Thursday, June 08, 2006

Still Alive

I will be getting back in the habit of posting here fairly soon. I have about 8 pages of notes I've been making and a lot of that is coming here. However instead of adding to the pile, I think I'll post this thought I had directly, in hopes of momentum (as it were).

If you've ever seen a sports anime, then you have a pretty good idea of what Eyeshield 21 is all about. It introduces the hero, a young man entering junior high, who has been bullied his whole life and therefore learned how to run very fast and dodge enemies. Naturally, he immediately becomes the star running back on the school's American Football team. They then progress through a series of ever-more challenging opponents until the dramatic finale at the national finals.

The reason I came to post was that something happens in a later episode: the team travels to America for a friendly match with an American team who is hosting them, and as soon as they step out of the airport, a thief snatches somebody's purse and runs off - and a lady cop _shoots_ him. The team runs away, muttering "America is too scary!".

Apparently in Japan they think American cops are gunslingers. This anime is unintentionally hilarious in its prejudices about America - it's interesting to see how we are viewed internationally.


UPDATE:

Later on, the hero has to run across the city to the beach to find an obstetrician who is on vacation, and who is also (again, apparently) the only person in Houston, Texas who can deliver his friend's wife's baby. Tres drole.


UPDATE #2:

Next episode, they play the Houston Sexy Queens at the Beachfront Football Tournament.



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