Jungle wa Itsumo Hale nochi Guu OAVs

Jungle wa Itsumo Hale nochi Guu Delux and Jungle wa Itsumo Hale nochi Guu Final are the OAV conclusions to the TV series.  Deluxe, containing 6 episodes and a short special, was released in 2002.  Final containing 7 episodes was released in 2003.

     Deluxe picks up after the end of the TV series and we find Hale, Guu and Weda living in the jungle again.  Things don’t go as planned for Hale as a substitute teacher with anger issues moves to the village and Weda is pregnant.  The 6^th episode of Delux makes fun of every Shonen Adventure series ever made and ever will be made.  The special is a recap of half of the TV series.

    Final picks up after Deluxe and we find Hale, Guu and Weda returning to the city with Hales brother Ame.  Hale has to adjust with life outside of the jungle as well as continuing to put up with Guu's antics.  They once again return to the jungle where they really belong and have to tie up loose ends with the most obsessive members of the village.

    It was fun to watch more insanity but it seemed to just drag on with no real development.  Nothing has really changed in the action or animation between the TV episodes and the OAV.  The story keeps going, with its ups and downs of being entertaining.  The 6^th episode of Deluxe was annoying but excellent at the same time.  Final really gears up the satire, the 5th one entirely spoofs Final Fantasy.  After a while though i really got bored with many of the antics and story lines of the show.  But, if you enjoyed the TV series you can enjoy the OAV's as well.  I really wish there was some sort of overall point to this title...but just sit back and wait for the crazy.  Guu's origins and purpose never get explained and with the final episode it seems like the series could just keep going.  In a way it's good it didn't.  One oddity in Final was how Ame's appearance kept changing...one some episodes he would have a full head of hair, in others he wouldn't.  I wonder if there was something intentional behind that...

    Deluxe has been licensed in North America and is available on DVD.  But, Final is not...and doesn't seem to ever be at this point.  Perhaps the fatigue I experienced was shared by enough people to not want to finish the series up in this part of the world.