It is quite ironic that the first shōnen-ai
anime to be aired in Japan is a satire of the genre itself originally written
by a male author. In the year 1983 the adaption of Mineo Maya’s manga-series
Patalliro! (started 1979 and continues until today) brought amusement to many
Japanese TV-watchers. By the way, Mineo Maya is one of the few men who draw
manga of this genre. If the same show had aired in the United Stated or in
Europe at that time, it would have caused vehement protests and been cancelled
for sure. Why is that so?
The opening
Patalliro! Tells the story of the 10-year-old king of
the same name (feels more like a dictator though), who rules over Malynera, a
small island where spring never ends and diamonds are the natural resource
number 1. The young king is rich beyond reason and super intelligent enabling
him to do whatever he wants. Him having diabetis is no hindrance to
screw with everything that meets his way.
For example, British M16-agent Jack Barbarossa Bancoran
(usually called Bancoran, but the whole name is just awesome), who tries to
solve jewelry robberies or to catch members of the evil International Diamond Syndicate
(IDS). He is basically the result of James Bond and Naraku (Inu Yasha) getting
a child. His pruple eyeshadow is just one of the many female traits that male
characters have in this series. In fact, there are more effeminate men in this series
than female characters. Even Patalliro’s servants, the Tamenegi, hide a bishōnen-face
underneath their funny looking masks.
Long
before the term “trap” was established and characters like Mariya (Maria†Holic) or Hideyoshi (Baka
to Test) became popular, Patalliro! introduced a cast of men being way more
beautiful than any women and on the top of the list stands 18-years-old Maraich,
a former member of the IDS who is now Bancoran’s lover. He usually wears women’s
clothing, high-heels and (why do I even need to mention this) make-up. We often
see him getting really emotional and jealous, which is quite understandable
considering Bancoran’s countless affairs with young men. I should mention that
Bancoran has the ability to swoon young effeminate men with his glance alone, also
giving him the nickname “Bishōnen-Killer”.
The
30-year-old animations take some time to get used to, but the background pictures
and character designs, of course, are really beautiful. Castles and roses and
all sorts of shōjo-manga clichés create homoerotic overtones; sometimes one is
reminded of the first chapter of Dorian Gray. Apart from the animation, the
soundtrack, opening and ending are all perfect, just what you would expect from
a good anime series.
In terms of actual story, there isn’t much to say. The
adventures of Patalliro range from action based adventures to sci-fi to almost
everything you can imagine, but it’s essentially a comedy series and has
remained so until today. The manga and anime contain so many jokes, one cannot
compare them to modern representatives of the genre (except, maybe, Sayonara
Zetsubou Sensei) when it comes to the sheer number of puns. There are so many
funny jokes that there is still plenty to laugh about even if you leave all the
jokes about yaoi and homosexuality out. Yet, those jokes make Patalliro! such a
great satire of the genre and therefore it is even enjoyable for those who don’t
like shōnen-ai at all.
Patalliro! is a mostly unknown and underrated series
that deserves much more attention. I’m truly thankful to the fans who create
subtitles, scanlate and spread information about it, especially for those who
don’t speak Japanese or can’t get any of the volumes or DVDs.
Now, I will post
some links for those who want to find out more about Patalliro! or want to give
it a try. It’s definitely worth the try!
A great, informational page dedicated to the series: http://www.caithion.net/patarillo/
A part of the first episode (subbed)
The touching ending song
And last but not least: Cosplay Queen Kanda Midori's Maraich-Cosplay
さあ、みなさん。パパンガパン！
誰が殺したクックロビン！
