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Now in Japan
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Written by maehara
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Tuesday, 08 November 2005 00:00 |
 There's something not quite right when the final episode of a series calling itself Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu Final
(really need to emphasise that last "final") ends on a cliffhanger, and
with a "See you next time!" caption. The meaning of "final" can't
be so hard to grasp, can it?! Anyway, on that note it's time for
my final review of Hale+Guu. Do I get bonus marks for the poetry?
11 - I Will Love No More!
It's a quiet night, and
Yumi-sensei's making the most of the occasion - although a little too
much wine turns the thoughts to men and love, or the lack of it.
What to do? Pay a visit to the village and see if Hale's
interested in a little romance, that's what. Only problem is,
Yumi-sensei's feelings for Hale tend more towards "stalker" than
"romance". Hale finally agrees to go on a date with her - it's
amazing what a guilt trip will do - but having the spectre of Guu
hanging over him everywhere he goes doesn't help his day with Yumi go
well...
12 - My Father
While
Weda takes baby Ame out for his regular checkup, Hale makes himself
useful by tidying up around the house - until he gets to Clive's room,
which as usual is like a bomb has hit it. He's not about to
listen to Hale's pleas to be tidy, until Guu shows them a vision of how
Ame could turn out unless they get along. It's frightening enough
to scare them both into trying to behave like a normal father and
son. While neither of them could be considered normal, Guu's
happy to help them try and behave that way...
13/14 - Gunpowder Smoke has the Fragrance of Rouge Lipstick (Parts 1 & 2)
Someone's
taken out a contract on Weda's life - it's just emerged that she's
inherited her father's fortune, and her brother and sister aren't happy
about that. Fortunately, Robert hears about the plot before the
killer gets a chance to do the job, and travels from the city to be her
bodyguard - just the sort of thing he enjoys doing - but when he tracks
down the would-be assassin, they're very familiar...
Yes, Dama's back for another rampage, until Clive calms her down. The final two-parter doesn't really feel like Hale+Guu,
as it's almost thoughtful and not remotely as slapstick as what's gone
before. Definitely not following the usual formula here, although
thankfully the episode still turns out to be enjoyable enough.
The
other two episodes are more to the usual form, though - completely off
the wall and very funy to watch, particularly Yumi-sensei's efforts to
get Hale in share the love. Place your bets on just how lucky
Toposte got at the end of that episode. :)
With the
R1 DVD release of the TV series just around the corner, it's almost
time to start watching Guu all over again. Unusually for this
sort of show, I'm looking forward to it. This is one of the best
comedies in recent years.
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