Starring:
Neil Kaplan as The Principal, and Sweater Girl’s Dad
Dorothy Melendrez as Mom (voice) (as Dorothy Fahn)
Diane Michelle as The Weather Lady (voice)
Joshua Seth as Spencer (voice)
Brianne Siddall as Sweater Girl, Tiffany (voice)
Wally Wingert as Dad (voice)
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital Surround Sound
Running Time: 171 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is the description from the DVD cover:
“Discover the magical world of Spencer. He’s a super-intelligent third-grader who writes fantastically impossible things in his diary … and they come to life! Spencer learns how pigs really fly when he draws millions of them — then one stays with him as his loyal and amazing pet, Sunny Pig.
Enjoy their first adventures together and join them as they meet the Samurai Lunch Lady, a talking strawberry who dreams of taking over the world, and some of the wackiest characters ever created. You’re sure to love the hilarious adventures of Tokyo Pig!”
The Best of Tokyo Pig is not rated.
The Series:
I had never heard of Tokyo Pig before getting this DVD, but I’ve since become an expert on the subject. I popped it into the player for the kids and they were absolutely entranced by it. They sat in front of the TV mesmerized for 171 minutes (with the occasional potty break). When they were done, they popped it in and watched it again. So as far as entertaining kids goes, Tokyo Pig is a winner.
The animation on the show is an eclectic mix of styles. Part of it is standard Japanese animation. Part of it looks like a child’s sketch. Part of it looks like a watercolor. Part of it looks incredibly stylized. Among animation that I’ve seen, Tokyo Pig is quite unique.
The show is also pretty funny. Spencer gets into trouble frequently when his imagination comes to life. And as you would expect from a child, his imagination is pretty wild. The dialogue on the show is quite amusing as well. They make jokes about Spencer’s Dad, his mom, and his sister. One line that cracked me up when a fleet of pigs attacked “Pig-Zilla” was about “ham from the heavens”. There are porcine puns like that through the whole show. Tokyo Pig also features an amusing weather lady that frequently pops in and narrates the action. Her comments are typically good for laughs.
On the down side, Tokyo Pig’s pacing is incredibly frantic. Imagine an episode of Pokemon hopped up on caffeine and sugar. That’s Tokyo Pig. It is so fast paced and insane that I could hardly watch it. My kids weren’t phased by it a bit, though I had a feeling that many of the jokes zipped past them or were over their heads. Still, they were entertained enough to return to it over and over.
I think Tokyo Pig is worth checking out if you want to entertain some kids for a while or if you’re a fan of animation.
The Extras:
There are no bonus features on this DVD.
The Bottom Line:
Tokyo Pig is great entertainment for kids and animation fans. Unique animation, funny dialogue, and fast paced stories make it an interesting Japanese import.
