Well now, I must confess that I’m rather enjoying Shinya! Tensai Bakabon.  Comedy either clicks for you or it doesn’t and this does for me so far, but I could very easily see where it’s not going to for everybody.  Including some fans of Osomatsu-san, because while Bakabon keeps highlighting the links between the two series (not least all the crossover seiyuu), and there are some obvious Akatsuka-isms running through both, the humor’s style is quite recognizable different here.

Among the notable developments this week:

• We meet another Matsu – Sakurai Takahiro, though this times he’s playing Unagi-Inu.  Yes, that name is truth in advertising – this is indeed an eel-dog – and Sakurai is having quite a blast with the character.
• Papa is too lazy to do an episode, so he decides that there should be a recap episode.  Unagi-Inu quite rightly points out that this is only Week 2, but Papa is unfazed (and gets a few digs in at modern anime production schedules.
• So much liver with chives!
• That whole commentary thing…  It really shouldn’t have struck me as funny as it did, but I found that utterly hilarious.
• When the van’s a rockin’ – pull out the “nice boat”?  Yes, they really went there.
• The mixer was quite disturbing on so many levels, but anything involving Honkan-san seems to be.  He’s truly disgusting.
• That Roppongi Hills gag was totally not a joke.  100% realistic.
• The one guy that gets introduced as one of the Matsuno brothers (Papa) is one of the few cast members actually not played by one of the Matsuno brothers.  Oh, well.