PowerPuff Girls could be considered to have lite PG-rated content (after all, there's fighting, teeth being knocked out, bruises and broken bones), Super Milk Chan is, in my opinion, a solid R. Milk ridicules everything and everyone, even her closest friend Tetsuko. There's a landlord character named Lalo (get it?), who just happens to be, let's say, not very masculine (not that there's anything wrong with that), who Milk always schemes and belittles so she won't have to pay the rent. Milk also gleefully takes pleasure from others' misfortunes. For example, there's a TV show about what really poor people eat that Milk never wants to miss.

Super Milk Chan is one of those shows where the first time you see it, your mouth hangs open in disbelief. Disbelief shortly becomes disgust, but that doesn't matter, because as disturbed as you may be with the content of the show, something about it makes you want to see it again, and once you do <BLAMO!> you're hooked.

In the final analysis, it's just a stupid cartoon, but if you give it a chance, I'm sure you'll find yourself chuckling, despite yourself.

So, as Milk would say, come on and watch Super Milk Chan with some Sushi or something...You Dumbass!!

Super Milk Chan is the funniest thing you can buy. And now that it's on DVD, you don't have to suffer thru Inuyasha or Full Metal Complex or whatever dreadful anime that was on before it. Anybody with a partially functioning brain can tell you this is a classic anime masterpiece. Believe me, I have one! The relationships between the various characters is loaded with situational irony, and could be described as a Freudian "Family Romance". The ever-hopeful, ever-loyal, love-starved mecha, Tetsuko, who dreams of reuniting with her "Daddy", probably Dr. Eyepatch, who mercilessly insults her and often threatens to scrap her. This scene (like many others) is repeated in every episode. Then of course, the relationship between the President and Milk are at turns, playful, strained, hateful, and more than a bit dysfunctional. Since they never speak face-to-face, only via telephone,there are plenty of opportunities for misunderstandings. A now-famous parallel soap opera involves a family of ants, dealing with infidelity and "messaging." Too funny! For me, though, the most intriguing aspect of this show lies in the relationships between the characters. These relationships are placed in situational and romantic ironic settings. If you read between the lines you will see plenty of social protest, too. It's sad that Adult Swim caved into the haters of that show, but really, it's not that surprising since the reason it "failed" on Adult Swim is simple: most Americans have a hard time dealing with IRONY! And since most Americans don't "get"IRONY or Japanese POSTMODERNISM, or SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, we get to endure ridiculous tripe like, "Super Milk Chan isn't as fumy as Sealab," or,"The characters are annoying." Puh-leeze.

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.

Very odd and strange, but very funny and weirdly addictive. Even if you don't care for it at first glance, it becomes more enjoyable with multiple viewings. Not meant to be epic or self-important. It probably won't please the Anime crowd (who prefer more realistic looking characters and the "comic book come too life" look). It's basically David Lynch meets Saturday morning. Part of the appeal is the Adult themes and language mixed with a "kids" themed show look (ala "Peewee Herman"). Definitely not for everyone, but if you grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons and have a leaning toward the slightly odd, This could be the very show for you. Try it, you'll like it !!!