The Freshly-Grated Musical Nerima Daikon Brothers
Speak Softly but Carry a Big Daikon!
by Pedro Rodriguez
Whoops! Wrong plot. Here's the real one...
The Nerima Daikon Brothers is a Blues group that consists of three vocals: Hideki, Ichiro, and their cousin Mako. They often fantasize about building a dome on their daikon (Japanese radish) field so that they can play their music whenever they want - apparently they have never heard Foxworthy's reference to planes and free peanuts. A times the plot thickens when Ichiro tells them about a possible chance to make some big bucks via gossip at the Host Club he works at. Other times fate just steps in and they guys are left wondering why people are stealing their daikon or whacking them in the back of the head; either way, the group finds themselves even further in debt. Once they discover that they have been conned, they go to a rental shop operated by a familiar face (or rather afro). They will be given a random item, and go back to the crook's place, then blow everything up. After that they help themselves to their cash, and split. Too bad they end up losing it all in the end.
While musical numbers have played a part in past titles (Stage lights flashing, the feeling's smashing...), nothing has been done to this extent - the jury is still out on "Only You" - so because this trail has hardly been blazed, Director Shinichi Watanabe (NABESHIN) faced a big challenge. The main issue was pacing. At times it seemed like the story was sidetracked by the songs, or the show falls short on time. Something that isn't helping the series (but not hurting per say), is that the music is instrumental or non-vocal is used repeatedly during the length of the DVD. Now this isn't meant to be discourage you from buying the DVD. While the show probably won't be as memorable as Excel Saga, Nabeshin was able to pull off a successful voyage through uncharted waters. Like its predecessor much of the credit goes to the off beat humor where anything goes and nothing is sacred. With topics such as Korean/Japanese relations to panda love, it seems like the director really isn't afraid to go after anyone just for a laugh. The choreography also played a big role in keeping the momentum, as one should expect. While the same music is used several times, the lyrics and dancing always kept in tune with the episode's theme and kept things from going stale, especially in later episodes.
The group's music, dark suits and sunglasses are an homage to the 1978 group "The Blues Brothers", but they don't share much in common beyond that - not that anyone watching will remember the seventies... much. Each of the members has their own unique personalities. Ichiro's slender figure is similar to Elwood Blues, but while the two of them tend to act more calm than their other halves, Ichiro is in a class of his own. Watching him is like watching Dan Aykroyd on a high dose of Prozac, a shot of Estrogen, with a sensitivity towards Panda Pheromones (no offense to his CM). He also has a gift in attracting women around him along with some men, in fact he tends to be the butt of almost all the gay jokes (no pun intended).
Mako can be quite the drama queen. For example, at one point she is strapped to a bed, but is able to move around during her musical number. In the commentary, the director and technician point out that rather than escaping, she chooses to sing and pine over her impending doom while doing back flips. She also has a thing for money and the things she can buy with them, and possesses no problem blackmailing Hideki to get either.
There isn't anything too special about the character Hideki on the surface. As head of the group, he's the one that fantasizes the most about building the dome. He really has a thing for any woman under the age of 25, including his cousin Mako. He is constantly making passes at her, but is always turned down within a heart beat. Old School Anime fans may also be interested in the fact that Shigeru Matsuzaki is providing the voice for Hideki. This has been his only role in anime since the 1982 movie Space Adventure Cobra, but Katamari fans should be familiar with his song Katamari (On the Swing).
The English version of the show has its moments as well. The script was not without good humor, and as able to keep up with Nabeshin's level of comedy. The writing and acting kept pretty true to the original script, though it still feels rather weird hearing a southern accent in place of Mako's Okayama accent. A big pat on the back also goes to Chris Ayres who was able to bring his experience as a theatrical director to this series.
Anyone who says that ADV fell short on extras has to be insane. First you have the previews, along with the opening and closing credits (text less). Then there are the AD Vid Notes option that explains all the cultural in-jokes along with anything else that you might not pick up on. There is also the option to turn on the lyrics of all the songs as they play in the show. Want more? Great Director Nabeshin sits down with his technician Haruka for a commentary during the first three episodes, and later on has a seat with Shigeru "Cobra" Matsuzaki. If you up for more there is also a musical video featuring the three main voice actors, which should convince you into wanting a live version of the series.
For being the very first "anime musical" this is a pretty good shot. There are times where pacing comes in question, regards to the placement of songs and material overall; however it fits for a 13 episode series. Currently its biggest competition would have to be Pani Poni Dash (also being released by ADV), but when you break it down, the show is still ahead of the rest.
