Some of you might be out of school for the summer of 2005, but that's not the case if you're living in Japan, and it's certainly not even close to being reality if you're one of the many delinquents enrolled at Cromartie High. These guys seem to be planning a career at going to high school, and the outrageous comedy continues in the third volume, "Sailin' Fools."

By now, simply mentioning Cromartie High should conjure images of . . . . well . . . . they aren't going to be anything normal, and what exactly did you expect? This is the same high school where an ape, a robot, and a Freddie Mercury look alike are all part of the active roster. If you've been buying the DVD's though, I'm going to say that you should also be buying the manga (something I've actually neglected myself) as the series does make plenty of references to needing to read it if you haven't already. Like most anime, Cromartie High School is a reward, more or less, for the fans of the manga, and a good way to bring in some newcomers that have their interests sparked by the anime.

So, what kind of insanity will you find this time around? Well, there's the annual Japan Boss Tournament for starters, an event to determine whom the toughest out of all the high school delinquents is, and since it turns out that this is a one-question battle of wits, Kamiyama is crowned the winner. This means that all the other schools are out to end his reign . . . . okay, so there's only one, but Yamaguchi has already decided that it was comedy that put Kamiyama on top, not fighting. He's wrong in some many different ways that it's not even funny . . . . . errr . . . . . actually it is.

Hokuto ends up getting quite a bit more screen time, as does . . . . . ummmm . . . . yeah . . . . . there's this guy that he hangs out with . . . . . uhh . . . . his lackey. So, we still don't know what his name is, and we probably never will, but that's part of the comedy here, as are some aliens that visit the high school, though briefly. We also have the dramatic return of the Mechazawa motorcycle, a shocking truth about Hayashida and his Mohawk, and in general, just plain insanity. There are times when you just have to wonder who thought of this, but the fact remains, it's funny, and that's the most important thing that Cromartie High School has going for it.

There are a lot of extras on this disc, and that's something that I'm rather pleased about. There is the usual clean opening and closing animations, but there is more beyond that. You will once again find cultural notes and comments are Cromartie is one of those anime titles that includes many things that Western viewers aren't going to understand completely. There are also commercials for the Japanese DVD's and CD's as well as the Japanese PS2 commercials. That's right, the boys at Cromartie even had their own video game, and that brings me to a point I had actually addressed with one of the PR representatives over at ADV: anime based video games are more or less an untapped market that I am certain would sell here . . . . if they're good. I don't think dating sims are going to go over well, but anything else would be much appreciated by myself as well as other anime fans. ADV has even included the original Japanese television warnings from the series, plus more production notes included on the DVD's insert. How's that for a slice of fried gold?

Cromarite High School isn't going to let up for a second. Just when you think that something odd or strange couldn't possibly be thrown in, after you think that all of the gags have run out and the laughter will end, there is yet another moment pulled from no where that can have you chuckling or rolling on the floor with laughter. Cromarite High School may not be the ideal place to get an education unless you're looking for a degree in laughter, and Hilarity 101 is written all over this one. Get it, watch it, love it . . . just don't try it at home, school, or anywhere else for that matter.

And, just in case you're wondering, the third volume DVD's cover is a parody of Little Feat's 1972 release Sailin' Shoes. So, there you go.

Episode 15

Kamiyama is concerned about attendance at school and addresses the situation. This turns to the gang decided to attack a rival school which in turn leads to Kamiyama showing up far too early for the proposed war and leaving a message. This graffiti is then brought up on Fujimoto's message board leading to a war of words.

Episode 16

Japan's Boss Tournament is coming up which will decide who the toughest is among the high school delinquents. Hokuto has decided that he's going to enter, but even after its decided, and gang has a conversation about life in general, though they still aren't even sure what Hokutos' lackey's name is.

Episode 17

Kamiyama has won the Boss Tournament, but now Yamaguchi has decided to challenge him for the title. The battlefield: the top of Cro-High. The fight: a quiz show? Things couldn't get any stranger, until Hayashida reveals a secret that is.

Episode 18

Freddie has been filling in for Pootan at his autograph sessions, but he's taken things a little too far. Now he's even replaced Pootan on television and the comedian wants his spot back. Freddie however isn't about to give up the limelight so easily.

Episode 19

A legendary motorcycle rider has been bested by Kamiyama and his new bike . . . . Mechazawa. Now the two are out trying to use their new skills in the best ways that they can. No motorcycle license however is going to land Kamiyama in a cell for a bit, and then a rival bike game comes to Cro-High.

Episode 20

While Hokuto is trying to deal with "various problems," Mechazawa has fallen in love. Luckily his little brother has brought a new OS that eliminates these problems completely, but then Hayashida shows up at Hokuto's home to tell him that something has happened to their robotic friend.

-mike-
 

Genre: Comedy   Directed by: Hiroaki Sakurai   Based Upon the Manga by: Eiji Nonaka   Original Japanese Title: Sakigake!! Cromartie Koukou   Voice Cast: Takahiro Sakurai (Takashi Koyama) Tetsu Inada (Akira Maeda) Takuma Suzuki (Shinjiro Hayashida) Norio Wakamoto (Mechazawa Shinichi) Yuuto Kazama (Noboru Yamaguchi) Ryo Naito (Yutaka Takenouchi) Akio Suyama (Takeshi Hokuto)

DVD Features: Dual Language Japanese and English English Subtitles Cultural Notes & Comments Clean Opening Animation Clean Closing Animation Original Japanese PlayStation 2 Commercials Enclosed Production Booklet Contains Episodes 15 - 20