Bannou Bunka Nekomusume or All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku has been a favorite series of mine since the mid 90's when I first watched the original 6 episode OAV set. Then on my first trip to Tokyo I found that there was a TV series so I picked up the first 2 VHS's. The original 12 episode TV series was aired in Japan in 1998, I bought the first two tapes in 1998, and ADV released the first DVD in 2004…and people wonder why fansubbing is such a huge success? Regardless, I never got around to having anyone sub my copies, or looking for subs myself, so 8 years later I can finally understand all what's going on. Given the simplicity of the language used in this goofy series, I wasn't too far off. For those who don't know, which might be a good amount because Nuku Nuku is an obscure series, I will do a little synopsis behind the franchise. I say franchise because there are a few Nuku Nuku series'.
Father and son, Kyusaku and Ryunosuke, get into an accident while trying to escape Atsuko, mother/ex-wife. Ryunosuke's cat dies in the accident, his father, a brilliant scientist, 'resurrects' the cat by putting its brain in a cyborg body. Thus, Nuku Nuku is born, the goofy, innocent cat girl android…trust me it's actually cool. With the help of Nuku Nuku, Ryunosuke and his father fight off all of Atsuko's attempts at kidnapping both of them. She wants her ex-husband to continue to work, developing weapons for her company and she wants Ryunosuke to force him to love her. She employs 2 brainless black op's agents, Akiko and Arisa to help carry out her plots. The series is chocked full of comedy and some cool, goofy, action sequences. The characters are over the top and Nuku Nuku meows a lot, plus she's really a cat so she acts like a cat, a lot. Atsuko and her lackeys are at the receiving end of all the screw ball comedy, usually at Nuku Nuku's own hands.
Father and son, Kyusaku and Ryunosuke, get into an accident while trying to escape Atsuko, mother/ex-wife. Ryunosuke's cat dies in the accident, his father, a brilliant scientist, 'resurrects' the cat by putting its brain in a cyborg body. Thus, Nuku Nuku is born, the goofy, innocent cat girl android…trust me it's actually cool. With the help of Nuku Nuku, Ryunosuke and his father fight off all of Atsuko's attempts at kidnapping both of them. She wants her ex-husband to continue to work, developing weapons for her company and she wants Ryunosuke to force him to love her. She employs 2 brainless black op's agents, Akiko and Arisa to help carry out her plots. The series is chocked full of comedy and some cool, goofy, action sequences. The characters are over the top and Nuku Nuku meows a lot, plus she's really a cat so she acts like a cat, a lot. Atsuko and her lackeys are at the receiving end of all the screw ball comedy, usually at Nuku Nuku's own hands.
The first TV series takes all the characters and changes them up only slightly. In fact the biggest thing is that Atsuko no longer runs Mishima (the weapons manufacturer) but is a VP of sorts. The company's president creates a super-villain like group of workers to try and take over the world. Nuku Nuku is now going to school, which presents its own problems while she's trying to act like a human high school kid as opposed to an android-cat. There are of course more characters, due to there being more story lines to plow through but all the originals are there. The comedy is more over the top in the TV series, as parts of the OAV's were serious. There is also another series that follows the original TV called Nuku Nuku Dash! which is a completely alternate retelling of the story.
All in all Nuku Nuku has been a favorite of mine for along time due to the nature of the comedy, there is a lot of self-degradation among the characters, like Kyusaku and Ryunosuke constantly being reminded of their welfare status. Definitely a series I would suggest for people who enjoy comedies. The OAV's are a bit old, but are available on DVD. They might be hard to find but the TV series should be easier to acquire, although I recommend the OAV over either of the TV series.
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