Hello again, and happy first day of Winter. Well, guess it’s time to do the dub of the Yo-Kai Watch Christmas special. This was one of my choices that was dependent on the sales figures of Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls in the US. As of November 26, the games have only sold a combined 90,000 units; just shy of my threshold of 100,000 in order to so the second movie. Given how it’s taken them almost two months to reach that figure, the results are definitely disappointing to say the least; coming from someone that’s not a fan of the series and a year that’s also seen other anticipated titles end up being disappointments (though I’m still interested in some of them so I can decide for myself. Examples I might pick up include Star Fox Zero, Mighty No. 9 and ReCore).
Of course, the anime hasn’t been doing as well in the US either. Even after Disney XD has burned through about half the episodes they ordered for their second season, the ratings have yet to go past 500,000 viewers at their peak. So, let’s open up “A Very Yo-Kai Christmas” and see whether or not it can be re-gifted or exchanged for a gift card instead.
We open on Nate being sent on an errand by his mother to pick up a cake for their Christmas dinner. OK, that’s admittedly not too bad. I was younger than him when I was sent on errands to the shop; so doing so is acceptable at age 11. I didn’t even have many of the advantages people in his position take for granted these days, but I was around that age when I started helping with shopping, Christmas or otherwise.
On his way to the bakery, he sees a pair of soccer shoes in a store window and anticipates getting them for Christmas. So far, this isn’t that bad.
Of course, Whisper has to act like a discount Grinch or Scrooge by showing his discontent with the season. Please, go away! I’ve had a long night, and your mugging isn’t helping!
His reason for being such a baby depends on which version you watch: in the Japanese version (which I once again watched for a frame of reference), he says it’s because of the “Holy energy”. In the dub, since you apparently can’t say the H-word in a kids’ anime (though the finale of Gravity Falls on the same network was very dark even from my perspective), it’s because of “Christmas spirit.” It’s stuff like this that makes me nostalgic for the likes of Charlie Brown, Frosty and Rudolph (which still air to this day this time of year even after countless other specials have come and gone).
We also run into a nameless couple arguing, who I shall dub Donald and Hillary for the sake of argument (total coincidence, no disrespect intended). Donald questions why Hillary has to “pick apart everything” he says, and Hillary replies that she’s an English major. Hey fellas, those are my lines.
Of course, it’s the result of Dismerelda; who is placated by her husband Happieré (Honobono in Japanese) giving her a present, which also clears the air around Donald and Hillary. Figures. I feel like I put on the pilot again by mistake. This whole year just feels like I’m stuck in a time loop. All that’s missing is me waking up to Cher.
Elsewhere, Yokai from previous episodes (many of which I won’t be covering here) are affecting the consumerism in Springdale. I am well aware that this is first and foremost a spiritual holiday; and I’ve taken the whole salesmanship in recent years to be a more Pagan aspect of the season (I haven’t seen much in the way of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but I have used some of the money I’ve gotten from my relatives to expand my Pokémon and Star Wars collections; and I’m also looking into some Transformers I don’t have yet either).
Despite Whisper’s claim that “the Holidays are dangerous for yokai”, he seems to be the only one that feels like that. In fact, Jibanyan is skipping down the street with a song in his heart. Like I said, Whisper is being a total Scrooge about the matter.
Nate picks up the cake, but is dismayed to find out the baker took a bite out of it due to the influence of the Yo-Kai Grubsnitch. OK, I’m definitely not doing that episode, since I need more to work with than just one joke and a toy.
You know that I’m not a big fan of the dub’s alternate intro by now; so I’m skipping it. I’m listening more to stuff like this instead.
The next segment is entitled “The Koma-Santa Clause.” Hey, there’s a joke I actually get! For the record, I like the first Santa Clause most; the second one is OK, I don’t really care for the third one.
So, they put on some red suits and white beards that were included with their sacks; and they set off while sounding like like Bo and Luke Duke. Yeah, I have no formal opinion on that old show being pulled from the airwaves. Too bad, it was actually pretty silly fun.
The first stop is the home of a little girl who wants a teddy bear; but Koma-Santa (just go with it) wants to give her a pony instead. Noble thought, but what if someone actually wants a pony? What will happen then?
Fortunately, Santa-jiro (bear with me) switches the pony with the toy she really wants. Nice save, buddy.
After coming to a fork in the road; the two decide to split up and deliver the rest of the toys before morning, so they can cover more ground. While I normally don’t address the Komasan segments in these recaps on the grounds that I find them more interesting than the main ones with Nate, Jibanyan and Whisper, since Christmas is coming; I thought I would make an exception.
Also, one of the toys that gets delivered appears to a variant of an Optimus Prime toy. I still intend to recap more Transformers anime next year to help get ready for The Last Knight. Some I like, some I don’t; some to definitely prove that Michael Bay isn’t the only one who can make a work of fiction about a toy a parable for robotic civil war and a vessel for youth and nerd product positioning at the same time!
With just a few minutes left to spare before midnight, Komajiro even gives Komasan a coin purse to to help clear up space in his bag! Very nice, and practical too! I may consider getting a new billfold soon as well; since mine has seen a bit of mileage and I’m kind of tempted to use this Batman V Superman paper craft one I got in a Lootcrate a while ago.
Admittedly. the first two segments of this anime have been at least serviceable; with the Komasan and Komajiro segment having an advantage over the main one because of a simpler story structure and characters that actually seem like characters and not just toys. I actually wouldn’t have such a problem with the whole thing if the main segments were more like this.
Sadly, this is not to be; as we’re right back in the mess with the third and final segment; regarding “Yo-Kai Old Saint Trick.” I much prefer the robotic “Annual Gift Man” that lives on the Moon.
This bit opens with Nate returning home with the cake, conveniently ignoring the first bit ended with the baker taking a bite out of it! Consistency? What’s that?
For some reason, Mrs. Adams asks Nate what they’re having for dinner, giving him a choice of fried chicken; tuna casserole or Japanese takeout. Stop the presses, they actually used the J-word in this dub!
Confused by the way his mother is acting, Whisper than suggests that maybe she made all three dishes in the spirit of the season! What an odd thing to say.
Then all of a sudden, it turns into a game of Who Wants to be A Millionaire. Hey, there’s another joke I actually get!
Nate correctly answers fried chicken, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she also had a bunch of mashed potatoes and gravy; hot buttermilk biscuits and enough Pepsi to fuel a night in watching Doctor Who and playing Super Smash Bros!
We then get another such bit, where the Yo-Kai version of Santa Claus; Old Saint Trick is revealed! He’s quite different from the original folklore and the jolly old fellow who’s on my Coke bottles this time of year; though he’s at least not as troublesome as Sinterklaas’ lesser-known antithesis, the Krampus (though the movie last year helped bring him to a wider audience before it was quickly overshadowed by Star Wars Episode VII).
However, through some comic miscommunication; Whisper and Jibanyan then get sucked into a couple of his bags, and the third contains the soccer shoes Nate wants so much! Yeah, I’m personally thinking about getting some new kicks myself; still working one freshening up my wardrobe for 2017 (as per usual, the shoes that have seen mileage since the start of this year will most likely be kept for yard work and sentimental reasons).
Nate tries looking determined; but it’s just making me use this Mr. Plinkett clip again.
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Nate, being an impulsive 11-year-old; chooses the bag with the shoes, but Old Saint Trick keeps them and returns the yokai, and gives him his medal! He just couldn’t leave this anime without another toy plug, could he? Also, as someone who is just about done with their shopping; most of the tie-in merchandise hasn’t really moved in my area. I have also expanded my reference points towards shops in Eugene; and close to every time I’ve visited the shops there; barely any of the toys or games related to the franchise have sold. Apart from the NES Classic Edition, most of the toys that people seem to be picking up for the season are things related to Rogue One, Doctor Strange, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers (shipments for merchandise of both the film reboot and Ninja Steel are slowly trickling in my area) and DC Comics. Minecraft and Five Nights at Freddy’s also have a decent following in these parts. Bringing up the Z-Ring seems kind of like overkill; but virtually every place I’ve been to has only had a few in stock, making me glad I ordered mine as soon as I could (I just need to put new AAA batteries in it, and I’ll really be in business).
More on how the claim of this crap being “the next Pokémon” is now null and void in a moment; but for now, I might as well start wrapping this up like some gifts to my family.
While Nate is glad to get a new soccer ball and uniform; he is dismayed that his grandmother got him this statue. As for this Japanese shogun being retained when the setting was changed from Japan to Idaho; I once again refer you to this SF Debris quote: “By calling attention to the elephant in the room, they’ve unwittingly drawn attention to the mammoth standing next to it.”
Of course, we close on Nate getting the shoes as he falls asleep that night. Even in what’s admittedly one of the better episodes I’ve seen; I can’t really go so far as to praise it. Not when I can see an ending like this coming from Portland.
Even with my odd traditions around this time of year; I can’t really be too mad at this anime. At the same time, however, even I can understand why many fans are disappointed even if I don’t share their enthusiasm. While Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls heavily hint at the third game; the idea of getting it localized at all is in my book, a much tougher prospect than just trying to rework it. Under normal circumstances, I would just go with “Occam’s razor” to describe why things didn’t go as planned for the series here: The simplest explanation is probably the correct one. Unfortunately, much like our political transition this year, these are not normal circumstances.
This isn’t the same thing as trying to bring a game that’s a cult favorite to the US in chances of getting a wider audience: this is, for intents and purposes, a Japanese phenomenon that hasn’t clicked with people here on a broad level. Once again, Pokémon has retained its stranglehold on many players young and old; while Yo-Kai Watch seems to be further headed towards a date wth Bakugan, Redakai and Monsuno.
On that note, I feel like I’ve failed Level-5 in many ways; but in others I feel like the fans are trying to sell me a velvet painting of Elvis Presley and telling me it’s Picasso’s “Guernica.” While I admit I’m still willing to at least play the sequels before I officially pass judgment on them (even though I traded in the first game back towards Sun and Moon, I’m keeping the data on my SD card in case I do pick them up soon); I just feel that people keep trying to tell me a game I find passable at best is great. I’m sorry, Hino: Ni No Kuni is awesome, and that’s the nicest thing I can say about the Yo-Kai Watch video games.
“A Very Yo-Kai Christmas,” however; still doesn’t provide enough for me to officially give praise to anything other than the animation. The story doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done a thousand times before, and Nate is a protagonist that seems content in the truth of averageness rather than willing to challenge himself and grow as a character.
I guess I’m just too used to my childhood anime heroes. Characters like Ash Ketchum, Yugi Moto, Son Goku and the many Digidestined “goggle-heads” helped teach me universal values of right and wrong and being prepared to protect the ones they care for; no matter the cost. When a protagonist would rather have a pair of cleats than creatures he claims are his friends, how am I as a viewer supposed to apply my 11-year-old-self to his stead? If anything, the anime has furthered my appreciation for Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” and its lead of Chihiro Ogino, who has more identifiable flaws and sympathetic qualities to endear her to me; especially through her journey as the persona of bathhouse worker “Sen.” Most of all, the “if you don’t like it, don’t watch it” argument really fails when Disney XD airs the series from anywhere to an hour to hours on end every day in a manner that shames Nickelodeon’s obsession with SpongeBob reruns and Cartoon Network milking Teen Titans Go for all they can; only those shows at least have some capacity to make me laugh. If you were in my shoes, how long would it take you to see what’s on demand or on Netflix?
Well, I know what I’m going to do next to wash my hands of this fluff. I’m going to play my replacement copy of Pokémon X; watch the extended cut of Suicide Squad I just got on Blu-Ray; and work on my next recap. Check back with me Christmas Eve for my look at another banned episode of Pokémon: “The Ice Cave!” See you, space cowboy!
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