Keroro Gunso (Sergeant Frog) — Season 1, Part 1 — dvd review — early!
So fast paced, you could get seizures… I love it! Try to keep up as Keroro Gunso (Sergeant Frog) transforms from a cuddly pint-sized absent-minded housekeeper to his “true” self: a diabolical blood-thirsty alien sent to take over Earth (they call it Pekopon) and take pleasure from irradicating all known lifeforms on our puny planet. Then he suddenly rebounds into a carefree child-like innocence, obsessed with collecting and constructing Gundam mech models. Then he loses his helmet, revealing a puffy afro and the funky danceable end-tro tunes.
One moment, a sudden change in humidity intensifies his power, and his strength is unmatched. The next moment he’s being pummeled by Natsumi Hinata, the impatient eldest daughter of the adoring single mother who offers the wee E.T. shelter when his platoon was abandoned by the mother ship. Because of this kind act, Keroro endures the rigorous set of chores assigned to him daily, and his heart softens enough to sincerely protect the family.
His friendship with the only calm character on the show, Fuyuki Hinata, whose familiarity with the occult and the unknown allows him to treat Keroro with respect (rather than the idol of fascination the tiny frog is to his mother, or the intruder he is to his sister) distracts him from his mission, and it is only by chance that he reassembles his platoon.
Perhaps it is this maturity that attracts peer Momoka Nishizawa to Fuyuki, as her desperate attempts to reveal her affections are foiled with embarrassment. Coincidentally, she is the adoptive guardian of Private Second Class Tamama, and these two aliens are the first to be reunited. Tamama is the least experienced of the bunch (as indicated visually by the dual diamond symbol on his helmet, which indicates novice status in Japan) and this may be the reason for his sudden tantrums, where he releases a powerful beam without warning and usually sans sanity (see him freaking out below… but he’s usually much cuter than that).
Tamama’s presence sometimes frustrates Keroro, who falls into a deep depression when he is reminded that his Earth life is nowhere near as cushy as his subordinate’s, as the Nishizawa family is wealthy beyond comparison, but he tries to make up for it by bringing the Hinata family “WcDonalds” hamburgers from the Nishizawa’s private shopping mall.
It’s these little references to popular Japanese culture that make Keroro Gunso (Sergeant Frog) shine with that special networking humor Japanese audiences adore. It’s slightly akin to the obsession with Family Guy here in the States, I guess.
Gruff Corporal Giroro strongly disapproves of accepting any favors from the Pekoponians/humans, constantly reminding his superior of their master plan and opts to show no mercy. But then he meets Natsumi, is pummeled by Natsumi, ergo falls in love with Natsumi.
Nerdy and moody tech inventor and curry groupie Sergeant Major Kururu (owned by Natsumi’s crush) and scapegoat (uncharacteristically he’s a ninja who is ostracized by his peers, and it is humorous to imagine someone whose profession is stealth and invisibility would be upset if others fail to notice him) Lance Corporal Dororo round out the team with their square pegs.
So there you have it: Keroro Gunso (Sergeant Frog) is about super cute aliens, world domination, superficial pop culture references, unrequited love, interspecies lust, catchy music, and pseudo-lesbian admiration. Yup, it’s hilarious!
The five little frogs want to take over the world, but they will wind up winning your heart.
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