Chinpokomon

Plot

The children of South Park become obsessed with a Japanese anime series, Chinpokomon, a parody of Pokémon. The cartoon features overt embedded marketing and subliminal messaging to encourage purchase of Chinpokomon merchandise. Unbeknownst to parents, the products contain anti-American sentiments aimed at converting American kids into Japanese child soldiers. Kyle Broflovski initially remains oblivious to the fad but reluctantly tries to keep up to avoid ridicule, though the extensive merchandise lineup leaves him always behind.

The boys plan to attend an official Chinpokomon camp, which is actually a front for a recruit training boot camp designed by the Japanese government to brainwash children into soldiers for an attack on Pearl Harbor. Adults become aware of the scheme, but the Japanese distract them by claiming Americans have "huge penises" compared to the Japanese, a tactic effective on male characters. Parents suspect the cartoon is dangerous, comparing it to Battle of the Network Stars, while Kyle's mother Sheila dismisses it as harmless.

The fad turns children into brainwashed soldiers and leaves Kenny McCormick in a trance after an epileptic seizure from playing the video game. Parents attempt to defuse the fad by manufacturing new fads: the "Wild Wacky Action Bike", an unsteerable plastic bicycle, and "Alabama Man", an abusive redneck action figure with a bowling alley playset and a wife punching bag. The boys call both "gay".

Production

The element "chinpo" or "chinpoko" in Chinpokomon is a vulgar Japanese word for "penis". According to the DVD commentary, the Japanese man who repeats the "incredibly large penis" trick is based on someone the creators met in Beijing. South Park animator Junichi Nishimura, whom Stone met in college, voices the Emperor. Saki Miata portrays the Japanese woman in the in-universe commercial.

Critical reception

This episode of South Park was the show's first to focus on a fad, where the kids get hooked on a trend, face negative outcomes, and then abandon it. Critics praised it as a sharp satire of forced Japanese pop culture crazes, mocking the quality of Pokémon games, toys, and anime. One review called it a devastating parody of how parents are oblivious, children follow trends like zombies, and Americans irrationally fear Japan.

Another noted its ironic take on how debilitating children's trends can be. IGN highlighted its crude jokes about Asian male anatomy as a great takedown of the Pokémon craze. In 2012, a critic ranked it 23rd on a list of the 25 greatest episodes.