(This text in the starting up regarded in LET’S ANIME #4, Plunge 1993)
Accept Mine MOMO!
Why I look FAIRY PRINCESS MINKY MOMO
by Ed Hill
Ever since I went to my first convention and gotten smaller that inexplicable fondness for the products of anime tradition (‘twas at the July 1988 Dallas Fable Gorgeous, for the insatiably uncommon), I’ve met limitless others with the an identical tastes, absorbed slightly a pair of video, and even made the crossover into the ranks of would-be creators of the stuff. So I’m now not here to excoriate all the pieces about so-known as “fandom”; hell, i is at possibility of be capturing myself along with my targets. Apart from, I’m able to invent that later.
Nope, what I am here to invent is take Dave up on a assertion he made within the last trouble, an editoral the put he mentioned he’d even gallop an editorial in regards to the place FAIRY PRINCESS MINKY MOMO if any one sent it in. Now, pondering that I in level of truth dig this place, I figured that an editorial on it would be in actuality frigid, and that this modified into as soon as a golden chance for someone to score one published. On the opposite hand, also shining the taste and the cretinous nature of the dominant fanboy herd, it also occured to me that I modified into as soon as that someone. So I sat all the trend down to write this elegant retrospective on the wonders of FAIRY PRINCESS MINKY MOMO (for comfort’s sake, hereafter to be continuously known as “MOMO”).
On the opposite hand, I ran exact into a brick wall – there exists no translated episode handbook that I know of, episodes themselves are laborious to search out, and few other folk even opinion about translating the stuff that made it over here. This makes it slightly very unlikely to write up something for it as great as the DEVILMAN or MAZINGER Z articles that hold regarded in this magazine. So, I fudge somewhat – herein, I offer a pair of of the reasons that I train “Accept mine MOMO!” – and why it is top to peaceable, too.
I even hold to admit my fascination along with your entire element began as a desire to be a good deal of. I purchased to hanging out with a slightly scurvy lot of fans now not long after I modified into as soon as launched to anime. And since these were the fellows I purchased most of my stuff from, most of it reflected their tastes. This intended that they primarily had slightly a pair of GUNDAM, slightly a pair of BUBBLEGUM CRISIS, and an intensive CREAM LEMON stash. In overall their perspective (delight in that of most fans currently) modified into as soon as that the rest with a recent copyright date modified into as soon as magnificent, ancient modified into as soon as low, and if it didn’t hold magnificent women with guns in it, they’d no time for it. Someday, they commenced to ragging on diverse things they hated – amongst them were the works of Hayao Miyazaki, Reiji Matsumoto, and the rest Takahashi did sooner than RANMA 1/2, as I recall.
But the place that regarded to trojan horse them the most modified into as soon as something known as MINKY MOMO. They opinion it modified into as soon as the worst of all of them. Now, since I happen to be a minute bit opposite in nature, I figured that since they hated it, I ought to take a look at this place out. Despite all the pieces, the a good deal of stuff they despised modified into as soon as in actuality very magnificent! So at last I came upon some Momo episodes on an old tape of some a good deal of crap that a buddy had, and gave it a glance. I believed that perchance even those geeks will be correct about this one place – the name surely wasn’t encouraging! But, did you understand, this MOMO modified into as soon as surprisingly magnificent. and thusly did I turn out to be the unapologetic fan that I am at the present time. As for reasons why I train this, superb relief reading…
First, I delight in the place since it be magnificent. Yes, magnificent. What’s low with that, fanboy? There is a fright of the note ‘magnificent’ currently, and it be a damned shame. Cuteness is now not low in and of itself! It will be whimsical and fun – “magnificent” would now not hold to mean drippy and smarmy Care Bears or Rainbow Brite nonsense. At most attractive it would be a reminder of happier times, of affection and magnificent things. MOMO is magnificent, but now not TOO magnificent. Apart from, magnificent is always harder to take when it be accompanied by a correct, delight in in American cartoons. MOMO is now not afflicted by any heavy, preachy “message.” Obvious, she goes about serving to to meet objectives, but you by no formulation feel as even as you realized the rest from it! And a pair of of the things she does, even though minor, would be roundly condemned by parents and lecturers alike in The United States. To illustrate, to inspire a boy whose father is a jewel thief, she turns into the Crimson Cat and gets exact into a stealing contest with the man! In a racing episode she mercilessly runs a fellow driver off the street and exact into a river. And there is the hilarious “Minky Rambo” scene from the gap episode of the 2nd ’91 MOMO series. Trust me, it be magnificent, but now not wussy magnificent!
Secondly, the place is slightly silly and sports actions the occasional gonzo contact as properly. There are jabs at a good deal of anime shows – the Crimson Cat episode takes pokes at LUPIN III, the racing episode modified into as soon as packed with SPEED RACER gags, and there are many others. The opening idol star assortment of the Minky Momo movie “La Ronde In My Dream” facets hilarious imitations of MACROSS’ Minmay, MEGAZONE 23’s Eve, and others. Moreover within the movie Peter Pan and Slim Pickens’ DR STRANGELOVE persona Predominant “King” Kong place up slightly somewhat! And for the last perverse contact, why now not relief in mind the coarse ending of the first MOMO series, formulation back in ’83? For fogeys who invent now not know, here’s the story. She’s almost completed her mission on Earth; one extra dream fulfilled and the last jewel on the Magic Crown will be in intention and the Dream Land of Phenarinartha will approach back to Earth and all the pieces will be groovy. Elated ending, correct?
Effectively, no. Momo loses her magic pendant – without its protection, she’s as susceptible as any a good deal of Eastern schoolgirl – after which she’s SPOILER WARNING killed in a tragic automobile ruin! Her spirit then chooses to loiter spherical Earth and wait to be reborn. Now is that a hell of a trend to dwell a young other folk place, or what? It would now not matter what you enlighten of the comfort of the series, you can like handy it to any one with the balls to wrap it up delight in that, eh? How many of the most traditional unhappy cleave of OVAs out at the present time hold as mighty grit as this supposedly sickeningly-sweet kid’s program? Now now not very many, as I seek for it…
Thirdly, even supposing you can now not exactly accuse the place of being overburdened by advanced space constructions, I seek for that as an spectacular element! Obvious, it verges on dumbness typically, but even when the place is silly, it is that magnificent, lighthearted extra or much less unpretentious dumbness that makes it all fun. For, above all, it be a fun place at coronary heart. So what if there don’t appear to be any MOMO technical or resin giant robot mannequin kits – I discover the fan desire to “place” every element in actuality dreary! And in addition to, it being a young other folk’ place makes it more uncomplicated for the untutored gaijin to envision out what’s occurring without inspire. My personal belief is that Momo is delight in your favorite toy from childhood – your affection for it could perchance well maybe now not were entirely rational, but you truly liked the element anyway, didn’t you?
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| the many faces of Minky Momo |
And sooner than you open up squawking that MINKY MOMO modified into as soon as intended for women, relief in mind this – anime itself, in every sense, modified into as soon as now not made for ANY of us! It modified into as soon as made for a Eastern viewers with a determined tradition and language and a good deal of tastes. They by no formulation even opinion about American anime fans into the equation at all! Whether or now not you glance “boys” or “women” or “grownup” anime, no one is going to mediate you any much less abnormal. Make you enlighten the Eastern will condemn you for watching one element but approve of you watching one other? Moderately frankly, they devise now not care. Most of them invent now not hold any thought any one else from any a good deal of nation watches their cartoons, and those who invent will discover it abnormal whether you glance MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM or MINKY MOMO.This would now not mean that you mustn’t glance it, definitely – what I am making an try to claim is that since you is at possibility of be an outsider it be now not relevant what, why now not superb mosey ahead and reach for that forbidden fruit? See MINKY MOMO – you invent now not hold any repute to lose! Effectively, perchance your nerd pals will focus on smack about you. But who cares what that gang of Priss-worshipping no-lifers thinks anyway?
(present heavy metal hand gesture – ROCK ON MINKY MOMO!)
I could be the first to admit that I cannot place every the reason why I look MINKY MOMO. It be delight in beer, I enlighten – an obtained taste. But I am hoping at the least I came up with a pair of magnificent reasons as to why you would use somewhat of time with the place. It has coronary heart, it be magnificent, and it be silly – what extra invent you in actuality prefer? Apart from, even as you might perchance well hold a element for purple hair, here is the place for you! So, except subsequent time young other folk, endure in mind — “Pipuruma, Pipiruma, Purilinpa! Papareho, Papareho, Dorilinpa!!”
Ed Hill is a cartoonist residing in Arlington Texas. He’s noteworthy for his strip FAIRY PRINCESS YUKIO MISHIMA and for singing the MINKY MOMO theme tune at karaoke events.
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