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Sep 28 2005

Categories: keroro gunso, manga
Tagged: keroro gunso

2 Comments »

Done. I added Keroro Gunso to my list of favorite manga with gratuitous bath scenes, and I’m going to keep calling it Keroro Gunso because calling it Sgt Frog like Tokyopop just doesn’t sound as awesome.

Keroro Gunso is a gag comic that features the star character, an alien frog named Keroro Gunso, trying to take over Pokopen (Earth). Standing in his and his soldier’s way are Gundam model kits, common sense, and Pokopen’s first (and last) line of defense, the Hinata family: doormat Fuyuki, jailbait Natsumi, and MILF Aki. Keroro’s initial invasion plans are foiled as he gets separated from his comrades, and poor Keroro eventually moves in with the Hinata family where Natsumi pretty much turns him into her servent. Everyone seems to have some sort of stereotypical behavioral disorder, i.e. Keroro likes Gundam to the point it is affecting his invasion plans, Fuyuki likes the occult, etc, and the interrelationships between all their disorders is highly entertaining.

For instance, one chapter involved the Hinata family winning four tickets to the hot springs, and they were trying to decide on who should get the fourth ticket. Keroro, of course, wants to go, but as does Momoka, the stereotypical rich girl with MPD and has a very one-sided love affair with Fuyuki, and Koyuki, the stereotypical ninja girl who has a very one-sided love affair with Natsumi. So they fight it out their own way… Momoka with her money, Koyuki with her Naruto-like abilities, and Keroro by cheating. All the characters are likeable, and Keroro is hilarious as his schemes always seem to backfire in that “you get what you wish for” kind of way.

Keroro Gunso does a pretty good job appealing to all audiences. While the manga does feature signficantly more fanservice than its anime version, the stories are grounded in pure hilarity and the fanservice really isn’t central to any plot. While there are a good amount of anime in-jokes and Gundam references, Keroro Gunso is still enjoyable to someone who may not have watched a lot of anime previously… whereas something like Pani Poni Dash relies heavily on previous anime knowledge to achieve its full humor potential. Definitely recommended.