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There's A Place...



Title:
  Cromartie High School vol 2 - Hey Dude

UK distributor: ADV Films

BBFC Certificate: PG

Suggested Retail Price (SRP):
£19.99

Episodes: 9 - 14 (of 26)

Audio Options: English 5.1; Japanese 2.0

Subtitles: English

Reviewer:  Tom (Webmaster)

 

After the slow-paced vol 1 of Cromarite, vol 2 was going to have to set up the pace to give viewers something more.  It needed to be more fast-paced, have more jokes and to be even more bizarre.  I did not think it could become even more bizarre after the opening volumes contained an unconvincing robot, a gorilla and a Freddie Mercury lookalike, but boy was I wrong. 
 


Forget what I said in my review of the first volume about each episode containing only one joke and the slow pace, volume 2 corrects all the errors of volume 1 and transforms Cromartie from an average show to a classic.  Now that the main characters have been established the series starts to explore bizarre situations rather then bizarre characters.  One story revolves around undergoing survivalist training for the baseball team, but no baseball is played.  In another story a student is replaced by a masked terrorist and no-one notices. 
 



Happiness Is A Warm Gun
 


Veterans of anime comedy will also appreciate the increased use of visual background now included, seeing an enraged Mechazawa emblazoned with speed-lines is just sheer genius!  These increased visuals give a much more energetic feel then before, bringing a lot more life to the static animation of the previous volume.  There is also a much higher joke count then before, which makes vol 2 much more fun to watch. 
 


Across The Universe

It is also worth noting that Cromartie is completely inoffensive and at no point does it rely on sex, violence, drugs or swearing just for a cheap laugh.  Nor does it rely on satire or any intellectual metaphors just to be clever.  It relies on being bizarre, random and just plain odd.  Fans of comedians such as Bill Bailey will love the humour in this show as it is the ultimate in visual comedy.  In script form it would not be funny - just baffling.  Perform it though and only then does the magic become clear. 
 


So you simply have to watch Cromartie, as it is the best visual comedy out there.  However, if you really hated vol 1 then it is unlikely vol 2 will sway you into thinking differently.  If you liked vol 1 though, then you will not be disappointed by vol 2.  The series has now found its footing and will hopefully surpass that again in the next volume.  Vol 2 will be a hard act to follow though. 

Extras

As well as the usual trailers the extras include credit-free versions of the opening and closing sequences as well as a very handy cultural notes and comments sections, which explains the obscure cultural references of the show. 

The DVD also contain an excellent booklet which interviews, character profiles and more cultural explanations.  Thankfully the writing style is in the vogue of the show, which makes it all the more enjoyable. 

Ratings

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