Bugfox isn't a regular visit for me, though I think it's going to become one. So I'm late seeing this post.

Jonathon said something that turned on a light for me: Mouretsu Pirates is a kid's show. You know what? He's right. That's exactly what it is. But it's a kid's show that isn't dumbed down. It's a kid's show that an adult can love.

A kid's show doesn't have to have an airtight plot. What it needs is good characters, interesting stories, and lots of action. (If it's an action kid's show.) But no sex, no fan service, and no one getting killed or badly hurt. Scary scenes, but not too scary. And lots of happy endings. It needs to have lots of Cool, and if it has it, then the Rule of Cool excuses plot holes and contrivance.

We've seen 16 episodes now out of 26, and there hasn't been anything in it I would hesitate to show to a ten year old of either sex. Or to a kid even younger, in fact, although the show might be too complicated for a six year old. (If a six year old watched with a parent or older sibling who could explain things, then it would be OK.)

Having a girl be the main character might be a bit of a turn-off for a boy, but I don't think so, mainly because the show isn't girly. They aren't talking about boys. They aren't angsty. The only makeup we've seen (one time!) was stage makeup. And, you gotta admit, for a little boy space pirates are genuinely cool -- especially Schnitzer, who is awesome. Plus Kane and Hyakume are cool. There's plenty in the show for a little boy. Laser guns! Pirate ships! Unexpected pepper sauce in Chiaki's dinner!

And for a little girl, well, wow! There are princesses! (Everything is better with princesses!) And Marika is just an awesome character, one that little girls will definitely love.

All of those things are good for me, too. And there's depth to this show, which little kids couldn't care less about. It wouldn't get in the way of little kids watching and enjoying it, though.

The only real concern is that the show unfolds a bit slowly for a kid, who might get bored and change the channel to the latest episode of Pokemon.

A lot of what we've seen makes more sense if you think that Sato has been trying to make an outrageously good kid's show.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Anime at 07:13 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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