WataNABE SHINichi Nerima Daikon Brothers

Proving that everyone wants nothing more than to spontaneously bust into song, veteran director Shinichi Watanabe (aka NABESHIN), steps back up to bat for his next new musical hit!

Plot

The wackiness and inappropriate humor of Excel Saga coupled with, well, the wackiness and inappropriate human (and music!) of Blues Brothers come together in brilliant harmony to create a beautiful love child!

The would-be band, the Nerima Daikon Brothers (who aren't, in fact, all brothers, or even men), want to strike it rich and stop harvesting daikon to survive from paycheck to paycheck. From episode to episode they go from one get rich scheme to another.

Along the way there is a Japanese Police Babe / Cyborg, a Panda that everyone seems to want to shag, and a lot of dirty humor surrounding long, hard… radishes.

Audio and Visuals

There is nothing terribly remarkable about the animation. It is good, but it is not over the top. The flat color style is reminiscent of animation styles from several years ago rather than the more popular approach of EVERYTHING IS SHINY in anime (see Onegai Teacher).

Of course, what review of Nerima Daikon Brothers, an anime musical, would be complete without a review of the music? Admittedly, the melodies, which are catchy at first, get a little grating by the end of the show. What is notable is that all of the actors do their own singing, no voice doubles here! Of course, not all of these actors are trained in this aspect, and as a result, sometimes their notes fall flat, but you can’t fault them for trying!

Final Thoughts

All in all, I would have loved to see a little more progression in this series, but it is twelve episodes long, so there really is not that much room for growth. What is remarkable is that there is definitely a progression in anime to take more risks with cursing and lewd humor, which is nice for us old farts. Part of this comes from an inability to make some of these jokes innocuous, but it is good to see that there are TV shows, and more importantly, dubbers somewhere in the hideaways of ADV, who have the cajones to translate things as they are: seriously raunchy, and seriously funny.

All things considered this is a gem that is likely going to be overlooked, but if you want something new, something refreshing, then you have no further to look than this newest spoof!

Final Verdict: 9/10

Official Site: www.ndbrotherstv.com