Another (inter)stellar episode of Uchuujin MuuMuu, which just keeps delivering. It’s nice to know after last weeks trickle (in context flood) of comments that there are people watching and reading these posts, because it’s not a series you hear discussed much in English. It is indeed, as commenter Enamelthyst noted, a “how does this even exist?” series. The kind of thing you pretty much only see in anime and manga. It’s pretty much inexplicable in every sense (like, what editor decided to greenlight it?) but that’s what I love about it.
Normally, when I say this was possibly the most serious episode so far I would say the collective groan I hear is justified. But truthfully, it totally worked. The absurdism and satire was definitely toned down here, but things never got heavy. A lot of that is thanks to Siberia, who I’ve adored since the moment he appeared (he’s so freaking cute). Takahashi Karin is doing a great job with the character, whose vibe is totally different than MuuMuu or Decimaru. This is the most extended run for Siberia and Anamori-san, but things do kick off with the main pair.
Sakurako and MuuMuu are doing radio callisthenics with the oldsters at the park (that’s totally something she would do). But in fact it’s kind of a bitch session/help request exercise as much as anything. MuuMuu wryly notes that to him, all elderly humans look the same. That includes the old lady who he’ll eventually recognize as “Oven-baba” (but not for a while yet). She expresses the opinion that she’s been scammed, which has Sakurako feeling like she might be in over her head as a counselor. Fortunately Anamori and Siberia happen to be passing by, and Anamori gets the dowager to spin her sad tale.
At this point the story splits into two forks, though they’ll eventually converge. The stylish (Italian!) “toaster” the lady bought turns out to be a convection oven. What’s the difference between a convection oven and a toaster, you ask? This is Uchuujin MuuMuu, of course you’re going to get an answer. And of course it will be Tenkubashi delivering it. He shares his usual blend of history lesson and engineering 101, and concludes that in the end, while convection ovens are useful for their versatility (confirmed), an elderly person is better off with a simple one-function toaster. Let me note than in Japan, where most kitchens have no Western-style oven, a convection oven has been an indispensable boon for me – not least for making a crispy pizza, as we see here.
If the convection oven is one of this week’s tech lessons, GPS is the other. And I confess, I didn’t understand how they work to the level Siberia described it. Anamori’s cover is as a prison guard (and Siberia’s as a therapy cat, ROFL), and through his job he gets wind of the case of an elderly woman with dementia who’s gone missing, the shrine amulet with hidden GPS (great idea) given to her by her grandson having turned up outside “Karaage Disaster”. She’s been missing going on three days, and Siberia (who secretly loves Anamori as much as MuuMuu – and Maru – love Sakurako) is desperate for Anamori to solve the case and show up his mouthy kouhai and her mouthy police dog “Bacon”.
Anamori proves what a good cop he is by solving the disappearance in rather elegant fashion. And that’s also the word I would describe for how the writing tied the two plot threads together. With Tenkubashi’s help Sakurako returns to Oven-baba’s house armed with an idea to sell the whole convection oven idea, since it’s clear the old girl desperately needs something to spice up her routine and loves Mediterranean design. A decent convection oven will crisp a pizza even without a stone, though the stone is certainly the best option in any oven.
This inspires Anamori to look past the newest technology and think about things from the missing woman’s perspective. He sees the townscape the way she would see it – in her mind’s eye, when her memory was still sharp. And it leads him to the abandoned boom era apartment complex (they’re all over the country) where she used to live. It’s a happy ending for the family, and prompts Siberia to muse on the fact that maybe human technology, backwards as it us, is strong in the niche of connecting people. Yes, it’s all pretty “serious” by Uchuujin MuuMuu standards but it fits the shows’ quirky worldview perfectly. It’s a series that understands itself very well, and always stays true to itself.
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