TORIKO is 10X Better in Dub

We gave TORIKO plenty of chances to grab us, and it was never able to shake off the odor of a cartoon-by-committee. The fact that the series ended earlier this year, before it even got to episode #150, more-or-less proved that Toei's golden touch doesn't have a perfect streak. You can't trick people into liking a show, no matter how much material you pump out...

Of course, that's still a lot of material lying around, and it's still got to be used, so FUNi just me a new box set collecting TORIKO Season 1. I felt obligated to comment, but figured the commentary was a foregone conclusion. So I popped episode #13 in at random, and started thinking of new ways to phrase 'cookie-cutter'....

== TEASER ==

Well, surprisingly enough, I ended up liking the episode, and that largely came down to the dubbing team's efforts. I keep saying that 'localization' isn't a bad word, and this pleasantly recalled the days of the YU YU HAKUSHO and DBZ for me - - when dubs had added entertainment in how the voice actors were very much reacting to the absurdity of the show. And humor just fundamentally plays better in your own language.

The cast is clearly having a ton of fun, and the mirth is infectious. When your lead character's as pumped up as the KILLER INSTINCT announcer, it's impossible not to tag along for the delightful absurdity of these heroes wrestling with a giant monster's tongue and fighting to survive in his impossibly-colorful, and impossibly-well-lit, intestine. For once, I could just revel in how dumb the show is.

All the previous critiques about TORIKO's originality still hold, of course, but none of that stopped this from being entertaining; and I suppose that's a very IRON CHEF presentation-of-ingredients challenge fulfillment for FUNi.

Watch "the Ultimate Backup! Clash, Coco Vs. GT Robot!" and decide for yourself.