200https://i.ur.com/iiUIBFm.png This review contains minor spoilers. If youve looked through Shouji Kawamoris massive backlog before then youd be aware of the occasional original concept that takes a departure from his iconic mecha anime. For myself learning about these outliers was surprising especially with Anyamal Tantei Kiruminzoo a childrens anime about anthropomorphic magical girls with themes of ecological concern and friendship. Another one of these anime was Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku which unlike Kiruminzoo Kawamori plays a much bigger part in besides just creating the original concept for. Having played a huge role in the scriptwriting for Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku I was surprised to learn that this was Kawamoris first time writing a comedy anime because his ability to intertwine complete and utter absurdity through a story about the interpersonal conflicts of a dysfunctional family on the brink of divorce is some of the best you can find within the sphere of comedydrama anime. If this overly long sentence has piqued your interest then allow me to introduce you to Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku. 500https://i.ur.com/X0d9qBm.png Starting off amidst a family deciding which child goes with which parent once the two parents get a divorce Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku makes itself clear that this is not a normal functional family. A disruptive boy playing with his food who doesnt want to leave either parent an apprehensive older girl reluctantly deciding to go with her father whos a stereotypical otaku stuck to his computer avoiding the divorce papers due to a fear of rejection and a loudmouthed mother who jokingly threatens those around her and isnt afraid to say how she feels no matter how hurtful. Whats more is the incoming fax paper that causes a ruckus at the breakfast table announcing very suddenly to the family that they must join together as heroes and Save the Earth. With no explanation other than the purpose of their mission and how to use their given powers Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku also makes itself clear that it isnt afraid to be absurd. Its loud its fast its weird and all of this absurdity is about to clash headfirst with the relationships in this dysfunctional family. 340https://i.ur.com/8LFNZM1.png 340https://i.ur.com/gFWvNBP.png Dai is the youngest child in the family. Hes a disruptive and crude child not afraid to cause trouble to those around him to gain attention. At school he flips the skirts of every girl he runs by including his teacher. At home he jumps into the chest of his own mother to piss her off. Hes rude to his sister and talks about literally eating shit with his father yes this actually happens. Hes perverted inconsiderate loud and isnt afraid of it so much so that as a viewer I felt a sense of distaste towards him. However behind this bombastic personality is a sense of humanity. Humanity that feels as if Dai has lost after living this dysfunctional life with his family. For example in episode 4 after Dai swallows a mysterious orange ball he found in the previous episode and gets pregnant the next morning with a strange alien rodent did I mention this anime is absurd? the family insists that Dai throw it away. Having given birth to the strange creature Dai understandably doesnt want to let him go. Its his own child and he doesnt want to give it up like Dais mother did to him. This relationship Dai has with the rodent is in direct contrast to his relationship with his mother who does an incredibly poor job of being a mother figure for him. Dai resents his own mother for this going so far as to say towards the end of the episode I cant believe you call yourself a mother there is no way Im abandoning him to which she responds saying I shouldve abandoned a brat like you long ago. Both are clearly very reactionary statements but it goes to show just how Dais mother treats him and the reality of his dysfunctional family. This understandably affects Dai immensely and were able to see the extent of this effect in the later episodes. Understanding how Dai has lived a dysfunctional life with his family puts into perspective exactly why he acts the way he does. He seeks attention from others because he never got the right amount from his own parents. Hes crude and inconsiderate because thats the kind of environment hes grown up in. He flips up the skirts of girls at his school and causes trouble because he seeks attention that he doesnt get from his parents. He jumps into the chests of his mother and his teacher is because he wants to feel the motherly love that he lost. Hes constantly joking around and not taking things seriously because hes afraid of confronting whats truly affecting him. This dynamic within Dais personality is juxtaposed with the absurdity of the anime as its used to mask how Dai truly feels inside through a more literal representation that the viewer can feel which goes to show how strong of an understanding the staff of Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku have of its tone. If this is something that sounds interesting to you then I implore you to give this anime a chance. 340https://i.ur.com/LzlVFZi.png 340https://i.ur.com/wemwsQR.png One complaint I have with Chikyuu Bouei Kazokus storytelling is that Dai is the only character with a fulfilling amount of character development. This is due to the cancellation of the project putting most of the stories for each character indefinitely on hold. While Nozomi the oldest child has some phenomenal episodes that detail her own personal struggles as the only one trying to keep the family together as well as her experience with love the parents spend most of their own stories building up their character which unfortunately never reaches any proper development. Thats why this review is only detailing Dais story as his development essentially represents Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku and its themes as a whole. Now about this cancellation problem going on. As of writing this I cannot say for certain why exactly Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku never got a second season despite clearly setting up for one at the end of this season. The Japanese wiki mentions that it was cancelled during production but nothing more. There are suspicions that the low VHS sales and a DVD version releasing far too late after the broadcasting are what hindered the popularity of the series. There are rumours that Kawamori doesnt like it with the lack of any Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku material showing at one of his events that featured all of his original creations including Kiruminzoo. However there is an everlooming uncertainty surrounding the whole situation without an answer in sight. But honestly Im okay with it. Much like the uncertainty of the familys divorce and where each character is heading in Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku we most likely wont find out what happened to the project. But despite this constant worry about the future and how things will turn out its important to keep moving forward in life. If Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku ever got an ending I believe this is the message it would tell the audience. The family is only being held back from divorce by a force theyre unable to control. No matter how hard they try to work together and put their arguments aside it never works. Theyre forever fated into a depressive family dynamic held together only by a necessity to save the world yet they themselves do not understand what exactly this world theyre saving is because theyre trapped in their own. Chikyuu Bouei Kazokus ending didnt tie up any loose ends nor did it deliver any satisfying answers to our questions but Im okay with that. Forming our own interpretations and simply moving on with our lives is equally as important and thats the conclusion Ive found myself ending at. Just some extra thoughts to round up the review: The visuals are mindbogglingly impressive. Each episode is as consistently gorgeous as the previous right up to the very end. The animation is impressive in particular as its overexaggerated movements and expressions add another layer to the absurdity of the world. Shot composition impressive layouts and slow pacing complement the more sombre dramatic character moments while flashy effects colourful lighting and exaggerated posing overwhelm the absurd action scenes. Its a delightful mix that consistently stays great throughout the 13episode run. Some of my favourite shots: 340https://i.ur.com/aMLYlZf.png 340https://i.ur.com/RCeaAi0.png The soundtrack is amazing. With music by Shigeo Naka of The Surf Coaster a surf rock band his flavour of surf rock and heavily distorted electronics complement every scene of the show more than any other element. The music too has an absurdserious dynamic going on with tracks ranging from loud bombastic guitar solos to harrowing low electronic distortions with vocal scream samples. Its honestly impressive just how many elements of art all work together to form the identity of Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku. Art music writing and character performance all ooze absurdity while still being grounded in reality. Its an impressive mix that I consider to be some of the best you can find within the sphere of comedydrama anime. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you decide to give Chikyuu Bouei Kazoku a try. 340https://i.ur.com/YgnZW10.png 340https://i.ur.com/HRteM5I.png