Patalliro!
Once, there was an island where it was always spring... An island somewhere in the South Seas, with green forests and wide lakes. And mountains, let us not forget the mountains. Tall mountains with deep roots, filled with one of mankind's most precious treasures: diamonds. The name of this island is Malynera, and its king is only a child.
Patalliro VIII, king of Malynera, is 10 years old. From the day he was born, everyone knew he was... unusual. He is a hyper boy, with flashes of genius, moments of thoughtless cruelty, and the ability to make a bad pun out of anything. Smart, but only a child and so he often does very stupid things.
Patalliro! is his story.
He lives in a world very similar to our own, but where the bizarre is commonplace. He manages to get into all kinds of trouble, from international terrorists to space aliens to accidental time travel. His first challenge as king is to stay alive, when a group called the International Diamond Syndicate decides that it wants control of the Malynera diamond mines. This is how he meets Bancoran, who was assigned to be his bodyguard during a trip to Britain. It's also how they meet Maraich, who was one of the assassins sent by the IDS.
Patalliro is almost always accompanied by his army of Tamanegi ("Onions", so called because of their onion-shaped wigs). The Tamanegi all wear identical masks, wigs and glasses, and are known only by numbers. They are Patalliro's protectors, but protect the world from him just as much as they protect him from the world.
(Source: myanimelist.net)
- The manga started in 1979 and currently has 84 volumes.
- A 49 episodes anime series ran between April 8, 1982 and May 13, 1983 called "Boku Patalliro!"
- There is also an animated movie produced in 1983 called "Patalliro! Stardust Keikaku".
- A Spin-Off anime series called "Patalliro Saiyuki!" with 26 episodes run between 2003 – 2005.
- X Japan rhythm guitarist Tomoaki Ishizuka's stage name "Pata" comes from the main character's name.
Tropes used in Patalliro! include:
- Anything That Moves: Patalliro, who have the bad habit of "grope" people no matter the gender and play sexual innuendos, taking advantage of the fact that he is only 10.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Larken.
- Author Avatar: In both the anime and mangas, a chibified Mineyo Maya pops up occasionally. His amusing little avatar even got a few mangas of it's own, which were actually quite funny.
- Big Eater: His Highness Patalliro, of course.
- Bishonen: Bancoran qualifies, he even wears blue eyeshadow. Several of "Patalliro's Enemies" also qualifies. Maraich is also considered a bishonen in the story but you could also consider him a "trap". Your Mileage May Vary.
- Boys Love: One of the earliest and long-running satirical manga (1979 ? ongoing!) and a rare example of a shounen-ai series by a male mangaka. Also one of the first BL-flavored anime to be produced for television (in 1983-84). According to The Other Wiki [1], the demographics adopted by the manga publishers is Shojo.
- Britain Is Only London: Most of the time. Occasionally averted, Bancoran is revealed to be from Manchester and one chapter sees the cast visit Edinburgh.
- Cast Full of Gay: expected in a BL story. Most prominently Bancoran and the long list of his lovers.
- Cast Full of Pretty Boys: DUH.
- Children Are Innocent: Averted. His Highness is everything but innocent.
- Comically Missing the Point: in episode 06 Bancoran is challenged by the villain for a Sword Fight. Patalliro's comment: "This is a man's romance!"
- Creative Closing Credits: the credits alone tells a small story with a lovely song that fits the main plot. It's worth a watch.
- Culture Chop Suey: It's hard to say "where exactly" Malynera is located but we can tell that mixes eastern and western cultural elements and a lot of Schizo-Tech.
- Deranged Animation: The anime tried to follow the same "feeling" that the manga art have. The result was quite... unusual.
- Double Entendre: several!
- Drugs Are Bad: Bancoran will not tolerate drugs or drug dealers. (Chain smoking and drink driving at around 9am, however, are perfectly fine).
- Everybody Do the Endless Loop: everytime that Patalliro goes to "Who Killed Cock Robin mode" (usually followed by his "Onions").
- Cute Kitten: the OP has dancing cats, flying cats... for no apparent reason.
- Evil Is Sexy: specially Marion.
- Expressive Hair: Your Highness head occasionally sprouts flowers - usually when he is embarrassed.
- Expy: Bancoran is rather unsubtly based on James Bond.
- Faking the Dead: episode 12.
- Flower Motifs: roses everywhere, specially when Bancoran is present. Sometimes, Roses Means Love, sometimes Roses Means Death.
- Hurricane of Puns: All the time. Making the series notoriously difficult to translate.
- Ill Girl: Koko.
- Impoverished Patrician: Part of Bancoran's Backstory.
- Jerkass: Patalliro acts like this towards everyone, and the feeling is mutual.
- Knife Nut: Maraich's Weapon of Choice.
- Just Between You and Me: Marion had to explain the whole plan to Patalliro.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Too many to count.
- Manipulative Bastard: Somielle.
- Master of Disguise: Maraich. Sort of. Patalliro also thinks he is one.
- May–December Romance: Maraich and Bancoran are a borderline case, at 18 and
3527 respectively. - Medical Babble: since His Highness has diabetes there are a lot of medical babblings about medicines and his health condition. One of the villains try to take advantage of this.
- Memetic Sex God: M16 agent Jack Bancoran can literally shoot sexy beams out of his eye balls - and he knows that. No wonder he is called "The Bishonen Killer". Some of his "seduction techniques" are... quite amusing.
- But everyone is Bancoran for Maraich.
- Everyone is Patalliro for Bancoran AND Maraich.
- Everyone is Patalliro for Patalliro because Patalliro says so.
- But everyone is Bancoran for Maraich.
- Mister Seahorse: Twice in the manga. Never explained how.
- Names to Know in Anime: Patalliro is Katz Kobayashi and Mirai Yashima, Bancoran is Commander Wakkein, Maraich is Eris.
- New Old Flame: Damian.
- No Export for You: It was released in DVD, only in Japan.
- Parody Episode: Patalliro Saiyuki is an entire series based around the concept of a parody episode, recasting the characters in a theme of Saiyuki or Journey to the West, usually to hilarious results.
- Then there is the one episode called "The Sunflower of Versailles"
- Peek-a-Bangs: Maraich's are frequently the subject of ridicule from Patalliro.
- Plucky Comic Relief: The "Onions".
- Rape Is Love: this is how Bancoran conquers Maraich, and, as he says, "successfully persuaded him" to leave The International Diamond Syndicate.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: 'Litterally': small red fur balls that appear everywhere.
- Royal Brat: His Highness Patalliro.
- Screw Yourself: Patalliro has molested and been molested by nearly identical Patalliros of the distant past and future. Presumably they are both ancestors and descendants of the main Patalliro. Let that sink in.
- Smoking Is Cool: Bancoran smokes and use this to increase his charming appearance.
- Spoiler Ending: considering that Maraich first appearance is only in Episode 05...
- Special Guest: Rashanu, Prince of India, who has his own series, makes a quick appearance in episode 05.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: some of Patalliro's enemies seems to suffer from this condition.
- Time Travel: episode 14.
- Title Theme Tune: a real Ear Worm with Title Drop. (pa pa pa pa, pa pa pa pa, pa pa pa pa, po pe pu pi pa... patallilo!)
- The Syndicate: The International Diamond Syndicate.
- Ugly Cute: The title character.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Between Bancoran and Etrange, weirdly.
- We Will Not Use Photoshop in the Future: His Highness send a photo of himself to Bancoran so he could recognize him. The photo is highly altered so it doesn't resembles Patalliro at all. Hilarity Ensues.
- What Beautiful Eyes!: Madam Etrange.
- What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: Averted, His Highness can lie, steal things, trick people to do what he wants, harass, bribe people but he never have to face the consequences of his acts.
- What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?: Nothing in the entire series makes any sense. At all. That's kind of the point.
- White-Haired Pretty Boy: Marion.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Maraich, who always wears high heels and is also voiced by a woman.
- Wimpification: An in-series example - Maraich becomes increaingly stereotypically effeminate and increasingly less useful as the series goes on.
