Oh! Super Milk-Chan

—by John Yung

Just when you thought it was safe to watch Japanese TV, along comes OH! SUPER MILK-CHAN. Behind its simplistic facade lies the product of a demented genius or bored animators (or both). What have the unsuspecting Japanese viewers done to deserve this insanity?
OH! SUPER MILK-CHAN is actually older than most people may think. It's the sequel to SUPER MILK-CHAN, a regular eight-minute segment on the Flyer TV show which aired on Fuji TV back in 1998. That prior incarnation ran for about 14 episodes and had a smaller cast. Apparently, it had enough of a cult following to warrant the sequel series.
Right away, American viewers will probably draw comparisons between MILK-CHAN and POWERPUFF GIRLS. Both shows are about superhero girls who receive calls from government leaders and fight villainy. While there are plenty of visual gags in both shows, there's also a lot of sarcastic verbal humor featured. Even the designs of the two shows share a similar extreme simplicity that uses flat colors and bold lines.
However, MILK-CHAN has its own unique spin on humor. Although POWERPUFF GIRLS does use parody, it's not used to the blatant extent seen in MILK-CHAN. The entire opening credits to MILK-CHAN consists of clips parodied from 60s & 70s anime such as ACE O NERAE, a tennis anime show. Studio Pierrot, the production studio behind MILK-CHAN, even goes as far as occasionally using cameos by characters from other anime shows such as Antoinette from THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES, a Matsumoto Leiji reporter and even a Colonel Sanders clone!
As wacky as the guest cameos are, MILK-CHAN's cast is even wackier. Milk is the child superheroine who would rather hang out at home and enjoy the things that kids like to do: watch TV, play videogames, eat snacks. Tetsuko is Milk's robot assistant, who is searching for an ideal husband. Hanage is Milk's pet, who likes to spout soliloquies. Then there is the insecure President who always calls Milk for help. Another cast member is Dr. Eyepatch, a mysterious apparition who shows video clips to Milk about stuff relevant to her missions. Yet another recurring character is Milk's landlord, who always shows up demanding the rent. Rounding out the cast is the insect family that lives under Milk's yard, who go through some domestic trials and tribulations.
The series follows a plot formula, but it's the details that make each episode a humorous experience. In every episode, Milk is goofing off until the landlord stops by to hammer at the door demanding his rent payment. After cleverly fooling the landlord into leaving, Milk gets a phone call from the President asking for her help, whether it be to catch a counterfeiter, interpret his nightmare or solve the homeless population problem. After receiving the call, she usually pays a visit to Dr. Eyepatch for some advice. The episodes always end with Milk completing her missions, although often in unexpected ways.
What keeps this plot formula from turning stale are the differences between each episode. Some differences are the tiny details, such as the trinkets on the President's desk or the picture hanging on the wall of Milk's home. Other differences take more experimental forms, such as the various video essays that interrupt the show, an episode where the characters are drawn off-model or an episode where they show the foley (sound effects) artists at work with a picture in picture display. All of these changes are quite unexpected and probably designed to catch the viewer off-guard in an amusing way.
The musical direction of MILK-CHAN is almost non-existent, save for the opening and ending songs. The opening song is nearly as strange as the show is, using a fast tempo melody with lyrics that seem more appropriate for a lullaby or a ballad. The show closes with "High School Rock'n Roll," a really fun rock song that might get you dancing. Other than that, music is used sparingly on the show, such as violins during a scene that parodies the ending of CASABLANCA.
There are inevitable comparisons between MILK-CHAN and EXCEL SAGA, since both are truly bizarre anime shows that aired within months of each other. EXCEL SAGA will seem funnier to viewers who don't understand a lot of Japanese because there is a flood of visual humor thrown on-screen, coupled with Mitsuishi Kotono's rapid-fire voice acting. MILK-CHAN, in contrast, seems more laid-back with slower paced animation direction and Milk's mellow singsong voice (she's like Crayon Shin-chan in that respect). While EXCEL SAGA pokes fun at cinematic conventions, MILK-CHAN satirizes pop culture. The most obvious object of this satire is the President who fails as an authority figure and depends on Milk to bail him out. MILK-CHAN is indeed funny, but sometimes it's too bizarre for its own good.

Pioneer LDC
VHS / DVD, 50 mins.
Vol. 1 (of 6) - VHS: PIVA-1061 / DVD: PIBA-1151
Vol. 2 - VHS: PIVA-1062 / DVD: PIBA-1152
Vol. 3 - VHS: PIVA-1063 / DVD: PIBA-1153
Vol. 4 - VHS: PIVA-1064 / DVD: PIBA-1154
Vol. 5 - VHS: PIVA-1065 / DVD: PIBA-1155
Vol. 6 - VHS: PIVA-1066 / DVD: PIBA-1156
¥2800(VHS), ¥3800(DVD)
Available now in Japan
Where to buy