Sushi Pack - No Clowning Around

It's been a while, huh?  I never really meant to stop posting Sushi Pack recaps, though I also never meant to post every single episode, either.  Much as I love the show, there are episodes that I just didn't feel warranted a full write up.  Granted, my feelings have changed by now, in both directions (i.e. some of the shows I wrote up probably didn't deserve it), but this is one I always meant to get to.

No Clowning Around - "There are no small jobs, just small sushi."
It's a typical day in Wharf City: the sun is shining, kids are having fun playing in the park, and lovers are having their romantic interludes interrupted by the sudden arrival of clouds.  No, wait, this isn't a typical onset of clouds, it's the doing of Sir Darkly, the personification of misery.  His very presence causes flowers to wilt, seesaws to break, and makes everyone in the vicinity burst into tears, much to his deadpan delight.
Over at The Green Donut, the Sushi Pack are testing out their new periscope viewer and manage to get it working, thanks to teamwork!  Thanks to the viewer, they catch sight of Sir Darkly, and as this is his first episode, Maguro points out some of his villainous quality, with Tako adding the most important one three times.  They're also aware of his ultimate goal: collecting enough tears of sorrow to seed the clouds, making misery literally rain down on the entire world.  While the Pack contemplates this, Ben calls for them to see the weather report.  Sophia Tucker is on location to report on the strange storm that appears to be moving in, right in the middle of the mayor's annual picnic!  And even this perky reporter is no match for Sir Darkly's gloom.

Seeing Sir Darkly on screen, Ben flashes back to the last time that guy was in town, and how he was carried off by the north wind, vowing revenge on the Sushi Pack.  Though we are not privy to what exactly happened that time (did the Sushi Pack cause the wind?  Was it serendipity?), we get a clue from Ben, who warns the Pack that they won't be able to sneak up on Sir Darkly the way they did last time.  And having jumped into their action pose to do this, he abruptly falls over when they stop to come up with a plan.  Ikura suggests a plan that's all him, but Maguro reminds him that they're a team, and Ben chimes in about teamwork, as he is wont to do.  Tako surmises they'll need a disguise, and luckily, Kani has just the thing.
Down in the basement, she unveils her latest creation: B.O.B. (Being Of Bamboo), a giant robot (giant to them, anyway) that they all operate.  Though impressed, Maguro has a feeling B.O.B. won't exactly blend in, but Kani already has the answer.  With her handy remote, she activates B.O.B.'s disguise mode, turning him into a clown, the perfect camouflage for a party.  Now that that's out of the way, it's time to learn how B.O.B. actually works.  Kani dons her science gear (so cute!) to explain that each member of the Pack controls a different part of B.O.B.: Wasabi controls the right hand, Ikura has the left foot (he isn't impressed), Maguro takes the right foot, Tako gets the left foot, and Kani forms the head!  She instructs everyone to strap in and wait for the command.  With everyone in place, it's time for action!  Unfortunately, no one but Kani takes the whole thing seriously, with Ikura and Wasabi being overenthusiastic and Maguro and Tako not feeling terribly needed, and thus B.O.B. wanders about haphazardly.

Sir Darkly is able to breeze right in to the mayor's picnic, thanks to his cloud of sadness, and continues collecting tears.  The inconsolable security guards also let B.O.B. right in, and so Kani again tries to get the rest of the Pack to follow her instructions, but to no avail.  B.O.B. continues his willy-nilly gambol, catching the attention of Sir Darkly.  Noticing no tears coming from B.O.B.'s eyes, he goes in to investigate.  Kani, as B.O.B.'s voice, introduces the robot as "Bob the Party Clown," then instructs Wasabi and Ikura to wave hello. They overdo it, whacking B.O.B.'s head, so Kani to tell them both to knock it off.  Wasabi gets offended, making his flame shoot up into the cooling chamber, melting the ice.  This causes water to drip on Ikura's head, so he plugs the hole up with a sticky orange ball, which just fills up with water and dumps itself all over him.
Wet and sticky, Ikura quits being the left hand and tries to take Wasabi with him, despite Kani's protests.  This causes B.O.B. to become even more unbalanced than he was before, and he ends up smashing into the cake and collapsing.  Unable to get B.O.B. to lift up, Kani proclaims herself a failure.  Tako quickly points out that it was the rest of them, not her, that failed, and even Ikura begrudgingly admits that teamwork means working together.  Which is all well and good, but what can they do now?
To the rest of the party guests, it appears that Bob the Party Clown is dead, and Sir Darkly seizes upon this opportunity to have everyone shed a tear for the departed clown.  While he collects tears, the Sushi Pack decides it's never too late, and work together to get B.O.B. back on his feet.  With their resolve to act as a team renewed, the others follow Kani's instructions to the letter, and manage to hit Sir Darkly with some slapstick, making the guests laugh.  The laughter starts breaking up Sir Darkly's clouds, and sends the specter himself to the sky, as he and the clouds disappear in a twinkling.  Kani congratulates everyone on a job well done and lesson well learned, and B.O.B. does a little dance.

I'll admit it, my main reason for wanting to do this one was Kani in her scientist get-up.  I love it!
Watching this ep again, I wonder if Sir Darkly's earlier appearance in Wharf City was supposed to be an actual episode, or it was never written on purpose.  You know, kind of a tongue-in-cheek reference to how most superheroes have a Rogue's Gallery.  In fact, it might have been an interesting concept for there to be no recurring villains on the show, but each new one treated as if they had shown up before.  With the only exceptions being Titanium Chef and the Legion of Low Tide, obviously.  I'm glad that they didn't go in that direction, though, since then we wouldn't have gotten the next episode I'll be covering: Yam Yakkers.

Sushi Pack - Taming the Gaming

Before moving forward to the new season's episodes, here's a look back that I promised a while ago.  The exceedingly Tako-centric Taming the Gaming gets massive points for lots of Tako (obviously), but negative points for a storyline that's kind of a mess.  Here's how it all went down...

The episode starts with Tako doing some kind of face-off with something, but it turns out he's just playing a video game.  He did make it all the way to level 870 already, though, so he's pretty proud of himself.  While he crows about his victory, Maguro finishes making dinner for all (do they switch off, or is she the homemaker of the group?), veggie burgers and wild rice, which the others prepare to eat with chopsticks (how?).  However, Maguro points out that not everyone is there, so they have to wait.  The missing member is Tako, still playing his game.  Maguro tries to convince him to stop playing and eat with them (even pulling out her "I'm the co-leader" card), but Tako pays her no mind and just keeps playing.

Cut to downtown, where the villain of the day, Paradoxtor, is watching his favorite game show, Even Odds, on his myriad of security monitors.  During the commercial break, he calls on his jumbo shrimp henchmen (congratulating himself on the "perfect contradiction" of jumbo shrimp as he does).  Apparently, he just wanted them to accompany him to the kitchen, where he finishes up his sweet and sour sauce, intended for Wharf City's water supply.  The sauce is made to give anyone who tastes it an uncontrollable urge for sushi, effectively getting the citizens of Wharf City to do his dirty work for him.  Which of course means that he's yet another returning-for-the-first-time villain.  Anyway, with the Pack out of the way, he'll be able to take over Wharf City, although why he wants to do this is not made known to us.  He goes on to reveal the secret ingredient of the sauce, although it doesn't really do any good to know what it is, only that he has the last bottle of it, thus if his plan goes wrong, he won't be able to repeat it.  (Note: this is just my observation; it didn't actually occur to him.) After revealing the secret ingredient, Paradoxtor reveals his name for the first time in the episode, prompting one of his henchmen to ask what a paradox is.  Paradoxtor tells him, and the henchman sees it more as an oxymoron, and hey, wouldn't that be a better name for man-ox villain?  Paradoxtor does not agree, and sends him away while he tends his sauce.

The next morning, Maguro wakes the others for their morning exercises.  Tako, however, never went to bed in the first place, and is still playing his game (I don't understand why he has to use six controllers for the same game).  Maguro inquires after his health, and Tako's game-related rambling does not reassure her.  She reminds him of their morning training, but he insists that the game is training enough, since he's been at it for three days straight.  Again, Maguro is less than reassured.  She tells him that a Pack member has to "alert, strong, and focused," but Tako just takes this advice to get further in his game, laughing maniacally (or as close as Tako gets, anyway).  Elsewhere, Paradoxtor's sauce is ready!  But just as he's about to order his hench-shrimp to action, his timer goes off, reminding him that Even Odds is about to begin.  He once again uses the security monitors to watch his show, and it just so happens to be an all-day marathon.  Fortunately for him, there's a commercial break first thing, so he has just enough time to order his shrimp to dump the sauce.

Later, the Pack (minus Tako) watch the news and see Sophia Tucker report on the sighting of literal jumbo shrimp at Wharf City Reservoir.  Ikura recognizes the shrimp as Paradoxtor's henchmen, confirming his status as a returning-for-the-first-timer.  Kani calls for action, and the others get ready to roll with the lame catchphrase, "Sushi Pack, pack up!"  Tako, however, does not appreciate being distracted from his game, but his days of nonstop playing have finally taken their toll, as one by one he drops his controllers, and though he tries to save them, there is no saving the game, and it's all over.  Tako weeps, but joins the others for the mission, although he is little more than a sleepy slug at this point.

Once the commercials are over, the Pack take off in the Sushi Craft.  Tako pilots as usual, but all too soon he starts to zonk out and thinks he's playing his game again.  He narrowly misses hitting a pigeon, thanks to a timely warning from Maguro.  Somehow he manages to land (or maybe he doesn't, considering it's offscreen), and the Pack is on the move.  Maguro demands binoculars from Tako, but not only does he fall asleep while she's asking, but he left them in the Sushi Craft anyway.  Due to these factors, Maguro strips him of his leadership, despite Tako's protests that he's more agile than ever thanks to all his gaming (he also claims it boosted his inkspray, but this proves to be false).  Instead, Maguro appoints Ikura as co-leader for the mission, and Ikura promises to do his best.  The Pack boards the ship that Paradoxtor calls home, with Tako lagging noticably behind.  Meanwhile, Paradoxtor is preparing to do something in relation to his plan (it's not clear, but it definitely involves a lever), when the commercials end and Even Odds returns.  This gives the Sushi Pack time to get on board, but Tako's lethargic entrance alerts some of the shrimp to their presence.  Ikura is able to waylay them with some well-placed salmon roe, and Maguro manages to prop open a door, but not long enough for Tako to get through.  And thus is Tako captured.

Paradoxtor takes a few moments during a commercial break to gloat in front of Tako, who is being kept in a wire cage.  Left alone again, Tako tries to escape, but lacks the strength to break through.  Where's Kani when you need her?  With the rest of the Pack, of course, sneaking past the distracted Paradoxtor.  They easily find Tako, who is surprised they came for him.  Maguro, of course, reassures him that he's part of the team, and Kani breaks the lock on the cage door.  There are hugs all around, and then the Pack gets ready for action.  There's some fancy scene work of them running.  At the next commercial break, Paradoxtor notices that Tako escaped, and calls for his henchshrimp to sound the silent alarm (of course).  During the course of all their running, the Pack stumbles on Paradoxtor's sauce, and figuring it can only be bad (since it's labeled Sushi Sauce and everything), they attack, knocking over the chamber it was in and dousing the shrimp that were chasing them.  The shrimps' sounds of distress goes unheard by Paradoxtor until the commercial break.  He goes to investigate and ends up slipping on the sauce and into the vat, and the Sushi Pack is quick to replace the lid, locking him in.  Paradoxtor laments the end of his scheme, but is satisfied that it's a paradox at least.  I, however, fail to see how it's a paradox.  If anything, it's just ironic.  Hoisted by his own petard, as it were.

Back at the Green Donut, the Pack reflects on the many things learned in this ep, like "don't underestimate the little guy," "too much of anything is a bad thing," and "less is more" (just like them! um, okay?).  Just as Tako points out the parallels between him and his video game and Paradoxtor and Even Odds, he hears the siren call of the video game saying "press start to play again."  Tako is able to put his gaming behind him, though, garnering "woohoos" and hugs from everyone else (man, they're feeling real huggy in this ep, aren't they?).  But the episode isn't over just yet.  Skip ahead to the next morning, where after a good night's sleep, Tako goes through his morning training (alone, apparently), declares himself "back," and sprays everything with ink.  The End!

So yeah, that was Taming the Gaming.  I hate to admit it, but watching it again, the ep gains a few more points because Paradoxtor is kind of cute. Y'know, for a man-ox.  I also like that we got a little more insight into the Pack's daily life (I think this was the first episode to mention that Tako and Maguro are co-leaders).  But overall, this ep just feels weird.

Sushi Pack - Red Hot Chili Planet and Sweet Tooth

I can't believe I'm blogging these eps before So Says Who and Darkness and Spice. But I have to get this out of my system, so here we go. These two eps combined make up the Sushi Pack Handles the Issues combo, the issues being global warming and childhood obesity, respectively.


Red Hot Chili Planet, or Some Like it Hot
"That's not Wasabi-talk; that sounds Dutch."
Ben sneaks the Pack members into the local cinema via a Styrofoam container while funky music plays in the background. Inside the container, Maguro eagerly anticipates the documentary they're about to see, but Tako would rather see a sci-fi flick, and Ikura agrees, until Maguro points out that other movie involves bears, then he retracts his statement. Safely inside the theater, the Pack relaxes in the A/C, but Wasabi is way too cold and tells Ben to complain to the management. Ben, as you may recall, cannot understand him, so Ikura translates. The others point out that the cold is just fine with them, and since the majority wants it cold, that's the way it's gonna stay. This will be important later.
Hearing Wasabi's complaints, someone from the row behind them gets his attention. Who is it? Why, yet another group of returning for the first time villians, the Hot Squad! They invite Wasabi to join them, since they're all about the heat, but Maguro wants to know just what they're doing at a documentary about global warming. The Hot Squad leader claims they're just there because they like movies, but the documentary starts, so everybody quiets down. Until the narrator starts describing the effects of global warming, and the Hot Squad breaks out the cheers and wolf whistles. Even Wasabi chimes in at one point.
The question I have is, are we meant to take this seriously, or are the writers just poking fun? Knowing the forces behind the show, I'm guessing that the film is more a parody of An Inconvenient Truth than anything the viewers are meant to take to heart. I haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth, though, so I can't say how much of a parody it really is. But what it's really here to do is to help explain what the Hot Squad's plan is all about later in the episode. Once the film is over, everyone cheers, except for Wasabi, who froze into an ice cube during the show.
Back at The Green Donut, Wasabi, still freezing, cranks up the heat, but Tako cranks it back down when he notices. Wasabi is not pleased, so Tako puts the issue up for a vote. Predictably, only Wasabi votes for warmth, so the majority rules against him once again. Wasabi tries to appeal to a higher power, in this case, Ben, but as we've established, communication for them is nil. Ikura translates again: Wasabi wants a recount! Ben, seeing the futility of this, suggests a compromise, but gives no advice on how to actually go about this. The others fail to see a good way to compromise anyway, so Wasabi splits. Tako puts his many-headed thought process into action, and I think it says a lot about their relationship in that he describes Wasabi as "innocent, yet dangerous" and "daring, yet gullible." He tries to figure out where Wasabi would go, and immediately thinks of the Hot Squad. Now, when I first saw this clip on the official website, I thought that this was his view of a generic "stranger," and that made this scene much, much funnier. As Tako freaks out, Ben tells the others they should have compromised, although he still doesn't give them any ideas on how to do it. Break for commercial.
By the end of the break, Wasabi is already on the other side of town, grumbling to himself about the others. His ranting is cut short by a most curious sound coming from the old abandoned warehouse... His investigation shows the Hot Squad polka-ing their eyes out, proclaiming this as their only weakness. With their dance break over, they gather around their plans for a huge cover that will trap all the smog and stuff in the city, heating up the city enough to destroy the Sushi Pack, naturally. I'll be honest, I don't really care about their plan, so I'm not going to give all the technical names of the stuff involved. All you really need to know is that their overall goal is to heat the entire planet up to epic proportions.
Wasabi accidentally makes himself known to the Squad, and when they corner him, he whams Play on their boombox and gets away while the Squad members dance helplessly. He hightails it straight to a payphone and calls up the Green Donut, but unfortunately, Ben is the one who answers. Wasabi tells him everything anyway, and Ben tries to understand, but the leader of the Hot Squad shows up and melts the phone receiver with his breath. Ben tells the other members of the Pack about Wasabi's message, but can't seem to get Wasabi's words down pat, though not for lack of trying.
The Hot Squad assumes that Wasabi was sent as a spy, but Wasabi denies this, so they assume that he wants to join them. Wasabi hadn't thought of that tactic, but agrees, and the others welcome him into their group. Back at the Green Donut, Ben is still trying to talk like Wasabi, but to no avail. Then Ikura gets an idea(!): super-hot chili sauce will give Ben the kick he needs! Surprisingly, this works, and Ben gives them all the details he got from Wasabi . He doesn't seem too pleased with his new power, though. Wouldn't it have been faster to just go searching for Wasabi? What about the trackers they have, as seen in Wassup Wasabi? and So Says Who?
Meanwhile, the Hot Squad is conflicted about Wasabi. The red guy doesn't trust him, but the leader is sure Wasabi loves heat as much as they do, but changes his tune once they catch Wasabi ripping up their plans. They rush him, but once again all Wasabi has to do is hit the boombox and the Squad is powerless against the music. Then, like a dummy, he turns it off again, only to turn it back on again, but on a country station this time. Oops. The leader wisely melts the entire boombox this time, but it's too late, the rest of the Sushi Pack shows up in their plane. The two factions leap up for an epic battle, but both are distracted by Wasabi sneaking off in the plane. Tako wonders if it was all an elaborate trap, and it certainly seems so, as the Hot Squad attacks and easily overpowers the Pack. Just as the Squad endulges in a victory dance, a familiar refrain plays in the air: more polka! It turns out Wasabi just left to get a new boombox and tuned it to a 24/7 Polka Power station. While the Hot Squad is incapacitated, the other Pack members make up with Wasabi, apologizing for not compromising, but they still don't come up with any ways to actually do it. Instead, Wasabi just leads them in a cheer of "Sushi Pack forever!" while the Hot Squad dances in the background. And then the episode just ends.

Sweet Tooth, or The Power of Positive Snacking
"Show your face, Red Alert Code Seven Alarm Activator and Evil Doer!"
This episode opens late at night, with a dark figure on the prowl. A periscope from the hole of the Green Donut's sign spies what is obviously Maguro dropping a candy wrapper on the ground. Secret snacking, Maguro? The dropped wrapper sets off an alarm, warning the Pack of a Code Seven, and Kani, Ikura, and Tako leap into action! They arrive on the scene, spout some lines, and then goggle in shock when they find out it was just Maguro testing their reaction to the alarm, and not having a secret snack after all. She berates them for arriving without Wasabi in tow; apparently the others didn't notice, and have to think pretty hard to realize that he's the one missing. Speaking of the little glob, he shows up shortly after, panting and wheezing. The others are shocked, simply shocked, at Wasabi's out of shape condition, and send him back home to bed. Wasabi does not appreciate their concern. While he goes back to the Green Donut, Ikura asks just what a Code Seven is, anyway. A litterbug, according to Maguro, and the others freak out, although whether because litter is really that serious of a problem, or because she wasted their time with that, we don't know.
Or maybe it's because the next scene immediately shifts to some kind of cah-razy cartoon (except live action) starring a redheaded kid with a very toothy grin named Sugar Jimmy. Living in a world populated by animate flowers and clocks, he puts on his peppermint specs to see his viewers, ala Romper Room's magic mirror. Jimmy reveals the worries of a few of his viewers, and reminds them that all their problems disappear with just a bit of his ridiculously named and supposedly nutritious chocolate bar. We cut to Wasabi watching the show and chowing down on the bars, while Jimmy extols their virtues and declares 12 to be the recommended daily dosage. Meanwhile, the other Pack members arrive and Kani, spotting the many wrappers surrounding Wasabi, assumes that the real Code Seven activator has been there. But no, it's just Wasabi, who falls from the counter to the floor, much to the others' surprise. Back on TV, Jimmy leads his viewers in his pledge to eat all the bars they can find, which Wasabi relishes with glee. Tako calls him on his bar addiction, but Wasabi denies it, and Jimmy's show ends.
During the show, Ben pulled out his chemistry kit and analyzed the nutrition content of the bar. ....Oh, Ben. He can do anything the plot requires him to do. Anyway, his analysis shows a nutrition value of less than zero. Wasabi just can't believe his beloved Jimmy (he even has a doll!) would feed him a load of bull, but Kani shows him the evidence in his very own body, and Tako points out his lacking flame powers. With Wasabi essential out of commission, the others huddle up to make their plans: Tako and Maguro will investigate Sugar Jimmy, and Kani and Ikura will slim down Wasabi.
Since it's a commercial break, I want to take a moment to say this: fat Wasabi is the cutest! It may not be the proper sentiment the show wants to convey, but it's true. He's just so plump and squishable! *squee* Seriously, if he stayed like that (and nobody harped on him for it), he might have moved up to three on my Sushi Pack rankings list. Yes, I am that shallow.
The next day, Kani and Ikura wake up Wasabi and tell him about their plans for a Sushi Pack music video: all they need is a theme. Ikura suggests some whole grain cereal and juice while they think it over, and Wasabi doesn't even realize what's going on. Later, they get dressed up in Jazzercize wear (Kani is so cute!) and get down to exercising! Ben mashes play on the boombox and watches, equal parts bemused and concerned while Wasabi benchpresses, jumps rope, and jogs on the toilet paper. After their workout, Kani "just happens to have" some teeny tiny apples and carrots, which Wasabi wolfs down, none the wiser. You know, I think that the bars were less to blame for Wasabi's weight gain than the fact that he'll eat whatever you place in front of him, both figuratively and literally. Ikura reminds him that they still need a theme for the music video, and Wasabi enthusiastically shares his inspiration.
Over at the studio, Tako and Maguro witness the end of Jimmy's latest show. Once the cameras are off, Jimmy becomes an absolute brat, demanding imported bottled water and complaining about how the chocolate in his bars rot his "shiny Jimmy-teeth." He berates his costars and fires his stage manager, who also happens to be his mother. Maguro and Tako have to let Wasabi know about his idol's true nature, and they have the perfect plan...
Later that day, Wasabi is back to his lean self (aww...). Ikura comments, "It's amazing what a little exercise and healthy food can do." Yeah, amazing. You know, considering the Pack's reaction to Wasabi's weight gain earlier, it's likely that he put it all on within a day or two, so it's not surprising that it all came off fairly quickly. What I'm really wondering now is how Wasabi had the stomach for a million human-sized chocolate bars in the first place. I mean, seriously, he's tiny! And why did Ben buy him all those bars in the first place? Regardless of my questions, Kani rewards Wasabi by telling him they're all going to see a taping of Sugar Jimmy's show.
The next next day (I'm assuming), the Pack watches the show from high in the rafters, and Tako slips off, donning a maintenance disguise. He goes to the Grandfather Clock character and gives him a tune-up. "It'll only take a minute," he says, "and you've got plenty of those." Haha. Back on the show, Jimmy uses his specs time to propagandize against those who, like Ben, analyzed his bars on their own time and found them nutritionally lacking. According to Jimmy (dressed as a scientist), his bars are made by leprechauns. Maguro makes a few disparaging remarks, and Tako, showing up again, pretends he heard what she said, but it's obvious he didn't.
The Grandfather Clock announces the end of the show, and Jimmy's mother resumes her stage manager duties. Jimmy is not pleased to see her, but she's the only one who knows where to get his bottled water. Only this time she slipped him water from the janitor's sink. When Jimmy rebuffs her, she rips off his mask, revealing a 22-year-old brunette beneath a nine-year-old's facade. Wasabi is shocked! Jimmy's mother tells him he's through, but Jimmy is confident that even without the bars he can merchandise himself to death, until the director reveals that the Grandfather Clock was ten minutes fast, and everything that just transpired was seen by his viewers coast to coast! (Apparently, it's a live show.) Even Wasabi can't hide his contempt for Jimmy, and his mother slimes him and announces he's finished. Jimmy reacts appropriately (as appropriate as falling down and crying is, anyway).
With a couple of minutes left in both Jimmy's show and the episode, the Sushi Pack hijack the cameras to debut their music video, which they probably shot the day before, in between scenes. And it is...not good. A bad rap about eating fruits and veggies, and then the episode is over.

I think it could have been interesting if the end had revealed not an adult Jimmy, but that he really was this bratty kid who truly believed his bars were good for you. I mean, what if there was some kind of flashback scene that showed Jimmy in a meeting with the show's producers and/or head of merchandising, coming up with an idea for his chocolate bars, and Jimmy insisted they make them really healthy, but taste good, and be made by leprechauns, and all that. And they told him they would just to shut him up, or something? And then at the end, the truth about the bars would be revealed to Jimmy as well as Wasabi, and he would be shocked! And maybe even stop being a brat and start endorsing something really healthy, and everyone could learn a lesson, and there wouldn't be that awful rap video at the end. That's just a thought I had.

Sushi Pack - Poached Salmon

To celebrate the fact that I finally got a few eps of Sushi Pack up on youtube, here's a new post.

Poached Salmon
This ep opens with Ikura practicing his fighting techniques, in particular a new move he calls The Super Salmon Slip. Unfortunately, the execution of said technique leaves the area he's practicing in (and Tako and Maguro) covered in orange balls (Tako's wording, not mine). Tako and Maguro yell at him for this, and Ikura accuses them of not being alert enough to avoid his attacks. Maguro tells Ikura to think before he acts, but will he listen? I think not. Will this be important later? As in, before the commercial break? Oh yeah.
Kani demands they all see what's on TV, and Ikura leaps into action, accidently landing on the remote, changing the channel to the Bear Channel (all bears, all the time), which freaks him out. Kani chastises him for not looking before he leaped, and starts to explain about the special she was really watching (and Ikura freaks out again, thinking she meant the Bear Channel, and Kani facepalms): apparently White Oleander, who is a returning villain, even though this is her first appearance, is busy throwing dinner parties. On TV, Oleander delays her Lard Trough How-To in order to give some exposition on her plan plug her latest shindig. She also gives us the names of her guests: the mayor, police chief, and Wharf City Courier editor (Hack Martin, Jenny Flume, and Dale Wheat-Skibbing, respectively), which is odd, since they usually aren't addressed by name. Heck, I don't think the editor has shown up since. At her latest soiree, she plans to serve nothing but turkey, giving Tako the chance to inform us all about tryptophan. I've heard that it's just a myth, though. For some reason he uses a juggling clown to illustrate his lecture.
Before the end of her show, Oleander not-so-subtly tells the Sushi Pack to stay away from her shindig. Ikura takes offense at this and is all fired up to go take her on, but Tako tells him to chill. Maguro theorizes that Oleander plans to use the turkey dinner to capture the mayor, police chief, and editor, once they fall asleep after their meal. But Kani points out that Oleander's "all about eating and eating us," so what's her real plan? Whether she has a plan or not, they should go check out her studio, says Tako, although he only seems to be concerned about the mayor. So it's off to the studio!
At the studio (where the parties are not only held, but televised), there is no audience, just the three main guests snoozing away, tied to their chairs. Tako wants to play it safe and starts devising a plan, but Ikura takes off on his own to rescue the mayor. And falls right into Oleander's trap: sticky honey all over the floor! Oleander shows herself, and I never noticed until I started this snark, but when she's on TV, she has a completely different voice, all sweet and homey, unlike her regular voice, which is gravelly. It makes sense that she'd do that, but I just never noticed before. Probably because this is the only episode where we've seen her on her show. Anyway, she addresses the now-hiding members of the pack: Give themselves up and nothing will happen to the mayor and the others, but if not, she'll deep fry Ikura! She even ties him up and sets him on an eggbeater that slowly cranks him ever closer to the hot sesame oil, complete with an hourglass to show how long both Ikura and the mayor and the others have left.
While Ikura's in a bind, the others gripe about how he brought this on himself by being so headstrong. Kani even comments, "I could just pinch him! ...very gently." XD! But they still think up a plan to save him, while Mission Impossible-type music plays and there's a kinda cool semi-circular camera pan around them. Also, Tako uses, "Wasabi and I," to end a sentence. Is this the writers' fault, or is it just showing that Tako's pretty pretentious? Which he is, no doubt about it, but is it intentional? We may never know, as the scene shifts back to Ikura, who laments the fact that he's about to become just another saturated fat-filled treat. And he has his epiphany moment where he realizes that plans are a good thing and he was really, really stupid for not realizing that sooner. And I apologize, Ikura, but I found this scene terribly amusing.
His almost-emo soliloquy is interrupted by Kani, who tells him she's about to cut the string. Ikura is not very enthusiastic about this plan. But it's okay, because Maguro uses mind over matter to move the fryer lid into place before Ikura hits the oil. However, Oleander was merely waiting for such a rescue attempt, and she's ready to strike. Until she's distracted by Tako and Wasabi, that is. She wards off their attacks with oven mitts and a pan lid, causing Wasabi to flare up in anger, and despite Tako's efforts to cool him down, he has a meltdown, literally! Maguro does not relish the thought of cleaning Wasabi up.
Oleander advances, and the rest of the pack attacks, but she reveals her secret weapon: a switch that will open a trapdoor under the mayor and the rest, dropping them into a vat of chocolate mousse! For some reason, Wasabi brings up macrame, and Ikura suggests they come up with a plan, much to the others' amusement. Ikura summarizes the lesson he learned: "It's dumb to do anything without thinking about it first." Wasabi pulls himself back together, and Ikura comes up with a plan...
While Oleander stands poised at the switch (sweating for some reason. Is she nervous or just hot?), Maguro uses her telepathy to lift a pitcher of water and spill a stream so Ikura can use his new technique from the beginning of the episode. He ends up shooting a stream of roe at the ceiling fan, sending a never-ending barrage right at Oleander. Wasabi heats up the switch to the trapdoor, so much so that when Oleander tries to throw it, it burns her oven mitt right through. While Oleander's distracted, Kani and Tako get the mayor and the rest out of the studio. There's more fighting and Oleander accidentally hits the switch and nearly falls into her own vat. It looks like she's safe, but Kani sneaks in and pinches her foot, causing her to fall into the mousse. Not such a bad thing, since it's made with Belgian chocolate.
Later, the mayor thanks the Sushi Pack for saving him and the others, and comments on how they probably should have thought twice before accepting Oleander's invitation. Which just begs the question, what did she do in her debut? I thought she just went up against the Sushi Pack, but if it was something that the mayor knows about, but obviously didn't take seriously (and neither did the network, since she still had a show...), then who knows? Ikura pronounces that he's learned his lesson again, and the mayor gives them all a medal. A big heavy medal. A medal so heavy, in fact, that the Pack has to give themselves a pep talk in order to pose with it. Which they do.


I don't know what it is, but something about Oleander rubs me the wrong way, which is weird, because the idea of a foodee villain really intrigues me.