Do you remember the original, madcap, over the top, hilariously stupid and totally nonsensical Jungle Wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu that was guaranteed to have you guffawing out aloud due to its nonstop barrage of gags and slapstick humour throughout?
Well if so, then take everything that made that show as good as it was, strip out the slower, less enjoyable bits that littered it from time to time, crank up the pace and silliness and there you have it, Jungle Wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu Deluxe in a nutshell.
This short, sharp and funny as heck OVA follows directly on where the original series left off, with Hale and the insufferable Guu firmly back in the jungle and amongst all their friends. Weda is back to her hard-drinking self but admittedly there is one small complication – she’s pregnant! And no surprises there, Doctor Clive is indeed the father. (Needless to say, Weda doesn’t exactly make the best of expecting mom’s either)
And with Guu right back into the mood of making things as difficult and madcap for poor Hale as what she possible can, you just know that the stressed out Hale is in for the absolute ride of his life!
Director Tsutomu Mizushima and script writer Michiko Yokote return for this short interlude in the lives of their popular jungle denizens, compacting and producing an enjoyably short, funny and madcap adventure that is big on silliness, big on laughs but at the same time totally respects the events and even pays homage to what has come before.
Character and background design remains as twisted and colourful as the last run and it is delightful to see how the show’s animators deftly switch between different animation styles in order to drive home the effectiveness of the OVA’s countless gags and humorous run-ins, including a quite brilliantly done ‘fight scene’ right at the end of the show. The bright colours and simply put, fun-loving soundtrack join hand in hand with the energetic voice acting cast and the end result is a show that is literally dripping in energy and laughs but which does require quite the twisted mind to enjoy the full effect of the madness that is Jungle Wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu.
There isn’t much further to actually say about this short series to be honest, except that if you enjoyed the first run then you are sure to absolutely love this second step into madness. That said, it is a pretty wise move to catch the first season if you are in fact completely new to the franchise – it really is that silly a show that you need to ensure a full background knowledge just to figure out what the heck is actually going on!
Smile, sit back and quite simply, enjoy. (A beer might be quite nice as well now that I think about it.)
Note: the OVA is only six episodes long, so it really is a case of “blink and you’ll miss it”. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Related link: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=2024