Super Milk is My Love Child

Several years ago I saw a clip of the show "Super Milk" as part of an exhibit about Japan at PS1. Last year I bought a Super Milk wallet at Otakon... and for Christmas this year I used a gift certificate to Toy Tokyo to buy Super Milk figurines. Having never seen more than 5 minutes of the show, I couldn't really justify my fanatical devotion.

But lo! I found a site that's hosting 6 episodes of the show! At last, I have seen 3 episode in their entirety, and I can safely say that this is my new favorite show.

What is the show about? Well, the official website does have an English page, which describes (with odd font colors and sizes) what the show is about.

Briefly stated, the show consists of Super Milk-chan watching television and commenting on it, then getting a phone call from the President (of Japan), which usually results in a lengthy conversation wherein she makes fun of him. Sometimes Super Milk goes on super hero missions. Mostly she avoids paying the rent.

This show is not really anime, as per the usual definition... the character design is very different. And, where most anime has continuous plot lines that carry the viewer from one episode to the next, Super Milk appears to be very self-contained and episodic in format. Most anime comedy usually has jokes which are based on what's going on in the story and tend towards physical comedy or even puns (classically a character mis-hears one syllable and comes up with a different word, “Otaku-don? What? Oh! You said oyaku-don!” etc.). The humor of Super Milk relies on jokes that make cultural references - kind of like the Simpsons, or Adult Swim shows. (Here’s an example of a cultural joke from the Simpsons: “Alf is back! In pog form!” In order to “get” it, you would have to know of both alf and pog, which were short-lived trends.)

Super Milk appeals to me because of its character design, and because its so different from other shows, but mostly, I find it appealing because I suspect its symbolic of…something. Super Milk has got to represent some segment of the youth of Japan - unemployed TV watchers who dodge rent and make trendy Gen X-er references when they answer the phone. But if that’s so, then why is the President on the show? Does he represent the older generation of the Japanese, continually out-of-touch with youth culture and behind the times? Why does he want to be friends with Super Milk so badly? Super Milk is incredibly cruel to the President! Super Milk is a giant jerk! Why does he keep calling her?

To tell the truth, I probably enjoy Super Milk so much because the jokes go over my head. Even with the translator’s notes on the fansubs explaining cultural references, there’s no way I will ever understand 100% of the humor in Super Milk. Why am so I obsessed with a show that’s comprised of jokes I don’t get?

Comments Individual Archive Index

February 18, 2004 05:40 PM, N. said:

I don't know!

February 19, 2004 02:26 PM, E. said:

Because if you don't understand the jokes you can just assume that they're funny, instead of finding out that they're really lame and having that ruin your enjoyment of the animation and character designs.

Maybe.

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