What's “Cruising the Crunchy-Catalog”?
There are so many anime titles to choose from, and with more of them popping up every season, sometimes it's hard to keep up with what's worth watching. “Cruising the Crunchy-Catalog” is here to put these titles under a microscope. Each week we provide additional information and cultural context to help fans choose whether or not they'd like to take an unknown series for a test drive.
What's Moyashimon?
Moyashimon is 2007 TV anime comedy, which was followed by a sequel series entitled Moyashimon Returns in 2012. Both series are directed by Yūichirō Yano with animation by Shirogumi and Telecom Animation Film, and both are based on the manga by Masayuki Ishikawa (Maria the Virgin Witch) that was serialized in Kodansha's Evening and Morning two seinen manga magazines.
Crunchyroll describes Moyashimon Returns as follows:
“MOYASHIMON RETURNS picks up where the last season left off as our protagonist Tadayasu Sawaki, a first-year college student at an agricultural university, continues to have the unique ability to see and communicate with micro-organisms and bacteria. Still alongside good friend Kei Yuuki, whose family runs a sake brewery, he devolves an even deeper understanding of bacteria world with his special ability!”
This description captures the central conceit of the series: the main character, Tadayasu Souemon Sawaki, is capable seeing and interacting with living creatures too small to be seen by the naked eye. In Moyashimon, these rambunctious molds, bacteria, and fungi appear as cute, abstract characters rendered with 3DCG animation.
The Joys of Agriscience.
Although Moyashimon is primarily a comedy with dramatic twists and a few flourishes of mystery here and there, the series also serves an educational role. Moyashimon introduces readers to the basics of agricultural science, especially the areas of inquiry involving the action of microorganisms, such as brewing and fermentation.
As a result, if you watch Moyashimon, you may learn more than you ever wanted to know about such staples of Japanese cuisine as miso, soy sauce, and sake as well as international dishes such as kiviak and surströmming. One of the strengths of Moyashimon is that it never shies away from the biological processes that some might consider gross, instead examining each subject with a sense of reverence and scientific curiosity.
A Tale of Two Jackasses.
One of the most pleasant surprises in Moyashimon is that Misato and Kawahama, a pair of sketchy-looking sophomores in the Ituski seminar who befriend and mentor Tadayasu and Kei, are more than just the comic relief. Despite their humorous character designs and constant get-rich-quick schemes, both Misato and Kawahama are shown to be fundamentally decent people who stand up for their friends. I never expected these two to be the conscience of the show, but Moyashimon is full of surprises.
Rebellion vs. Tradition.
A common theme that pops up in the manga of Masayuki Ishikawa is the idea of people feeling pressured into a certain trajectory in life by the weight of tradition and familial obligation. Just as commonly, the characters rebel against this fate. This can be seen in Moyashimon in the manner in which Hasegawa and Kei choose to dress, as well as Tadayasu's struggles to discover his own role in the world of agricultural science, and even in Marie's desires to modernize her family's vineyard.
Crunchyroll currently streams Moyashimon and Moyashimon Returns in 67 countries in the original Japanese with subtitles in English, Latin American Spanish, and Portuguese. An English language version of the Moyashimon manga was released under the title Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture by the now-defunct Del Ray Manga, but this release is both incomplete and out-of-print.
There is also a live-action TV drama version of Moyashimon from 2010 which aired on Fuji TV. The live-action TV drama was originally licensed and distributed in the United States by DramaFever and Funimation, but as of the time of this writing, the English subtitled release of the live-action Moyashimon TV drama is no longer available online.
Moyashimon is great for people in the mood for well-rounded characters dealing with adult responsibilities as well as fans who don't mind a little gross-out humor with their educational content. The series is as entertaining as it is informative, and if that sounds like the kind of culture you would grow on a petri dish, you should consider giving Moyashimon and Moyashimon Returns a try.
Is there a series in Crunchyroll's catalog that you think needs some more love and attention? Please send in your suggestions via e-mail to cruisingcrunchy@gmail.com or post a Tweet to @gooberzilla. Your pick could inspire the next installment of “Cruising the Crunchy-Catalog”!
Paul Chapman is the host of The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.
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