Hey, it looks like a kid wrote this with a crayon.
Film watched: Gamera vs. BarugonThis is one of the nine Sandy Frank Japanese films originally used for a KTMA episode that was riffed again a few years later on Comedy Central.
The Comedy Central episode is available in the Gizmoplex here
.
The Comedy Central Segments:
Prologue- Crow and Servo engage in that timeless debate: IBM or Macintosh? Joel stirs things up by stating he prefers the Amiga.
Segment 1/Invention Exchange
- To promote Earth-friendly practices, Joel invents an audio-animatronic soda can which reminds you to recycle it. The Mads have the Disco-Cumber-Bubble-Bund; just put your knees together and squeeze.
Segment 2
- The SOL crew airs a commercial for the 5,000-Piece "Fighting Men and Monster Set". Miniature Tokyo included. Tom is incredibly excited to describe it.
Segment 3
- The 'Bots, dressed as Kaiju, visit T.G.I. Tokyo's, a restaraunt where the desserts are shaped like buildings. Sadly, they don't offer separate checks.
Segment 4
- It's beach day on the SOL, and Joel discusses the Gamera films' stars. His examples are less than convincing as he vapor-locks again.
Segment 5
- Gamera actually had a hand in producing this film and other forms of media, explaining his minimal presence in front of the camera, as Joel reveals in the book You'll Never Eat this Town for Lunch Again. A 12-year-old fan writes a letter. Frank bought Dr. Forrester a copy of The Stand, uncut, for his trip to the beach.
The Comedy Central version of Gamera vs. Barugon provides examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: Joel and the bots mishear "Kawajiri" as "Tom and Jerry", because of the way it's pronounced in the English dub.
- Call-Back: The Mads' Disco Bubble Cummerbund is the exact same as Joel's Bubble Cummerbund from back in Robot Monster. Joel doesn't protest this time around about their stealing one of his inventions, though he does note that it seems rather familiar.
- Joel imitates Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton while using an air filter for a VISOR. Frank did the same thing in Godzilla vs. Megalon.
- Celebrity Resemblance: Joel goes insane and starts listing about a dozen of these. Gamera's resemblance to Karl Malden (especially his nose) is a Running Gag throughout all the Gamera episodes.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: When the missiles... er... rise from their launchers.Tom Servo: "Good morning!"
- Doorstopper: The Stand, specifically the "new uncut" edition that Frank picked up for Dr. Forrester's trip to the beach. It's thicker than Frank's head, and causes Dr. F to fall over when Frank gives it to him.
- Doubles as a Take That! given that the "The Complete and Uncut Edition" was released the year prior and commercials for The Stephen King Library with that edition front and center would run during the show. Even during that episode's premiere.
- Doubles as a Take That! given that the "The Complete and Uncut Edition" was released the year prior and commercials for The Stephen King Library with that edition front and center would run during the show. Even during that episode's premiere.
- I Know Kung Fu: Joel and the bots assume this about the Japanese people and act disappointed when the fight between Keisuke and Onodera is just a regular brawl.
- This also invokes the All Asians Know Martial Arts stereotype.
- Lame Pun Reaction: It becomes a Running Gag while the cast watches helplessly as Barugon eats up the antagonist with his tongue.Crow: Well, that's it. We're licked.(Servo chuckles as Joel casually rips off Crow's arm again)Crow: Sorry, SORRY!(Joel tosses the arm away)Servo: That's what you get.
- Motor Mouth: Tom in the first break from the movie provides an advertisement for a Gamera toy set and its disclaimer at a speed John Moschitta would be impressed with. The problem, though, is that poor Tom goes so fast he can't stop himself and is reduced to babbling 'Mommy! Mmmommy!'.
- Running Gagged: In this episode, Joel makes Crow stop using his recurring Sea Hunt riff ("By this time, my lungs were aching for air.") under threat of physical punishment.
- Spell My Name With An S: During the last host segment when explaining why Gamera wasn't featured so much in the film, Joel presents some "behind-the-scenes books" explaining why, a few of them misspells Barugon's name as Baragon, a name which belongs to an entirely different monster from another studio.
- Take That!: When Keisuke considers Barugon a punishment for his greed, Servo remarks: "So what's gonna happen to Donald Trump?"
- Technology Marches On: Some of us still love our Commodore Amigas.
- Totally Radical: Forrester calls Frank and his bubble machine the future of Hip-Hop.
The KTMA version of Gamera vs. Barugon provides examples of:
- Early-Installment Weirdness: In addition to all of the other weirdness of the KTMA season, this particular episode sees Servo enter the theater on his own power, instead of having Joel carry him.
- Sequel First: This, the second Gamera movie, was the first one to be riffed by Joel n' the bots.
