3S Review no. 82 (short, simple and salty/sweet/spicy)
Oh man, how do I go about this, you see there are two ways you can see such an attempt. First, that this production is nice cause they wanna make a really old and beloved series modern so it can reach many new people. Second, that this production is just smart cause they are banking on an already successful and beloved series. Then again these two views are branched even further.
You see you have a remake, what do you do about this, you keep as faithful to the original as you can, making mostly a remaster, or you try to change it somehow, whether the motive is to make better or just different. And then there is the big questions behind this attempt, why? And for whom? What is the reason behind it and who do you wanna reach? You thought it was gonna be a commerical success regardless? You just like it so much that you want the new generation to have access to a modern version? You wanna cater to the old established fans? You wan the comedy to be old and of historical value with all the risk that this contains? Or you want it to be contemporary and tailored to the modern society and standards?
No matter what you choose to go for, and the same goes for any kind of remake, you have to be 100% certain about all the answers to these questions and many more that arise for such an attempt, or else, your attempt is gonna come off exactly like this show, completely half assed and indecisive.
You see I can’t for the life of me comprehend the existence of this remake. What is it and why is it? It doesn’t follow the original structure, it doesn’t simply skip over parts or cut them out though. It skips some, it shows some that happened later in earlier episodes, and some that happen earlier in later episodes. Like why did they make that bozo appear with the para-suite so early, why do they make him partake in skits that he originally didn’t, what does that accomplish, and where the fuck is the baby? And don’t get me wrong, I’m the first one to say fuck the baby (well, that is not a 2022 phrase for sure), I don’t like it that much, but why? What does all of this accomplish? It doesn’t make anything funnier (watch the episode with the cave (2nd half of the 3rd episode and then watch the 2nd half of 23rd episode (same cave story) of the original and tell me which is funnier), it doesn’t make anything different, doesn’t help with the story nor the characters, I don’t get it. What’s the point behind changing the order of events, it’s not like they are keeping only the really funny stuff in and cutting the lame parts, they are not focusing more on characters nor the insignificant overarching plot. I would get it if they simply squeeze every skit, like make each episode have 4 little stories, instead of the usual 2, that would make some sense, times have changed, and so has our time allocation and its value, but as it is, I simply do not get it.
Then we have the comedy in general. You see, I understand people that think that this kind of comedy doesn’t fly nowadays, especially if you try to make it more modern. Cause the main appeal of old comedy shows, is exactly that, that it is not really sensitive, it is sincere, it is spontaneous with no much second thought to who it might offend, it doesn’t really think twice when it wants to make fun of something, no matter what it is. Take away this one simple thing from it, and then it is an empty husk with no appeal. All you have left is its randomness, that some people gonna like, some others gonna hate.
You can say that modern animation is one reason for this to be made, people can’t watch the old one. Well, yeah, the animation is more crisp and clear, and they did not really change the art style, but personally at least, I see nothing wrong with the old animation, it is very cute and charming, the effects are simplistic but the expressions are great, everything looks great and lovely no matter how little detail it has. I mean look at the spaceships in the first episode of the new series, and tell me honestly that they look better than the old ones, look at Lum’s face and try to honestly tell me the new one looks cuter. The same goes for the sound, the original cast is so great and recognizable, and the music and sound effects while simplistic, work perfectly. It is comedy people, it is not a fast paced action shounen. And nevermind the fact that the first opening and ending are some of the cutest and more charming things that ever blessed the anime indusrty.
So, is it worth a watch? Well, no, go and watch the original instead. And no, I do not say that cause of its historical importance as show and what anime owes to it, and yeah it is two hundred episodes. But it is not a show you have to binge, continuity has little to no importance, it is just a comedy show that everything about it is cute and charming, not all of it is funny, but most of it is, a couple of episodes here and there will brighten your gloomy day, you will rarely see an episode that won’t make you giggle a bit at the very least. It is old school, random, mature in its immaturity comedy. You can reproduce a lot of stuff, but you cannot reproduce the charm that the original had. I will watch the new one as well for a couple of reasons, but I do not recommend you to do it, it saddens me but I see no reason behind this new production other than having a cushion of guaranteed success based on nostalgia and an established fan base, or more cynically, it might be nothing than a cashgrab. Based on the show’s success or lack there off, I think a lot of people think the same.
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