Love it or hate it, I love musicals. From “Will Rogers Follies†to “Grease†and even that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer†episode, I dig musicals.
So, when I found out that ADV’s “Nerima Daikon Brothers†is an anime musical, I was curious and even stoked!
After watching all episodes, all I can say is… WOW!
Not only is this anime unique, it’s not afraid to take a poke at Japanese pop culture (and the entertainment industry) and also include some mature themes that I found hilarious.
So, what is “Nerima Daikon Brothers� The story revolves around three people: Hideki (the farmer of Daikons), Ichiro (the charismatic man who entertains women at Japanese host bars) and the sexy Mako (yes, a woman and cousin of Hideki).
Three individuals who want to make money as the music trio known as “Nerima Daikon Brothersâ€.
The first episode for those not familiar with Japanese entertainment takes a poke at Johnny’s Jimusho (the popular boy band agency known for bands like SMAP, V6, TOKIO, ARASHI, etc.)
With subtle hints with watercolored images of Kimura Takuya and other Johnny’s guys on the walls, the person in charge of the agency is recruiting for a music group.
The person in charge of this agency happens to be a cross-dressing pervert who can’t seem to stop stroking Ichiro (yes, you read that right) and gives Nerima Daikon Brothers a try.
After the agency takes the money from those who have auditioned and leaving them broke, the Nerima Daikon Brothers fight back.
What happens before your eyes is just a shock that I can’t even describe in words. You have to watch it to find out.
The second episode takes a poke at the popularity of Korean star Yonsama (Bae Yong Joon) who captured the hearts of Japanese women with his drama “Winter Sonata†and started the Korean craze in Japan.
In this episode, Korean men using the fad to their advantage to take the money of Japanese housewives by wowing them at Korean pachinko parlors.
Hideki doesn’t like that his cousin (and the woman he likes) Mako has spent all his money at this bar and is addicted, thus the Nerima Daikon Brothers do what they can to get their money back from the parlor.
The DVD is just awesome. The music is great and the storyline is hilarious. Both English and Japanese versions are very well done.
The DVD features the clean opening and closing themes, a Nerima Daikon Brothers music video, sing-along with the Daikon Brothers, ADVidnotes, commentaries with Nabeshin & Haruka (Technician) and Nabeshin and Matsuzaki Shingeru (Japanese voice of Hideki) and roots of NDB insert.
“Nerima Daikon Brothers†is hard to describe in words but if your like me and enjoy anime, musicals and a lot of perverted humor, this one is definitely for you!
A — DENNIS A. AMITH
100 Minutes, Rated TV MA SL, ADV Films