Ask John: What’s John’s Opinion of Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan?

Question:
What do you think about Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan? I find it funny!

Answer:
Director Tsutomu Mizushima’s absurdist trilogy, as I like to refer to it, consists of Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu (known in America as Haré+Guu), Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan, and Dai Mahou Touge. Mizushima has also directed some of the Crayon Shin-chan movies, Genshiken, and the XXXHOLiC movie and television series, but it’s Guu, Dokuro-chan, and Dai Mahou Touge that share a twisted, psychotic, surreal sense of absurd comedy.

Out of the three titles, Haré+Guu is unquestionably the best. It’s an award winning series in Japan, and an international cult hit. It has lasted through a full length TV series and two OVA series while Dokuro-chan and Dai Mahou Touge have both been only short OVA series. I’ve watched all four Dokuro-chan OVAs and both Dai Mahou Touge OVAs. Although there’s not a tremendous difference between them superficially, I prefer Dai Mahou Touge over Dokuro-chan. Dokuro-chan is a story about a angel with violent tendencies who comes to earth. Dai Mahou Touge is a story about a magical princess with violent tendencies who comes to earth. Haré+Guu is witty and contains a bit of character depth and development, which sets is above Dokuro-chan and Dai Mahou Touge, which don’t have those characteristics. Dai Mahou Touge relishes its absurdity and gleefully indulges in wildly outrageous un-reality like vegetables that consciously commit suicide, and an alternate world populated by hard drinking and fighting cute mascots.

I don’t want to create the impression that I dislike Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan, or think that it’s not funny. I do like Dokuro-chan, but I think it’s a comedy that doesn’t fulfill its potential. Or perhaps the series simply didn’t live up to my hopes and expectations. The concept of an annoying, oblivious, and selfish angel who routinely murders her human friend is funny, but the gag becomes repetitive quickly, and the show never effectively develops beyond this signature gag. Many of the jokes and sight gags in the Dokuro-chan OAV series appear without context and aren’t developed. Halos having razor sharp edges, and angels who lose their halos suddenly suffering from painful bowel movements are funny developments, but in the anime these gags appear so quickly, and without warning, that they act as surprises more than as jokes. By the time the viewer comprehends the situation, the scene is already over. So the series’ attempts at immediate, gratuitous, slapstick comedy often fail because they’re not immediately funny. Rather than being hilarious, many of the show’s gags seem strange and confusing. The show is funnier in retrospect than while actually watching it.

Another weakness is that the characters in the Dokuro-chan anime don’t change or develop at all. The final episode introduces a new character without warning or context, and tries to create a sense of conflict and sympathy. But it’s difficult for viewers to feel sympathy for any of the characters because they’re all so one-dimensional. Because the series never convincingly develops a sense of intimacy or compassion between Dokuro-chan and Sakura-kun, the viewer doesn’t feel involved or anxious when the threat of them being separated arises. Furthermore, since the series never illustrates Dokuro-chan having any vulnerability or fear, it’s difficult to sympathize with her. The Dokuro-chan anime is amusing, but it’s a one-trick-pony. As it’s name implies, “Beat to Death Angel Dokuro-chan” revolves around Dokuro-chan literally beating Sakura to death, or Sabbat trying to murder Sakura. The rest of the show’s humor feels under-developed and doesn’t have the impact that it could or should have. The Dokuro-chan anime is amusing, and definitely shocking, but it’s not laugh out loud hilarious. It lacks the personality of Haré+Guu, and the variety of Dai Mahou Touge. The show is definitely more unusual and outrageous than many conventional anime comedies, but I think it’s the weakest of director Mizushima’s three surrealistic comedies.