Info:
Title: Cromartie High SchoolGenre: Comedy
Studio: Production I.G.
Licensee: ADV
Year Produced: 2003-4
Number of Episodes: 26
Available Online: YES! (via The Anime Network)
SRP: $44.98
Online Price: $33.74 (Right Stuf)
Welcome to Cromartie High, the most notorious delinquent high school in Tokyo. Here are enrolled bad asses such as anyone with a hairstyle like John Travolta in Grease the foul-mouthed robots, semi-intelligent apes, Freddy Mercury, and pencil-eating classmates.
Meet Takashi Kamiyama. Enrolled at Cromartie High, where everybody is a delinquent, Kamiyama is apparently the only non-delinquent in the school. Logically, therefore, he must be the toughest in his class - by the rather twisted logic that only a really tough rabbit would lie down with lions.
Opening Animation:
Discussion:
Cromartie High is all about badasses...no, seriously. Tapping into the sub genre of the "yankii," Cromartie is a zany comedy that details the lifes and exploits of various, highly strange happenings at a otherwise typical high school. How zany? Well, example, the first episode introduces us to three badasses from other classes. They are- A bald monkey
- The incredibly charismatic robot, mechazawa
- Freddie Mercury
No, seriously, Freddie Mercury, for unexplained reasons, is just "there." Also, watch out for Mechazawa, he literally drips cool... and oil. Spread across 26, 12 minute chunks, Cromartie will give you a zany look at internet trolls, cell phone usage, and, well, Freddie Mercury. The series drips with so much bad ass-ness that the high school's namesake, former baseball player Warren Cromartie, tried to sue publisher Kodansha to prevent Eiji Nonaka from using his name in any depiction of (such righteously awesome) delinquents.
Things you might like about Cromartie High
Wacky vibeGreat English dub
Non-nonsensical substance localized excellently
Episode length (12 minutes) leaves for shorter, concentrated chunks
Mechazawa!!!
Recommend it to friends who liked:
Detroit Metal CityGag Manga Biyori
School Rumble
Puni Puni Poemi
Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoiyo!! Masaru-san
Pictures:
Conclusion
Cromartie High is a great comedy for when you want something that just doesn't really make sense. Of course, if you're looking for an intricate plot, or gripping interactions, this may not be the title for you. Though, beyond that, Cromartie reminds us how a highly contextual comedy can have a very solid, natural feeling dub.Finally, the entire series is up on the Anime Network (the first few for free) so you have no good reason not to see for yourselves. Hey, it may be weird, but Cromartie High definitely doesn't suck.
I don't really remember the English dub. I watched it in Japanese. For whatever reason, I found it funnier in Japanese. That doesn't really make sense, because I don't understand what they're saying, but the jokes were just...funnier. I guess it was the delivery. Or the voices.
The DVDs come with some nice liner notes to explain some of the more obscure jokes. Which...is a lot of them. Isn't this the show that names everything after baseball stuff? I remember a lot of explanations regarding that.
His name is Yutaka Takenouchi. :)
This is my favorite anime and the only anime I own...... well this and Colorful.
@Kris said:
All the schools are named after famous foreign baseball players that were famous in the Japanese league.
Couldn't finish it.
I've read many a comment on YouTube clips of this show and a lot have said that they "hate anime but love this". Honestly, what other anime do you know makes light on trolling instead of sentient blow-up dolls in mechs?
That says something. Cromartie is an anime that almost anyone can get into: unlike all that kaiwaii desu magic girl rape tit crap that sadly weighs down a wonderful and beautiful style/genre.
And John, you were right the first time, I would DEFINITELY reccomend this to fans of Excel Saga - the self-referential humor and wackiness is very similar!
"Go read the manga!"