Usavich



Usavich (from Usagi, Japanese for rabbit, and -vich, which is faux Russian) is a short CG-animated comedy airing on MTV Japan. Briefly, Usavich is about two anthropomorphic rabbits in jail. The first is Putin, a carefree and happy-go-lucky rabbit who always follows orders and usually dances a jig when he's not doing anything (or sleeping). The second is Kirenenko, an emotionless and apathetic rabbit who cares only about reading his shoe catalog or cleaning his shoes, and oblivious to the fact that he lives in jail.

The first season dealt with their time together in prison. In the last episode of the season, Kirenenko calmly breaks out of prison, with Putin following cautiously behind. The second season followed their adventures in a run-down car on a precarious mountain road, and the ongoing third season deals with their time in a high-rise skyscraper in the city. The fourth season now deals with Putin tinkering around with a rabbit robot while Kirenenko resumes reading his shoe catalog.

The comedy could best be described as adolescent. There's a bit of Toilet Humour, a lot of Slapstick (Kirenenko goes berserk quite often), and some surreal Black Comedy moments. Its lack of dialogue also makes it very accessible for a casual observer.

This show provides examples of:

 * All There in the Manual: There's very little dialogue or writing in the show; the characters' names and backgrounds are found on the official website and DVD materials.
 * Berserk Button: Message to police officers: do not get on Kirenenko's bad side.
 * Butt Monkey: Comaneci, who's usually eaten by Leningrad (and pooped out) or killed. Also Kanschkov.
 * Can't Hold His Liquor: One sip from anything is enough to make Putin drunk.
 * Do Anything Robot: The premise of Season 4. Putin gives Mechanenko several different upgrades to do just about anything. Except he's not very good at it or he's intrusive to the others about helping.
 * Ears As Hair: Putin has his ears tied in a top-knot.
 * Embarrassing Old Photo: Zrzolov has one . Kirenenko doesn't react to it well.
 * The Ditz: Putin
 * The Faceless: The men operating the doors.
 * Gag Censor: Comaneci is used as one.
 * Genius Ditz: Putin's quite proficient with mechanics, which has saved their lives on more than one occasion. He can also cook.
 * Giggling Villain
 * Hair Raising Hare: Kirenenko, when roused.
 * Killer Rabbit
 * Lethal Chef: Mechanenko.
 * Lemming Cops: Boris and Koptsev.
 * Magical Defibrillator: Through electrical discharge,
 * Musical Episode: Every fifth episode of each season, there is an impromptu percussive performance in the show, often involving Leningrad's ribbits, Putin's gasps, and Kirenenko's punches.
 * Nigh Invulnerability: Kirenenko can eat live bombs.
 * Pretty much anything directed at Kirenenko (guillotines, sniper bullets to the head, artillery shells) will just bounce off him.
 * Police Are Useless: Kirenenko can get whatever he wants in prison if he doesn't like something and frequently beats the crap out of Kanschkov with little to no repercussion from the other guards.
 * Robot Buddy: Mechanenko.
 * Robot Me: Mechanenko to Kirenenko.
 * Recurring Riff: When things go in slow-motion, cue the light instrumental Bach music.
 * Shout Out: The car Putin and Kirenenko travel in has the license plate, UC 0079
 * The same car and the road they are traveling on looks like Lupin's signature car, and specifically the famous chase scene from Castle of Cagliostro
 * Kirenenko gets into an underground-boxing match in Episode 34. After both Kirenenko and his opponent get injected with some super-steroid, the crowd goes running and Putin jumps for cover. When he looks up, the opponent is embedded in the ring, but Kirenenko is sitting on a stool, a light shining down on him, in black and white, ala Tomorrows Joe
 * The Stoic: Kirenenko
 * Not So Stoic: Except when he's not.
 * Transvestite: Comaneci the chick. Every other chicken looks just like him, though.
 * Unexplained Recovery: Comaneci usually gets revived at the end of an episode.
 * Widget Series