Dr. Slump...
Around the time that Urusei Yatsura was making a splash in the U.S., I had heard about Dr. Slump...
Arale is sweet and innocent and and her creator is decidedly less so. One of the notable things about Dr. Slump is that Arale tends to say and do whatever she wants -- she as no filters or inhibitions whatsoever. But, in keeping with her sweet nature, Arale never does anything mean or vindictive. The humor is rumored to be rather blue in stark contrast to the sweet appearance of the series, but, in fact, the humor is quite tame. Aside from a few picked noses and some poops, there isn't really anything wholly objectionable. By the way, I find it fascinating to hear Toshio Furukawa's distinctive voice, which was used for Ataru in Urusei Yatsura, being employed in Dr. Slump. Even though his work on Dr. Slump predates Urusei Yatsura, it was the latter series which was released first in the U.S.
Of course, Space Adventure, the second movie in the set, has to be my favorite -- it's a comedic mashup of Space Battleship Yamato and Astroboy complete with some very nice production values and even Superman makes an appearance. Obviously, Dr. Slump isn't for everyone, but, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I've heard of Dr. Slump and looked forward to the U.S. release. In my humble opinion, clearly, the second movie, Space Adventure, got all the love, making the remaining movies in the set pale in comparison. Overall, I appreciated visiting Arale and the other members of Penguin Village, but, I have to admit that the experience was somewhat underwhelming. I would give Dr. Slump a 2 out of 5.
At the time when Urusei Yatsura was starting to be released in the U.S., there was no hope of ever seeing a similar U.S. release for Dr. Slump, but, at long last, a handful of Dr. Slump movies were finally released. Of course, they had to come home with me. I heard about the series a while back, but, had never actually seen any of the series until recently. Dr. Slump is a comedy series that follows the misadventures of the little girl robot, Arale Norimaki, her creator, Senbei Norimaki, and the other residents of Penguin Village. This is classic animation from the 1980s, so, those of you who are not fans of vintage anime should stay away as the passage of time has not been kind to Dr. Slump.Senbei Norimaki created Arale, the most precocious little girl robot... which means Penguin Village won't be so quiet and peaceful any more! Possessing super strength and being naive about the ways of humans, Arale explores life with her creator the only way she knows how - with lots of wacky hijinks, puns, and toilet humor!
Whether it be searching for the ingredients to a love potion, rescuing Senbei's sweetheart from space, running in a grand race, finding treasure that makes dreams come true, or visiting a mechanical city, there's never a dull moment in Penguin Village with Arale and Dr. Slump!
Arale is sweet and innocent and and her creator is decidedly less so. One of the notable things about Dr. Slump is that Arale tends to say and do whatever she wants -- she as no filters or inhibitions whatsoever. But, in keeping with her sweet nature, Arale never does anything mean or vindictive. The humor is rumored to be rather blue in stark contrast to the sweet appearance of the series, but, in fact, the humor is quite tame. Aside from a few picked noses and some poops, there isn't really anything wholly objectionable. By the way, I find it fascinating to hear Toshio Furukawa's distinctive voice, which was used for Ataru in Urusei Yatsura, being employed in Dr. Slump. Even though his work on Dr. Slump predates Urusei Yatsura, it was the latter series which was released first in the U.S.
Of course, Space Adventure, the second movie in the set, has to be my favorite -- it's a comedic mashup of Space Battleship Yamato and Astroboy complete with some very nice production values and even Superman makes an appearance. Obviously, Dr. Slump isn't for everyone, but, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I've heard of Dr. Slump and looked forward to the U.S. release. In my humble opinion, clearly, the second movie, Space Adventure, got all the love, making the remaining movies in the set pale in comparison. Overall, I appreciated visiting Arale and the other members of Penguin Village, but, I have to admit that the experience was somewhat underwhelming. I would give Dr. Slump a 2 out of 5.
