Line #69 Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E23ThirtyMinutesOverTokyo


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7	'''Original air date:''' 5/16/1999
8
9	'''Production code:''' AABF-20
10
11	After being robbed of their savings by Snake at an Internet café, the Simpsons start scrounging for money for their family vacation. They soon learn they can get cheap plane tickets by booking last-minute flights to an unknown location. The flight they get onto flies to Tokyo, Japan, where the Simpsons take in Asian culture -- and must compete on a game show in order to fly home.
12
13	----
14	!!This episode includes examples of:
15
16	* ActorAllusion: Godzilla attacks the plane at the end. Creator/HarryShearer, Creator/NancyCartwright, and Creator/HankAzaria all appeared in the 1998 version of ''Film/{{Godzilla\|1998}}''.
17	* AdaptationalVillainy: Film/{{Gamera}} and Film/{{Mothra}}, both heroes in their respective continuity, are among the kaiju menacing the plane the family's boarded on at the end of the episode.
18	* AmusingInjuries: The family participates in a Japanese game show, which are notoriously sadistic (though it's of course exaggerated). Or as the host says, "Your shows reward knowledge. We punish ignorance."
19	* {{Animeland}}: The show's take on Japan, which is one reason the actual country does not air the episode (the main reason being that the Emperor is shown, which is a social faux pas in Japan unless for educational purposes).
20	* AreYouPonderingWhatImPondering: When the Simpson family first sees the Japanese game show.
21	-->'''Marge:''' "Family Wish Show"? Hmm, that gives me an idea...\
22	'''Lisa:''' I think we ''all'' had that idea.
23	-->'''Homer:''' I didn't. What is it? Lunch?
24	* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Several Japanese landmarks are all shown within a short distance of each other.
25	* AssInAmbassador: The United States Ambassador to Japan is unsympathetic to the plight of the family having no money to get home, coldly telling them to get jobs to pay their own way,[[note]]though, for all of his assholery, he has a point, since it was Homer's stupidity that caused the family to go broke instead of at the fault of the country or someone else's actions[[/note]] snipes at them not to try and take ''his'' job and even has armed servicemen at the embassy chase them off of the premises.
26	* BaitAndSwitch: After Homer loses their last bit of the family's yen, the next scene is of the [[AssInAmbassador ambassador]] assuring him that the U.S. will not stand idly by while one of their citizens are stuck. Not in the country, mind you, but in the [[EpicFail metal detector inside of the embassy]], which a guard then shoves him out of.
27	* BitingTheHandHumor: While on the web, Homer invested in "something called News Corp":
28	-->'''Lisa:''' Dad! That's FOX!\
29	'''Homer:''' AAAAAH! UNDO! UNDO!
30	** The "UNDO! UNDO!" is heard at the end on the 20th Century Fox Television logo.
31	* CallBack:
32	** One of the items being sold in the 33 cent store is "Skittlebrau", a supposedly fictional product that Homer had imagined in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E6BartStar "Bart Star"]].
33	** The Mr. Sparkle commercial from "In Marge We Trust" plays on the Japanese hotel's TV.
34	** The cat burglar music from [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E11HomerTheVigilante "Homer the Vigilante"]] plays when Homer robs Ned's house.
35	** Bart's "knife goes in, cuts come out" song when gutting fish is a call back to Homer's reaction to a shoehorn, singing "shoe goes on, shoe goes off" to Maggie in season 3's "Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington"
36	* TheCameo:
37	** Uncle Pennybags, the ''TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}}'' mascot, makes an appearance.
38	** Homer mistakes Emperor Akihito (who, at the time, didn't look that old) for a sumo wrestler and throws him in the sumo thong Dumpster.
39	** Notorious kaiju monsters Franchise/{{Godzilla}}, Film/{{Gamera}}, Film/{{Rodan}} and Film/{{Mothra}} have a cameo near the end.
40	* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Homer and Bart's stay in a Japanese jail.
41	-->'''Homer:''' I'm sick of doing Japanese stuff! In jail we had to do this dumb kabuki play about the 47 Ronin, and I wanted to be Oshi but they made me Ori!
42	* CouchGag: The Simpsons sit on the couch, but get sucked inside and come out looking like a shredded piece of paper.
43	* CuttingCorners: The Simpsons try to do this after they get robbed and attend a seminar to help them save wisely.
44	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is the only episode where Lisa says "[[MadLibsCatchphrase The Simpsons are going to [place]!]]" Later episodes would always have it be Homer's line.
45	* EasySexChange: As Chuck Garabedian shows the audience the picture of his boat packed with beautiful women.
46	-->'''Chuck:''' And those beautiful women? They used to be men.
47	* EpilepticFlashingLights: The family have an epileptic fit after watching ''Battling Seizure Robots''.
48	* FancyToiletAwe: Homer is amazed by the toilet in the families' hotel room, as it can talk, play music, and put on a colourful fountain display. The rest of the family find a live video feed from a channel on the tv to inside the bowl, to their horror they discover this ''just'' as Homer goes to use it.
49	* GratuitousJapanese: After the family's last one million yen flies off with the wind, Homer yells out "Shimatta baka ni!"[[note]]Subtitled, "[[{{Catchphrase}} D'oh!]]," though the Japanese more directly translates to, "Damned fool!"[[/note]] in frustration. Otherwise Bart and Homer speak accurate Japanese.
50	* GoingNative: After initially being averse to the culture, Homer and Bart eventually go to the other extreme, wearing Japanese clothing and fluently speaking the language.
51	* HarmlessElectrocution. When tied to Tokyo Tower, Homer is struck by lightning several times in a row, but survives.
52	* HollywoodHacking: You can't just steal someone's money with a floppy disk.
53	* HurricaneOfPuns: Creator/WoodyAllen does a commercial claiming that "Fujikawa rice crackers can make your ''Film/{{Interiors}}'' go ''Film/{{Bananas}}''."
54	* InherentlyFunnyWords: When Homer mistook Lisa's copy of ''Magazine/{{Wired}}'' for a ''MAD''-style parody magazine called "Weird":
55	-->'''Homer:''' "Gigabyte"! ''(laughs)'' They've done it again -- "gigabyte".
56	* TheInternetIsForPorn: Lisa protests that the internet is more than a global pornography network, but Homer stopped listening at "a website where monkeys do it".
57	* JapanesePoliteness: The hotel where the Simpsons checked in had a sign stating they had 20 percent more bowing.
58	* {{Japandering}}: The Simpsons see Creator/WoodyAllen doing this.
59	-->'''Woody:''' So many rice crackers claim to be low-cal, but only Fujikawa rice crackers can make your ''Film/{{Interiors}}'' go ''Film/{{Bananas}}''. [[WhoWritesThisCrap What did I do to deserve this]]? (''beat'') Oh, right.
60	* KabukiTheatre: Homer complains that he and Bart had to take part in one while they were in jail in Japan (and he didn't get to be the character he wanted to play).
61	* KarmaHoudini:
62	** Snake steals all of the Simpsons' vacation money and (as far as the episode is concerned) he doesn't get punished for it, nor do the Simpsons get their money back.
63	** By the same token, Homer steals Ned's tickets to Chuck Garabedian's seminar, and the entire Flanders family's seats to Japan.
64	* LavaPotVolcano: In Japan, the family has to compete on a game show in order to win airline tickets back to the US. The tickets are on a thin rope bridge over an active volcano shaped like a rocky bowl filled with a huge lake of lava -- but which, unknown to the family, turns out to be just a prop.
65	* LiteralMinded: When Chuck Garabedian tells everyone to "squeeze every penny", Homer tries to literally squeeze a penny... until it gets lodged into his skin.
66	* LogoJoke: The 20th Century Fox logo has one of the character's lines dubbed over it.
67	--> '''Homer:''' Aah! Undo! Undo! relieved sigh
68	* MistakenForRacist: On the plane to Japan, Homer is annoyed at the choice of destination:
69	-->'''Homer:''' If we wanted to see Japanese people, we could have gone to the zoo.\
70	'''Marge:''' ''Homer!''\
71	'''Homer:''' What? The guy who washes the elephants is Japanese! His name is Takashi. He's in my book club!
72	* MyCountryTisOfTheeThatISting: The Simpsons prefer going to an American restaurant instead of doing something Japanese (to the point that Homer and Bart run away from Lisa when she insists on doing something Japanese). Their waiter takes his "American" role very literally:
73	-->'''Waiter:''' Don't ask me; I don't know anything! I'm product of American education system. I also build poor-quality cars and inferior-style electronics.\
74	'''Homer:''' ''[cackles]'' Oh, they got our number!
75	* PaperThinDisguise: When Moe sees Homer on Japanese TV, they realize Barney had been putting beers on Homer's tab by dressing like him, wearing a bald cap.
76	-->'''Barney:''' "D'oh! Woo-Hoo! Um... [[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill That boy ain't right!]]"\
77	(''Barney runs out'')
78	* PiecemealFundsTransfer: Snake Jailbird steals all the Simpsons' money by downloading it onto a floppy disk, employing this trope in an internet cafe called the Java Server.
79	* RashomonStyle: Creator/AkiraKurosawa's movie is referenced cleverly in the following dialogue:
80	-->'''Marge:''' Come on, Homer. Japan will be fun! You liked ''Film/{{Rashomon}}''.\
81	'''Homer:''' That's not how '''''I''''' remember it!
82	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
83	** After the Simpsons win their plane tickets on the Japanese game show:
84	--->'''Homer:''' Before I go, I want to say something. Game shows aren't about cruelty, they're about greed and wonderful prizes like poorly-built catamarans, but somewhere along the line you lost your way. For shame.
85	** Then subverted the very next segment when he's shown backstage watching the show and laughing.
86	* RetroactiveWish: Attempted and failed.
87	* RippedFromTheHeadlines:
88	** The scene where the Simpsons get seizures from watching ''Battling Seizure Robots'' is a reference to the infamous ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' episode ([[Recap/PokemonS1E38ElectricSoldierPorygon "Electric Soldier Porygon"]]) that gave hundreds of Japanese viewers (most of which were children) seizures due to the strobe effects.
89	** This episode was written when "sadistic game shows" caught America's attention.
90	* RunningGag: Homer walks straight through the paper doors rather than sliding them open.
91	* SadisticGameShow: "The Happy Smile Super Challenge Family Wish Show," may sounds like a cheery gameshow where families compete for prizes. [[NeverTrustATitle It isn't.]] As the host tells the Simpsons: "Now, our game shows are a little different from yours. Your shows reward knowledge. We punish ignorance," right before blasting Homer in the face with a mini flamethrower hidden in the microphone in front of him. The Lightning Round involves tying Homer to the top of Tokyo Tower to literally be struck by lightning.
92	* ShoutOut:
93	** The title is a reference to ''Film/ThirtySecondsOverTokyo'', an American World War II movie about the bombing of Japan.
94	** Lisa notices the Franchise/HelloKitty factory.
95	** Homer mentions he and Bart were in ''Film/The47Ronin'' while in jail.
96	** One of Barney's lines to prove to Moe that he's Homer is "That boy ain't right," which is actually one of Hank Hill's catchphrases on ''King of the Hill''[[note]]along with "I tell you hwhat," and "I sell propane and propane accessories"[[/note]] whenever his son Bobby does something that Hank finds embarrassing.
97	** Near the end Franchise/{{Godzilla}}, Film/{{Gamera}}, Film/{{Mothra}} and Film/{{Rodan}} appear.
98	** Lisa seeing Godzilla's eye from the airplane window mimics the scene in ''Film/JurassicPark'' where the girl sees the T-Rex's eye through the car window.
99	** At the sumo ring, Homer [[BorrowedCatchphrase borrowed]] Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger's catchphrase "[[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay Hasta la vista, baby]]".
100	*** The European Spanish dub version of that phrase is "Sayonara, baby!", which fits even better in the situation.
101	*** The Latin American Spanish dub turns it into an unintentional ActorAllusion, as Homer's VA at the time, Creator/HumbertoVelez, actually dubbed Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Latin American Spanish dub of ''Terminator 2''.
102	* SkewedPriorities: The family enter The Happy Smile Super Challenge Family Wish Show as contestants since they'll offer anything as a prize, seeing it as an opportunity to get back home. However, Homer was about to ask for free meals at America Town as the prize, but is quickly stopped by Marge, stating they want to win plane tickets to Springfield.
103	* SpecialGuest: Creator/GeorgeTakei (who first appeared on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' as the first voice of Japanese restauranteur and karate teacher Akira) stars as the game show host Wink.
104	* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Bart's fish gutting song happens to be the same as Osaka Seafood Concern's Company Loyalty Song.
105	* SubvertedCatchphrase: After losing the last of their yen, Homer screams out his usual "D'OH!", except in Japanese.
106	-->'''Homer:''' ''SHIMATA BAKAME!''
107	-->'''Subtitle:''' "D'oh!"
108	* TakeThat: Among products like "Onions?", "Cool Ranch Soda" and "Skittlebrau", the 33-cent store is well-stocked with ''Series/That70sShow'' merch.
109	* TechnologicallyBlindElders: Homer finds the word "gigabyte" amusing, and this is his reaction when Lisa offers to show him how to order pizza over the Internet:
110	-->'''Homer:''' The Internet? Is that thing still around?
111	* TemptingFate: Near the beginning of the episode, while Homer is having fun at the cybercafe:
112	-->'''Lisa:''' Dad, do we have ''any'' money left?\
113	'''Homer:''' Well, let's check the old bank account. ''(brings up a bar graph on one of the computers he's using)'' See? Even after all my cyber-squandering, we've still got $1200.\
114	''(cue Snake holding up the cybercafe and robbing Homer)''
115	* ThereWasADoor: Variation. Homer walks straight through the paper doors rather than sliding them open, saying "I don't have time for that!".
116	* ThreeWishes: A talking fish offers Bart three wishes if he spares its life. He guts it anyway.
117	* ToiletHumour: At their hotel, Bart shows Lisa and Marge that the TV is hooked up to a camera in the toilet. And then Homer uses it...
118	* TooDumbToLive: Homer insisting on eating tins of plankton from the 33 cent store, despite Lisa pointing out it's two years out of date and Homer clearly suffering the effects of red tide poisoning from eating it. There's also the fact that the plot itself happens because he left the family's bank account open for Snake to rob.
119	* UnexpectedlyObscureAnswer: At one point, Wink says the next question is about Japan. Homer asks if the answer is "Japan," causing Wink to look at the card and see that that is indeed the answer. He then yells at someone offstage ([[BilingualBonus in Japanese]]), "You morons! Who came up with that answer?"
120	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Kaiju attacks have implicitly become so common that even Godzilla grabbing the plane in midair and shaking it causes no alarm for any of the passengers. Godzilla and his fellow monsters are rather annoyed by this.
121	* VacationEpisode: The Simpsons travel to Japan.

Context Recap / TheSimpsonsS10E23ThirtyMinutesOverTokyo