Yuugen Jikkou Sisters Shushutorian

[1]

The fourteenth and the last of Toei Fushigi Comedy Series (東映不思議コメディーシリーズ) of Toku shows. It tells the story of three Yamabuki sisters: 16-year-old Yukiko, 13-year-old Tsukiko and 11-year-old Hanako, who, in the year of 1993, seeked refuge in a karaoke parlor to seek peace from their constantly squabbling parents who were on the verge of divorce. Then, just as one of the sisters sang a random song, they came face to face with a funny-looking man with a red monawk and dressed in white. It turned out that he was no other than Otori-sama, the Guardian of the Year of Rooster!

Since he was too preoccupied with havng fun, Otori-sama (お酉様) gave the sisters a mission: to carry out his duty as the Guardian for the Year of the Rooster for a whole year. With the magic powers bestowed upon them, the three sisters transform into the titular Yuugen Jikkou (有言実行, lit. "Will do what they say") Sisters Shushutorian, to fight the evils of this world, with the reward of bringing their family happyness back again. However, should the sisters ever reveal their secret idenities to anyone else, then it would be goodbye three sisters, hello three plump and juicy roast chickens!

As the show progresses, the sisters encounter a wide variety of mostly supernatural foes and eventually a nemesis: Neko-hime, a demonic cat vowing to get revenge on the twelve Guardians of the Chinese Zodiac. The sisters, however, did not fight alone: there was alays this guy running around in funny white glasses, white top hat, white suit, white shorts, white shoes, and a jacket which makes Pink Panther proud. He was Fried Chicken Man, who was Otori-sama's messenger, the girl's occasional helper, or simply the show's comic relief. The sister also found three admirers in the form of three photography-loving boys in Hanako's class and just happened to have witnessed the sisters' evil-fighting deeds.

The show aired from 10th January to 31th October of 1993...hint hint, the Year of the Rooster! It totalled 42 episodes and received an average viewing rate of 10.4%.

The show includes examples of:

Animal Motif: All twelve of the Chinese Zodiac Guardians, Otori-sama included, has an appearance or outfit that hints their animal symbols.
Any One Can Get Hurt: Real life example: Kei Ishibashi, the girl playing Tsukiko, broke her collar bone while filming the action scenes of Episode 3, and had to wear a sling in the duration of the next two episodes' filming time. Good thing that the crew actually worked that sling into the script, though......
As Long as It Sounds Foreign: According to the The Other Wiki, the sisters got their team name Shushutorian (シュシュトリアン)from the French term "chouchou“ (meaning "cute", rendered as "Shushu"/シュシュ in Japanese denotation; and シュ can also be written as the kanji: 守, meaning "to protect/defend/guard"), "tori" (酉, the kanji denoting the Year of the Rooster), and "an", a common French adjective suffix.
- Although written in kanji, the term "Sisters" (三姉妹) in the title is always pronounced as the Japanese transliteration of English: シスターズ (shiisutaazu).
Bash Sisters: A literal example.
Bumbling Dad: Eizaburo Yamabuki, the sisters' father. Doubles as a Henpecked Husband. Played for comedy since he works as a Private Detective.
By the Power of Greyskull:

Yukiko: "Snow (Yuki)!"

Tsukiko: "Moon (Tsuki)!"

Hanako: "Flower (Hana)!"

All together while raising their baubles: "Shushutorian!"

Catgirl: Neko-hime, the sisters' nemesis. Formed by the grudge of the Cat who failed to become a Chinese Zodiac symbol, she declares war on the twelve Guardins and just can't wait to be a Galactic Conqueror.
- The sisters had a moment of their own cat-girliness too, when they were hyptonised by Neko-Hime to become her minions at the end of Ep.27 and for the most of Ep.28 (complete with a minor Evil Costume Switch). They were baited and saved by the Fried Chicken Man in the end.
The Chikan: Oh, c'mon, does this troper really have to mention it? Cameraman, the Monster of the Week of Ep.16. Just. Look. [2][3] What. He. Did. To. Our. Three. Sisters.
- ->"Now with you three sisters all hanged up like koinobori (carp-shaped banners), I can do as many low-angle shots as I want!"
Color Coded for Your Convenience: The sister's magic baubles, the "Baramiracle Pendants", are respectively colored yellow (Yukiko), blue (Tsukiko) and red (Hanako). And the way the sisters appear on screen always following the order of, left to right, red-yellow-blue, so that the audience won't mix the sisters up.
- Not to forget that Yukiko's costume is black-and-gold instead of red-and-gold of her sisters, obviously marking her as the leader.
Crossover: Ah, the infamous Ep.40 (and about the ONLY episode freely avaliable online, meh), where the sisters meet THE FRICKIN' GODFATHER OF ALL TOKUSATSU SHOWS: Ultraman!!
- It all started when Tsukiko, the middle sister and ever the daydreamer, wished to see Ultraman in person at the passing of a shootng star...which landed in the studio where ALL the Ultraman goodnesses are made. The next thing the sisters knew, monsters from Ultraman series were running amok in the whole town. And now it is up to the three girls to fight alongside Ultraman to rid the monsters once and for all!......And boy isn't Tsukiko thrilled!
  - Seriously, fellow tropers, be prepared for low-angle-shots...TONS of them...when you see three 50-something foot tall chicks dressed in rather short kinonos!
Crowning Music of Awesome: The show's opening theme "Omoidatta ga Kichijitsu", performed by Tokugaki Tomoko, Iwanaka Masako and Inabe Kumiko, who are collectively known as...guess what? Three Sisters! Full version with lyric here [4].
- There's even an English version known as "Today is the Day". [5]
  - Wait till your heads go "Tilt", because here come the Three Sisters as in the show! [6]
Culture Clash: The sister's costumes seem to be a direct "East meets West" example: short kimonos, headbands, and ninja-style vambraces from the East meets black heeled shoes and cheerleader-style batons from the West.
- This troper definitely reckons that the sisters' are wearing flesh-colored pantyhoses in their transformed state.
Eastern Zodiac: They each have a physical form, and are charged with guarding their respective years. Most of them didn't come out until near the Grand Finale.
Finishing Move: Shushu-final, a combind beam attack from the sisters' Red Batons.
Freaky Friday Flip: Due to the work done by Ep.32's Monster of the Week, Mr Yamabuki's soul ended up trapped in in Hanako's body. And just things could't get any worse, the monster struck again and Mr Yamabuki was forced to...surprise surprise...TRANSFORM in the body of his youngest daughter into the girl's alter-ego!
- Fortunately, Fried Chicken Man saved the day by wiping out the man's memory of this shocking experience just before he returned to his own body, hence JUST saving the girls from being turned into roast chickens. Phew!
Hypnotic Eyes: Neko-hime has these.
In the Name of the Moon:

Yukiko: "The maidens who risk their lives to fight..."

Tsukiko: "...the sisters who struggles agains the wind..."

Hanako: "...and the girls who bloom and wither with the flowers!"

Yukiko: "Yuugen Jikkou Sisters..."

All Together: "...Shushutorian!"

Kirk Summation: Yukiko delivers this to the sisters' defeated foes.
Kimono Fanservice: The sister's costumes consist mainly of a...ahem...REALLY rather short kimono.
- Looks like Otori-sama is really not that decent fo a god, yes sir!
Large Ham: Otori-sama, and Fried Chicken Man occasionally.
Magical Girl Warriors: One of the rare examples of Japanese-themed ones. That explains all the Kabuki Sounds found frequently in the opening theme and sometimes in he show.
Monster of the Week.
Ninja: Although not themselves, the sisters' costumes and movesets do resemble a little of those of a real one (ok, kunoichi, or at least, how a kunoichi is portrayed in pop culture).
No Celebrities Were Harmed: The three camera boys: Kana, Aragi, and Shinoyama got their names on three real-life photographers.
Paper-Thin Disguise: Lampshaded. This troper DEFINITELY thinks that all three sisters' visages in their Magical Girl mode is JUST a teeny bit more than slightly made-up version of their civilian faces. And unlike all the previous Magical Girl titles of the Toei Fushigi Comedy Series, (THEY WERE NOT) wearing any masks!! And the three camera boys (for crying out loud) have to actually take photos of their Transformation Sequence to ACTUALLY figure out their real identities?
Real Men Wear Pink: Fried Chicken Man.
Spell My Name With Lots of Ss: If this show's ever gonna be subbed, is it Shushutorian or Chouchoutrian?
Transformation Trinket
Verbal Tic: Fried Chicken Man with his "-koke" or "-otori" in many sentenses.