×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Mr. Osomatsu
Episode 8

by Amy McNulty,

How would you rate episode 8 of
Mr. Osomatsu ?
Community score: 4.2

In light of the mounting legal troubles Mr. Osomatsu is facing in response to its parodies, it's noteworthy that this week's opening segment satirizes the detective genre in such a broad manner that no lawyers are likely to come knocking. In this Treehouse of Horror-esque detective spoof, the show's core characters are reimagined as players in an old-school murder mystery. As far as I can tell, this story isn't parodying any specific piece of detective fiction, but rather the genre as a whole. (However, one of the BGM tracks played throughout the segment is clearly meant to mirror Conan Edogawa's "in the zone" music.)

After Karamatsu—who plays a wealthy gadabout in this reality—is brutally murdered, the police are left utterly baffled. Just as Inspector Todomatsu is about to throw in the towel, Calming Detective Osomatsu arrives on the scene via hang glider. However, as Captain Choromatsu explains, the legendary detective is there to lighten the mood instead of provide any practical assistance. While initially unimpressed with Osomatsu's bumbling detective schtick, Todomatsu and the rest of the investigation team soon fall under his spell, laughing hysterically at every stupid joke he cracks amidst a rapidly-rising body count. At one point, he even stabs an investigator when trying to reenact Karamatsu's grisly demise. Everyone is so caught up in the fun that no one pays any mind to the hockey mask-clad Jason Voorhees-looking figure (complete with blood-drenched machete) hiding in plain sight.

In many respects, this is the show's darkest segment to date. Towards the end, murder victims are popping up every few seconds, and their causes of death grow progressively more gruesome as the bit wears on. (The number of bodies at the end of the segment would make Agatha Christie blush.) I'm impressed with the way Mr. Osomatsu is able to fluctuate between slice-of-life stories and fantastical setups with such aplomb.

After being notably absent for the better part of three episodes, Totoko reappears as the star of this week's second segment. Following her lukewarm debut as Fish Idol Yowai Totoko, her fledgling showbiz career has taken a turn for the worse. (The Matsuno siblings are the only ones still attending her concerts!) Totoko is understandably upset by her lack of success, but not because being an idol was a lifelong dream. As she reveals, she aspires to be famous for the sake of being famous, and if she's able to show up some old girlfriends in the process, so much the better. This prompts Jyushimatsu to suggest that she try her hand at acting, but after two independently-produced flops, Totoko seems to accept that being a celebrity simply isn't in the cards. However, as evidenced by the giant Totoko-inspired mech (presumably built by Professor Dekapan) that attacks the city at the end of the episode, the resourceful young woman will settle for any type of fame.

Totoko's selfish intentions make her the perfect love interest for any of the Matsuno siblings—which is apparently why they all love her. In fact, they admire how forthright she is in admitting her selfish intentions. If any of the boys were to try their hand at becoming famous, their attempts would likely be just as bizarre and misguided as their mutual crush's. Throughout most of this segment, Iyami serves as the tsukkomi, frequently calling attention to everyone else's stupidity. Unfortunately, his straight man skills don't really measure up to Choromatsu, who has more experience acting as the show's put-upon voice of reason. (Also, with the Gintama anime currently experiencing its third revival, he has to compete with the likes of Shimura Shinpachi.)

The general wackiness of the second segment provides the perfect counterbalance to the dark comedy featured throughout the first, and nearly every joke hits its mark this week. The last few minutes of the detective story don't even need much dialog to get the gags across; the visuals alone are enough. Episode 8 illustrates that the Matsunos are versatile characters who can be thrown into any situation with hilarious results.

Rating: A-

Mr. Osomatsu is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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


discuss this in the forum (211 posts) |
bookmark/share with: short url

back to Mr. Osomatsu
Episode Review homepage / archives