Me and the Alien MuMu is one of those rare shows where I like pretty much every character. I’d have to say, though, that Tenkubashi is possibly my favorite. The two leads are great, don’t get me wrong. But among the supporting cast at least I’d have to call Prez and Siberia (if I have to find something to criticize, “needs moar Siberia” would probably be it) my favorites. I can say with confidence that Kiiuchi Hidenobu (a great seiyuu generally, who finally got to unleash his native Kansai-ben this week) is going to be in the conversation when Oscar time rolls around.
This was definitely one of Tenkubashi’s strongest episodes, though he’s already had a few big weeks. We start off with the gang headed off to kindergarten to help with the storytelling hour (to pad their resumes, the teacher points out). I’ve helped out in Japanese youchien before, and this chapter hit home in a lot of ways. The problem, essentially, is that the jaded generation of five year-olds is totally unreceptive to recycled folktale material (Western or Japanese, no difference). It’s a conundrum – help is needed, but from who?
Whenever help is needed in Uchuujin MuuMuu, it tends to be Tenkubashi who gets the call (which is one of the things I love about him). As it turns out Tamotsu (who lost all that weight via a cold and stress over his chubby-chaser “girlfriend” dumping him) has roped the others into this because said girlfriend is the main volunteer liaison. Prez has the bright idea to dazzle the kids with technology-based fiction, but there are quite a few false starts in the attempt to re-frame the classics for a new generation.
Finally “The Three Little Pigs” is commissioned, and the concept of straw blocks for building purposes is introduced. MuuMuu is on-board as the big bad wolf (the girls are enthralled, the boys cynical). Miwa has interjected herself in classic Miwa fashion, and as she and Akihiro are both piggies the girls are thrilled with her improv (BL and wincest). As is so often the case with these sorts of things some of the funniest moments come from the differences between boys and girls (which in broad terms I can say the series gets pretty much right).
Tenkubashi gets a call in the midst of his arguments with the boys (who’re outraged that the wolf didn’t get technological equivalency). Next time we see him it’s on the phone, in a suit. The others are doing New Year’s cleaning at the Human Regeneration Study Group (he always disappears for this but this time has a good excuse) and find a mysterious video tape labeled “Kyoko, 30 years old”. Rokugo-kun (who as we know has a weakness for such things) assumes its some sort of legendary underground sex tape and is desperate to play it (as are MuuMuu and Decimaru). But he has no idea what the hell it is, and neither do the other zygotes in the club.
Who you gonna call? You know who. As depressing as it is, these kids not even recognizing a VHS tape is totally realistic. But of course I knew it wasn’t, and as the Prez tries to remotely guide them to the right player we get a hilarious retelling of the video tape wars. It’s not VHS, it’s not Betamax. So what the heck is it? Well, it’s “Hi8” – which, I have to confess, is a name even I’ve never heard before. I’m not sure Hi8 ever made it outside Japan (as usual Sony was integral in all this), and it was pretty quickly superseded by Digital8 (which I just about barely remember). It goes in the camcorder, and the camcorder gets cabled to the old TV. So finally Tamotsu can watch his porno – except that’s not what it turns out to be at all.
It soon becomes clear that this is not a sex tape, but some sort of home movie. And that the star – Wataru-kun – is in fact the President. Wataru was an inveterate inventor from an early age, but his attempts here (like using the washing machine as a dishwasher and a “pet-washing” machine designed by the Spanish Inquisition) are pretty disastrous. But they’re all designed to help his mom – who’s suffering from sort sort of degenerative illness that’s robbing her of her mobility. Wataru is desperate to do anything he can to help, right down to a motorized “walking machine” that I was sure was going to lead to tragedy.
It’s hardly a surprise that Tenkubashi-san was desperate for the others not to watch the tape, once he realized what it was. Especially as his mother, as it turns out, is a dead ringer for Sonoko-san. His reputation as a calculating and ruthless fellow (which was already more debunked than he realizes) would go up in smoke. It seems, in fact, that we’re headed for a tragic ending. But as it turns out Wataru is just a guy clueless enough to wear a black suit and tie to a wedding (I’m guessing because they’re the only ones he owns). Still, it’s one of the more serious turns Uchuujin MuuMuu has taken, and it was pulled off very successfully.
