Aug 22, 2023
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I finished watching Shouwa Ahozoushi Akanuke Ichiban over the weekend. It was fine. Visually it was great but there was little-to-no-plot and not as funny as it could've been. This show had a lot going for it but it just never took it anywhere. It could've benefited from more wacky superhero hi-jinks or focusing on other characters like Kojiro's classmates or the aliens. I guess I really wanted a more sci-fi version of Igano Kabamaru or something.
One of my biggest issues was the main character is absolutely horrible. Like, I know Kabamaru is obnoxious and stupid but he's still hilarious and strangely charming. Kojiro on the other hand? Just downright awful. He spends his entire time either gaslighting/tricking Yuka, trying to see the girls undressed, or something equally as awful. He almost never does anything good with the Miracle Belt. Fuck him.
The first half of the anime covers the manga very closely, which explains a lot. I found the second half to be a lot weaker. It just wasn't as funny. Apparently the initial plan was for the series to last only two seasons (26 episodes) but due to some scheduling issues it got cut to 22 episodes. I feel like this was for the best.
SPOILERS ABOUT THE ENDING
The ending was adequate. The last episode has everyone in town becoming Miracle Heroes, which greatly upsets Kojiro. Chaos ensues with all the heroes running amok, so Rel, his older brother, and Kojiro all work together to stop everyone. They succeed but Yuka discovers Kojiro is actually the original Miracle Hero. Although it doesn't matter because Rel's older brother fumbles and accidentally sends Earth back in time one whole year! Everyone but Rel and the other aliens lose all their memories of the past year. The series closes with Rel deciding to give Kojiro the Miracle Belt again.
Again, it was a fine ending, but there were lots of missed opportunities here. They spent way too much time dragging their feet with silly gags rather than doing anything really noteworthy. I'm really curious to see how the manga ends.
I recommend checking it out if you want a silly short gag anime but you might be better off watching Igano Kabamaru instead.
I found out someone finally translated Shouwa Ahozoushi Akanuke Ichiban so I started binging it. For those of you who don’t know, it’s from the same creator as Igano Kabamaru, one of my favorite series.
I’m enjoying it. It’s not as funny as Kabamaru but I still get a good laugh from each episode. The production quality is way better than Kabamaru, despite the fact it only came out a year after. Tatsunoko Pro. really blows Group TAC out of the water. It’s a shame they didn’t produce Kabamaru.
I like Yu Azuki a lot because she draws these really beautiful, flowery comics with extremely lowbrow humor. She’s always making jokes about testicles or poop. Usually not my thing but I can’t help but laugh at how juvenile the humor can be.
Akanuke Ichiban is only 22 episodes so I’ll probably finish it by next week.
Height chart for Igano Kabamaru by Akio Hosoya, scanned from Animedia, Decemeber 1983 issue.
Igano Kabamaru pinup from the December 1983 issue of Animedia. Illustrated by Akio Hosoya, the character designer of the series. Was also used for the cover. I unfortunately had to crop some of it, since my scanner isn’t that big.
Igano Kabamaru model sheet by Akio Hosoya, scanned from Animedia, Decemeber 1983 issue. I’ve never seen these before, so I was really eager to share them! Hosoya doesn’t do Yu Azuki’s art justice, but his style is still very cute. Kabamaru just looks too adorable!