Director Mamoru Hoshi, actress Arisa Mizuki, actor Issei Ishida and musicians T-Square had just finished work on the body switch comedy Houkago (1992). Here the story is different, but we get the same fast-paced situational humour and orchestral adventure music score like something out of "Back to the Future" or "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
Ryuichiro Yamada (played by Kiichi Nakai) marries Mayumi Kitahara, the female president of Mercury Corporation only to have her die in a car crash as they leave the church. He returns to his late wife's palatial mansion to find Mayumi's daughter Natsumi (Arisa Mizuki), returning from her studies abroad. The butler Kurahara asks Ryuichiro to assume guardianship of Natsumi. Natsumi initially rebels against the idea, but Ryuichiro strives to earn her trust, and slowly they form a makeshift alliance against their mutual enemies, in particular, K. Kubota, the man who seized control of Mercury after Mayumi's death.
On top of the Spielbergesque soundtrack, this series also owes a debt to directors like Frank Capra with its tale of the struggle of a kind-hearted underdog set upon by evil men who seek to destroy his dreams. A lot of the humour turns on deliberately far-fetched plot twists that are reminiscent of old style movies. Especially funny are the completely over-the-top highlights from the non-existent sequel right at the end of the series. Great fun.
Ryuichiro Yamada (played by Kiichi Nakai) marries Mayumi Kitahara, the female president of Mercury Corporation only to have her die in a car crash as they leave the church. He returns to his late wife's palatial mansion to find Mayumi's daughter Natsumi (Arisa Mizuki), returning from her studies abroad. The butler Kurahara asks Ryuichiro to assume guardianship of Natsumi. Natsumi initially rebels against the idea, but Ryuichiro strives to earn her trust, and slowly they form a makeshift alliance against their mutual enemies, in particular, K. Kubota, the man who seized control of Mercury after Mayumi's death.
On top of the Spielbergesque soundtrack, this series also owes a debt to directors like Frank Capra with its tale of the struggle of a kind-hearted underdog set upon by evil men who seek to destroy his dreams. A lot of the humour turns on deliberately far-fetched plot twists that are reminiscent of old style movies. Especially funny are the completely over-the-top highlights from the non-existent sequel right at the end of the series. Great fun.
