Yo-Kai Watch to Air on Disney XD. May Heaven have mercy on us all.

I am well aware that I just posted a recap and am working on another one; but I feel I need to address this.

Earlier today, off the heels of the Yo-Kai Watch video game coming stateside; the anime will follow suit on Disney XD.

With the theme song given much of its tune to telling the misfortune the yokai cause; it just seems like noise compared to the Pokémon theme, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, or the 1987 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It also furthers my belief that the series is going to be ripped apart by the editing scissors. It's not like calling the doriyaki in Doraemon "yummy buns"; there are likely going to be extensive edits for content. On top of that, when Pokémon first came out; kids didn't need the premise explained to them.

As the seeds of this rivalry continue to grow; I shall state the following: I went into Man of Steel expecting to like it; and sure enough, my expectations were not only met, but by all means exceeded.




By contrast, despite being unfamiliar with the source material; I was thoroughly surprised by Guardians of the Galaxy.



Even so, I don't see the series being the Pokémon successor everyone is hyping it as; given my predilection for that series. Not when the series is 50 episodes and a movie in at minimum; and the plot revolving yokai hasn't gotten deeper than messing up your house. No, really. My guess is most kids in the target audience for Yo-Kai Watch will instead watch Star Wars Rebels and Gravity Falls.

So, onto my look at some InuYasha for my dog phase of my Chinese Zodiac theme. See you, space cowboy.

Recap: Yokai Dictionary/Himoji/Wasurenbo

Hello again. Another E3 has come and gone. What did you all think of it? I can honestly say the coming year is going to be one of the biggest ones in gaming ever. Some of my highly anticipated games include the likes of Star Wars Battlefront, Kingdom Hearts III; Guitar Hero Live, Rock Band 4; Star Fox Zero; Mario and Luigi Paper Jam, Metroid Prime Federation Force; and big surprises like the Final Fantasy VII remake and Shenmue III being funded by Kickstarter (which set a new record).

Even so; it also means I’ve been given an official US release date for Yo-Kai Watch. The time is at hand for me to go about a recap with my usual style; very bluntly explaining why this concept probably won’t work in America the way it does in Japan. So, let’s get this started. 

The first segment of the episode I have chosen, “Yokai Dictionary” is going to be exhibit A for my problems with this anime. It starts up with the issue of Keita’s (I’m not calling him Nathan until I see this shit come stateside officially) room being a complete mess. 

And here we go.

His mother thereupon orders him to clean it up by the time she comes back.

The first step is to put away the Yokai Medals, which he just casually dumps in his drawer. Whisper describes the whole thing as “super half-heartedly.” That’s actually a good description of this anime.

He says he should be more careful with his friends. “Friends” is a bit of a strong word. Let’s just settle for “acquaintances;” that they’ve met at least.

He gives him the titular Yokai Dictionary; which immediately paints the segment as having a greater desire to sell toys rather than explain what the Yokai do and why Keita acts worse than Jake Lloyd after a traffic arrest. 

Is it OK to say this kid sucks?

When Whisper objects to his attitude, it only gives me further incentive to play Cinema Sins with the anime.

Whisper is a dick to Keita.

Of course, this messing around does not please Mrs. Amano at all; to the point where she becomes Demon Mama!

Sing the best song in the world and I'll let you keep your soul!

This turns Keita and Whisper into abstract art. Why do I have a sudden urge to watch Zetsubou-Sensei?

Now I must address how the premise is being handled. In a stark contrast to this screen cap; Nintendo is claiming that “Yo-Kai are not ghosts, monsters, or spirits. Yo-Kai are simply Yo-Kai.” This could prove unwieldy in the long run; as Yokai are in fact all of these things. The fact that they’re attempting to differentiate these from Yokai is proof that the term in itself is virtually unknown to Americans; which is a shame, since I find their mythology fascinating.

Once again; the theme song urges me to “laugh out loud.” This is going to be another problem: the style of humor is highly Japanese, so are American kids going to understand if they should laugh? Granted, I love how batshit insane stuff like Bobobo-Bobobobo is; but I was a might late to the party on that one. 

We get the next segment, “Himoji” to demonstrate exhibit B: much like “Jinbanyan’s Secret;” it’s proof that the course of action they’re taking is wasting the potential of the series on insipid comedy; when it has the potential for darker elements and treating its Yokai like characters, not just merchandise. 

Keita addresses Fumiko (again, if I do decide to play the games; I’m picking her, since the anime has essentially ruined Keita for me); who is partaking in a massive hot dog.

When Whisper is surprised at this, I must point out a common criticism of my associate, Mr. Enter: Pointing out your problems doesn’t make them go away!

Anyway, Fumiko worries if she’ll get fat. Personally, I like ladies with a little meat on their bones.

Keita rather tactlessly comments on this. My word, you’re an idiot. The answer is always no to that question, even when it’s yes! Especially when it’s yes!

Rather than own up to his mistake and apologize, Keita instead decides to blame the whole thing on a Yokai! Our hero, ladies and gentlemen!

They find the culprit in front of a convenience store. Look, I’ve seen Clerks. I expect a bit more for convenience store comedy.

He accuses the Yokai of making everyone go in, buy something and eat carelessly. Isn’t that the whole point of a convenience store? A large part of my diet involves huge Pepsis and Cosmic Brownies!

We are then formally introduced to Himoji, a Yokai of the Pokapoka class. I may not like this show; but I still try to learn about it to make sure I’m not talking out of my ass. 

Whisper insinuates that “every misconduct that’s the case of women’s anger is this Yokai’s fault.” That’s sexist, and I recapped “Princess VS Princess”.

Whisper then asks if Keita will go with force or negotiation. If this was Persona 3, he’d be eating bullets to decide this.

Whisper then encourages Keita to “go kick his ass.” That’s not gonna fly on American TV, largely because we have different standards on what’s acceptable for children than Japan does. We had to put Death Note on Adult Swim after all.

Keita tells Himoji it’s not nice to make someone buy something and eat carelessly. Tell that to Frito-Lay and Nabisco.

When this fails; he tries to come up with a new tactic. Perhaps you should try the Lamby dance.

He decides to summon Bakuroba, a Yokai from a previous episode to get Himoji to explain himself.

Only $9.95, while supplies last!

It turns out in what’s actually a very sad backstory; Himoji was once a real senior citizen who bought his granddaughter a teddy bear in that store.

While they were once very close, as the years went by; she drifted apart from him until he died and became a Yokai. Again, why can’t things like this be the focus? The best works in the genre include darker applications of Yokai in works like Princess Mononoke and YuYu Hakusho. If you want to make a merchandise-driven show, that’s fine; but why can’t we have more things about a Yokai seeing his granddaughter for the first time in years and making peace with himself?

Even so, Keita still manages to bungle his relationship with Fumiko by making fun of her weight again. Great job, dickhead. 

We now reach exhibit C in this trilogy of errors; “Wasurenbo.”

We get the appearance of Kuma’s mother bringing him his lunch; addressing his as Goro; which the subtitles point out means “rolling.” Skip it, I know what Goro means!

Kuma then bluntly tells his mother not to call him that. Still not as badass as Indiana Jones gunning down Nazis when he asks his father not to call him Junior.

Don't call me Junior!

This leads to further ridicule from his classmates, including his supposed friend Kanchi. Is there anyone in this anime who isn’t a total ass?

What do you know, it turns out Kanchi’s bag is empty. You know, like your head!

Whisper even points out Keita is missing his bag. Aren’t you supposed to be his butler, dick sauce? That’s what he calls himself, and the US release is giving him a British accent that’s about as convincing as Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen’s eastern European accents in Ultron; only those characters are actually well-written!

Even the teacher has forgotten to get dressed for the day!

Oh no! I think I left the water running at home!

We are then introduced to Wasurenbo of the Fushigi class; who can erase people’s memories. He can erase my memory of this dreck. 

He then latches onto Whisper. And I thought my jokes were bad. 

This of course, erases his memory. Do you take your audience for fools? 

He even manages to erase Fumiko’s memory of the last episode. That’s going to be a key reason why this probably won’t work in the US. Despite the zany antics, the plot is not as easy for a child here to follow as a 10-year-old kid and his electric mouse friend catching all sorts of colorful creatures and having them engage in battle. This goes back to my rundown of the franchise to this point, people.

Even so, he laments the fact that humans easily erase stuff from their memory. I beg to differ, I’ve seen Inside Out, which shows it isn’t that easy.

Keith then summons Jinmenken to settle things. At least his stories are somewhat more interesting, which admittedly isn’t saying much. 

Due to his memory being too painful for him, Wasurenbo then surrenders to Keita. For the sake of argument, I am omitting the Jinmenken segment involving him being a hairdresser to talk about how the prospects for the franchise in the US don’t look all that promising for this holiday season.

As I mentioned above; the gaming market looks to be one of the most competitive ever over the coming year. The titles I mentioned are going to make the game VERY hard to stand out in a crowded market; even among the company that’s publishing it. My guess is that most kids that are in the target audience for Yo-Kai Watch will want to play Mario Maker instead.

As for the anime; I must once again reiterate the threshold of what’s acceptable for kids in Japan is much higher than it in the US. Fist of the North Star? Kids’ show in Japan. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure? Kids’ show in Japan. Sword Art Online? Kids’ show in Japan. The US pitch alone indicates that there are going to be numerous edits and rewrites made.

With all this on the table, there is a distinct possibility the series will fail in the US. The fact that Inazuma Eleven; another Level-5 property, only has a small niche compared to being a nationwide phenomenon in Japan certifies this; as does the fact that Doraemon barely got a second season here despite being synonymous with Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny there.

The one silver lining in all this is that I now have something to detox with in advance. Next time, my Chinese Zodiac theme continues with the dog phase; and a look at some InuYasha! See you, space cowboy! 

Recap: Go West Young Meowth

Hello again, and welcome to the second half of my Meowth double whammy. As I’m headed to California to see my father again; I think it would only be apropos that I cover an episode that deals with Meowth and his experience there. It’s also on my list of my favorite Kanto episodes. So, let’s open up “Go West Young Meowth.”

Once again, no need to introduce the Pokémon theme. Just let the opening lyrics speak for themselves. 

I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was!

We open proper on everyone getting ready for the Pokémon League. Once again, I must point that I don’t do tournament arcs. Apart from the obvious reasons; they would be way too time-consuming to write. I’ve been under enough self-imposed time crunches as it is. 

They get an invitation to go see a movie they starred in; in none other than Hollywood, California!

Even though Ash wants to train, he does eventually agree to come with. Yet, this is not the main event of this episode.

Team Rocket is already there; and we get Meowth, who tells of his past here. 

We then get our nice and simple title card to help lead us off.

It turns out in the past; Meowth was a hungry drifter that was driven to eating baseballs. The team did not take kindly to this, and they had him lynched!

That night, he sees a film that inspires him to go to California. Forget caviar wishes and champagne dreams: he’s content with ice cream and fried chicken. 

Everyone else arrives in Hollywood; and their fantasy is filled with as much neon as Batman Forever.

Even Delia can join the fun; doing her best Marilyn Monroe impression! They do this a lot in anime. Another example I can think of is in Spirited Away; where Haku is trying to distract the people on the bridge as he’s trying to hide Chihiro.

Then it’s revealed their reality is much more downtrodden. Well, that is a typical California street; and that’s a typical California movie theater as well! Maybe this was more prescient than I gave it credit for.

Then, the director of the piece, Cleavon Spielbunk is there to greet them. Clearly, Steven Spielberg’s non-union Japanese equivalent!

As a result, we see more of how Meowth often foraged for food; under the tutelage of a streetwise Persian.

He’s quickly smitten by a spoiled Meowzie; but I cannot identify her master. Just look at it. While it didn’t stand out at me much as a kid; that design is freaky. It looks like a Fraggle mixed with a Zontaran!

She even has a diamond-studded Poké Ball!

I also like this bit on the license plate; which has his Pokédex number and part of his Japanese name, Nyarth on it. 

He comes by an old house, where an unseen couple is fighting in typical upper-middle class white angst; certified by films of that time like American Beauty, Fight Club; and their kin. 

It turns out Meowth used to be in the loft above what used to be dance studio.

Ceiling Meowth is watching you dance.

He also busies himself with an alphabet book; and here is where we learned how he learned to talk like a Chicagoland gangster!

This is all set to a localized version of the “Meowth’s Party” ending. You must know that ending themes typically aren’t dubbed here; usually replaced with the opening again or outright cut for commercials. So as a kid, this was my first exposure to the whole thing.

It even goes by so much the seasons change. Still more plausible than when Bella Swan did it. 

One night, it dawns on him: he’s done it! He can walk and talk like a human!

He goes to tell Meowzie, who still rejects him because of all this.

Later on, Meowzie is now part of the gang!

It turn out this massive purple people eater is almost bankrupt; and ultimately has to abandon Meowzie! 

He ultimately decides to fight Persian for her love! 

The whole thing takes place over the sunset!

Yet, even as Meowth wins the fight; Meowzie still chooses to be with Persian.

At the movie, everyone remarks at their disdain for the piece; upon which Spielbunk mentions he edited them out; as he wanted his movie to be about Pokémon!

I didn't care they were creatures that spit lightning and venom! I used to work with Lindsay Lohan, for corn's sake!

Team Rocket, of course, is there to crash the party.

We then close on Meowth feeling down; but opting to never forget the city he loved, or the girl that broke his heart.

Yet, that’s not all! The “Pikachu’s Jukebox” segment is the title track from the “2BA Master” album! Gets me pumped every time. 

“Go West Young Meowth” is as great a backstory for Meowth as you could hope for. It easily captures Takeshi Shudo’s intent for the character in one sitting, bless his soul. Sorry for cutting it off like this, but I have a train to catch. Also; given the events of E3, I shall accelerate my plans. Now that the Yo-Kai Watch US release date has been moved up, I shall also move up my plans to do another one of my targeted episodes. You’ll find out which one soon. Bang. 

Recap: The Purr-Fect Hero

Hello again. I’ve been wanting to do another recap for some time; and now that I’m off school for the summer, that time is upon me.

I have also yet to find anything for the dog phase of my Chinese Zodiac theme; so instead, I’ve been feeling in a Meowth mood. Even though the cat came in last in that myth; why should he be left out? So, I’m going to do a double whammy of Meowth-related recaps while I mull over my options for the second half of the year. Let’s start by making good on my promise and opening up “The Purr-Fect Hero!” 

Once again, I don’t think I need to say anything else about the Pokémon theme; apart from just letting the opening lyrics do the talking. 

I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was!

We open on Ash, Brock and Misty being on their way to Cinnabar Island, when they come to a sudden realization: it’s Kids Day! Yep, it’s another episode based on a real-life Japanese holiday; further complicated by the Electric Soldier Porygon incident! For instance, I notice Togepi in Misty’s arms; further muddling the timeframe even though it ostensibly takes place directly after “Princess VS Princess.”

We then get our title card to help lead us off.

Since Ash cites that Misty already had her Princess Festival, that Kids Day should be a holiday for men; illustrated by Ash in a karate gi.

NOW YOU'RE A MAN! A MAN, MAN, MAN!

Misty objects to this; and encourages everyone to have a good time and play, regardless of gender! She’s… tenacious.

They come across a kindergarten; where, say it with me now: someone needs help with a Pokémon. They’re the only ones who can help, they don’t have the time in their schedule; but they’re going to anyway. See, I knew you could do it.

Team Rocket catches wind of the situation; and I do believe hijinks will ensue. 

James reminisces about having the day off from school, swimming in his pool; and eating nothing but ice cream sandwiches. As my associate Dogasu pointed out in his recap (go check it out and his site if you haven’t already); those are mochi. I mean, have you ever looked in a Good Humor cooler and seen those on the shelf? I sure haven’t. This edit is especially odd as one of the show’s competitors, Monster Rancher; had a creature that resembled and was outright named Mochi. For that, among other reasons, I may consider looking at some of it later this year.

Anyway; the schoolchildren play with some of their Pokémon, including Ash’s Pikachu. He says to take it easy on them.

The teacher, not amused with their antics; then goes nuts. In hindsight, she’s kind of like a proto-Mitzi from Shin Chan. It’s just crazy.

Don't make me break out the Board of Education on your butts!

Even amid all the fun; one kid doesn’t feel the same way as the others do. His name is Timmy.

He only wants to meet a Meowth. Specifically, the one that saved him from a Beedrill when he got jumped in the forest; even giving him a swift kick in the thorax! 

FSHING! (Lou Scheimer, Executive Producer, Hal Sutherland, Supervising Producer)

The other students are skeptical about this; including one that seems to be practicing to be Biff Tannen when he grows up.

Hello, anybody home?! Think, McFly, think!

Team Rocket comes in with their latest disguise: a pair of magicians! Is it just me; or were ladies really stacked in the original series? I noticed the crossdressing when I watched this one as a kid; but Jessie’s magician’s outfit is surprisingly revealing. 

They try to steal Pikachu; but their biggest obstacle ends up being a bunch of kindergartners. Yep, that’s how I remember it on my Game Boy as well.

The gang, of course; expresses incredulity at the whole thing. I knew the princess stuff was insane; but this?

The teacher isn’t too thrilled about this either; and orders everyone to settle down.

You cut this out, or it's a day in the chokey!

James tries to attack the kids; but given their rambunctious nature, it doesn’t work.

Don't mock me! I'm a threat to you!

He has Weezing fill the room with smoke as they try to collect the box. What could possibly go wrong?

Surprise surprise! They got Timmy in the box in their confusion.

He then mistakes Meowth for the one that saved him; and Team Rocket encourages him to play along. Why? “Team Rocket may be dirty rotten cheaters; but we’re not in the business of destroying children’s dreams!”

Who do you think we are? Alan?

With this, Meowth has a fantasy about being admired by the children; complete with a custom Superman costume. To think people worry about Zack Snyder. 

In order to make the facade complete; he can’t say a thing but his name. We’ll talk in the next recap.

And no blabbing about Game Freak's plans to counter Yo-Kai Watch!

So, with the stage set; Team Rocket engages in a mock attack for Meowth to save him! Personally, if there was ever a Make-a-Wish Foundation kid with a Pokémon wish; I’d gladly volunteer to be a Team Rocket member in this role. 

With this; Timmy returns to the school with Meowth as “proof”, much to everyone’s relief.

The other children are every bit as impressed with Meowth as Timmy is!

Yet, he almost reveals his facade; and leads everyone to the bluffs! Jessie and James then tell him to bug off!

Where'd the vacuum cleaner come from?

A battle ensues at the bluffs; but just then, a rockslide occurs!

Sure enough; the real heroic Meowth splits the rock in two! 

With the day saved; Ash encourages Timmy to train hard, so he can be great one day.

We then close on Team Rocket walking into the sunset; remarking on what a strange day it’s been. 

“The Purr-Fect Hero” is a nearly perfect episode to follow “Princess VS Princess.” The childlike spirit of the series shines through here; much like the holiday it’s celebrating. With some nice animation and a delightfully silly plot; it’s one I never pass up an opportunity to watch. 

I must once again point out that I’m not sure where to place this one chronologically; factoring in the odd release pattern of the home video and DVD releases and the Electric Soldier Porygon incident. This is further compounded by the fact that Misty has Togepi here; yet there wasn’t even a whisper of that egg baby in “Princess VS Princess.” For the sake of argument, I’m going to put this one right after that episode; but before “The Case of the K9 Caper;” as a best guess.

What I am sure of; however, is what I want to do for my next Meowth episode. Next up is one of my favorites: “Go West Young Meowth!” See you, space cowboy!