It would be hard to imagine a show being ignored more thoroughly (in the West) than Kai Byoui Ramune, but Tenchi Souzou Design-bu fits the bill. As far as I know I’m the only online presence even talking about it (apologies to those I’ve surely missed) and even here, the posts generate no discussion. To me this series is way smarter and funnier than the Cells at Work franchise, with which it shares some structural and thematic similarities, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Smart and funny is a good combination.
- Good scientific content – that bit about why you wouldn’t be able to see if you yourself were invisible (it’s the retinas). I feel as if I should have known that but I don’t think I did.
- Throughout that whole sketch I kept thinking “This is a really interesting take on this series’ God, because you realize that he’s watching and seeing everything we are though we never see and rarely hear him”. And then Shimoda made exactly the the right comment – that the animal they were designing sounded a lot like God.
- “Kenta-kun’s First Love” was a hilarious chapter on so many levels. And it’s always great to see Inoue Kazuhiko get the chance to really stretch, because he’s an absolutely amazing actor.
- That alien design was a great template for a discourse on evolution. I love the way we see the give and take here – every advantageous trait has a trade-off somewhere. In biology there are no free rides – it’s a matter of which trait offers the most survival advantage, and literally adapting to the environment.
- The bit about the importance of the sternum was especially interesting. Again, very good science.
- Elephants hearing with their feet – again, should’ve known that and didn’t. Anime as education. Edutainment?
- The only thing standing between the owl being cute as heck and being terrifyingly creepy is feathers. As you know if you’ve watched a lot of owl videos.
- Finally, the denouement – the horned owl. Its decorative “horns” seem to serve no purpose except being cute – and this is written off to God being mysterious. A nice morsel of food for thought to close on.
Riv
February 20, 2021 at 12:51 pmI’ve been enjoying this show every week. It’s great fun, and like you, I’m learning a lot. This week’s wasn’t my favorite episode, but I did enjoy the whole development of the owl. And every time Shimoda gasps out “God has spoken!” it makes me laugh.
Guardian Enzo
February 20, 2021 at 1:52 pmGod actually said more than that this week – “I feel you”. Is this the first time?
Yukie
February 20, 2021 at 5:53 pmAgree that this is definitely smarter writing and better execution than Cell’s at Work, which got quite predictable and repetitive. I love how this show goes into the questions we might have had (like why do zebras have stripes) and even those we’ve never ever wondered about (the similarities between a horse and the bat) to deliver the science. It’s also super creative how they draw upon the quirks of these characters to show a natural progression of plot and surmise the ideas behind each animal’s design. Definitely enjoying this show a lot.
Collectr
February 20, 2021 at 10:15 pmAlthough the designers aren’t getting much development, and the sudden Westernization of their names was a mistake, they’re still a varied and entertaining bunch; the team interplay rings true. It’s mostly a smile rather than a LOL show, but the occasional big jokes always seem to land. This week’s sequence on the owl and its excellent hearing and stealthy flying was quite good, although, sadly, they omitted the skeletal adaptations needed to make it light enough for flight despite its seemingly large body mass. And a tarsier is always a source of humor – remember the tarsier doctor in Shirokuma Cafe?
Guardian Enzo
February 21, 2021 at 12:16 amI didn’t until you mentioned it!
Magewolf
February 21, 2021 at 11:30 amAfter the first episode I thought it would turn into a one trick pony but they have done a great job at tweaking the plot of each episode even though they are doing basically the same thing every time. And they have done a great job of picking animals to show off.
nathan
February 21, 2021 at 11:07 pmI’ve been reading your posts for a few seasons now and really enjoy your writing! I’ve started trusting your opinions on shows that I’ve never heard of but you post positively about- and I’m super glad I gave this show a shot! It’s been so enjoyable and with everything that’s airing this season, I’m finding myself looking forward to it almost most (give or take a Laid-Back Camp S2).
Guardian Enzo
February 21, 2021 at 11:11 pmAlways great to hear that, Nathan – thanks!