In today’s TV anime environment there seems to be less interest in producing anime for children than in the past. Most children’s anime airing today are decades-old properties that just happened to never leave airwaves, shows like Crayon Shin-Chan, Doraemon, and Chibi Maruko-chan for example. So I was intrigued when I heard about a new anime on Netflix, Dino Girl Gauko.
On the surface, the premise seems normal: a little girl is transferred to a new school where she must deal with a gossiping classmate spreading false rumors about her, getting pimples during school picture day, and getting picked on by a boy for doing poorly in soccer.
However, that’s the only semblance of “normal” in this show. While there are humans in this show, Gauko’s father is a frog, her classmates include a literal baby and a sentient comet, and her teacher is a flying robot. There are other oddballs in the town itself, including a group of aliens that landed on Earth to try to conquer the planet, although nobody seems to pay them of any mind. And if that’s not enough, Gauko herself has a unusual problem: whenever she gets too upset, she turns into a giant dinosaur, attacking the city and breathing fire at anyone and anything that was antagonizing her.
There is something pleasant about this show. The animation is minimalist, which fits with the bizarre nature of the show’s setting. The show’s creator and director, Akira Shigino, has a long history of working on “gag anime” like Shin-Chan and Osomatsu kun and it really shines here. I’m reminded of classic gag anime that was a staple in Japanese television years ago and it’s nice to see a modern take on the style.
The “gag” aspect is especially the case in the second episode where Gauko, in her dinosaur form, accidentally lights an alien bomb that can destroy the entire Earth and the characters go on a Looney Tunes-esque chase sequence where they try to get rid of the bomb, passing it from one character to another. There’s also a self-aware aspect of the anime that’s part of the overall humor. The very first episode pokes fun of a common cliché in anime where a school girl is late for school and must leave with a toast in her mouth, only to bump into a boy that would blossom into a romance. As Gauko rushes to school with her breakfast, she expresses wish that this is exactly what would happen to her. She does bump into something, only it turns out to be a sign to a store that was put in the middle of a sidewalk. The sheer absurdity of that didn’t go unnoticed by Gauko when she sees what happens.
Dino Girl Gauko is just plain FUN and doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is a refreshing change of pace. I don’t know how anime fans would think of this show, but in a ideal world this would be given a chance. The episodes are short, no more than 8 minutes long, and while the first two episodes are connected the series otherwise takes an episodic turn, which would make this an ideal show to watch casually. Due to the shorter running time the stories are to the point, with the silly sense of humor pushing it up.
The first season of Dino Girl Gauko, consisting of 20 episodes, will begin streaming on Netflix worldwide in November 22. If you’re a fan of comedic cartoons from the West and want to experience anime, this is worth checking out.
