Super Mario no Shōbōtai
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Super Mario no Shōbōtai (Japanese: スーパーマリオの消防隊, lit: Super Mario's Fire Brigade) is an obscure anime video distributed by Toei Animation (animation was outsourced to Studio Junio) that also functions as a fire safety Public Service Announcement. Very little is known about the video and details regarding distribution, plot and character names can only be deduced by the video itself.
Story
In a standard Japanese apartment, two children are playing Super Mario Bros. 3. The brother offers play tips, much to his sister's annoyance. Their mother comes into the room and asks the sister, Kaoru to pick up some groceries. As she makes the list, Kaoru notices sparklers in the kitchen drawer and takes them. She shows them to her brother, Tatsuya, who becomes so overjoyed that Mario dies in-game.
Later on, the two set the fireworks up in an auto junkyard. Tatsuya is concerned, but Kaoru reassures him over the safeness of their stunt. As the two set off the fireworks, Mario and Luigi look up from their Jeep repairing adventures nearby. Mario feels nostalgia for the fireworks show, but Luigi notices smoke coming from a garbage bin where a stray ember landed, causing the trash to light. The kids now notice the ensuing flames and become understandably scared. Mario and Luigi put out the flames with a bucket of water and scold the children's foolishness, saying that they shouldn't do these things without supervision, a bucket of water and such. Mario informs the children the true nature of fire as it can set houses ablaze through lit cigarette butts, neglected gas ovens and the mischief of young children. As the children imagine the flames transforming into a skull, they feel the full impact of what could've happened and apologize. The brothers tell them to go on home, but Kaoru knows that if they say they met Mario, they'd get weird looks, resulting in laughs from the group.
During the evening, Tatsuya resumes playing Super Mario Bros. 3, yet Kaoru is uninterested. Remembering Mario's vivid descriptions, Kaoru contemplates on their flirt with flames which attracts attention of their mother. Tatsuya tries to comfort her by saying that Mario and Luigi were exaggerating, to which Kaoru says it was just from the game. This however makes their mother concerned about her children's sanity. A doorbell rings and their father enters, albeit hammered from another rice wine binge. Kaoru's mother tells her to pour a hot bath for her father and she complies, although not favorably.
Tatsuya's father asks him about the fun things he did with his sister. He starts to spill the beans, but is reminded to be silent by a visual cue from Kaoru. An earthquake starts up and the family panics. Kaoru notices the gas stove is still running and tells her mother to stop it as she cuts the bath water. The earthquake stops and both park goers and Kaoru's family are relieved. Tatsuya however notices that a lit cigarette butt fell onto the carpet and panics. His father stamps out the embers as his mother complains about a possible stain. Tatsuya reprimands him on his dangerous ways and as such, his father apologizes. Kaoru however is taken back by the fact that a fire has broken out at an apartment across the street and calls the emergency services (119 in Japan).
Fire trucks race to the blaze as onlookers gape at the possible damage. When they arrive, Mario and Luigi (who are both firefighters) assess the situation's details from an escapee and ride the ladder toward the inferno. As they enter, Luigi handles hose spraying, while Mario searches for people that need help. He finds a collapsed mother and her crying baby. The brothers carry them both out which inspires cheers from Kaoru, Tatsuya and the gathering crowd of people. Once the blaze has been extinguished, the two race to the brothers to say that they've been diligent in fire safety protocols. The credits then roll and the video ends.
Cast
- Tōru Furuya — Mario
- Yoku Shioya — Luigi
- Saori Suzuki - Kaoru
- Yumi Tōma - Tatsuya
- Chieko Saitō - Kaoru's mom (and Tatsuya's)
- Daisuke Gōri - Kaoru's dad (and Tatsuya's)
