UPDATE September 4, 2018
More DMCA take downs have hit the blog despite screen captures long being considered fair use. Due to my not being able to afford a lawyer, I have no choice but to remove them or have the blog suspended. Only the words will be left.
TVTokyo is proving to be foolishly draconian in targeting posts meant to get people interested in seeing the Squid Girl anime and perhaps even purchasing it on DVD or Blu-ray. Being anti-piracy myself this is infuriating that they are targeting posts I wrote hoping to encourage people to try out a delightful show.
Having struck pay dirt with the appearance of Mini-Squid Girl in episode five, the crew behind the show decided to make a couple of shorts that were bundled with the Blu-rays released in Japan. Over four minutes of concentrated cuteness contained in each will leave you smiling.
OVA 1
When Eiko goes off to school, her pet Mini-Squid Girl plans to get some extra sleep. To her deep surprise, another version of her is already sleeping in her bed! We will call her Dark Mini-Squid Girl, for her clothing and cap are black instead of white.
Apparently evil, the mirror images end up fighting very quickly with the interloper having the upper hand.
The animators make full use of the small girls interacting with a world of giant items. Who knew a remote control truck could be so terrifying?
Eventually the fight goes too far and a dangerous situation develops.
OVA 2
Shimmering waves of heat rise from the desert sand while Mini-Ika trudges along. The smell of shrimp cooking gets her attention and we find it was the beach, not the Sahara.
A tiny creature, Mini-Squid Girl finds herself in constant peril while trying to obtain that delicious shrimp. Many are the terrors she braves in her quest for crustacean.
Then the ultimate boss appears and she is a terrifying foe indeed. It will require divine intervention to save Mini-Ika!
Thoughts
The two direct to video mini episodes are incredibly cute and recall the best shorts put out by Disney and Warner Brothers during the mid-20th Century. For some reason, cartoons do a better job at depicting small people dealing with giants than any other format. Each episode is a delight, with the second being funnier and the first more charming.
Little kids would absolutely love these videos. Adults will find them amusing and oh so cute.
One technical comment and it has to do with a spelling error on the DVD menu – episodes is spelled “EPISDES”!
There's a great post about Squid Girl here which I think you may be interested to read.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mangauk.com/?p=squid-girl
Normally I don't allow links that look like a form of advertising, but that looks like a fairly large haven of manga and anime fans. As long as you are assisting in the inkvasion you are okay with me.
ReplyDelete