Mr. Osomatsu

Episode 7

We've all been embarrassed by a peer or family member whose general demeanor is far from socially acceptable. However, none of our awkward loved ones are nearly as repugnant as the Matsuno siblings, as evidenced by this week's first segment titled "Todomatsu and the Five Demons." Everything appears to be coming up roses for Todomatsu when he lands a part-time barista gig at a local "Sutaaba" coffee shop. He's proud of himself for no longer being a NEET, his peers believe he attends Keio University, and his cute female coworkers just invited him to a group mixer. Unfortunately, Todomatsu's idyllic new life is put in jeopardy when his brothers appear at the shop unannounced. At first, the embarrassment they cause Todomatsu is purely inadvertent, but once they realize how ashamed he is of them, the Matsunos go out of their way to humiliate their happily employed sibling. (Even the straight-laced Choromatsu shows off his immature, jerky side.) Although it's easy to feel bad for Todomatsu throughout the bulk of this segment, his shocking behavior at the mixer ultimately confirms that he's every bit as unfit for regular human contact as his brothers—if not more so.

In the second segment, the sextuplets struggle to split four imagawayaki six ways. Being the selfish cads they are, the boys initially decide to engage in an all-out brawl for the extra portions, but in a surprising display of maturity, they quickly nix this idea and give one of the pastries to their parents, enabling them to split the remaining three into six halves. However, things can never end on such a conciliatory note in this series. Once the boys discover that one of the remaining imagawayaki contains cream filling (instead of the usual bean paste), all hell breaks loose once again. Despite clocking in at a scant two minutes, this segment calls to mind the episode-length food fight stories popularized by Gintama, one of which was directed by Yōichi Fujita.

"Going North," the third segment, is the only story to date that doesn't feature the Matsunos. This quirky tale contains little dialogue and chronicles Dekapan and Dayon's journey to Canada to see the Northern Lights. Dekapan communicates through Mr. Bean-esque grunts in this story, while Dayon is only capable of saying his name. We follow the bizarrely-proportioned duo through a desert stretch of highway ("Route 666"), a lush forest, and finally a snow-covered Canadian mountain. Along the way, their friendship is put to the test, and one of them even dies. (I'm sure the deceased will return next week)

Not surprisingly, the segments based around the Matsunos were the high points of the week. Even the simple task of splitting four desserts among six brothers makes for plenty of laughs. In both Matsuno-centric stories, it's clear that none of the sextuplets is going to make life easier for the others. Both segments drive home that these boys are fiercely committed to keeping things equal. If one of them has something the others don't, it's a safe bet that the other five will work to deprive him of it.

Of course, the Dayon and Dekpan segment isn't without its charm. The central players' ability to convey their emotions purely through nonsense-speak is impressive. However, we still don't know these characters very well, and watching them interact without the presence of the Matsunos is a bit jarring. Even last week's Iyami-focused story prominently featured the titular Osomatsu. Additionally, this segment's slow pacing (at least compared to other episodes) only sometimes works to its advantage, although it does pay off for the most part. For example, when the duo is attempting to hitchhike, you can almost feel their optimism every time a car approaches. Similarly, when watching them bicker and make up, it's hard not to become invested in their odd relationship. However, despite all they've been through together, Dayon still dumps his travel mate once the portly professor becomes dead weight. It's Mr. Osomatsu self-centeredness at its best.

Like previous episodes, this week's Mr. Osomatsu is largely carried by the selfishness of its featured players. If you can't laugh at the arbitrary spite of a young man defecating on a café table in an act of revenge, this may not be the show for you. I don't know how this latest incarnation's humor compares to the original Osomatsu-kun, but Mr. Osomatsu, with its fun cast and rapid-fire comedy, is one of the best gag anime in recent years.

Rating: B+

Mr. Osomatsu is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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