<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: This Kitty Is A Dog
Review: * I really liked the original CAT GIRL NUKU NUKU anime series, which
involved the adventures of the heroine of the title -- a really cute
super-powered teen android with the cyber-augmented brain of a
kittycat. Although the original NUKU NUKU was not brilliant by any
means, it was certainly fun and even hilarious in places.The original series only a ran a few episodes, so I was hoping more
might be made, while worrying a bit that new materials might not be as
much fun as the old. This was borne out by the recent NUKU NUKU DASH!
series, which rearranged the details of the original series
substantially, essentially creating a different Nuku Nuku, and worst
of all tried to take itself half-seriously, completely bogging down
what humor there was in it. I was then surprised to find that *another* NUKU NUKU series had been
produced, this one for TV. On viewing the first volume of the NUKU
NUKU TV (NNTV) series (featuring four episodes), it was a relief to
find out that it used basically the original cute Nuku Nuku, though
with some rearrangment of details, including a bit of cross-breeding
with the DASH! series. In NNTV, Nuku Nuku (AKA Atsuko Natsumi) was created by mad scientist
Kyusaku Natsumi. Kyusaku's wife Akiko is an official for Mishima
Corporation, which is run by a megalomaniac who likes to dress up in
super-villain costumes (and make his lieutenants do the same) for
secret meetings where they cackle evilly. Their son Ryonosuke is something of a cynical voice of reason in all this, and has a odd
relationship with Nuku Nuku in which she is simultaneously his pet
kittycat and his big sister. It was nice to get the original Nuku Nuku back again in NNTV, and
she's just as charming and goofy as she ever was, with her kittenish
affections, catlike mannerisms, and cluelessness about humans.
However, although the first episode on this DVD seemed to promise a
lot of good fun, the later episodes were very disappointing, with
dismal scriptwriting. For example, Nuku Nuku goes to school and is given a supporting cast
of a class full of eccentric students. That is a very good idea in
itself, but nothing much is done with the students except parade their
eccentricities around repeatedly. Case in point: one of the students
is an aspiring musician who always starts strumming on a guitar and
singing in a bad voice every time something happens. This was not
all that funny the first time around, and it was downright irritating
after about the tenth time. It's the same for the rest of the story:
a tendency to repeatedly belabor a weak joke. The production values
are unimpressive and do nothing to relieve the thin scripts. Possibly I was put off by the fact that I was also watching episodes
of the TENCHI MUYO GXP series, which varies from sleazy to hilarious
(and sometimes achieves both at the same time). However, I still
think scriptwriting in NNTV would be weak for Saturday-morning cartoons, and it was ironic that the little "slide sequences" used to
frame the commercial break were actually more entertaining than the
stories. It was nice to see sweet little Nuku Nuku again, but it was
sad that so little was done with her.
Rating: 
Summary: the Cat Food For Lunch Bunch
Review: All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (I'll use the short title from now one - I promise) started out in life as a manga by Yuzo Takada and a very popular OVA series, followed by this TV series and a second OVA set. It is the tongue in check story of androbot Atsuko Nakume who was created by scientist Kyusaku Natsume out of, among other things, the brain of a cat. Intended to help fight the plans of Mishima Industry to take over the world via appliances (go figure!), Nuku Nuku appears completely human until she grooms herself, chows down on cat food, or throws a rampaging washing machine into orbit. Mishima is headed by an evil president (Hell Mishima), who is laboring under the delusion that he is in command of a group of underground super-nasties who are really company employees in disguise. If that seems a little peculiar, consider Nuku Nuku's first day in school when we are introduces to a class composed of a compulsive rock singer, a Cordelia clone complete with groupies, a mystical space cadet, a control freak, and a mad scientist - among others. Matters are complicated by the romantic misadventures of Nuku Nuku's 'brother' Ryunosuke Natsume. And Mishima, his mother is really Mishima's evil lieutenant, Bloody Akiko. Obviously, these tails (oops!) of the All Purpose Cultural... refuse to take themselves seriously. One can only say that the TV series is really a satire of the entire genre of
Super powered schoolgirl anime. You can't help but like it though. Nuku Nuku's exuberant, klutzy cuteness is just what the doctor ordered after an overdose of Steel Angel Kurumi. Acting is actually perfectly in character (even the dubbing has its moments) and the art, which is very deliberately 80's retro, is ideal. If you like light slapstick, cuteness, and a dollop of sarcasm check this series out.
Rating: 
Summary: The Cat's Meow!
Review: Before there was FLCL, before there was Excel Saga, the undisputed champion for out of control funny anime was All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku. Although "Nuku Nuku DASH!" is a strangely serious take on the story, with some weird changes to continuity, Nuku Nuku TV carries on the tradition of belly laughs started by the original 1992 OAV series. This is anime as if it was done by Mel Brooks and/or Zucker Abrams and Zucker. You have an andro-robot with the brain of a cat who is trying desperately to act human. You have a mad scientist and his super-smart, sarcastic son. You have a corporate president who has watched too much Anime and Sci-Fi movies and now fancies himself an Evil Genius. And you have a high-school class filled with the oddest group of misfits you're likely to see this side of "Square Pegs." Anime cliches get absolutely no mercy here, nor do quirks of Japanese Pop Culture. Transforming robots, fighting Mechas, earnest psychic girls, mad scientists, scheming villains, heroes who fight for love and justice and say the most bizarre things while doing so...they all get savaged here. Add to this a little girl with the weirdest pets, and the weirdest karaoke contest ever, and you have an anime that's a must-get. This is even a title you can share with the whole family. Nothing the least bit suggestive here, perhaps a mild bit of cussing in the subtitles but nothing that wouldn't get a PG or PG-13. Any kid who can read well enough to read the subtitles should have fun with this. I didn't watch the dub all the way through because I really don't like it, but the subbed version is lots of fun.
Rating:
Summary: a puuuuurrr-fect DVD!
Review: Before there was FLCL, before there was Excel Saga, the undisputed champion for out of control funny anime was All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku. Although "Nuku Nuku DASH!" is a strangely serious take on the story, with some weird changes to continuity, Nuku Nuku TV carries on the tradition of belly laughs started by the original 1992 OAV series. This is anime as if it was done by Mel Brooks and/or Zucker Abrams and Zucker. You have an andro-robot with the brain of a cat who is trying desperately to act human. You have a mad scientist and his super-smart, sarcastic son. You have a corporate president who has watched too much Anime and Sci-Fi movies and now fancies himself an Evil Genius. And you have a high-school class filled with the oddest group of misfits you're likely to see this side of "Square Pegs." Anime cliches get absolutely no mercy here, nor do quirks of Japanese Pop Culture. Transforming robots, fighting Mechas, earnest psychic girls, mad scientists, scheming villains, heroes who fight for love and justice and say the most bizarre things while doing so...they all get savaged here. Add to this a little girl with the weirdest pets, and the weirdest karaoke contest ever, and you have an anime that's a must-get. This is even a title you can share with the whole family. Nothing the least bit suggestive here, perhaps a mild bit of cussing in the subtitles but nothing that wouldn't get a PG or PG-13. Any kid who can read well enough to read the subtitles should have fun with this. I didn't watch the dub all the way through because I really don't like it, but the subbed version is lots of fun.
Rating:
Summary: a puuuuurrr-fect DVD!
Review: Check this out! this kitty is awsome! I first got this DVD in a Newtype USA preview disk, now, I cant stop buying Nuku Nuku! If you like adorable humor, and cute kitty cat fighting! this is for you!!! ^_^
<< 1 >>
| 
