HI HI PUFFY AMIYUMI

No Time For Purrs or Pats
by Alan M.

There's a long tradition of music and cartoons that goes back to, well, the first time sound and animation were combined. From STEAMBOAT WILLIE through today's anime music videos popular music and cartoons go together like a fiend and his dope or a drunkard and his wine. Television has exploited the rock and roll solubility of cartoons with fabricated and real acts such as THE ARCHIES, THE JACKSON 5, and THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY, 2200 A.D.. And now, Japan's PUFFY, or as they're marketed here, PUFFY AMI YUMI.

First off, HI HI PUFFY AMI YUMI isn't anime. It's more like the bastard child of UPA's GERALD McBOING BOING and JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS, without the later's need to solve mysteries. Each half hour episode is broke down into 3 shorts which econimizes the storytelling, and cuts way back on any music showcasing. Musical interludes are the staple of this kind of show, unfortunately there's only enough time for maybe a minute of HARD DAYS NIGHT type hyjinx and we've got to get back to the story. Here's hoping that maybe we'll get some long playing luv in the future, and if you would please use Rodney Greenblat's designs from the PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PUFFY show, please?

How much you like this show depends on how much you like extreme cuteness. Because, from what I've seen so far, this show isn't a triumph of the human spirit. It's cotton candy for the eyes and empty calories for the soul. And while we're not talking HB cartoons ala PIXIE AND DIXIE the limits of limited animation are on display here. Is Macromedia getting a piece of the action?

You wanna watch it? Sure, go ahead, it's perfectly harmless...