Kappa Mikey: Difference between revisions

[[File:kappy-mikey04.jpg|frame]]

 

 

A 2006-to-2008 [[Fish Out of Water]] [[Work Com]] [[Nickelodeon|Nicktoon]] animated in-house at [[Animation Collective]], and [[Nicktoons Network]]'s first original cartoon. The show blends tropes from both [[Animation Tropes|American cartoons]] and [[Japanese Media Tropes|Japanese cartoons]]. ''[[Kappa Mikey]]'' is about American teenage actor Mikey Simon who wins a contest giving him a role in the flagging [[Anime]] series ''Lily Mu'', and [[Growing the Beard|ends up making it a hit]]. ''Lily Mu'' is a show that parodies, and includes, more [[Superhero]] and [[Shonen]] tropes than would fit in this article, and are all the more appropriate to contrast with the ordinary "real world" in the main show.

After moving to Japan, Mikey constantly finds himself [[Culture Clash|in conflict with both the culture]] of his new homeland, and with his cast-mates. Episodes usually revolve around Mikey and his friends learning [[An Aesop]] as they [[Once an Episode|deal with off-screen problems that are impairing their acting performance.]] Said problems are often rather bizarre, like the time ''a rapping, self-aware sock puppet'' threatened to upstage Lily on a magazine's "Most Beautiful People" list. An in-joke for the 4Kids fans exists where most of the voice actors also worked on their anime dubs back in the day.

 

 

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'''Ozu:''' I'm sorry, but sometimes robots only hate. }}

* [[Animation Bump]] - They are rare, but can usually be found in places where the animator got free reign to do what he/she wanted with a given shot, and particularly in the Karaoke Episodes, where the beat of the music ruled the animation.

* [[Animeland]]

* [[Bottle Episode]] - ''The Clip Show'', along with being what it obviously ''is'', features about eight minutes of original animation, the seven main characters, no new designs, and takes place indoors, mostly in the studio.

** Especially in Season 2, the ''LilyMu'' sequences were recycled and altered in new episodes.

* [[Brick Joke]] - In one episode, Mikey accidentally destroys Ozu's precious Bonsai Tree. In a later episode Mikey pulls out a katana, cutting everything in sight, including, you guessed it a bonsai tree. Both even catch on fire after losing all of their branches.

* [[Broken Treasure]] - Mikey at one point looses the photos containing Mitsuki's fond memories, and frantically takes replacements before she gets wise.

* [[Cutaway Gag]] - Of the ''[[Family Guy]]'' variety, though not used so much as to make the show memorable for it.

* [[Deranged Animation]] - to an extent. It's enhanced even more during the songs of ''The Karaoke Episode''.

* [[Edutainment Show]] - Averted: it's clearly not, but being set in a country other than where it was made and is seen, basic facts pop up on occasion that the target audience (little boys) may not have known about beforehand. This leads to some [[Truth in Television]] examples, such as how Japan has to recycle all their garbage to conserve space on their small island nation (there really ''are'' tons of recycling cans in every building), or how kabuki actors are all men.

* [[Face Fault]] - Parodied in a few episodes where Mikey, as an American cartoon character, can't do it, no matter how hard he tries.

** Yoshi can be the [[Sixth Ranger]] in a few episodes.

* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]] - Several instances. Sean Schemmel does a drop-dead hilarious Swiss accent!

* [[Portmanteau Couple Name]] - in-universe: Ozu tricks Gonard and Lily into a fake relationship purely for ratings purposes. "Lilynard" is printed on newspaper headlines, and on Gonard's T-shirt- he later rips it off to reveal another that says "Gonuki", saying, "ya never know..."

* [[Pun-Based Title]]

* [[Slapstick]]

* [[Spin-Off]] - ''Dancing Sushi''

* [[Status Quo Is God]] - A lesson is learned at the end of every episode, but by the next episode, [[Static Character|no one changes.]]

** Lampshaded: when Mikey messes something up again, Ozu muses with Guano and Yes Man that they should probably start holding Mikey responsible for his actions. They [[Beat|think about it]], then ''laugh''.

* [[Surprisingly Good English]]: Notice that Lily and Mitsuki lack a Japanese accent.

** Same with most of the cast. It's more a convenience that everyone speaks English because it was made by and for an English audience.

* [[Sweat Drop]]

* [[Take That]] - To how American dubs, particularly 4Kids, always edit anime shows to ridiculous levels.

** Ozu, when explaining why he's changing the format of the show.

* [[The Musical]] -- Or rather, the Karaoke Episode.

* [[Toilet Humor]] - The punchline of many situations is usually just farts or thereabouts.

* [[Zany Scheme]]

 

'''Engineer 2:''' Are you kidding? They're going to ''love'' it!|The very last lines in the show}}

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Work Com]]

[[Category:The Millennium Age of Animation]]

[[Category:Western Animation]]

[[Category:Kappa Mikey]]