Review: Kuu Kuu Harajuku “HJ10/Waves of Love”

Do we love this wave?

Spoilers Below

HJ10

Kuu Kuu Harajuku always starts out well – I do like this theme song. I’m usually on board with anything that involves happy chanting.

In this episode, HJ5 arrives at their gig only to find that they’re already on stage performing. As the other HJ5 runs away, local law enforcement announces they’ve detected alien activity.

There’s also an alien version of Rudie, who says his group has gathered enough intelligence for a full-scale alien invasion. They’re using invado-bear, the most advanced war machine in the universe. The bear squeaks out “Exterminate!” and I have a vision of the Kuu Kuu Harajuku writers’ room where one nerd couldn’t wait to sneak in that line. I spent the next few minutes pondering what the writers’ room for this show looks like.

The Rudies instruct their respective groups to attack, then bump into each other while hiding behind the dumpster. At least the show is self-aware enough to know Rudie is the worst. But the girls are nice to him anyway. That shows a lot of compassion on their part, I like that.

There’s a cute little fight scene involving ten Harajuku girls, the adorable invado-bear, and two slinking Rudies. It even manages to avoid the word “kawaii” which is impressive. This episode is fun.

The aliens decide to “end this once and for all”. It’s funny that even though the aliens can shapeshift into anything they want, it’s still the Rudie alien that’s the most incapable. His high commander informs him he’s been invading the wrong sector all along. HJ5 agrees to let the aliens stay and hide from their boss if they promise to not invade any more planets. The two Rudies go off to play together and it’s kind of adorable. I guess all Rudie needed was a friend.

I like this episode so much that I even like when Gwen Stefani shows up at the end. She quotes her own song (“Harajuku Girls, you’ve got the wicked style) which is something parents watching the show might actually appreciate.

Waves of Love

The girls seem to be bouncing around in a big ball of aerial silk when Love announces she’s been offered a job. I guess it makes sense that they’re all adults, but I had definitely been imagining them as kids. That does explain why they’re always hanging out with Rudie instead of their parents. Love has been offered a department chair position at Harajuku U. She has to give them her offer by tonight when she also has to be a judge of the HJ5 tribute band contest.

Music says, “Why do we even have tribute bands at all? We haven’t even finished a concert yet,” which I think is so funny. I was wondering if HJ5 is actually famous because I haven’t seen them doing much performing. This show really works when it’s conscious of itself.

The contest participants include HJ5 cats, an HJ5 boy band, and HJ5 robots. But this thing is rigged because the cats and boys are disqualified for their illegal use of glitter glue – and it seems like a premeditated attack. The girls think it’s a ripoff.

The HJ5 bots are on stage practicing when the contest organizer reveals himself to be General Nofun! We’ve never seen him before but he looks like a pretty bad guy. He says he’s going to use the HJ5 bots to hypnotize their TV audience of millions.

The band and the bots get into a big fight involving glitter glue and blue soda. In the end, human Love uses science to blow up the bots’ heads. She also realizes that her dream isn’t to be a Harajuku U department chair, it’s to be in HJ5.

I really enjoyed this episode, too, which proves that Kuu Kuu Harajuku definitely has the ability to be a likable show. Everyone worked together against a common, clear enemy, and because the premises were simple, they allowed for a lot of room for personality. If it’s just a show about girls having fun, Kuu Kuu Harajuku succeeds.