Kappa Mikey

Kappa Mikey
File:Kappamikey 01.jpg Kappa Mikey
Created by	Larry Schwarz
Starring	Michael Sinterniklaas Stephen Moverley Annice Moriarty Pete Zarustica Sean Schemmel Gary Mack Jesse Adams Evelyn Lanto
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	26 ordered, 13 aired as of September 3, 2006
Production
Running time	22 minutes approx.
Original release
Network	Nicktoons Network
Release	February 25, 2006 – present

Kappa Mikey is an American animated television series created by Larry Schwarz for the Nicktoons Network and premiered on Nickelodeon on August 20, 2006. It is one of the most recently added animated television series to the network. The show frequently insults Japan and anime. The Japanese are portrayed as barbaric and undeveloped.

Plot

The series centers around Mikey Simon, a teenage actor from Cleveland, Ohio, who embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular anime series, LilyMu, and in doing this, rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest anime star. Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered (similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson). The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is a Beikokujin (American), he actually stands out visually from the other cast members. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers), similar to the character designs of American animated programs like Dexter's Laboratory or The Powerpuff Girls.

Episodes often flow with a particular formula; the group is filming a segment of LilyMu, but the take is ruined, sometimes revealing the conflict that drives the episode. The group will work through a problem Mikey has or creates, sometimes with a minor subplot running beneath the main plot. After the problem is resolved, the LilyMu segment will be shot again and successfully completed the second time, often changed to incorporate whatever lesson was learned during the main story.

The show has a large comedic overuse of face faults, such as a character's face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. Clichés common to anime include the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller (or chibi as referred to in anime fandom). Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, but cannot due to being drawn in an American style.

In every episode they hide one prop. That prop is a blue Bear like thing. Examples are:

• The toy Gonard won during Mikey's flashbacks in Ship Of Fools.
• One of the items Mikey was going to recycle in Mikey Likes It.
• One of the items Mikey wanted to buy at the Tatami Megastore in Easy Come, Easy Gonard.

Kappa Mikey is produced in the United States by Animation Collective with voiceovers recorded at NYAV Post. It is animated in three studios in New York City using Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya.

Characters

Major characters

Michael "Mikey" Simon

Voiced by: Michael Sinterniklaas

With help from a winning scratch-off card, Mikey transforms from a wannabe teenage American actor to the star of the once popular yet now declining LilyMu television show, which he brings back to the top of the ratings. Unlike other characters, he is drawn in an American retro style, therefore he has fewer face faults and other such anime characteristics than the rest of the team, which in one episode prompted him to make a meta-reference about it. Wholesome yet naive, Mikey often gets himself and his co-stars into strange disasters. On the show, he is Kappa Mikey, leader of Team LilyMu. Mikey seems to get the cast fired at some point in a couple of shows but he finds a way to get them back. Mikey seems to be almost as vain as Lily. In Saving Face he sold out his crew so he wouldn't get kicked off the show for having a pimple. Mikey had a rough time adjusting according to the episode Lost in Transportation. He didn't have his own chair like the cast, the battle wagon in LilyMu only holds three people (Mikey soon got his own motorcycle in the same episode which he rides in later episodes). Mikey also joined the outsiders, a motorcycle gang called The Chums, and since they were, he thought he fit right in. Later they gave him his own bike to show their appreciation for Mikey joining. He also has a crush on his co-star, Lily, even though she is mean-spirited and seems eager to make life miserable for him whenever she can, even trying to get him fired, thinking it will restore her former position as LilyMu star.

Lily

Voiced by: Annice Moriarty

On the set, Lily is Japan's sweetheart, but off-duty, she has a bad temper and a pushy attitude, making her the stereotypical stuck-up and spoiled actress (among other stereotypes). She is the former star of LilyMu, and now seems to be the co-star. She can't stand that the fame and adoration that used to be hers are now given to Mikey. She is desperate to knock him off his star pedestal by getting him fired so she can be the Lilymu star again, seemingly unaware that it was Mikey who saved the show from its low-ratings slump in the first place. Her attitude makes her an enemy of the rest of the cast at some points. Her facial design may be mimicking that of a Sailor Moon character, or Asuka Langley Soryu from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, as her personality surely reflects that. According to the episode Saving Face, she has to wear a retainer.

Lily owns a pink Beetle-type car (also known as a "punchbug") which holds four people: herself, Gonard, Guano, and Mitsuki, and a bathtub in the trunk. Mikey is often jealous that he can't fit in.

Mitsuki

Voiced by: Evelyn Lanto

On the show, Mitsuki is the tough-as-nails bad girl member of the LilyMu team. Off camera however, Mitsuki is the complete opposite, being graceful and generous, even if the rest of the crew tends to unwittingly walk all over her all the time.

Mitsuki is completly in love with Mikey, and tries to make him feel welcome on the show and in Japan. There are times when Mitsuki compliments Mikey romantically. Mikey either doesn't understand what she is saying or isn't there to hear it.

Her strong sense of right and wrong makes her the comedic foil to the rest of the cast as well as a voice of reason and conscience that's often ignored. However, when she does reach the end of her patience, Mitsuki can be quite devilish, as seen in Mikey Likes It (Garbage) and LilyMeow. She and Lily are roommates. Her name is derived from mittsu (three).

Gonard

Voiced by: Sean Schemmel

On the show, Gonard is an evil, purple creature, a criminal bent on destroying Team LilyMu. Off camera, Gonard is a big, lovable, normally colored oaf. Gonard takes a quick liking to Mikey as a friend and helps him adapt to his new life in Tokyo. He has a fondness for Colonial dress. Gonard has several suspicious items stuck to the seat of his pants, which he often loses, and has items hidden beneath his huge puff of blue hair. He also knows how to speak with a British accent, taught by Guano. He can hold large amounts in his mouth at a time, such as lemons, water, several live cows, or Guano. His ears seem to resemble that of an elf. He also lives with his mom (which you never see), who also seems to be voiced by Sean.

Guano

Voiced by: Gary Mack

Guano is both a star, the writer, and the neurotic director of LilyMu. No one on the show is sure if he is in fact a purple, Pikachu-like creature, or just a man in a costume. If he's the latter, he apparently never takes the costume off. He is another friend of Mikey's and helps him get around Tokyo. On the show, he is the stereotypical cute sidekick. He can fly, shoot lasers out of the gem on his stomach, and all he says on camera is his own name (a clear reference to Pokemon). He is afraid of the dark (as well as his own shadow), never seems to shower, and is also afraid of girls (except for Lily and Mitsuki). He will not reveal where he lives, making fans speculate that he may in fact be homeless. His name comes from the Spanish word for bat droppings. In every episode he seems to stop the LilyMu show by yelling "CUT!" when something goes wrong, such as Mikey messing up or heavy objects falling on Gonard (occasionally, it is Ozu who yells cut at the beginning of an episode). It is interesting to note, apart from resembling Pikachu he also resembles the ebil moglin Zorbak of Adventure Quest.

Ozu

Voiced by: Stephen Moverley

The ill-tempered producer of LilyMu, Ozu rules the show with an iron fist. More often than not, he yells at and scolds the cast, except Mikey, who he sees as the savior of the show and who can usually do no wrong in his eyes. He has been the driving force in Japanese television for six decades. He owns a 500-year-old Bonsai tree, which he loves more than his cast. He seems to have had the same face, hair and head size since his birth. Ozu is constantly canceling the LilyMu show when Mikey or the cast does something wrong, such as destroying his Bonsai tree, Mikey losing the government's invisible coat, or when he thought Mikey flushed his fish (Mitsuki stole it because she thought Ozu would eat it). Gonard is his third favorite LilyMu star, with Mikey being the first, given the way Ozu treats him. It is unknown who the second is; it's possible that it is Guano or Lily - Guano because he is the writer and director or Lily because she is next in line for the star of the show, behind Mikey. He has a habit of firing the entire cast whenever they displease him, but is quick to hire them back once his rage has been pacified or their popularity reestablished. (In LilyMeow he mentioned that they are rehired but only until he remembered the original reason for firing them.)

Yes Man

Voiced by: Jesse Adams

Ozu's chimp-faced assistant and sidekick. He doesn't seem to do anything for LilyMu, except agree with Ozu (hence his name). He often speaks in short, loud phrases, sometimes completely random phrases. According to The Fugi-Kid, he once went under the name of Denim Boy. He is the most exaggerated character in the sense of a cartoon, as he usually pops up at various places of the screen at random times, usually to complete a statement started by Ozu. He is also the butt of all the other cast member's beatings, whether they intend it or not.

Minor Characters

Main article: List of Kappa Mikey minor characters

Theme Song

The Kappa Mikey theme song is called "Hey (x2) Look (x2)" by Beat Crusaders

List of episodes

Episodes are in the order of airing.

Note that most Kappa Mikey episodes have two ongoing plots - a main plot, usually involving Mikey, and a subplot that may somehow loosely tie into the main one. Template:Spoiler

Episode 1 - The Switch

Original Airdate: February 25, 2006 and September 10, 2006 on Nickelodeon

Due to inability to find an apartment in Tokyo, Mikey (who had previously been staying in a capsule hotel) seeks one in LilyMu Towers, where his friends all live - but, nobody has moved out of the building for years. Ozu presents a solution - Mikey will move into the apartment shared by Lily, who despises the situation, and Mitsuki, who is overjoyed. (This is straightened out by the end of the episode.) In the subplot, Guano, whose collapsable box tower is repeatedly destroyed, is slowly losing his grip on sanity, subsequently leading to Gonard handcuffing himself and Guano together so he can keep an eye on him-- but they end up losing the key.

Episode 2 - Mikey Impossible

Original Airdate: February 25, 2006 and September 17, 2006 on Nickelodeon

Ozu decides to take a vacation- his first in several decades. Before going, he reads off a long list of rules, most importantly, not to harm his prized 500-year-old Bonsai tree or his samurai sword. Of course, even before he reads this, Mikey accidentally sets the tree aflame with Ozu's samurai sword. Now, Mikey and most of the gang (excluding Lily, who is their temporary boss, and doing all she can to keep them busy) must work to replace the Bonsai before Ozu gets back from his unusually short vacation. There is no real subplot in this episode.

Episode 3 - Ship Of Fools

Original Airdate: March 4, 2006 and September 24, 2006 on Nickelodeon

After hearing of the release of his new video game, Mikey tries desperately to get his hands on it - but at the release, fans carry away every available copy. After many unsuccessful attempts at obtaining a copy, he is forced to 'pirate' a copy - that is, get it from actual pirates. He does get the game, but the pirates take something from him in exchange - Gonard! Now, Mikey must save his friend, even if it endangers his life, and the game. In the subplot, in Mikey's absence, Lily is getting swept into the charm of Suave Mikey(but Mitsuki dose like him), a Mikey look-alike (they are even drawn the same way) whom they mistake for the real Mikey .

Episode 4 - Saving Face

Original Airdate: March 11, 2006, and October 1, 2006 on Nickelodeon

After being licked by a pig repeatedly, Mikey develops a large pimple. He makes every effort he can to hide the pimple, until an evil tabloid publisher snaps a picture, and threatens to publish the pimple if Mikey does not give him embarrassing secrets about his friends. In the subplot, Lily is outraged over her replacement as spokesperson for Hitoshi Beauty Cream. Her replacement? Socky, a sock puppet popculture idol. She works to beat him out for Teen Trend's 50 Most Beautiful List, a feat that could be helped discretley by Mikey.

Episode 5 - The Fugi-Kid.

Original Airdate: March 18, 2006, and October 8, 2006 on Nickelodeon

LilyMu has a prop on loan from the government: a hi-tech invisibility jacket. Naturally, Mikey goes and fools with it, leading to its theft by a 'one armed-man'. Mikey is framed, convicted, and nearly goes to jail - but, he escapes from the officer holding him, and finds himself on the lam. In order to clear his name, he must catch the man who stole the coat and prove himself innocent. There is no subplot.

Episode 6 - Mikey Likes It (Garbage)

Original Airdate: March 25, 2006

Mikey can't figure out Japan's recycling system, until Mitsuki and Guano explain it to him using a show tune. Of course, then, he is obsessed with it, and begins throwing out personal belongings, including Mitsuki's beloved photo album. He recovers the album, but the pictures are gone. Now, he must attempt to recreate the pictures before Mitsuki notices. In the subplot, Gonard and Lily are tricked into a sham romance to stir publicity. This is bad enough for them- until, one day later, Ozu decides to use Guano to heat things up. When a journalist discovers the embarrassing photos of Mitsuki. She gets mad at Mikey for losing her pictures. Mikey tries to explain, but only makes Mitsuki even madder. Back to the subplot Gonard and Guano fight over Lily, but when they relize that they shouldent be fighting each other they stop and return to LilyMu towers where they go to meet Mikey. One of the camera men gives a letter written by Mikey and also gives her picture book back to Mitsuki explaining that what he did was wrong. He also gave her book back with the pictures he lost. In the book it had a pong taped to it. She then hears Mikey playing pong and joins him and thanks him for being a good friend. Then Gonard and Lily join them and they all play pong together.

Episode 7 - Easy Come, Easy Gonard

Original Airdate: May 27, 2006

Mikey is elated upon receiving his first paycheck from LilyMu Studios (after the initial shock that he is paid for acting), so he's naturally eager to spend it. He ends up buying off a younger crowd of fans by promising them to pay for merchandise in his likeness from Tatami Megastore. However, the owner of Tatami Megastore, Mr. Tatami, informs him he owes 20 million in yen (approximately $173,000) for the toys he bought, and he has to get the money in 24 hours or face certain doom in The Tatami Room. His plans for raising money backfire, as does his friendship with Gonard in the resulting fight. In the subplot, Mitsuki and Lily attempt to rescue a scared-witless Guano from the two spoiled sons of Mr. Tatami, who think that Guano is a toy.

• Every time somebody sees the Tatami Room they see a hotel first.

• Apparently, Guano has a UPC code on his butt (or the botton of his costume if it's a costume).

Running gag: The countdown timer really bugs Mikey and Gonard

Episode 8 - Lily Meow or LilyMeow as the opening theme would call it

Original Airdate: June 3, 2006

Mikey adopts a lost kitten named Kello to gain popularity, but instead the cat gains more popularity than the entire LilyMu franchise. After the platform that Kello the kitten was on from above comes crashing down, he gets injured, Ozu blames the LilyMu team (except Guano) and fires them. They then hire the same coat crook from the 'Fugi-Kid' to steal the kitten, but little do they know, the coat crook eats cats. They're able to stop him (despite the fact that it was them who hired the bandit to steal the cat in the first place). The fans then celebrate team Lilymu's victory and they get the most attention again (plus, Ozu re-hires them until he can remember why he fired them in the first place). Kello realized that the Lilymu team were getting the most attention. He does a juggling trick to get some attention, but in vain. He then plans to use his own monument to crush Mikey and his friends, but Guano foils his evil plot. They have him air on a show similar to the Teletubbies, hoping it will punish the kitten for his evil ways. In the subplot, Lily and Mitsuki have a spat over the placement of their characters' mannequins in a LilyMu store.

Episode 9 - Splashomon

Original Airdate: August 27, 2006

Ozu's new prized Jade Tigerfish is stolen so they start a crime scene investigation on who took the Jade Tigerfish. Guano says Gonard took it. Lily says Mikey did it. Then Mikey says he took it (only to tell a story) but after he does Mitsuki admits she took it because she was afraid Ozu was going to kill it. He actually intends to make it the centerpiece of his new aquarium. The whole episode is a spoof on the story formula utilized in the Japanese film Rashomon. There is no subplot in this episode.

Episode 10 - The Good, The Bad, The Mikey

Original Airdate: July 8, 2006

Mikey, Gonard and Guano catch The Dum Dum Show in the Tatami Megastore. However, the embarrassing antics of the actor who played Mikey's favorite superhero "Captain Impressive" embarrass Mikey. Not wanting to wind up with the same fate, Mikey turns himself into a badboy and becomes a bad role model for Tokyo's child audience. Also, Lily teaches Mitsuki all about dating, something she thought she could reconsider when she finds out that's Mitsuki's secret love is Mikey.

Episode 11 - The Sumo Of All Fears

Unable to lift a heavy prop, Mikey goes to the gym. There, he gets a new rival in the shape of a Yokozuna, which challenges him. He and Guano get trained by a janitor. Will Mikey win the challenge? Will he become the new Yokozuna? In the subplot, Gonard pretends he was beaten up to get the girls to pamper him.

Episode 12 - Lost In Transportation

Original Airdate: August 20, 2006 and October 8, 2006 (episode appeared out of natural order)

Because he doesn't fit in the LilyMu battle wagon, the stubborn Mikey wanders off looking for acceptance and falls in with a biker gang called The Chums. This is bad, because the rest of the gang is at the birthday party of their biggest sponsor's son- and he wants Mikey.

Episode 13 - Big Trouble in Little Tokyo

Original Airdate: September 3, 2006 on Nickelodeon

Guano is tired of the LilyMu cast not listening to him. Mikey doesn't even listen to him when he tells him not to go to the secret floor in LilyMu tower. When they get to the floor, they meet a mad scientist who made all the monster movies. But when everyone started bossing him around, he confined himself to the secret floor. Eventually, he kidnaps Guano, but after listening to him and understanding his feelings, he tries to free Guano. But Mikey, in an attempt to free Guano himself, supersizes Gonard! Gonard starts to attack the city, so Guano supersizes himself and defeats Gonard and turns him back to normal. In the subplot, Ozu has Yes Man perform dangerous comical bloopers. Running Gag: Mikey says to Guano that he wants to see a three headded dragon fight a big turtle with two butts. The three headed dragon is a parody of The Three Headed Monster block, or perhaps King Ghidorah. The turtle could be a Gamera parody.

• This is the thirteenth episode, keeping within the theme of the number 13 (It was the number of the secret room.)

References

References to the United States

• In an episode, Mikey refers to "The three headed mega dragon". This could be a reference to the classic Japanese movie monster King Gidorah or the three headed monster block.
• In Socky's music video, his on-screen name (somewhat obscured by the Nicktoons watermark) is "Slim Socky", a parody of Eminem, who has an alias of "Slim Shady". Socky's habit of insulting the LilyMu cast might also be a reference to Eminem's portrayal of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog in the song Ass Like That.
• The episode Ship Of Fools is most likely named after a song called Ship Of Fools by the Doors. Ship of Fools is also a classical novel.
• Lily consults a talking mirror about her beauty. This mirror is much like the one in Disney's animated version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There is also a talking mirror in the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, which London Tipton (and occasionally Maddie Fitzpatrick) consults about her beauty as well.
• The newspaper publisher in "Saving Face" looks almost exactly like J. Jonah Jameson from Spiderman.
• In "Easy Come, Easy Gonard", the countdown clock shown is from the American television series 24.
• In the episode "Lily Meow", Yes Man says "Four Legs Good!!" which is a reference to George Orwell's book "Animal Farm".
• In the episode "Sumo of all Fears", the Lilymu episode is almost identical to the climax to the first Spider-Man film.
• In the episode "Ship Of Fools", while Mikey and Guano are shipwrecked, Mikey begins to talk to a broken volleyball with a bloody handprint face on it, similar to the volleyball companion Wilson in the movie "Castaway". The name could also be a reference to a doors song, ship of fools.
• In the episode "Lost in Transportation", when Mikey is in the coffee shop with the bikers, he tries to "dance his way out", so he jumps up on the counter and does a dance very similar to the Pee Wee Herman dance. The scene is a reference to "Pee Wee's Big Adventure".
• In LilyMeow Yes Man yells out "Cat Scratch Fever" this may be a reference to the "Ted Nugent" song named Catscratch Fever or possibly the TV show Catscratch.
• In the episode "Ship of Fools" The Videogame has graphics straight from Donkey Kong.
• In the episode "Saving Face" Mikey uses the internet lingo:"OMG". Lily also uses it twice in "Lily Meow"/"LilyMeow" and Mitsuki does once in "Big Trouble in Little Tokyo".

References to Japanese culture

• The title is most likely a spin-off of kappamaki, a type of sushi, and is probably where the name Mikey came from. It could also be referencing a Japanese mythical creature called a kappa. Kappa also means proclamation, cucumber (sushi), pluvial, raincoat, water demon, or excellent swimmer.
• Sean Schemmel (Gonard) is the only Kappa Mikey cast member who voices a character who is a direct spoof of a show he was directly involved in. He is the English voice of Goku and miscellaneous characters from Dragon Ball Z, which Gonard's [off-set] design is deliberately spoofing.
• In the theme song, there is a girl wearing a hat similar to Puchiko's from Di Gi Charat, except that the hat is pink.
• Seen in the theme song, (and a photograph in Dr. Katashi's office) is a pink-haired "persocom", as immortalized in Chobits. Although from the before-and-after pictures in the plastic surgeons office, it appears she merely had cosmetic surgery.
• Dr. Katashi bears a strong resemblance to Hatake Kakashi from the Naruto anime series.
• Agent Yoshida, who appears in The Fugi-Kid, is a direct spoof of Commander Amarao in FLCL. Yoshida has thick eyebrows like Amarao does, but we never see them come off, and his hair is green instead of red.
• Judging from the haircolor and the temper of Lily and Mitsuki, there are similarities between those two and the anime characters Asuka and Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Lily's constant nagging about Mikey being the star of "Lilymu" is much like Asuka's jealousy of Shinji's better synchronization with the Evangelions.
• One of Socky's bodyguards strongly resembles Batou from Ghost in the Shell, only his special cybernetic eyes are connected by a nose-bridge to resemble a small pair of eyeglasses.
• The phrase "Oh, Mikey!", which is said several times in the show, seems to be a nod towards the Japanese television show "Oh! Mikey", which also has the premise of Americans moving to Japan.