Definitely the best episode of Kuchuu Buranko yet. It’s the kind of episode that for me made up for all of the annoying and depth-less parts of this series. It’s one of those episodes that’s awesome to watch in the way that it played around with its lead characters.
I’m not sure whether the rest of the series can do the same, because this episode did also give Irabu an actual life. I mean, that’s something I never saw coming: I thought that he was like the medicine seller. A guy without any past, background or identity, whose only purpose seemed to be solving mysteries. This episode however shows Irabu during a college reunion, and some of his earlier friends, who all went to become doctors or other medical staff. Pretty interesting to see what this guy’s friends were like.
Anyway, the patient in this episode is one of these former friends. He’s a doctor who also knows a thing or two about psychology. He’s got another form of OCD. When I found out about this, I feared that this would be much of the same again, but I was proven wrong: this guy keeps imagining how he’s going to cause trouble. What follows is a crazy episodes as he tries to give in to his urges by actually carrying them out. His stepfather (who seems to be the cause of his frustrations)’s wig was utterly hilarious.
Oh, and the Banto references also rocked. This is what I mean by connecting the characters of the different stories: the lead character is a huge baseball fan, and Banto is his favourite player. Nice touch.
Setting aside the depth, I also kind-of like the realistic portrayal of the characters in this series: all characters featured so far are adults just plucked from society: they’ve got lives, careers and a family. It’s strangely refreshing in anime in which 95% of all characters are either students or warriors (or involved in some other kind of job that involves fighting).
Rating: *** (Awesome)
good post, i cant help but wonder if the different animals he turns into each episode means something
BANDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The previous episode and this episode are much better than the ones before them. We don’t spend a lot of time in the day-glo office and we spend more time in the real world, so we get a more coherent sense of who the people are and what their lives are like. This episode also had a lot of whimsical humor, which kept it interesting.
The interconnectedness of the patients (everyone around you has a lot of the same problems you do) and the similarity of their issues (the preoccupation with failing to meet the expectations of others) seems to aim at simple social commentary about the more repressive tendencies of their society.
Irabu seems like a slightly-sinister, psychiatric Colombo as envisioned by an Andy Warhol impersonator. He seems to possess a greater insight into the problems of his patients than he lets on, but plays the fool and devises these strange stepping stones to make the patients realize their problems and how to remedy them.
nice, I start to like this show even more than before. the comedy in this show is it’s best part of the show. the connection between character is nice to see as well.
the art style kinda grown in you the more you watch.
Lolz at the shinging head!