Trouble Chocolate is a comedy anime produced by AIC in 1999 and licensed in the United States by Viz Media. The series features Cacao, a student at Micro-Grand Academy studying magic. One day, while his magic class teacher, Ghana, is performing a spell to summon a tree spirit, Cacao finds and eats some chocolate, which turns out to be 200-year-old magical chocolate. After eating the chocolate, he becomes drunk and causes a wreck. During this, he interferes with Ghana's spell, letting the spirit, Hinano, escape. She inhabits the body of a marionette, who then moves in with Cacao.
Subsequent episodes of Trouble Chocolate have little connected storyline. Rather, the show is a parody of other anime. For example, two other characters, Murakata and Deborah, are constantly shown professing their love to each other, set to absurdly explosive special effects and backdrops, as is common (to a lesser extent) in many anime.
The dubbed English dialogue in Trouble Chocolate, written by professional comedy writer Pamela Ribon and recorded by The Ocean Group, often bears little or no resemblance to the original script (as heard in Japanese and seen in the subtitles), as opposed to the normal convention of translating the words as directly as the change in lip-sync will allow.
"Trope Chocolate":
- All Love Is Unrequited: Truffle is in love with Hinano, but Hinano only has feelings for Cacao.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Crunchybug, Mint's Non-Human Sidekick.
- Big Eater: Cacao gobbed down Hinano's great-wheat-delicious pancakes like it was nothing (using forks he kept under his shirt). In fact, his appetite was one of the things Hinano loved about him.
- Blow You Away: Hinano uses this power to anyone who hurts Cacao.
- Catchphrase: Hinano has "Juubun desu!" (sufficient) and "Dou itashimashite" (You're welcome).
- Chekhov's Gun: Averted in the final two part storyline where Prof. Ganosh gives Cacao a chocolate bar but he never uses it in the final battles, winning because of Hinano's love alone.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: Hinano sings the OP while taking a bath.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: The opening and 2nd ending are sung by Sakura Tange (Hinano) and Kyoko Hikami (Deborah)
- Gag Series: The premise alone is already proof that this show isn't meant to be taken seriously
- Macho Camp: Professor Big Bang, the crossdressing Frankenstein's Monster.
- Meaningful Name: Cacao is likely a reference to Theobroma Cacao
or the cacao bean, which is used to make chocolate. - No Fourth Wall: As expected of a Gag Series like this show.
- Pokémon Speak: Ham can only say "hamu-hamu"
- Power-Up Food: Cacao and chocolate, although it makes him 'drunk' and he can't remember afterwards what he did. While under the influence, however, he is nigh invincible.
- Spot the Imposter: At one point, Mint makes a robotic version of Deborah which should fool no one. However, keeping with the Rule of Funny, the cast totally mistakes the robot for Deborah and cannot even tell her apart from the actual Deborah when both are together face to face.
- Supreme Chef: Hinano makes good pancakes and other foods.
