Momotaro of the future!
What They Say:
The principal adores his grandson very much and asks the Sket-dan to prepare a picture play to entertain him. They decide to base the story off of Momotaro, but change things up from the usual… Afterwards, he asks them to play with his grandson for an afternoon, but the kid doesn’t seem interested in having fun at all.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
One of the more amusing things about anime is that over time, things that were considered old fashioned back in the 80’s when I started are still used the same way. At some point, things from the 60’s through the 80’s has to be treated the same way, but it’s still a bit away based on how the people come into the industry. With this episode, the show focuses on the principal as its main motivating force as he wants the Sket Club to come up with something to entertain him since he basically adores the kid. But, being an oblivious old man, he wants them to come up with a picture play to do it. They’re not exactly enthused, but considering the things that they have to do to stay a club it’s not a surprise that they get involved.
What the gang decides on is to do a telling of the old Momotaro story since it’ll appeal to the principal and give them something to work with. Being hip young teenagers (cough), the trio decide to update the story to something more modern. Well, science fiction oriented actually by setting it in a futuristic time with giant domed cities, aliens and robots that are in place of other characters. It’s amusing to see them bring in different elements and twist the story only to then fight about it with each other because it goes too far in the wrong way. Himeko is trying to keep it true to the original story but the guys end up taking it all over the place. The way the two guys try to sneak in the story they want in the end is fun to watch as they try to skirt around Himeko’s influence.
When the club does get together with the principal’s grandson, Yoshihiko, it’s complicated from the start since he just wants them to play with him. But the kid annoys all of them instantly with his expression and demeanor, even getting to Himiko. The gangs attempts to get the kid to actually play and have fun are hard as they come up with a variety of things but nothing really clicks and the kid just blows them off. Where it gets fun is when they bring in a bit of baseball to it since that’s big enough to be something they can practically force him into. And Bossun manages to make it a challenge for him, teasing him out of his shell a bit and into it. It’s the kind of moment that works very well in showing what it is that Bossun is capable of. It is surreal to see Switch in the outfield though sans laptop.
In Summary:
While the episode is frustrating at the first half in a way because of the whole Momotaro storytelling aspect, I did like their take on the classic and the way it went over with the principal. The second half is a bit stronger as it’s less about the outlandish moments and more about the way the trio work with a difficult young boy and manage to get him out of his shell. The trio really are at their best when they work together earnestly without going over the top. Yoshihiko comes across pretty good here as well, predictable that he may be, but with just enough emotion and realism in how the gang attempts to get him to play. It’s good fun and an episode that I felt like it would be easy to write off from the start but manages to work its charms well.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
