Mr. Osomatsu

Episode 23

Mr. Osomatsu takes a turn for the weird this week. Through two interconnected stories, episode 23 starts off as a humorously inflated slice-of-life tale before transitioning into an exercise in surrealism. Like the two episodes that preceded it, this latest offering dispenses with the alternate universes, once again proving that Mr. Osomatsu can be sufficiently bizarre in its regular timeline.

The Matsunos spend the first half of the episode squabbling over whose turn it is to refill the kerosene in their living room's space heater. Since Karamatsu has typically taken on this chore in the past, the natural assumption is that he'll do it again. However, when this assumption proves wrong, each of the boys goes to great lengths to worm their way out of obtaining a kerosene refill. Naturally, this gives way to a passive-aggressive battle royale between the sextuplets. Todomatsu willfully allows snow and cold air to penetrate the living room, Osomatsu (unintentionally?) sets a pretend-sleeping Ichimatsu on fire, and happi-covered Jyushimatsu shows genuine disdain for his unruly siblings before tasking Choromatsu with replenishing the kerosene. (The fact that Choromatsu acquiesces to his request with hardly a second thought is a nice callback to the boys being afraid of his otherworldly powers.)

The first segment derives most of its humor from how incredibly lazy the brothers are. Of course, there's still more than enough cruelty to go around, especially on Jyushimatsu's part. His imposing, intimidating presence in this story is a far cry from his usual goofiness, which is why the uncharacteristic meanness he displays is so effective. This bit also illustrates how emotionally in tune the boys are with one another, as they spend most of the segment communicating without words.

While making his way to the store, Choromatsu decides to tie one on at the Akatsuka Pub—as do Osomatsu and Karamatsu when they go out to look for him. After getting thoroughly sauced, the boys wake up in a cavernous maze surrounded by people who bear a striking resemblance to Dayon. As Jyushimatsu, Todomatsu, and Ichimatsu soon discover, an inebriated Dayon literally consumed the entire bar and all its patrons, meaning their brothers are trapped in the large-faced goof's cave-like stomach. Upon mounting a rescue mission, the remaining Matsunos find that their brothers have adjusted to their new digs quite nicely. Since living in Dayon's stomach allows them to escape the pressures of the surface world, Osomatsu, Choromatsu, and Karamatsu seem content with making their stay indefinite. However, Choromatsu—who's about to marry a female Dayon—eventually acknowledges that he'd rather return to the surface world despite all the tribulations it entails. If you've followed the show up until this point, it should come as no surprise that our heroes make their triumphant escape through Dayon's anus.

There's a modicum of continuity from one segment to the next, since Choromatsu and his brothers get swallowed whole by Dayon after going to fetch more kerosene. This inter-episode continuity is reminiscent of the structure found in Western animated sitcoms. For example, some of the best episodes of The Simpsons feature first acts that are only loosely related to what comes after. While the first segment is a serviceable segue into the second story, I'm not sure it was entirely necessary to structure the episode in this manner.

I've wondered this for a while now—but what sort of magic creature is Dayon? On one hand, I'm intrigued to learn more about this ill-defined figure, whose communication skills are limited to shouting his own name and whose stomach is home to hundreds, if not thousands, of people. On the other hand, the lack of explanation for his strange abilities is part of what makes him so funny, even if his schtick is a little redundant with Jyushimatsu around. (Also, do people shrink when they enter his body or does he suck them into some alternate dimension?)

This week's Mr. Osomatsu episode swings from somewhat realistic to full-on outlandish without missing a beat. Fortunately, as we've seen in previous installments, the show shines in both settings. If the remaining two episodes maintain this level of hilarity, Mr. Osomatsu's second cour is sure to go out with a bang.

Rating: A-

Mr. Osomatsu is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for over two decades.