So.
I have reviewed Sega's mascot from the Sega Genesis Sonic,
and you're probably wondering is that my favorite console?
Well, I've never actually owned a console.
Sure, I've played a Nintendo and Sega at my friends' places
but I've never actually owned any of them.
I think I played the NES before the Genesis,
but what I had at home were the so called
Personal Home Computers known as the Spectrum and Atari.
When it came to that, I favored the Atari more than anything else
for reasons I'm not going to get into at the moment.
But if I were to pick a console....
I think the speed of Sonic sold me on that part.
However, that doesn't mean that Super Mario gets to be left out.
So, who is this Mario and why is he Super?
The latter may be a little obscure but lets have a runthrough of who he is:
Mario is a
psychotic
Mario is a psychotic, murderous
Mario is a psychotic, murderous, greedy
Mario is a psychotic, murderous, greedy, mustached
Italian plumber,
who has a taller but younger brother named Luigi,
and is tasked with rescuing a Princess named Peach Toadstool,
who rules over a world called the Mushroom Kingdom,
and is constantly kidnapped by a turtle dragon
and his 7 children
named King Bowser Koopa
which may or may not result in Stockholm Syndrome,
and the brothers effectively
crush houses,
pulverize civilians turned to stone by the evil tyrant,
rob the treasuries,
and stomp to death the Goomba citizens
to get their mission over with.
Now where did I get the idea that Mario's a murderous psychopath?
Well, it's a theory someone came up with...
Now would you believe that Japan was first
with creating a cartoon to Nintendo's mascot.
Although it was their one and only cartoon movie called
Super Mario Brothers
The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach
And as per tradition,
I'll be sticking with the original language.
But I don't speak Japanese!
Then use the subtitles!
Honestly...
Released in 1986 by Grouper Studios,
the film starts off with a very familiar setting to any gamer...
Mario is intensely focused on a game in the middle of the night.
His brother Luigi comes in offering some tea
but Mario doesn't notice a thing.
Good night, Mario.
All of a sudden, his TV goes out
and his game is replaced by a girl battling turtles.
Among other things.
And suddenly the game comes out of the TV.
Are these your friends?
Doesn't look that way...
After a whole lot of commotion, the Princess introduces herself.
Oops, my apologies.
You saved me. Thank you.
My name is Princess Peach.
Princess Peach?
And you, Mario,
are a very elegant knight.
Wait, how does she know Mario's name?
But the TV isn't done yet,
as the boss rears his head.
The Princess continues encourages Mario that he's a great warrior.
But Koopa's a bit over Mario's head.
Ma
Mari
Mario!
You're starting to embarrass me!
Save me!
Let me go!
He may look like he might eat her,
but that could just as easily be a perverted lick.
Mario!
And with the magic of the Mushroom Kingdom
King Koopa takes the Princess back through the TV.
Mario!
Please save me!
What the...?
Hey, you!
Get back out here!
Get out here!
Mario suddenly notices that Peach dropped her necklace.
She sure was pretty.
And all of this before the opening title.
The next morning, we find that the Mario brothers
are actually working at a Grocery store
rather than fixing pipes.
And Mario is still lost in his thoughts about the Princess.
Suddenly, his brother Luigi gets a good look at the jewel
and knows where this gem may have come from.
Of course, it is!
Let's see... See? Look at this!
"This stone will guide its master to a Treasure Kingdom!"
"The fields are filled with glittering emeralds."
"The water is filled with silver mushrooms!"
"The nights are filled with diamond stars!"
Amazing!
Yeah!
Let's go there!
Yeah!
Where is it?
I don't know!
Um...
I'll ask someone!
So Mario calls a good friend of his
to see if he knows anything about the mysterious Treasure Kingdom.
Hello?
Ah, Mr. Mario, there you are.
I've been looking for ya.
Well,
I've got something great to give ya, so I'm coming to pick you up.
Bye!
Ah, don't you just love such omniscient friends like that.
They are suddenly met by a strange dog
who proceeds to steal the jewel away from Mario.
And the hunt is on!
to the sound of rock'n'roll.
Thump-thump-thump-thump do it
Sauma-sensei rock'n'roll
I'm a super-mecha rock'n'roller
And the chase leads them to pipes.
They land in a strange place,
Welcome, Mario Brothers.
and are met by some old hermit.
Please pardon the unusual introduction.
I have summoned you to the Mushroom Kingdom for only one reason.
To help me!
Mushroom Kingdom?
Yeah, Mushroom Kingdom...
Mushroom Kingdom, you say!?
You see, there's this bad dragon king named Koopa
who lives in the neighboring Metal Kingdom.
He's still bitter because Princess Peach turned down his marriage proposal,
and has taken it out on our kingdom
by trashing it and kidnapping Princess Peach!
To make matters worse, Koopa used his magic
to change the inhabitants of this world into bricks and plants!
How horrible!
You 2 are the only ones who can save our kingdom from this crisis.
Please rescue Princess Peach and restore peace to this kingdom!
But why us?
Apparently they were prophesied.
"Male twins from the Kingdom in the East."
"Moustached faces and big buttoned trousers."
"Colorful clothing that's darling as flowers."
"Emotionally sensitive, and in money's powers."
........
.......u
......uu
.....uum
....uumm
...uummM
..uummMM
.uummMMm
uummMMmm
ummMMmmu
mmMMmmuu
mMMmmuu.
MMmmuu..
Mmmuu...
mmuu....
muu.....
uu......
A bit mellow dramatic?
Mario accepts this mission out of pure love for the Princess.
The hermit gives them helpful advice.
Furthermore, in order to save this Kingdom by defeating Koopa,
you must obtain the Triforce.
Hold on a minute!
Since when did we slip into the Legend of Zelda?
Yes, the three items that wield unusual powers:
the Mushroom, the Flower, and the Star!
Ok...
So they took 3 of the game's powerups...
...and grouped them under the name from another game...
So, with the mission clear they set off.
...We will receive monetary compensation for this, right?
You'll find gold coin scattered here and there.
Take as many of those as you wish.
All right!
Well that's generous.
And we are treated to a rock'n'roll montage of them marching across the land.
Yes, yes, gonna love you
(Yeah)
Yes, yes, gonna want you
But they are not alone.
But also Bust you
With my love~
On their first night, Luigi is suddenly struck by hunger.
He packed everything for digging up treasure,
but forgot about an excursion's worth of rations.
However, the Goomba's are willing to "help".
I love mushrooms!
Then follow us.
Bro! I'm gonna go get some mushrooms!
But it turns out that these mushrooms are emotional drugs.
But these are laughing-shrooms.
Hey, snap out of it, Luigi!
Swallow!
Why you!
WhyYouWhyYouWhyYouWhyYou
hyYouWhyYouWhyYouWhyYouW
yYouWhyYouWhyYouWhyYouWh
YouWhyYouWhyYouWhyYouWhy
ouWhyYouWhyYouWhyYouWhyY
uWhyYouWhyYouWhyYouWhyYo
WhyYouWhyYouWhyYouWhyYou
hyYouWhyYouWhyYouWhyYouW
yYouWhyYouWhyYouWhyYouWh
Why did you do that, man?
Now you've really made me mad!
During this fit a flying turtle carries Mario away
and attempts to feed him to her young.
Luckily, he had a set of mushrooms.
A little later, she returns with his brother and the dog.
Wait, kids, this food looks poisoned!
Let me test it for you!
Owowow! My tummy hurts!
That settles it. We can't eat this rotten food.
Hey, Mommy! Can't ya get us something nicer?
Like hamburgers or croquets...?
What did you say!?
I want cake! I wanna eat cake!
Fine. Fine.
Hamburgers!
Well, that was smart.
They suddenly notice something in the mountain.
One of the magical items sealed in ice.
That's...
That's part of the Triforce!
It must be the Mushroom of Truth!
What, like a truth serum..?
So, Mario climbs up and tries to retrieve it.
Success!
Ooh!
Money!
And Luigi indulges himself in the riches spewing out.
But of course, they need to get down from there.
And what better way?
Crashing right back into the mushroom valley.
But turns out that gold was people.
And that magic mushroom is their leader.
They receive a Super Mushroom from Toadette.
And another rock'n'roll montage with the mushroom in use.
Over the plains, over the hills~
We are Super
They are then met by the Goombas at a crossroads and ask directions.
They are given the choices Grass Path, Catnap, or Garden Course.
The garden course, you say?
Yes!
The garden course peaked their interest because a garden has flowers,
and flowers was part of their quest.
However, there are other flower in this garden besides power flowers.
That's it!
jugem
Jugem
Jugem!
JUGEM!
PIPER!
Pai
and
Pai
&
Pai
Pai Pai
Pai Pai PAI
Out of the fire into the frying pan.
But Mario happens to stumble on a vine
and commandeers the cloud.
Or at least part of it.
Stop, stop, stop...
How'd you work this thing?
Jugem, jugem, pipe pipe...
Okey, okey. Go, go.
No, wiat. Hey! Good. Go! More, more.
Good, good, good.
What?
Oh my!
After all that, the second servant appears
and gives Mario the Flower of Love.
And once again, another rock'n'roll montage with the flower in use.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, cool it
Your smile's attitude won't stop
This includes money scavenging
and Mario Ramen.
The Goomba's next plan is leading them to a treasure cave.
Huh?
What's wrong?
It's a coin.
Oh, nice, nice!
And trapping them.
After some time, Mario starts to daydream
about having a romantic moment with Peach.
The day will come someday
This is quickly interrupted by his brother
who has been digging out the gold.
And evidently leading to their escape.
But at some point, Luigi's gold nuggets turn to rocks.
As he throws out the rocks one small piece of "gold" still remains.
Once in the water, they are, of course, chased by fish.
Oh, and would you believe it, they can breath under water.
They find the star, but is closely guarded.
Leading to a bit of a ridiculous ruse for it to open...
I am such a pretty ballerina, Mr. Clam.
Now's my chance!
Gimme the star!
Gimme!
To studies on where to tickle a clam.
I got it!
It's the Shooting Star of Music!
Of Course!
A Music Star!
But it's not over yet, as they are chased by a fish to a ship.
Which then sets sail to reveal an Octopus.
Yeah...
This probably makes as much sense as the next scene...
Bro!
Help me up!
Take it!
And so they travel through the stars to some peaceful music,
with Mario possessing all 3 power-ups in his pocket.
And floats away
When they start nearing the palace
Mario's love took hold of him something fierce
and he goes wild over the steering wheel
tearing the ship apart.
Meanwhile, the Koopa wedding ceremony is about to begin.
I've known some horrific ceremonies in my days, but seriously?
Peach Sweetie! I've been waiting for you!
There. The bridal throne!
Father, let us begin the ceremony at once!
A strange looking ship is approaching!
Ok, still just hanging in there.
But not for long.
We will continue the ceremony in the sealed room.
Follow me!
Mario!
Princess Peach!
And the new hunt is on!
While Mario chases after Koopa and Peach
Luigi digs through the castle for more gold to a classic tune.
HAX
However, some good comes out of Luigi's greed.
Princess Peach!
And now for the Boss Battle!
Mario is reminded of his power-ups
and starts to consume them.
But it would seem Koopa's magic can summon a distraction,
making Mario forget about the star,
and loses it among the rubble of the castle.
Princess Peach tries to buy a little recovery time for Mario
by pleading for Mario's life in exchange for marrying Koopa.
But Koopa won't take that option.
...for me in the future.
Oops.
Oh, Bro,
you were here the entire time?
See? I found your star.
Luigi to the rescue!
But Koopa seems to be just a bit faster.
But then!
Take
that!
Leggo!
Leggo! Leggo! Leggo!
Leggo of me!
Then the cliff transform into a paradise
and Peach's castle is restored.
Mario remembers something:
He returns Peach's necklace
and we find out abou another tale regarding the gem.
Legend has it that someday I will meet a wonderful prince
who has the same necklace.
Are you...?
I am the prince of the neighboring Flower Kingdom.
My name is Hal.
So you are Prince Hal.
When I came to see you, Koopa's magic turned me into a dog.
This, of course, leaves Mario heartbroken.
And so they head on home
to some nice soothing music to their montage.
Such is the night demon
On days when I cannot sleep
And there we have it.
60 minute anime,
half of it consisting of musical montages.
And from here on out, the Americans took over.
Stick around and we'll delve into their first Super Show.