Papuwa Volume 1: Wild Things - DVD Talk
- DVD Talk
- Don Houston, John Sinnott, and Todd Douglass
- 07/24/06
- click here
"...this should be a fun show to watch. "
ADV has licensed the 2003 comedy show Papuwa for release in region 1. The odd thing is that this is a sequel to Southern Country Boy Papuwa, and the first series hasn't been released in the US. In any case, this is a rather odd show, and it's hard to tell from the first three episodes that were sent out as advance screeners whether this will turn out to be an outrageously hilarious show, or just sort of stupid.
Papuwa lives on in a place that shows up on no map: Papuwa Island II (the first one was apparently destroyed in the first series). He lives in tranquility, more or less, until one day when Kotaro wakes up from his coma and escapes the high security prison he's been confined to by the Ganma Army. This young boy steals a boat, heads out to sea, and crashes on Papuwa Island which gives him amnesia, naturally.
When Liquid, another resident on the island see's Kotaro, he freaks out. After all, this was the boy who destroyed the first Papuwa Island, and if he ever realizes his true power, it would be very dangerous. They can't let him find out what his real name is, or his memories might come flooding back. So, In a cunning plan Liquid changes the name on the boy's underwear to Rotaro. Though he's skeptical that his name is really 'Rotaro', the kid believes it when his drawers are shown to him. After all, as Liquid says, "there's no better proof of a man's identity than what is written on his underwear."
Of course the Ganma Army wants Kotaro back, and assigns the task to their Special Forces. After playing rock-paper-scissors to see who gets to go, they send an assassin to the island, dressed up as a giant duck. Add into this mix a walking, talking, poisonous mushroom, a transvestite fish with legs (in fishnet stockings of course), a giant snail, and the fact that Papuwa thinks that Kotaro would make a nice meal, and you have a wacky show that has a lot of potential.
Watching these first episodes, you do get the feeling that you're missing out on something, like you've walked into the movie a little late. They do have a brief introduction before the credits roll that's supposed to bring viewers up to date, but it's more confusing than helpful. The characters aren't really introduced either. You have to decipher just who and what they are from the context of the show, which again can get a little confusing.
There's also a plot to this show, which comedy shows like Excel Saga and Azumanga Diaoh usually eschew. The segments with the Ganma Army are serious and not played for laughs, which conflicts with the rest of the show. It will be interesting to see if they can merge these two facets of the show into a coherent whole. If they can, this should be a fun show to watch.
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 (Archive on Thursday, August 24, 2006)