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Rating: 
Summary: MARX BROTHERS ANIME
Review: I have to admit that I passed by this dvd many times and just looking at the cover I was not attracted to it at all. It looked like some stupid magical girl anime along the lines of Sailor Moon. It was only after I read a review of it in a magazine that I said to myself that the series sounded really funny. The world of Magical Play is so bizarre that at first it's like trying to see in a dark room, your eyes and mind have to get adjusted to the humor that makes Excel Saga seem laid back. As the first episode opens we see this giant roc-like bird with what looks a human sized fish with legs in its talons. Then the giant bird drops the fish from what looks like a mile up. Meanwhile, on the ground below, Pipin Lacippe is having a magic duel and has won it, that is until the fish lands on her and knocks her out. That's when we find out that the fish is a living garment named Uokichi, worn by aspiring magical girl Padudu. You see, on the world of Sweetland, girls with magical powers have to fight each other. Whoever wins recieves a stamp, called a hanamaru in a pocketbook. When they get enough, they become a magical girl, which basically means they can travel to Earth and become a superhero with their own comics, manga, and other merchandise. Pipin wants her hanamaru back and so begins a lifetime rivalry between her and Padudu. We are also introduced to some other characters in Magical Play. Myumyu is a beautiful blond whose only clothing is two magical cats that cover up her assets. She might look good but inside she is a treacherous and backstabbing person. She acts like she's Padudu's friend but she really only sees her as a tool she can use to get what she wants. For example, she tells Padudu to walk across a rickety old bridge, pleading exhaustion. Padudu proceeds to cross and falls down into the gorge with a plank breaks. Nonononn (I hope I got all the n's) is a powerful warrior who refuses to use any magic and spends her time destroying cities. She becomes Padudu's friend in part because she pities her quest. She too wanted to be a magical girl until her best friend, Queen Purilun, the ruler of the world, betrayed her. She's a fugitive from the law, and the two top police officers, Mustard and Ketchup are always on the lookout to catch her. Queen Purilun, like Myumyu, hides her true self behind a mask of virtue and kindness. In reality she rules with an iron hand and wants to eliminate any rivals. Last, but not least with have Zucchini Cacchocari, the ineffectual henchman of Purilun who is too obsessed with Myumyu's body parts to destroy Padudu and her friends. This dvd was great. It was just completely over the top and wacky but not in a naughty way. It did remind me of the Marx Brothers. One skit evolves into the next and the laughs just get bigger and bigger. This anime loves to pull the magical girl genre inside out and the rivalry between the girls just increases the humor. For example, in one episode, they come upon what looks like a Christmas tree hung with stars upon its branches. When you throw the stars they become shooting stars that people on Earth can see and wish upon. So they make a bet that whoever makes the most people on Earth happy through wishes will gain a hanamaru. In the heat of their competition they throw so many stars that they unknowlingly destroy much of the Earth. Funnily enough, they can't figure out why the people of the Earth aren't happier after they've unleashed the equivalent of a nuclear holocaust. This was a great dvd. Really funny, really inventive. You can tell its parody is cushioned with affection for the genre of magical girl animes. The animation is gorgeous and the voice acting is first rate. The first disc contains four 33 minute episodes, character gallery, and an English voice actor commentary. A surprise awaits you on the second disk. There is a fifth episode of Magical Play on it. The thing that makes it unique is that is a 3D CG episode. It sorta reimagines the first episode of the series in a darker mood. In this episode Padudu is fished from a river and arrested and thrown in prison and slated to be executed. Her cellmate happens to be Nonononn. Unless they want to die they will have to find a way to escape their executions. Strangely, in this episode, there was a lot of violence and blood and death, unlike the 1st disk. Go figure. It still had humor though. I highly recommend this dvd. Very funny. Lots of depth. Complex comic characters.
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