GIFU DODO!! #1 - - Special Review

| Monday, July 15, 2013



Anime Vice News Feed





GIFU DODO!! #1 - - Special Review



SHOGUN’S NOTE: The summer season is in swing, at last! I’ll be doing my best to
watch most, if not all, of the new simulcasting pilots. As such, regular shows
like ATTACK ON TITAN, ONE PIECE and, of course, DBZ will be getting a brief
break in coverage to make room. Stay tuned, and don’t panic - - their eventual
catch-ups will be spectacular!

Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of writing done at a day spa in K-Town.
You can go ahead and snicker - - it’s actually a cheap, productive and, yes,
exfoliating change from my usual work-at-home routine. Among other
things, it’s offered an interesting peak into K-pop culture, because LA’s Korean
language channel runs 24/7 on the TV’s at the spa. Past the variety
shows, game shows and contemporary soap operas, I’ve been most intrigued by
this one historical soap that seems to be set during Korea’s feudal era.

I can only say ‘seems,’ of course, because I don’t know for sure. There
are no subtitles, so I’m back in a position of unfamiliarity with Asian
entertainment which I haven’t been in for a long time.

== TEASER ==

What’s the point of this preamble? Well, for one, GIFU DODO seems to
basically be the anime version of that feudal soap. It has speedlines you can’t
really do in live-action, of course, and some of the men’s builds are more… aspirational
than any human actor can pull off but, otherwise, the similarities are pretty
strong.

Also, I’m not going to make any bones about this - - GIFU DODO disinterests me as much as any soap.

I found myself less stimulated by the show itself than the
visions I had of an anime club that would just eat this up. There is an
audience for everything, of course, and I’m having a clear mental image of
walking by some multi-purpose room at the College of Engineering’s basement and
seeing the otakus inside oo-ing and ah-ing. Maybe most of will scratch our
heads over the appeal of watching a couple of hugely-muscled ‘eccentrics’ reminiscing
over cups of sake about the first time they met - - and the dense and
confusing series of flashbacks that illustrate their reminiscences
- - but it’s pushing all the right buttons for the very specific niche in that room.

Now, let's go watch this go on to become a wildly-popular crossover hit this season...

Watch this
episode,
"Kanetsugu
and Keiji” here and decide
for yourself.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







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