I believe it is universally accepted that the key to great comedy is men in drag. "Tootsie", "Some Like It Hot", and many other examples have all proven (though not without exception) that putting a man in women's clothing is almost certain to obtain a ripping good laugh. But in the modern era, we can take things a bit further. What if we had men forced to become women and hide that fact while performing? Well, that's what we got in the definitely NSFW "Back Street Girls: Gokudolls" made by J.C. Staff and brought to you by the fine folks at Netflix.
The simple version of the plot is this: 3 Yakuza members mess up big time and are forced by their boss to get sexual reassignment surgery and train to become the perfect Japanese idol group and keep their origins a secret. Needless to say, comedy ensues. The adjustment period is more or less skipped over as their training is shown through flashbacks, but that's not to say they're completely comfortable in their new lives- who would be? But the best laughs are reserved for the most off-beat moments when the most bizarre little ironies occur. These moments are the definition of dark humor but you can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the scene. "Back Street Girls: Gokudolls" succeeds in avoiding the biggest pitfalls of this concept- doing something everyone's seen before. They achieve new heights with a somewhat hackneyed premise, so be ready for something different than "White Chicks" or "Big Momma's House".
The failure of this show is in it's main characters. You think of them as a unit, so it's hard to think of them separately. Each gets their own time in the spotlight, but without much time with them previously as men it's hard to identify them. Thankfully, the side characters come to the rescue big time. The Gokudolls manage to create their own little antagonist faction through their various misadventures, which leads to some fun. The little additions to their group- such as a clueless manager or a couple of trainees- really help bring the funny but the best part of the show is their boss- oh my Gawd, this guy is gold. Boss Inugane may be one of the most crazy characters in Anime history. And anytime he's on is must-see, which he's there plenty, but still not enough. I brave to say if it were not for him, the show would be a mediocre failure.
Because the show was not going to win on it's soundtrack. I think they were going for purposefully tacky, J-Pop crap with some funny lyrics added, but I reject the notion that to be bad on purpose is always the way to go. They missed an opportunity to make something there and although the opening and closing themes are semi-catchy, the musical numbers are more grating than entertaining. Not for the voice cast's lack of trying, though. This has some of the best voice editing I've heard. While the Gokudolls speak in their voices as women, their internal voices are still that of their true men selves, with some clever shots of them with their old faces on their new bodies added in for good timing. The show is very Japanese and should be watched in Japanese for best enjoyment, while the English cast does well enough to keep up. Massive shout out to the veteran Keiji Fujiwara as Boss Inugane, who's bellowing voice that inspires intimidation is used to immense comedic effect with some of the lines he's forced to bark out here.
If you're looking for something funny and new, but aren't too easily offended, definitely give this one a watch. A Netflix exclusive, yes, but I don't think anyone else could have made this in today's PC culture. An odd gem destined to become a cult classic. 8/10. Check it out. Cheers!
