You’ve got to wonder, sometimes, if importers and translators just get bored sometimes and see how much silliness they can get away with when they’re re-branding a show for America. I’m struggling to think of any other logical reason for why a pastel-colored shojo series about a cute girl and her kingdom of little elves would be tiled HUMANITY HAS DECLINED. That honestly sounds like one of those fake art house films Woody Allen took Diane Keaton out to in ANNIE HALL.
Most times, any review that questions “What drugs were these people on?” will alert me to the reviewer being a real boring person with a small mind. Lord knows, that was specific question posited a lot in write-ups about my comics (as if any sort of surrealism was beyond basic understanding of a fantasy fan.) However, this might be one of the first times where that question seems just and due - - because this pilot episode sends some seriously puzzling mixed messages.
My playful side wants to imagine some scenario where Keebler hired some Japanese animation studio to make an extended commercial about their elves and was stupefied to get a product back that veered far away from was commissioned. I can imagine the agreement being voided over breach of contract, or something, and the studio being left with a bunch of material they had to hastily re-purpose into what I just watched.
How else could one explain an otherwise cute and fluffy girl’s adventure periodically digressing into scenes of skinned-and-beheaded undead chickens running around and anthropomorphic toast robots who rip their own brains out in grisly-yet-manic acts of suicide?
Or maybe this is just some subversive pastiche of children’s programming which plays on Japan’s Adult Swim equivalent… and I’m just not in on the joke?
Watch this episode, “The Fairies’ Secret Factory, Part 1” below and decide for yourself.
Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk
I checked this out a few days ago when I got bored and decided to watch a bunch of first episodes. I was let down until the little fairies showed up. They were super cute and so silly. The girl's squad of dickriders were kinda funny too. Not sure if I'll continue with it or not though.
This episode had me puzzled at first, but it was quite brilliant when the fairies and skinned chickens showed up. This episode was very fun as I implied in one of my blogs. :)
EDIT: Seeing the fairies of this series in a Japanese Keebler Snacks commercial would have me laughing like crazy! XD
I love the show for its sarcastic, bizarre, yet sometimes dark humor and the upbeat opening. I do mistake the fairies for elves.
I like the idea of the satirical anthropological study of "modern" society. Figuring out how their world got to this point and how the rules have changed is entertaining in it's own way.
I really, really like this show. The whole fairy magic thing is bonkers, but I think their two-parter about the manga industry was great. I think it's in the top 5 anime of the summer.
@takashichea: I do fight the temptation to call them elves.
It one of those shows that is will to be bizarre while subtlety talking about the structure of society, even if you may not get the answer at first when a bread robot just split his head open.
@metalsnakezero:
I loved that part. I laugh so hard when he started bleeding carrot juice.
@YotaruVegeta:
One of them looks like Link from Legend of Zelda.
I liked the toast suicide .But the shows look upon well people things an places may have a weird political twist .Could be seeing things but it sorta came off as a eco green preachy thing. People exhausted the world. An its up to those that are evolved ( those elves) to save humanity.Then again what the evolved make isnt always good for humans to.
So its kinda a mixed bag.Cute but weird,political but not.Meh but hmm.Watched 1st two shows an not been back for more :/
ya Tom has it right in this review i think .Thought similar thing ..i blame this...
@Marshal Victory: It definitely has some sort of eco message. The point is that because the humans advanced, they screwed up their environment, but that brought the fairies around, who have magical abilities.
@YotaruVegeta said:
But um they say in the 1st two shows the fairies are evoled humans.Who use tech even they don't understand.I duno even tho its cute an odd with a side of funny. its just that eco message of doom leaves me flat.That was tho almost off set by the toast suicide .