‘Space Battleship Tiramisu’ (‘Uchuu Senkan Tiramisu’) Anime Is A ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’/’Yamato’ Parody [Review]

The Space Battleship Tiramisu anime by studio Gonzo is probably the best parody of tropes from Mobile Suit Gundam and Space Battleship Yamato that you probably did not know you needed. Known as Uchuu Senkan Tiramisu in Japanese, the new anime series is a wacky comedy that blends elements of mecha action, food/cooking, and slice of life antics.

If anime fans were simply browsing through the spring 2018 anime list, it would actually be quite easy to pass over the Space Battleship Tiramisu anime. After all, the plot summary is about as ho-hum unoriginal as many other descriptions for a SciFi anime.

“The human race extended its life field and greed to the vast reaches of space… In Space Era 0156, a war breaks out amidst all of the colonies in space. Earth begins to construct a new space battleship called Tiramisu in secret. Just as the war begins, one genius pilot steers the Tiramisu as a beacon of hope for humanity.”

Even the video trailer, which can be viewed below, really doesn’t give the TV show justice. In only seven minutes, audiences will quickly realize that the anime is more about setting up space-based gags than following that initial plot description. The episodes may be short, but they quickly lambaste generic space operas and mecha anime while deftly working in oddball foodie elements that are certain to peak the interest of Food Wars! anime fans (yes, there are even some gratuitous sexy butt scenes).

The anime’s title might be named after the Space Battleship Tiramisu, but it’s really about the mecha pilot Subaru Ichinose and his desire to remain comfy in the inner sanctum of his mecha, Durandul. During the opening scene, he literally declares, “There’s nothing more important to me than my cockpit. It makes me feel warm, like I’m back inside my mother’s womb. It’s the only place in the universe that I can go to be completely alone. I want to stay here snug in my cockpit for all eternity.”

So, of course, in short order, Subaru finds his cockpit violated by bouncing pieces of oily breading and lettuce. Never mind the sequence where he single-handedly defeats whole squadrons of enemy mecha while struggling to change his clothing only to enter a space battle raging in the nude. Even the way that Subaru poses in the cockpit is reminiscent of the position taken by female pilots in Darling In The FrankXX.

Space Battleship Tiramisu anime may not be for everyone. But if you’re desiring to have a laugh while also watching some Mobile Suit Gundam-like mecha action, then it’s worth giving it a shot with either the Funimation English dub or Crunchyroll. After all, at the worst, you’ll only lose seven minutes of your life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wtGXgOVZpo