StoryI admit that when I first sat down to episode one of Kuuchuu
Buranko I hated it. I spent the entire twenty-four minutes with a look of
utter bemusement upon my face that had previously been reserved for Big Brother
launch nights. However, instead of watching the dregs of society grin and
swagger their way through a sea of cheering freaks and booing idiots, I was
staring at a bizarre lime green bear getting his rocks off by stalking his
patients and giving them vitamin shots. Needless to say I was ready to give up,
but then came episode two – the guy with a permanent erection. I won’t lie, the
cock jokes tickled my funny bone, giving me a stiff desire to persevere – and
having finished the series, I’m glad that I hardened my resolve.
Following the antics of psychiatrist Dr Ichirou Irabu, Kuuchuu
Buranko is at its very foundation an episodic series. Each of the eleven
instalments focuses on a different patient with their own dilemma, be it
obsessive-compulsive disorder or yips (the sudden loss of skill for no apparent
reason). Every story follows the same structure: some person has a mental
problem that affects their daily life; they go to see Irabu who promptly gives
them an injection as he salivates and makes vaguely orgasmic noises; the
shape-changing physician then proceeds to follow the poor sap around until
there’s an inevitable resolution at the end. If this formulaic approach were
the only thing that the series had going for it, then I’d be recommending that
you switch off right about now and go watch something else. Luckily underneath
it’s vivid colour palette and deranged protagonist lies a much more intelligent
anime than I had expected.
Kuuchuu Buranko closely examines the psyche and
documents the various troubles that Irabu’s patients face in overcoming – or at
the very least accepting – their conditions. The series manages to maintain a
balance of being both informative and entertaining by mixing medical details
provided by Fukuicchi (a helpful man who has no relevance to the plot
whatsoever but frequently interrupts a scene to dispense useful factoids) with
an abstract visual representation of each illness. The latter comes in the form
of each person’s head transforming into that of an animal; some of these are
more obvious such as the woodpecker representing the ‘tap tap tap’ of a
teenager constantly mailing people on his mobile phone, whereas some, like the
yips-suffering baseball player gaining the head of a horse, are a little more
intangible. On top of the innovative and entertaining portrayal of mental
instability, the series also links each of the patients together in some way,
shape or form. While the more obvious connections allow for an alternative
perspective on a previous case, others are so minute that it’s simply fun to
spot them, such as one character’s best selling novel painfully falling onto
erection man’s permanent hard-on.
This linking adds a fresh spin to the show by allowing an
otherwise repetitive episodic series to become much deeper. However, while
these connections provide the perfect opportunity to create something bigger
and ultimately more memorable, Kuuchuu Buranko squanders this chance.
The final episode starts off well enough by setting a fairly ominous tone and
it even dares to deviate from the format of previous cases, but despite this,
it still inevitably acts out a single subject’s case. Maybe I was foolish to
anticipate that all the links were more than coincidence and that perhaps they
would all come together in a dramatic, or exciting conclusion. Had it all
turned out to be part of Irabu’s imagination and he was in fact the patient and
not the doctor, this series would have instantly gone on my ‘must force people
to watch’ list. As it is, the lack of concrete resolution and the wasted ties
have done Kuuchuu Buranko a great disservice and relegated it to the
merely ‘interesting watching’ pile.AnimationIf you hate sixties psychedelia then step away from the
screen now! Kuuchuu Buranko is a veritable explosion of colours so
vibrant that it’s guaranteed to make your eyes bleed, which is ideal since the
whole series feels like one long acid trip. However, aside from the lime green
polka dot buildings and fluorescent wallpaper, Kuuchuu Buranko utilises
a variety of approaches to create its own unique visual style.
Demonstrating a mix of standard cel animation, live
action footage and rotoscoping, the series has a very experimental feel to it.
By switching between these different methods, Kuuchuu Buranko provides a
somewhat uneasy ocular experience, which nicely mirrors the troubled state of
mind in each of Irabu’s patients. The production team takes a risk with its
visual presentation instead of falling back on more standard, tried-and-tested
techniques, and such an innovative and unusual style earns this anime much
kudos in my book.SoundDenki Groove provides both of Kuuchuu Buranko’s
themes. With techno and dance beats dominating the opening and an equally
bouncy track to close, both mirror the show’s more trippy and entertaining
nature.
One rather nice thing about this series is that –
through the use of rotoscoping – the seiyuu not only provide the voice of their
characters, but also their faces, which actually helps the cast feel that bit
more real. The actual vocals themselves are top notch, particularly when it
comes to Mayumi’s deadpan timbre and Irabu’s high-pitched and unnerving
inflections.CharactersBy it’s nature, Kuuchuu Buranko has some impressive
characterisation. Each of Irabu’s various patients receives centre stage in
their corresponding episodes and a detailed exploration of both their
personality and lifestyle. Since the series places such strong focus on mental
health, a solid and thorough depiction of the cast’s suffering, trials, and
tribulations is key to holding the whole thing together, and Kuuchuu Buranko achieves this brilliantly.
Ironically, the least-developed character in the
series is actually its central protagonist, Dr. Irabu. Though he appears in
every episode and is one of the two constants throughout the entire show, he is
a complete enigma. After eleven episodes I still have no idea why he has three
distinct visages, or why he interchanges between them; I know nothing of his
likes and dislikes, since with each case he seems to build up a sudden and
excessive enthusiasm for whatever his patient does for a living. In fact all I
have managed to grasp about him is that he’s probably about as nuts as those
who seek him out for help. Even the mostly-silent nurse Mayumi – who, by the
by, really needs to learn how to give an injection so that her ‘victims’ don’t
constantly howl in pain – has more depth as a character. Though she doesn’t
have all that much presence apart from obvious titillation, she gains more
personality with each passing episode, developing from a simple sexy sadist to
someone who actually has quite a kind heart.OverallDespite missing out on a perfect chance to
become a ‘must-see’ anime about the human psyche, Kuuchuu Buranko still
makes for worthwhile watching. The series’ inherently bizarre nature, bright
visuals and intriguing subject matter definitely allow it to stand out from the
crowd. Certainly, if I were to be carted off by the men in white coats, I’d
want Irabu as my doctor since at least the experience would be more fun – or
perhaps horrifying, I can’t quite decide.