gdgd Fairies puts the ‘sweet’ in “Sweet Jesus, what am I watching?!”
My current cartoon obsession, the one that has all but whisked me away from family, friends and my gal, Mishka, is gdgd Fairies. It’s a lo-fi anime series about three young fairies (naive pkpk, troublemaker shrshr and deadpan krkr) with limited magical abilities and lots and lots to say.
I love it. Will you?
I dunno. That really depends on your penchant for surreal silliness and Nth degree meta-humor, not to mention perversely plotted segments linked together using only the flimsiest of premises. Did you like David Cross and Bob Odenkirk’s Mr. Show? Cuz gdgd Fairies is a lot like that. Except where Bob and Dave were working in sketch and stand-up, gdgd creator/animator Sōta Sugaharathe uses anime and YouTube clips.
A typical episode of gdgd begins with the three fairies sitting around a tree stump, engaged in some smalltalk. In one show they’re discussing their sleeping habits, in another it’s a drag queen’s five o’clock shadow. Odd? Yes. But this is just the catalyst for the craziness to come. Before long, the fairies’ opposing opinions have inevitably turned things into a philosophical debate, a series of uncomfortable silences, and a random, magical detour into the demented.
It’s during these random, magical detours that you get to see the scope of Sugaharathe’s imagination. Depending on the episode, you may find yourself watching a Saban-style fight scene, a cold war stand-off between a monkey and a dog, or detailed instructions on how to escape a dragon’s lair.
Consider this part of the show a litmus test. If you don’t like what you see here, you probably shouldn’t stick with gdgd Fairies. This is not one of those shows where you have to watch three seasons before you decide whether or not you like it. This is Salt & Vinegar chips. You’ll either instantly crave more, or you’ll want to gut-punch the person who pushed it on you in the first place.
(That would be me.)
From there, it’s onto The Magic Spring Dubbing Lake, an enchanted pond that plays short, animated, YouTube-style clips. This portion of the show is sorta like Mystery Science Theater, only instead of making cornball commentary, the fairies dub in their own dialogue. My favorite part of this section is listening to the characters work out their jokes aloud. It feels so spontaneous, so awkwardly authentic, that I’m not sure if it’s brilliantly scripted or they just animated the recording sessions, uncut.
This is usually where the show ends, unless there’s an impromptu musical number or a hastily animated tribute to some other anime. Then again, there are some shows where NONE of the above happens. But I’ll let those episodes surprise you as you happen upon them.
The style of animation used in gdgd Fairies is another element that will either hook you or horrify you. It varies between South Park simplicity and Taiwanese News grotesque. While it’s undoubtedly an unusual aesthetic choice, it’s one that fits the show’s skewed sense of humor PERFECTLY.
Plus, just like those little South Park kids, the fairies’ no-frills design is part of what makes them so damned adorable!
Looking for a humane way to kill 6 hours? The first two seasons of gdgd Fairies are currently available as free, legal streams on Crunchyroll.com.
