UlasanAnime.com – The author of this piece is opting out of episodic blogging for “Shimoseka,” or its localized title, SHIMONETA. However, they believe the anime, with its evident political undertones, warrants a more in-depth discussion than the superficial takes often found elsewhere. The primary motivation for writing this article stems from a desire to challenge the prevailing narrative about the scarcity and low quality of anime comedy blogging. Whether this perception holds true is left for the reader to decide.
By all accounts, Shimoseka is a slapstick comedy. A significant portion of its humor arises from the character Ishigami Shizuka, nicknamed Zutchi, loudly shouting Japanese words for “penis” and “vagina,” among other terms. The word “some” is crucial here, as the author suggests that much of the humor, particularly the political satire, might be lost on viewers unfamiliar with the rhetoric surrounding moral laws prevalent in Japanese pop culture. This is exemplified by an anecdote from an Anime News Network article, which describes a scene of a gold-squeezing woman crying about being molested. The interpretation of such scenes is precisely what determines whether they are perceived as funny or not, and this is only one facet of the show’s comedic approach.
The author finds it reasonable to compare Shimoseka to Seitokai Yakuindomo when reviewing it for a Western audience, as it’s a familiar point of reference for Western otaku. However, they personally draw a closer parallel to the comedian George Carlin. The humor in these instances is presented in a way that might not land if the viewer doesn’t understand the native language, as the value of the joke is often intrinsically tied to its linguistic nuances.
Fortunately, words like “penis” and “vagina” tend to be funnier when translated. This leads the author to consider watching the second episode.
This particular joke, the author notes, translated very well. They propose it as a litmus test: anyone offering an opinion on Shimoseka should also be able to articulate whether they understood this joke.
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A postscript advises readers who may be too young to be familiar with George Carlin to look him up on Wikipedia. The author emphasizes the timeless lesson that history, if not learned, is destined to be repeated.
