I’m so very happy this isn’t the series review post I assumed I was going to be writing this week. My esteem for Uchuujin MuuMuu has been steadily growing all season, and I’m at the point now where it’s one of my most anticipated watches of the week. It’s just so weird, in a good way. There’s no half-measures with the irreverence – the buy-in is total. And one of my favorite aspects of it is that there’s no self-aware calling attention to it – random stuff is just happening all the time as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. And with this series, it is.
Another great thing is the cat cast. MuuMuu, Decimaru, and Siberia are great comic characters generally. But what I really love is that, despite their obvious anthropomorphism, they retain a distinct “catitude” to them. They mannerisms are totally feline, in spite of their nature. Maru is one who’s really grown on me as he’s gotten more run. It’s adorable that he’s fallen in love with Sakurako – to the point where he’s jealous of Akihiro when he gets too close to her.
Speaking of Akihiro, we learn an extremely interesting thing about him this week – he’s the son of the minister for travel and infrastructure and something-or-other. That’s why Decimaru is with him in the first place – he was trying to infiltrate the minister’s house and wound up getting taken in by the son. Which sort of helps explain his standoffish attitude towards Akihiro. It’s like there’s a love triangle here with Akihiro, Decimaru, and Sakurako. Except that Akihiro is in love with both of them.
Sakurako, Maru, and MuuMuu meet up with Siberia and Anamori-san to plot next steps after thee events of last week. What really sells this scene is that it takes place in “Animal Cafe Boo!“, which is a mashup of every kind of weird animal cafe in this country. Nobody talks about it – that’s just where it is. MuuMuu and Maru post a pic on their rebranded Oyster channel, which Akihiro sees and comes a-running. He’s extremely peeved to see Decimaru sitting on Anamori’s lap (a privilege he’s presumably never enjoyed). Decimaru then goes for a ride (and a nap) on the cafe’s robot vacuum. Seeing this as a way to his beloved’s heart, Akihiro asks the attendant where this “cat car” can be purchased (that had me on the floor). This guy really is clueless with anything tech.
That segues into the first appliance lecture of the week, on the subject of robot vacuums and pet hair. It also leads to Sakurako suggesting that the Human Regenerative Society probably has some robot vacs in the clubroom. The hospitalized prez drafts Sakurako into guiding Akihiro through the process so he doesn’t make a disaster of it. After this the B-part finds MuuMuu and Sakurako using a real cat car, racing the local guttersnipes at the electronics superstore. In a bid to power up they go to the club for help, and Tenkubashi-san sends them on an errand to fetch his preferred coffee from the machine in the basement of the old school building.
The vacuum sorted, the focus shifts to batteries. Manganese (old-school) and alkaline to be precise. Necessary because a small quake has stopped the elevator and there’s no reception in the basement. MuuMuu suggests sending Cat Ride out with a cup and string to fetch help, but insists that only a proper Japanese-made alkaline battery (so screw you, Daiso) can be trusted to guide the little vehicle on its mission. Miwa gets drawn into this, faking a sprained ankle when she thinks Akihiro has come to check on her. The interesting element of this is the implication that Miwa is a virgin – which, you know, seems out of synch with the way she carries herself. And has her cycle set into her smart watch to let her know when it’s safe to…
There’s nothing remotely serious about all this – it’s just inspired silliness. I loved MuuMuu’s suggestion that if Sakurako couldn’t hold it in till rescue came, to go in the corner (she chugged both cups of coffee) and blame it on the cat. Amazingly his car caper works, rescue is procured, and Sakurako and MuuMuu have their revenge model car match and humiliate the brats. There is still that whole alien invasion thing to worry about, but in this environment it’s very easy to get distracted.
