ケロロ軍曹 Episode 47
(Sgt. Frog 47)

SPOILER Summary: It is time for Girls’ Day (Hina Doll Festival) and thus time to break out the hina dolls. At school, Natsumi learns that Koyuki has never celebrated it, she having grown up in a shinobi village. However, she’s really keen to do so and excitedly accepts Natsumi’s invitation over to the Hinata home. Keroro wonders what the fuss is about and after a briefing from Kururu, he decides that this festival needs to be jazzed up. He ropes Giroro into this scheme by saying how happy Natsumi will be. After Nishizawa and Moa-chan join in (along with Fuyuki for some reason), the platoon announces their plan to jazz things up. Aki-san is excited though Natsumi isn’t. The group is transported to a place where instead of the traditional trappings of the holiday, homonym replacements are used, leading to “problems.” As such, Natsumi decides its time to bring the pain to Keroro and company.

Natsumi is listening to Dance Man and wishing she could go to the concert when Keroro and Kururu arrive. They have a ticket to a concert which Natsumi mistakenly reads the Katakana as Dance Man (ダンス☆マン). In fact, the name on the ticket is Dasonu Maso (ダソヌ☆マソ), an alien Dance Man impersonator. Dasonu Maso arrives and entertains Keroro and Kururu greatly, leaving Natsumi in a state of shock. Finally, she’s had enough and wants him out. Giroro arrives at Natsumi’s yell and attacks Dasonu Maso, but the afro he has stops the shells, then “returns” them to Giroro, sending him into the sky. Dasonu Maso decides Natsumi needs an afro after giving Kururu and Keroro. Dororo arrives and saves Natsumi from getting an afro by catching the energy in a special gourd. Dasonu Maso leaves and after punishing Keroro and Kururu, Natsumi rewards Giroro and Dororo with a large meal. Aki-san comes in and accidently opens the gourd, giving everyone afros. It is then that the real Dance Man arrives, having sensed the afros, and reveals that he too is an alien.

Thoughts: It is an episode like this that is the reason this show will NOT be on a regular TV network. It is too freaking Japanese and I’m not sure how much mangling one could do to get it domesticated to the point that it could be aired (though I concede, the episode could be flushed as being too Japanese and whom among the ignorant masses would know?). Now, could it be shown on something like the FUNimation Channel? Sure.

Well, I guess we’ll see what the ADV deal does, if anything. I predict that the deal will do nothing.

As to having Dance Man actually show up for a cameo, that was cool (though I’m hard pressed to find places to actually officially cite him as having appeared in the show). The “Afro Gunsou” song is one of my favorite Japanese tunes.

Finally, there’s the classic “text in the eyes” that showed up in this episode. Beyond seeing a $ or ¥ in the eyes of a drawn character, I don’t remember seeing actual text written in a character’s eyes without going back to the 40’s and 50’s where things like “Out Cold” might be displayed in a character’s eyes (if said character was unconscious). So seeing “Nani kore” (what’s this?) in Natsumi’s eyes was kind of a treat for me. I’m not sure why though.

So a mostly fun episode this time out.