#keroro gunso 30 day challenge

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 26: Favorite Side Character

Oh yes. I’ve been waiting for a good chance to talk about Special Ops Soldier Dorara for like an entire year and here it is. I know I usually do a little intro to the prompt or something before going into the answer but who cares it’s motherfucking Dorara time.

Dorara is actually in my top 10 favorite characters in the series, and is the only one of those to not be part of the Keroro Platoon or one of their partners. I would say that’s a pretty big achievement.

Dorara is exclusive to Keroro Gunso: Gekishin Dragon Warriors de arimasu! for the Nintendo DS, an action platformer by Bandai Namco obviously based on the movie of the same name and spiritual successor to 2008’s game based on the 3rd movie. Despite being a licensed game, it actually really stands on its own as a surprisingly good platformer with smooth, fun controls, decent level design (albeit a bit tiresome toward the end), pretty great presentation for a 2009 DS game...and a better story than the actual fucking movie. Seriously I have no idea how that happened. If you can run DS games on your computer (I recommend desmume), it’s worth checking out even if you can’t read the text. It’s perfectly enjoyable despite the language barrier and there’s English video walkthroughs on YouTube if you need the help.

Anyway, enough about the game, let’s talk about Dorara. Dorara is first introduced toward the end of the game’s first world (iirc), and he was sent by Keron Army’s HQ to investigate the big scary dragon tail thing along with the Keroro Platoon. He commands his own special forces (which all look identical to each other) and seems to be a very disciplined and serious soldier at first glance, but he has a tendency to get flustered, and when he does...he slips into a country accent. Yes, cool-looking Dorara is a country bumpkin. He’s also a super big mamma’s boy. And it’s really funny.

So Dorara kinda just hangs around for most of the game showing a little support here and there, masking his true intentions the whole time...until he shows up at he very end of the game as Keroro and pals are about to confront the Earth Dragon and absorbs the dragon’s power for himself. And then he turns into this thing:

And it’s really badass.

See, Dorara gets fed up with the Keroro Platoon working with those lowly Pekoponians and decides to take the Pekopon invasion into his own hands (even though the Earth Dragon is already effectively destroying the planet). In fact, it’s revealed (though I don’t remember where in game I got this part from another site lol) that Dorara was never satisfied being a special ops soldier in the first place—he wanted to be something bigger so he could make his hometown back in the country proud and show those city slickers who’s boss. And he sure did become a boss—the final boss, in fact. Ultimatley, the Keroro Platoon beat him up a bit and then Fuyuki steps in to give him the power of friendship! speech to explain the relationship between Keronians and Pekoponians, and Dorara goes back to normal and the ending of the movie follows (Terara being born and all that). And so Dorara ends up as a good guy (or at least a guy who decides not to take over the world).

It doesn’t end there, however. When movie 4 hit theaters in Japan, moviegoers were given a set of seals that you could trace into the DS touch screen and get cool stuff. In the age of emulators and the Internet, you can still use the seals, which you can find images of online, but since they’re not traceable you have to draw the shape yourself until the game accepts it. It’s tedious as hell but worth it because you can play as Dorara. (And also Garuru who is essentially a faster Giroro)

Dorara is extremely overpowered. He has all the abilities that the individual platoon members have plus infinite flight, meaning he’s the best for combat and platforming and can solve every puzzle in the game. He can also go into almost every single stage, whereas most of them are normally only accessible with a certain platoon member. He’s essentially a crutch or a way to find hidden collectibles more easily, and he’s a lot of fun. He’s also really cute. Please look at his widdle face.

Anyway, that’s about all there is about Dorara, sadly (why the hell wasn’t he in the movie). He has a really cool design in both forms, emotes really well (look at some of his event sprites on the Keroro wiki), has a cute backstory, comes from a really fun game and is broken as hell. What’s not to love? Also, he did have a brief cameo or two in the Kero Zero short before the 4th movie, but that doesn’t make me any less angry that we never see him again. Please I just wanted to see him animated ;-;

That’s all for today, but tomorrow’s prompt is favorite rivalry. That should be fun. And possibly make me seem a bit hypocritical.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 27: Favorite Rivalry

Does it, like, make any logical sense that I can hate GiroNatsu and yet still get a real kick out of the Giroro vs Saburo rivalry? I mean, considering the former is kind of the major reason the latter exists. I guess at least one nice thing came out of that disaster.

I don’t really know how to explain why I like this rivalry so much besides “frog gets inexplicably angry at some teenager for standing there” is just really funny. Like there have legit been times where Saburo is doing absolutely nothing wrong and Giroro just kinda points a hand cannon at him. And the best part is that Saburo doesn’t even react in any way you’d expect someone being threatened with a high-caliber weapon by a violent alien would react. He either doesn’t react or just styles on him. And that’s hilarious. I don’t know, it’s just really amusing to me when all anyone has to do is mention Saburo’s name and Giroro instantly explodes. It’s all kinds of ridiculous.

This rivalry makes sense from a character relations standpoint also. Considering that Saburo is initially introduced to Giroro as Kururu’s companion, Giroro would obviously jump to the conclusion that anyone that could stand hanging around Kururu for more than 5 seconds must be as insufferable as he is. And while Saburo quickly proves that he’s not, uh, extreme in the same way that Kururu is with his mischief, their demeanors are similar enough that it’d drive Giroro nuts. And considering Saburo and and Natsumi are close friends, Giroro’s guard dog mode essentially kicks in because he don’t trust like that (I know the show implies that it doesn’t want you to see Giroro as a watchdog/father figure to Natsumi but too bad). So yeah, even though Giroro overreacts...a lot...his hatred isn’t completely unjustified I guess. Despite all this, Saburo seems to hold absolutely no ill-will against Giroro, just likes to tease him sometimes, which makes the whole rivalry even funnier because when he does engage Giroro, it’s for fun. That’s so Saburo-like it hurts. By the way, Giroro probably secretly thinks Saburo is really cool and that adds to his anger because he has to be cooler. It’s even more hilarious in the manga where he enjoys the radio show (and knows who it is).

My only disappointment is that they never actually have a real duel, because that would’ve been pretty entertaining. They actually did in the first iteration of Keroro Gunso Meromero Battle Royale, and why that wasn’t part of the show I’ll never know.

I couldn’t find a good picture to preface this post with so instead take this manga edit made by yours truly:

...Oh yes, there is an honorable mention today as well. I need to give that to Keroro vs Natsumi. It’s just way too classic to not mention, plus it’s the central conflict of the entire show. The two of them put each other through hell and back and it gets more and more hilarious every time. Their relationship also gets more complex than just a game of back-and-forth—although the two of them are enemies as far as the fate of the Earth goes, they’re also family, and it’s very clear that they actually do care a lot about each other (especially in movie 2). There’s a few moments here and there where the two of them just get along for once, and it’s always very sweet. Natsumi would never admit it, but Keroro’s presence has probably enriched her life in ways she never could have imagined. Likewise, it’s at least partly because of Natsumi that Keroro had to learn responsibility. These two characters are always pushing each other a step further—and that’s a great rivalry.

That sure was a lot of rambling. I’m not very coherent today, to be honest. Anyway, tomorrow’s prompt is character most like me. That should be interesting.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 1: Favorite Frog

Time to get this show on the road, I guess. There are many, many, many, many, many good frogs in this series, but of course only one can take my award for the best out of them all. It’s...not Tamama, contrary to what you might think just looking at my url (although I’ll be talking about him soon). Indeed, my favorite frog (and favorite character overall) is none other than the slimy bastard himself, Kururu.

If you’ve read through my blog you probably have a good idea of why he’s my favorite already, but just to give you a rundown of what makes this character so good:

In a show already shining in the funny character department, Kururu is the wackiest of all. Like 80% of the things he does are hilarious, whether it’s due to sheer ridiculousness or just how over-the-top this guy can be. Around season 3 or 4 is when he goes from “funny” to “really fucking funny.”

He doesn’t really give two shits about anything and does whatever the hell he wants and God I wish I had that courage...except he subtly does care about what people think of him and just wants to be loved and have a good time with others (even though he has a kind of extreme way of going about it) and that’s adorable

Speaking of adorable. Just look at him. His little evil grin. His swirly glasses staring into your soul. And he is very tiny and round. Perfect

Let’s be real here his genius and skill with technology is so transcendent that the platoon wouldn’t function without him. He left for a couple of weeks once and they just kinda collapsed. I love the rest of the platoon so much but everyone besides maybe Dororo is kind of a dumbass :P

His relationships with the rest of the cast are some of the most interesting period. I’ll be talking about a few of them later ;)

Is actually a good and helpful person all things considered?? In fact he hates being considered unhelpful. He just wants to be an asshole a lot of the time because it LOOKS COOLER

Takehito Koyasu.

And last but certainly not least: this frog is extremely autistic-coded and that’s beautiful

I could go on for like hours pretty much because Kururu is just such an interesting, entertaining, and surprisingly deep character that he’s hard not to love even if he is a pain in the ass. From what I’ve seen he seems to be collective fan favorite in the west (besides Giroro arguably) and lemme tell you y’all have good taste. I love you Kururu

Next time, I’ll be covering my favorite human. Some of you might know who it is already (or at least have a decent guess) because I am INCREDIBLY transparent.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 21: Favorite Hinata

I guess it makes sense that the Hinatas get their own prompt considering how important they are to the fate of the entire world. It’s entirely possible the Earth would be enslaved by the Keronians if they weren’t around. Always nice to remember our lives are in the hands of a couple of middle schoolers and their weird mom.

Anyway, it might (or might not idk) come as a surprise that my favorite is the youngest Hinata, Fuyuki.

I guess we’ll go back to the list format I used toward the beginning of the challenge for this one:

I covered this before so I won’t go into detail but Fuyuki’s relationship with Keroro is just the damn sweetest thing. These guys have done duets. Move over, Ash and Pikachu.

I don’t think Fuyuki’s done a single really bad thing in the entirety of the series’s run. I mean, besides being bratty as a child and perhaps making mistakes here and there, Fuyuki doesn’t have a bad bone in his body. I like to call him Fuyuki Goodboy.

Fuyuki has the patience of a saint, honestly. He deals with Keroro’s shenanigans on a regular basis, puts up with his sister’s nagging, never gets upset when Momoka goes into Anger Mode, and doesn’t seem to hold any ill will toward any of the other frogs (maybe Kururu in the beginning but it becomes clear later on that he warms up to him quite a bit). He’s the chillest 13-year-old ever.

Fuyuki’s infatuation with the paranormal is actually a character trait that’s not only entertaining (and relatable) but also gives way to some actual plot. He also is kinda a real environmentalist, often sacrificing himself to save some cool animal.

Fuyuki sucks at sports and can never focus on homework but is actually more intelligent than most of the cast which is a really cool way to balance things out. Also the sucking at sports part is incredibly relatable.

I can’t think of a single Fuyuki episode that stuck out to me as bad. They’re all really good and oftentimes tend to be the sweetest and most memorable. Besides the numerous ones about him and Keroro, the Loch Ness Monster episode, the transfer student episode, and the Pluto episode are just a handful of the ones that I can name off the top of my head.

Fuyuki might be considered kind of weak and passive, but he knows what to do when things get serious. He was responsible for pretty much resolving the plots of movies 3 and 5 and saving the world from the Garuru Platoon. He also knows how to use the Kero Ball better than Keroro. He is also surprisingly really good in the PS2 fighting game and going against him is a frightening experience.

Overall, Fuyuki’s just really hard to dislike and probably one of the characters that’s easiest to empathize with. A lot of the show’s best moments revolve around him and, let’s be honest, although he doesn’t have as much raw power as his mother and sister, he definitely has more than enough influence over things. He’s well deserved his spot as the main non-Keronian character.

Tomorrow’s prompt is...least favorite frog? Wait, didn’t I already go over this? Eh...

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 17: Favorite Alien

You know, even though Keronians are obviously the flagship characters of the series, Keroro Gunso has a fuckton of alien species when you think about it. I think towards the end of the show’s run it almost became like a Monster of the Week thing.

Anyway, I would say my favorite alien species (that isn’t Keronian) would be the Maronians.

(Google Images didn’t rly wanna give me any screencaps today)

The Maronians are a very intriguing species to me (not to mention adorable). The Maronians are apparently notable enough for young Keronians to learn about them in school. The Mero Ball seems to be even more powerful than the Kero Ball, and their spaceships even seem more advanced, so it’d be interesting to see their other technology. Plus, they could literally destroy a Kiruru without even using a key. That’s some powerful stuff right there. I dunno, maybe it’s because Movie 2 is one of my favorites of the five, but I would just like to have seen more of these guys. There was apparently an extra one besides Meru and Maru in the manga but I haven’t gotten to those chapters yet.

My honorable mention today would have to go to the Vipers. In the manga they don’t get to do much, but in the anime they went from “generic rivals of the main characters” to actually fleshed out characters. They were used in a lot of comedic scenarios and even in some heartwarming ones (remember the Viper that helped Karara and Chiroro?). I think the way they did more with them than expected made them a lot more memorable. Plus you’ve gotta admit they look pretty cool.

Tomorrow’s prompt is best battle. Boy, there’s a lot of potential picks for that one...

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 28: Character Most Like Me

I think I’ve talked about how I find traits of certain characters to be relatable before, but I think Kururu has to take the cake here. I stated at the very beginning of this challenge (and quite a few times before) that I headcanon him as being autistic, and while I’m not the first one to come up with that HC my own experiences certainly were a factor my adopting of it. He’s very knowledgeable in his fields of passion and expertise, and is damn good at figuring things out to the point where he can know what he’s talking about, but he’s also quite inexperienced and uncoordinated in other areas. He also clearly has a hard time adapting to social norms, and displays discomfort in large groups, preferring to be quiet and off to the side until his abilities are needed. He can be talkative and goofy once he finds people he can be comfortable with, but it takes him a while to get to that point. In general, as someone who grew up as “the really smart kid that doesn’t socialize,” these aspects of him are heavily relatable. We share quite a few other traits and mannerisms as well, but that’d be going a little too deep for the purposes of this post. While I don’t think the writers’ intentions with Kururu were to reflect the autism experience(TM), that’s a large part of what I get out of him.

Today’s honorable mentions: Tamama, another rather predictable answer, not only because I’ve used him as a large part of my online presence for the last year or so. Tamama’s constantly teetering on the borderline between maturity and immaturity, which is a spot I find myself in a lot. And, without getting too Personal On Main, I’ve been through some of his emotional struggles as well. I also see a little bit of myself in Keroro, for the sheer anxiety and inattentiveness that overwhelms him at the mere thought of having to do something with himself. He’s a lot more extroverted than I’ll ever be, but that one aspect really gets me in the gut.

The next and penultimate prompt is best gadget. There’s like 500 machines in this show how am I supposed to choose

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 3: Favorite Guy Character

And now we finally get to the character that you would think is my favorite. He was at one point, actually. Then those other two nerds crept up. He still makes the best blog mascot though.

So I guess technically this character doesn’t really fit the prompt, but I’m trying not to do repeats. I want an excuse to talk about him, anyway. For that reason, my favorite guy character (and third favorite overall) is none other than Tamama.

I think Tamama might actually be the least popular of the platoon by a narrow margin (in the west, anyway—he won like 3 official popularity polls in a row in Japan), and that surprises me, because if the series wasn’t literally named after Keroro I would assume Tamama was the mascot just from looking at him. Just like...tell me he doesn’t look like a magical girl mascot pet or something. And that’s why I almost instantly figured out he was gonna be a fave of mine, because I’m a sucker for saccharine sweet mascots. Aren’t we all deep inside?

Anyway, here’s what I love about the platoon’s youngest member (Shin Keroro is technically his own platoon, remember):

As previously mentioned: HE’S. STINKING. ADORABLE. LOOK AT THOSE EYES STARING DIRECTLY THROUGH YOU. HIS GAZE IS LIKE A LASER TO THE HEART.

Speaking of lasers, he can do that too. Tamama Impact is cool as shit, don’t lie to yourself.

Tamama is also a master martial artist, and being a martial artist myself I enjoy that. He could kick my ass though because he’s actually in shape

Despite frequently describing himself as a snack-addicted spoiled gremlin, he’s actually one of the least lazy of the platoon. Tamama is a super-duper go-getter who trains constantly to become as strong as his older comrades, and he loves a good fight. He’s basically The Goku, and that’s admirable.

Oh yeah he has a Super Saiyan form granted to him by Beetle Jesus and if that isn’t epic I don’t know what is. Now that I think about it isn’t Jealousy Ball kinda like a twisted Spirit Bomb? Holy shit

Tamama is very easily frustrated, has jealous tendencies, and has one hell of a temper, and I think we can all find that at least a little relatable. In fact, Tamama is in essence adolescence personified (although I believe he’s actually a little older, just immature), and so it’s really interesting watching him have his ups and downs. You start to really feel for him during those instances when he feels guilty about his immaturity.

Despite his selfishness and intense emotions, Tamama is still a very kind-hearted person that’s always willing to help his friends and even completely random strangers (like that turtle and the soccer kid). He sees Momoka and Paul as like a surrogate family (it’s also hinted that he’s had issues with his own) and deeply admires his invader comrades, even Mois sometimes (as an aside, I hate when people act like he doesn’t care for anyone else in the platoon besides Keroro. He’s better than that damn it)

Actually, I’ll admit that I’m not much of a KeroTama person, and that’s partly because I’m more of a KeroGiro/KuruKero person, but also because I just don’t think Tamama is ready for that kind of relationship. But that’s the beauty of it—Tamama’s struggles over his feelings for Keroro are a representation of his journey to understand love in general, and it’s a part of that growth process I was talking about earlier. It’s what makes him really interesting in my opinion.

Tamama has all the best episodes. Soccer kid, Beetle Jesus, rebellious teen phase, Death Note parody...and also the one I named my URL after.

I know I’ve been talking about voice actors a lot, but Tamama’s voice is just really distinct and memorable. It helps that his actress also plays Jibanyan.

Provides for some of the best reaction pics, period.

He’s totally a trans boy

Tamama is just an overall really great character with lots of relatability. If this wasn’t an episodic series where there has to be little character development for the sake of keeping it going, I would say he would definitely have one of the strongest character arcs. AND ALSO HE’S JUST REALLY REALLY CUTE OKAY CAN I HUG HIM??

Next time I’ll be talking about my favorite girl character. I think these first four days have set up a kind of pattern, if you get my hint...

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 7: Overrated Character

You know, I don’t actually know how to approach this prompt. I was tempted to skip it because I don’t think any characters are really “overrated.” I mean, as I’ve said before I like all of them except like one or two. But it’s too early to chicken out on a prompt so I guess I’ll have to give this one to Tororo.

I don’t really know how to explain this one because there really isn’t anything I dislike about him. He’s a very cute little gremlin thing, and annoying, but in a good way. The main reason I picked him for today’s prompt is because he seems to be a top favorite of a very large portion of Keroro fans and he’s just not that high up for me. I don’t really know why I don’t like him as much as everyone else does. Could be that I’m such a huge Kururu lover that I can’t have his arch-rival as a favorite :P Speaking of Kururu, I think the amount of KuruToro shippers might have something to do with it also. Seriously don’t ship that shit, Tororo is very clearly a child and Kururu is very clearly an adult, it’s nasty. Plus they despise each other anyway.

That’s...that’s kinda all I have to say. I don’t like being negative about characters (and like I said there’s not anything I actually dislike about the character himself) so moving right along...

...tomorrow’s prompt is underrated character. Now that’s going to be a fun time.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 20: Most Talented

You know, this series has quite a few characters that can be considered talented. It’s hard to pinpoint whose talent is the most impressive. But I think if I had to go with a top pick, I’d say Aki Hinata.

I mean, just think about it for a second. Aki is a manga expert who is extremely valuable in the workplace and virtually required to be around in order for things to get done. She’s almost never at home, yet at the same time manages to raise two kids without her spouse being around. And that’s only her “ordinary” talents. She’s a super good motorbike driver, is an incredibly skilled martial artist, and has enough authority to scare the bejeebus out of anyone who crosses her...and sometimes she also just scares people when she isn’t mad just because she has that much power. It’s true Aki doesn’t get out much besides doing work, but damn if she doesn’t have an impressive repertoire. No wonder she’s called the “strongest life form on Pekopon” by the Keronians.

I have a few honorable mentions today:

Natsumi is a natural second place for her amazing athletic skill despite being a rather ordinary person (compared to say Koyuki who was raised by fucking ninjas). She’s also very talented at time management, obviously, because she plays sports, keeps her grades up, and saves the world from weirdo frog aliens on a regular basis all at the same time.

It’s hard to deny that Tamama has some amazing innate strength. Sure, he trains a lot, but he evidently had quite a bit of power before he started doing so regularly.

Kururu, along with being a natural genius and skilled inventor, is also apparently the best damn curry chef on Earth.

And last but certainly not least, Keroro. Now, I know what you’re thinking: isn’t Keroro’s whole schtick being an utter loser? And yes, you’re right, but Keroro also has more special talents than we might realize. He’s been known to be an excellent storyteller, comedian, host, and motivator. He also used to be one of the strongest soldiers in the Keron Army (before he discovered Gundam was cooler than the military)...or at least that’s what they say. Keroro knows how to move people, and no matter how irrational and selfish he can be sometimes, it makes sense that he’s a leader.

That’s all for today. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my favorite Hinata. Hint: it’s the one that I’ve talked the least about so far, somehow.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 18: Best Battle

No I didn’t forget to do this today. I’ve just been very, very distracted.

Anyway, for a comedy series, Keroro sure delivers in the action department when it needs to. This is especially true when they up the animation budget. Ultimately, though, I think the climax of Movie 3 had to have been the single most epic thing I have ever seen. Everybody got to do something super awesome. Fuyuki and Keroro got to take down Dark Keroro’s mech, Natsumi and Giroro took down Doruru, Momoka and Tamama absolutely owned Shivava, Kururu and Saburo un-brainwashed the whole world, and Dororo and Koyuki got to do some cool ninja stuff...okay I don’t specifically remember what they did in the final battle but I know they were badass as hell. The whole gang teaming up to stop the third Kiruru/Dark Keroro was just a joy to watch the whole way though, and the animation was fantastic (and the battle remix of Forest of Time/Chronos no Mori was also absolutely amazing). Also, Dark Keroro realizing the power of fwends and destroying Kiruru himself at the end was such a satisfying conclusion. Have I mentioned Movie 3 is a masterpiece

Anyway, here are today’s honorable mentions:

Like Movie 3, the climax of Movie 5 was really enjoyable and emotional. The Platoon, Mois, and Fuyuki all team up to weaken Akuaku (in case you couldn’t tell the teamup stuff is the best) and then Keroro emerges fused with the spirit of a fucking god to punch Akuaku right in his jerky face. And the part where Keroro “dies” just rips your heart out (even though everyone can probably tell he’s not actually dead). I wish I could articulate this scene more clearly but I haven’t watched the movie in a very long time which needs to change I suppose

Who could forego the 3 episode long battle between the Keroro and Garuru platoons? That season finale, man. You’d think it was a series finale with how utterly high-stakes it was (also the actual series finale was pretty lame and 357 will always be the canon ending in my heart). Anyway, this whole arc was just amazing. It was emotional, suspenseful, action-packed, satisfying...it had everything, man. I stand by the opinion that this should’ve been the first movie instead of the actual first movie. The Keroro PR Twitter account even recently made a remark about how cool the arc would look on the big screen! If that’s not a sign I don’t know what is.

I have fond memories of the battle against Christmas Kiruru. I can’t for the life of me remember the episode number but I think it was in season 3 or 4. Anyway, “main characters save Christmas” seems like a clichéd concept but this scene just does it so right. The platoon giving it their all against their own species’ weapon to protect the new home they love while freakin Christmas music plays in the background (at least if I remember correctly) is just the most memorable thing ever. And of course there’s that twist in the end...you sly dogs at the Keron Army, you.

Obligatory battle against the Quietite from 229b because Of Fucking Course.

Whew, that was a doozy. There’s just too many good scenes in this show to count. Anyway, tomorrow’s prompt is best invasion plan. I have a fun answer for this one.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 19: Best Invasion Plan

Technically, the best invasion plan would be none of them since they all failed...

...or at least all of the ones that Keroro has come up with, anyway.

One invasion plan did in fact succeed in that the invasion was instated for more than a couple of hours. I’m talking about Kururu’s plan in 214a.

...Alright, I guess we’re not sure if he really intended to invade or if he was just being spontaneous, but it was genius either way: Kururu pretended to be tired of the Platoon so he could leave, then he bribed Momoka to get to stay at her mansion, then ended up assisting her dad in business meetings, and finally he singlehandedly took over the entire Nishizawa Corporation. AKA the leader of Japan’s economy. It’s incredible how much sheer power Kururu had during that two-week or so timespan...until he quit because he was no longer entertained by it. And thus the world returned to normal because of Kururu’s fickleness. Also, the rest of the Keroro Platoon was completely and utterly helpless during all this. So help us if Kururu ever starts getting serious for real.

So that was an enjoyable episode. And now you know why Kururu is the best character. No honorable mentions today because, as I said before, the rest kinda suck. Good thing, too, otherwise the show would be pretty boring.

Tomorrow we’ll be going over most talented character. Alright then, that sure is a prompt.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 15: Favorite Opening

What would anime be without openings and endings? Sometimes it makes me sad that western shows only get 30-45 second openings usually. Not to say that those openings can’t be jams. Speaking of jams, my favorite opening happens to be Hello Darwin! ~Curiosity on Demand~, the ninth opening of the series and the only one done by JAM Project (famous for many, many mecha anime...how fitting.) This opening, based around the theme of adventure and discovery, is definitely the most blood-pumping of the whole bunch. It almost feels too epic for Keroro Gunso, and that’s why it’s amazing. The first few seconds especially always send a chill down my spine. JAM Project has done two other great songs for the series but this one’s definitely my favorite. It’s also used during my favorite season and often accompanied my favorite ending! Today’s honorable mention is the opening immediately preceding my top pick, What a Wonderful Saturday, the eighth opening. This one is also extremely motivating, which is incredibly ironic because the actual lyrics are about how fucking lazy and cheap the Keroro Platoon is (you can actually find the translated lyrics for the full version here on my blog in the translation tag ;D). I think that’s part of what makes it a great song also - how funnily self-contradicting it is. Besides the lyrics though this song is just super catchy and it’s always nice to hear the Keroro Platoon sing. Fun fact: this opening was the one used in my favorite episode (see day 6 of this challenge). The fifth season had all the best songs I guess. Fitting for the show’s 5th year of broadcasting. Tomorrow’s prompt, unsurprisingly, is best ending. I hinted at my top pick in this very post. ...Oh, we’re halfway through this challenge, by the way. Cool.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 22: Least Favorite Frog

Yeeeeeah Geriri again. (Pic not needed)

I just don’t really dislike any other Keronians that much. There’s those two that were jerks to Keroro and pals as kids I guess but I don’t remember them well enough for me to really dislike them. Everyone else I either like or am relatively indifferent to.

Perhaps this prompt was intended to mean least favorite member out of the main five? In which case it’s Giroro but he’s still in my top 10 favorite characters so I would barely call that a “least favorite.” More of a “I like him but I like the others more” kind of thing. So uh...copping out on this prompt I suppose. Next...

Tomorrow’s prompt is most annoying character. I think I’m going to approach this prompt from a different angle than the creator of this challenge likely intended because, as stated many times by now, I don’t dislike very much about KG’s cast.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 16: Favorite Ending

Keroro Gunso has 17 fucking endings, or over 20 if you count all 5 movies. That’s ridiculous. They’re all pretty good, but I think only one can be the true MVP of Keroro endings. That’s none other than Our Password (13th ending). This song is just fucking beautiful. Natsumi Kiyoura is a fantastic singer, the ukelele (I think it’s a ukelele) gives off a relaxing vibe, the strings and piano are great accompaniments...everything about this song just feels fitting for a summer vacation with a good friend and it’s such a feel-good song and it’s used in the best fucking episode so that makes it even better. The illustrations that are used at the end of each episode this ending is in makes it so much more special too (hence why I linked the full version here—you just have to see them all). And again, it’s no surprise that the best song from Keroro Gunso played during the best season of Keroro Gunso. And by the way, I also adore Neverland, the other song that came on this ending’s solo album. It was used as an insert song in at least one episode (the one about the robot trash bag oddly enough) and it’s really beautiful. On my list for potential translations tbh. I freakin love Natsumi Kiyoura.

And now for our honorable mentions (though I kinda already gave one):

My second favorite is easily Hold That Hand from Movie 2. Yeah, I’m counting movies for this because the movie songs are all really great. This song is also just super beautiful...the piano, the singing, the strings, that sexy fucking sax solo towards the end. And it fits the movie it comes from extremely well. This is always just such a pleasure to listen to (and I wish I could find a better video of it but the only HQ rip is blocked in most places if you don’t use a proxy).

How could I not include Afro Sergeant? It’s pretty much the single cheesiest ending song but boy is it catchy and a classic. It’s still a jam to this day. I remember listening to this on repeat the night I watched Keroro Gunso for the very first time as I made the world’s crappiest Tamama doodle at 2 AM...ah, love at first watch.

That’s all for today, but tomorrow’s prompt is favorite alien. This prompt is pretty vague but I’m gonna guess it means alien species...in which case I’m not gonna say Keronians because that’s just too obvious. I mean c’mon now.

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 30: Favorite Keroro Gunso Memory

On this final day of the challenge, let’s get a little sentimental. Despite the fact that I’ve only been a fan of this series for just over a year, I’ve already formed a great deal of fond memories with it. Listening to Afro Sergeant on repeat for a couple hours the first night I watched the show, watching my favorite episode (see: Day 6) for the first time, even opening up this little blog last summer...and of course the vague memory of that gradual swell of a realization a few weeks into watching the show that this was becoming a special interest damn it. I think all you other autistic and/or ADHD folks out there know exactly what feeling I’m talking about. It’s like falling in love.

But above all, the memory that stands out in my heart is more of a collective than a specific moment. A friend of mine streamed all 358 episodes (and all the movies, and the Flash series, and some other miscellaneous things) with me and a handful of other people over the span of about 4 months and it was a great time. This is how I was introduced to the series, and what a great introduction—we laughed, we cried, we stayed up talking about things until like 2 in the morning, and we created a whole bunch of dumb inside jokes. I got to forge new friendships and reinforce old ones. And I discovered I am absolute trash for space frogs.

I could go into specific moments but there’s so many that it’d take all day. I’d gladly relive those nights again if I had the chance, even the ones when we had to suffer through the butt drill episode and when we watched the Funky Kong Drives You Home From the Airport ASMR video at 3 AM. I don’t remember how we got from watching Keroro to that video but it doesn’t matter. If you’re from that group and you’re reading this I love you

And so this 30 Day Challenge is officially over. I had a good time sharing all these things with you all, even though I didn’t always have the energy to write these out admittedly, and I hope you all enjoyed my incessant gushing over my faves and occasional gourmet hot takes. As for future blog content, I’ll probably revert back to my usual sporadic (haha oxymoron) schedule of random reblogs, translations, and whatever other dumb KG-related shit I get the urge to create. Thanks for reading. ⭐️

[tamamatango]

Keroro Gunso 30 Day Challenge Day 12: Worst Character

Two negative prompts in a row huh? Guess that’s just how it is on this bitch of an Earth.

I don’t wanna spend too much time on this so whatever. Absolutely nothing against you if you like this character, of course, but I do not like Geriri at all.

Just look at him and tell me he doesn’t look like the biggest asshole on wheels. And not the fun kind of asshole either. I’ll admit the design looks okay even if the vest is kinda weird, but everything else about this character is just awful to me. Geriri only cares about invading and his reputation, which makes him extremely boring. I mean yeah some of the other Keronians pretend to be like that, but ultimately there’s more to them. Geriri is put in charge of the Keroro Platoon even though he couldn’t give two hoots about them. Besides, his “takeover” is just laaaaame. At least when the Garuru Platoon did it it was badass.

But worst of all.

Geriri has committed an unthinkably horrific act. The worst offense of them all. It makes my blood boil just thinking about it.

Geriri fired Dororo. Fired. Dororo.

Unforgivable.

...Alright but yeah this character was just a bland unlikeable one-off to me that’s pretty much just there to fill the “actually potent soldier” role except he’s really just a coward who talks big behind a computer screen. At least Kururu exposes his ass on YouTube. I’m so proud of my boy. Oh yeah and Geriri’s resonance noise would effectively be him saying “diarrhea” over and over again. How fitting.

Sorry if I came off as a little aggressive today, but why not have a little fun knocking on my least fave :P Again, this is all personal opinion and if you like Geriri more power to you. Don’t let me ruin your enjoyment! (As hinted at in one of my other posts for this challenge, I 100% emphathize with having a commonly disliked character as a fave.)

Oh wait did I forget the honorable mention? Yeah, that’d be Dasonu Maso. He’s just a dumb perv. I guess he’s not the only character who only exists to be sleazy...but he just gave me the worst vibes. I can’t put him at absolute worst though because he’s become a dumb joke between me and the friends I watched the show with because I genuinely confused him with Dance Man all the time like an idiot. Also I appreciate the pun in his name.

Anyway, I’m tired of talking about stuff I don’t like! Tomorrow, we go from talking about my least favorite character in the series to my entire reason for living. That’s right—tomorrow we talk about the best friendship! I mean I think everyone following me already knows what I think it is considering I have an entire tag literally labeled “brotp” but after all this time I’ve never talked about why my brotp is my brotp...that changes tomorrow ;)