Cuteness is an attribute highly admired by many anime fans, but this four-volume series takes it too far. Di Gi Charat (or Dejiko), a little girl wearing cat ears and a tail, is the mascot for a Japanese store chain called Gamers in a pair of anime series that haven't yet been released in the U.S. But in this prequel series set on a distant planet, she's Princess Dejiko, who strives to make people happy, and with her little sister Puchiko and her minder Gema (a flying ball with an upside-down face), leaves her castle for the larger world, makes some friends, and has occasionally sweet but usually just silly adventures, all the while hounded by the incompetent bad guy Deji Devil and his assistant Piyoko (whose smart mouth makes her the show's best character) in this compilation of 12 six-minute episodes. Even by anime standards, the tiny girls have enormous eyes and overly large heads, while the English dialogue is heavily rewritten from the Japanese original (in both languages presented here every character annoyingly appends a nonsense syllable to the end of each sentence of dialogue). Tagged as "suitable for all ages," the DVD features voice cast commentary, production sketches, and a sticker sheet. For a better kid-friendly anime, try Little Snow Fairy Sugar. Optional. [Note: Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 are also newly available.] Aud: P. (S. Raiteri)
Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat, Vol. 1: Nyo!
(2002) 85 min. DVD: $29.98. ADV Films (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 1-57813-764-0. Volume 19, Issue 5
Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat, Vol. 1: Nyo!
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