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Friday, September 30, 2011

Sgt. Frog: Season Three, Part Two Review


Sgt. Frog: Season Three, Part Two $21.99

Are you ready for a little green frog with a plan to take over this planet!!!! Well, he isn't. He's kind of lazy and stupid. Way to into Gundam models. He's Sgt Keroro. He's on a mission. A mission to clean the Hinata's House, but when he's done with that he"ll...probably take a nap.

For such a lazy frog, he gets a lot done. Once again we're treated with nonsensical violence, otherworldly ideas, ninjas, aliens, robots and remakes of classic Miyazaki movies.

I'm still amazed Sgt Frog isn't picked up for Adult Swim. Oh, wait that just do live-action mostly now. Live action can suck it with Sgt Frog and the armpit platoon, a cast of outer world warriors and the sitcom-esque comedy solutions that happen within the show.


My favorite episode out of the batch of new ones has to be "Super Keroro Sixty-For..For The Whee!" Gaming is made fun of with reference and inside jokes up the 1-up. The amazing new console plan to ensare human through video games made me want to be taken over for the new console, where controllers change into guns and boxing gloves on a whim. Don't forget 3D effects, but be careful you could be pulled into one of these gaming worlds. Like a pot luck all of Sgt Frogs crew put the game together sort of like a Warioware game, except with lunatics coming up with the games.

Every episode has the Frog crew dealing with a new invasion plan, new problem because of aliens who just seem to be around the Hinata's at frequently high rate and strange takes and homages to other animes, tv shows and movies.

What this show does is bring up totally sci-fi concepts like the theory of the earth being a living being and other planets and making them silly sitcom situations with Sgt Keroro and pals resembling a I Love Lucy plot to make money or con some people. Which does happen when they try and still a portion of the Earth and send it back to Keron.

One of the best parts is that even though the dialogue has greatly changed for the American audience is the Keroro's ego stays in check as being as bloated as possible. If you pay attention Keroro is always making himself sound great in the episode introductions and is always putting down his team mates during planning sessions. The same goes for other characters, even though the dialogue is heavily changed the writers decided to make Tamama just a weirdo in love with Sgt Frog, but not gay for him, like they made Maso gay in Shin-Chan. The awkward crush Giroro has on Natsumi. Koyuki's almost lesbian crush on Natsumi. Momoka's insane love of Fuyuki. All these love triangles add up for sitcom gold, only made better with them being ninjas and aliens and insanely rich.

 Episodes are random, but do build off a continuity. A cute Keronian tadpole comes back to be Tamama's wife.Love is in the air for Tamama, love he doesn't want, with everyone of his actions to distance himself from a keronian girl from falling in love him backfiring and make her love grow. Then you'll have an epsiode where the human are changed into superheroes to defend the earth.

The pop culture quips are in full bloom as the ninja girl Koyuki sneaks behind Natsume and quickly speaks "Redrum, redrum" and disappears with ninja techniques. Or the time traveling episode referencing Back to the Future. I almost had a fit of joyous laughter when Kululu said he was a honoree time lord and started talking about The Tardis.

Pop culture and sitcom style don't make up for the flat out insane stories including a beetle alien invasion that bring back DBZ memories or the Hinata house expanding inside kind of like the before mentioned Tardis. Food space battles, superhero suits, building another bit size world, sumo fight, ninja dogs, trades that don't work out. All random, all silly, but with a hint of Gundam models.

 Lines like "Thanks so much for help saving the toilets" or "Oxygen is leaking from Natsumi's butt" , just make the series stand out as the best anime comedies to hit America this year, I haven't seen the Hetalia movie yet though, and Everyday Life doesn't come out until next year stateside.

Quality is quite good for these episodes as you have to realize there from 2005 or possibly ealier, everything is in superb quality.

It isn't brought up in many other reviews, but the friendship between Fuyuki and Sgt. Keroro is one of my favorites parts of the show. It seems aliens just are drawn to Fuyuki and his sister Natsumi. Fuyuki and Natsumi are put into a lot of insane situations, but how cool is it that Fuyuki's best friend is an alien space frog. There also booth nerds, Fuyuki might be a mystery nerd while Keroro's more of a omni-otaku . Of course this friendship is a little messed up as Sgt. Frog is trying to enslave the earth. He even kind of sold out Fuyuki to aliens in episode for soccer tickets.

I was so saddened, I have to wait for Season 4 to see what will happen with the return of Ms. Furbottom in human form. She resembles Cammy White from Street Fighter when she transforms. For a stupid little cat, I just find it ridiculous when she pops up for no reason in the show. Like the frogs will be flying away and you"ll see Ms. Furbottom on he roof smiling. It's not even the Hinata's cat, it just seems to leave nearby. The name alone of Ms. Furbottom is pure silly sauce.

Pick up Sgt Frog and his crew Part 2 and write to Adult Swim to start showing it since Fullmetal Alchemist 2 is over.