Onsen episode, check.
Work “vacations” have a justifiably checkered reputation, and Tenchi Souzou Design-bu hits on that here. I’ve come to understand that this series is a workplace satire every bit as much as it is a riff on biology, which may be why I find it so much more engaging than the Cells at Work mythology. I’ve also come to understand over the years that many workplace situations are universal between America and Japan (Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san is another great educator in that respect). Often when the company offers to send you on a trip, it’s just a front to get you to a place where you can work without “distractions”. So I don’t blame the design-bu for being skeptical.
- A couple of nice movie parodies here, starting of course with Alien. What real creature was that supposedly based on?
- Onsen rotemburo are so much better when it’s snowing, no question about it.
- Next up, of course, is Sharknado. That’s a film I would gave thought wasn’t well-known in Japan, which leads me to think that the mangaka here is a pop culture geek (which I kind of suspected already).
- Sharks are one of nature’s coolest creations, no doubt about it.
- Never knew that thing about the flamingo’s and the males regurgitating blood-red milk, though I was aware of the “you are the color you eat” element. The murder mystery spoof was low-key effective.
- Squirrels and rattlesnakes – California Ground Squirrels, to be precise. Another very American bit of esoterica in this series, which is interesting to see.
- Are squirrels cute? I mean, they’re basically rats with bushy tails – but a lot of folks seem to squee over them.
- “The Dragon Palace” has to be the name of a Chinese restaurant – or rather about a million Chinese restaurants – doesn’t it?
