MetaChat - Anpan-man

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12 August 2005

Anpan-man →[More:]
The cartoon Anpan-man, a hit with Japanese preschoolers, stars animated foods: Anpan-man (Mr. Beanpaste Bun); his buddies Jamu Ojisan (Uncle Jam), Batako-san (Ms. Butter), and their dog Chiizu (Cheese); his allies Shokupan-man (Mr. White Bread), Kareepan-man (Mr. Curry Bun), and Tendon-man (Mr. Shrimp-and-Rice Bowl); and of course Hamigaki-man (Mr. Toothbrush). They are locked in never-ending struggles against the schemes of Baikin-man and Dokin-chan (Mr. Germ and Little Miss Bacteria). The dominant motifs of the Anpan-man series are the struggle of good against evil, the value of teamwork, and the need to brush your teeth, although the program also raises fascinating themes of purity and pollution, self-sacrifice, redemption and rebirth, and auto-cannibalism.

Three cheers for anthropomorphized foodstuffs!

post by: Hugh Janus at: 08:46 | 5 comments

If you are hungry, eat my face.
Oooooooooookay. That's pretty much all I need to know right there.

posted by mygothlaundry 12 August | 10:15

My kid loves Anpanman. I hate Anpanman, but I have to pretend I love anpanman, too.

posted by Absit Invidia 12 August | 15:11

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

I apologize but it was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the picture and frankly, if Jesus had said "If you are hungry, eat my face" I proably wouldn't have dropped out of Sunday school so quickly.

posted by LeeJay 12 August | 16:03

From the Anpan FAQ:

Are the adventures of Anpanman an analogy of the mission of Jesus Christ?

No. While both Jesus Christ and Anpanman were immaculately conceived, and while both were born in humble locations beneath a bright and shining star, and while both live(d) selfless lives dedicated to relieving the distressed, and while both exhibit transubstantiation (whereby ordinary bread becomes, in fact, living flesh), and while both ascend into heaven, and while the images of both frequently and miraculously appear in tortillas, hubcaps and oil spots... the similarities end there.

posted by Hugh Janus 12 August | 16:10

Heh. I didn't even see that.

posted by LeeJay 12 August | 16:28

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