Sgt. Frog: Season One, Part 1

Created by the makers of Gundam, this irreverent anime series features Sgt. Keroro, a giant frog who arrives from the planet Keron to conquer Earth (Pekopon). Keroro's compadres—a ragtag group of frog-like aliens known as the Armpit Platoon—flee when they find out that Pekoponians like to dissect frogs, but Keroro ends up in the suburbs with the Hinata family: single mother/manga editor Aki, and middle-school siblings Fuyuki and Natsumi. To Aki, he's a story idea; to Natsumi, he's a pest; but to Fuyuki, he's a friend. With no spare rooms available, Keroro is relegated to the basement (which is haunted by a crazed ghost) and is forced to do endless chores for the family. Meanwhile, his colleague Private Tamama moves in with Momoka, a rich girl with a crush on Fuyuki, while three other members of the Armpit Platoon later materialize to add to the chaos. Throughout Sgt. Frog—a hit in Japan that ran for six seasons and spawned five features—a pop-culture-savvy narrator comments on the action, referencing everything from The Breakfast Club to the Jonas Brothers. Compiling the first 13 episodes of the 2004 debut season in a dual-language two-disc set, DVD extras include the line art feature “Pekopon Invasion Recon Data.” Recommended. [Note: Sgt. Frog: Season One, Part 2 is also available, with Season Two, Part 1 slated for release on Jan. 26.] Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)