Di Gi Charat

Genre: Comedy
Company: Broccoli
Format: 16 episodes
Dates: 11/29/1999 to 12/23/1999

Crash landing from outer space, Deijiko and her two partners, Petite Charat and Gema, have come to earth to become pop music sensations. However, their lack of funds makes them take a part time job at a local store called Gamers. From there, they encounter everything from giant monsters to aliens.

summary by Kei

 

Reviewed: 09/21/2001 by
Grade: 79% 

Highs: KAWAIIIIIII!!!; very funny

Lows: Purely used for marketing; no plot whatsoever

This anime is truly the bastard love child of Kodomo no Omocha and Hello Kitty. This show is so fast-paced and electric, you would have thought you just drank a six-pack of Jolt cola.

Not to mention everything about this series is so cute, be it the kitty and bunny costumes or even Deijiko’s obsession with making a doujinshi (fan manga) using the male characters of the show.

Like I said, it’s really cute, but that’s about it. The entire series, with each episode around three minutes in length (yes, three, you read that correctly), was intended to advertise the popular store Gamers in Japan. It succeeded admirably. The likenesses of the characters in this anime are on tons of merchandise in the store and are big sellers.

Di Gi Charat is by no means a great anime, but it is a fun one. If you get bored, watch an episode or two. The sugary sweetness of this anime is bound to put a smile on your face.

 

Reviewed: 04/09/2004 by
Grade: 74% 

Highs: Rare type of comedy; rockin’ music; Puchiko!

Lows: Technically flawed in so many areas

What a nice, little commercial! Yes, that’s all it is, an ad campaign for Gamers. As an anime, it’s terribly lacking… and yet, some intangible aspect of Di Gi Charat just keeps bringing me back for more!

Broccoli chose just the right length for each episode, about three minutes a piece. I really couldn’t handle them longer, since there exists absolutely no plot to speak of. The, ahem, “story” consists of Di Gi Charat Deijiko, Petit Charat Puchiko (kawaii!) and floating blob Gema traveling to Earth to become idols. In the meantime they find work as store clerks at Gamers, where Deijiko’s rival Rabi~en~Rose is also employed. Chaos ensues. During the course of this short series, the viewer is witness to marginal animation, artwork and voice acting. Sounds like the sequel to Tekken, right? Except that…

… it somehow works! I’m still trying to figure out exactly why this anime holds a special place in my heart, and maybe I’ll never know. There are some moments of utterly extreme hilarity; most of the humor is centered around flatulence and mocking anime stereotypes, particularly bishounen. Characters quite often go into super-deform mode, adding so much to the abundance of laughs. At the end, I couldn’t help but to feel a fondness for everyone.

Had Di Gi Charat been more consistent with the comedy, I would gladly recommend it to anyone. Alas, it takes someone with a taste for insane anime to look past its problems. Myself, I keep going back to Puchiko’s attempt at eye beams as one of the cutest moments ever in anime!

 

The original Di Gi Charat series, specials A Trip To The Planet, the Christmas Special, and other specials may be downloaded legally in the United States as a single torrent HERE.