We open on a toy shop, where Hailey Anne Thomas (Inaho Misora in Japan) is dismayed she could not get her hands on a "Sailor Cutie" toy for her collection. This is why I check availability online before I even head out the door. It always irritates me when I'm looking for one item in particular and I can't find it. I will also point out that the actress they've cast, Erika Harlacher is actually an experienced VA for not being much older than me. Her credits include roles such as Videl on Dragon Ball Super and Mrs. Mankanshou on Kill la Kill, and she actually does a decent job of capturing her counterpart's mannerisms; but also making her less insufferable! Not bad, considering she was originally a character that made Tingle look like frigging Rambo.
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| Goodbye moonmen... |
That's not to say that she isn't without merit in other versions, as her manga counterpart apparently fantasized about blowing up the shop with a rocket launcher! I'm not going into too much detail, given recent events, but I am going to make this reference to the Heavy.
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| I am Heavy Weapons Guy. This is my weapon. |
As she dejectedly tries to leave, she's instead beckoned into buying a "Space Watch" by a mysterious voice and a hastily-thrown together display, which apparently is written in Comic Sans. Chintzy font aside, I still don't see much point in changing the symbols to English when every other part of each frame just screams Japanese. I will admit at least that it's more subdued compared to previous seasons.
Once again, I'm skipping the campy Swampy Marsh intro, which they're apparently still using despite it being outed that the "Jinsei Dramatic" intro has been dubbed for the new game. Maybe they'll switch when it gets closer to coming out, but we'll see. So, here's something else instead.
So, after returning to her apartment and greeting her mother and somewhat bratty brother, Hailey Anne takes the watch and says "it's unboxing time." Personally, I prefer Ashens: I love that British man with the doctorate who looks at all that strange tat on a beat-up sofa.
The instructions are also in Comic Sans, and Hailey Anne even wonders if the toy is a knockoff; much like some boots she commented on earlier that apparently gave her a rash. Ugh. Disregarding how that wasn't in the original, the less I know about her athlete's foot, the better.
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| Does it also have instructions in Klingon, Aqualish or Laskavarian? |
Hailey Anne also continues to hear strange voices at school the next day; to the point where her classmates wonder if she's crazy. Well, she could have a future in politics, or at the very least making an idiot out of herself online. ... Too soon?
So, after a very strange day at school, Hailey Anne decides to find the source of the voices in her head in her bedroom; and sure enough, they find her.
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| My backpack's got jets! I'm Boba the Fett! I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt to finance my Vette! |
As for the joke about "tentacles": I'm not touching that one at risk of compromising the TVY7 rating. Get your mind out of the gutter!
With a new crew in addition to a new cast, I am glad that there isn't as much mugging as before; as well as better lip-syncing as we are formally introduced to USAPyon.
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| Ain't no one like me but me! |
Their repartee moves so fast that it makes Rick and Morty look like House of Sand and Fog, though out of all the jokes not in the original; I do kind of like how Hailey Anne scoffs at his comment that "Yokai are better than aliens."
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| Yeah right, Jazz Jackrabbit! Next I suppose you'll tell me they're better than Pokémon! |
As for their vocal performances: the new cast is OK, save for a couple holdovers from the previous dub. I also don't care about the pronunciation of "USAPyon," since Pokémon has been through this more times than I have known in my life. Again, it reminds me of the whole "Saruman/Aruman" conundrum in the 1978 Lord of the Rings movie.
Hailey Anne also apparently has some form of undiagnosed ADD, as USAPyon gets so irritated asking for her help that he triggers his "Vader Mode" and starts firing his blaster! OK, that's a somewhat easy gag as Disney owns both the network that broadcasts this anime and Lucasfilm; and I will address the roadblocks Blasters might face later, and not just with Sony either. I will also deal with whatever Disney has planned next as it comes.
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| To think people gave Ron Howard a tough time for Solo. |
Apparently, USAPyon was once a short-eared rabbit known as "Chibi," who was killed in an accident from an experimental rocket prototype from someone called "Dr. Hughley." I can understand that he has a tough time, and it is somewhat more effective than how the dub initially handled Jibanyan's backstory; but it still feels jarring to try to give a tragic backstory in the midst of all the wacky comedy. It's analogous to splicing the ending of Million Dollar Baby into the middle of National Lampoon's Vacation. It also makes me wonder how they will translate future episodes, and not just with the release of the third game still being in limbo.
I also know this is supposed to be a sad scene, but it doesn't help that the way Hughley's colleague addresses him seems to unintentionally reference the "crash wasn't your fault" meme.
Yet. somehow, USAPyon is able to get through to Dr. Hughley, holding a model rocket by his hospital bed as he calls out to "Chibi" softly. Not phenomenal, but definitely not horrible either. It's just OK, but the animation is still the best aspect of the show.
We then close on a brief scene with Whisper, Jibanyan and Nate; and I honestly think that these Canadian VAs aren't that bad; but I guess next week will be the real litmus test, short of annoyed fans taking to social media with the tag #NotMyWhisper.
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| I'm not your friend, buddy! |
While I'm still not a big fan of Yo-Kai Watch overall, "USAPyon is Here" makes a passable first impression for the new cast. As merchandise-driven monster series go, you can do worse, but you can also do far better. I did contemplate including my usual gag about the toy plug, but so far; the next wave of merchandise has only been released in Europe, and Hasbro had nothing to show for the series at Toy Fair this year in favor of their bigger franchises. I also don't know how much longer Disney XD will support the anime, given how it hasn't pulled the same ratings that Pokémon and Beyblade have for the network; let alone any other show in their wheelhouse.
As for the games: that's something else entirely. Yo-Kai Watch 3 still has no confirmation of a Western release, and Yo-Kai Watch Blasters had to face extensive changes in order to avoid legal problems with Sony. Not only did the title get changed from the original "Busters," but the suits the yokai wear were changed to sweater-vests; Whismellowman was totally redesigned, and their car was redone be a less blatant knockoff of the Ectomobile.
Beyond all this, however, is the same problem the main entries have faced so far: competition. Even if I were to remove Pokémon Let's Go and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from the equation, September alone has numerous big releases on the calendar for all three major consoles. Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Dragon Quest XI, and a direct launch against Insomniac's Spider-Man game. So, the benefit of giving it breathing room in between a new Pokémon game is once again being undercut by releasing it the same time as a game that many people, myself included have been wanting play for ages. It will be interesting to see how the series continues, as it will in its native Japan. Shadowside is definitely better than the original anime, but I don't how the fourth game will perform.
I will now state this: I will wait until September 29, one year after the release of Psychic Specters in the US for an announcement of Yo-Kai Watch 3 before I decide how I will end my coverage of the series. I'm definitely not covering the fifth movie. I am contemplating getting a used copy of Psychic Specters, but I am primarily focusing on saving up for a Switch and Let's Go Pikachu. I will address the show further next week, but next time will be my next Code Geass R2 recap. That's all for now. Later.
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