Ge-ge-ge and the Golden Apple?
Jan. 20th, 2008 10:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkerGe-Ge-Ge no Kitaro is an anime (animated cartoon, like Mickey Mouse, etc.) which focuses on events in the life of a little boy with one eye who lives in monster land. His father is an eyeball, his girlfriend is the daughter of cats (who turns feral at times), his friends include a walking wall, a flying scroll of paper, and so on. And he seems to be the one called on whenever disaster or trouble strikes. He was on when I first came to Japan over 20 years ago, and I watched the shows to help learn Japanese. The 6th series is showing on early morning TV (Saturdays at 6:30 AM).
Yesterday's was amusing. The ratman is introducing a crepe business to monster town, complete with free balloons for everyone. Kitaro goes to see what is happening to the manju (sweet cookies) and zakaya (snacks) stores. Sure enough, both are deserted, and the owners (a strange little fellow who blows azuki beans through his nose and a bouncing head) are despondent. He suggests that they make some kind of celebrity specialty to get more customers.
And the catgirl comes running - the balloons are floating the children up into the sky! Kitaro runs up, shoots the balloons with his hair needles, and then catches everyone in his magical expanding vest. Both the owners are watching, and go "AHA! I KNOW WHAT TO MAKE!" (just in time for the show's theme song).
The two start with vest cookies against Kitaro-face crackers. Kitaro ends up escaping with the ravens from being forced to pick one as better than the other. Ratman gets into the act, pushing them to compete since his crepe business failed.
One very funny bit - he goes in to borrow some beans from the manju owner, who gets angry and blows beans through his nose to drive him out. The ratman starts to get angry, then scrapes the beans off his face, smiles, and says this should be enough. Thanks!
They escalate. Biscuit plus a vest handkerchief. Crackers plus an oversize cookie. Get the girls to sell them, with a costume fight. Free delivery service. 50% off! No, 60% off! Leading to a fire, which destroys both stores. And ratman runs off with the goods.
In the ensuing climactic fight, Kitaro saves them all from a demented upside-down demon who is defeated by the two owners working together to flip him right-side up (where he becomes friendly). However, the fight leaves Kitaro hungry, and he tries the snacks. A bite of vest cookie, then a cracker, then a bite of cookie - oh, they are very good together!
All of which reminded me of the beauty competition for the Golden Apple.
So the show was about how competition can create havoc, but working together is better. As long as there are enough Golden Apples for everyone to get one (aka non-zero-sum game), it's a nice little theme. And a fun show.
For those who are interested, you can see some of the characters at http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/kitaro/ which is in Japanese. There is an English language description at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ge_Ge_Ge_no_Kitaro (odd, they say it is the 5th series, but the show claims the 6th?)
Yesterday's was amusing. The ratman is introducing a crepe business to monster town, complete with free balloons for everyone. Kitaro goes to see what is happening to the manju (sweet cookies) and zakaya (snacks) stores. Sure enough, both are deserted, and the owners (a strange little fellow who blows azuki beans through his nose and a bouncing head) are despondent. He suggests that they make some kind of celebrity specialty to get more customers.
And the catgirl comes running - the balloons are floating the children up into the sky! Kitaro runs up, shoots the balloons with his hair needles, and then catches everyone in his magical expanding vest. Both the owners are watching, and go "AHA! I KNOW WHAT TO MAKE!" (just in time for the show's theme song).
The two start with vest cookies against Kitaro-face crackers. Kitaro ends up escaping with the ravens from being forced to pick one as better than the other. Ratman gets into the act, pushing them to compete since his crepe business failed.
One very funny bit - he goes in to borrow some beans from the manju owner, who gets angry and blows beans through his nose to drive him out. The ratman starts to get angry, then scrapes the beans off his face, smiles, and says this should be enough. Thanks!
They escalate. Biscuit plus a vest handkerchief. Crackers plus an oversize cookie. Get the girls to sell them, with a costume fight. Free delivery service. 50% off! No, 60% off! Leading to a fire, which destroys both stores. And ratman runs off with the goods.
In the ensuing climactic fight, Kitaro saves them all from a demented upside-down demon who is defeated by the two owners working together to flip him right-side up (where he becomes friendly). However, the fight leaves Kitaro hungry, and he tries the snacks. A bite of vest cookie, then a cracker, then a bite of cookie - oh, they are very good together!
All of which reminded me of the beauty competition for the Golden Apple.
So the show was about how competition can create havoc, but working together is better. As long as there are enough Golden Apples for everyone to get one (aka non-zero-sum game), it's a nice little theme. And a fun show.
For those who are interested, you can see some of the characters at http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/kitaro/ which is in Japanese. There is an English language description at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ge_Ge_Ge_no_Kitaro (odd, they say it is the 5th series, but the show claims the 6th?)
