Review: Red Ketchup “Red Templar”; “The Red Side of the Moon”
Overview
The first two episodes of ‘Red Ketchup’s’ English dub return lock us into a new mini-arc in that should carry Canada’s most carnage-crazed secret agent all the way to the end of the season. Red remains haunted, as always, by the relentless ghosts of his terrible childhood – his past is basically his main enemy, after communism. As he continues to recover his suppressed memories via a series of chilling nightmares, Red remembers that his beloved mother used to have a special, bejewelled cup – specifically, he remembers it being brandished by his abusive father as he berated young Red in a drunken rage. Despite having definitively and forever defeated his father years ago, Red still can’t release his resentment towards him, so he embarks on a quest to locate his now deceased mother’s cup. A local member of the Holy See fills Red in on a little bit of history – according to the legend of the Knight’s Templar, his mother’s cup was actually one of the seven Cups of the Apocalypse. So now that means Red has to find all 7 cups to bring honour back to his mother’s name, and probably save the world or something. Cup Quest 1 brings Red to the Amazon, and Quest 2 takes him to space.
Our Take
Having put all that pesky clone business to rest in the first 10 episodes of the season, the titular hero of ‘Red Ketchup’ is back to being one singular man doing his damn best to get it done, whatever the mission may be, at all costs. It’s a smart move for a show like ‘Red Ketchup’ to stick close to the strong narrative arcs of its source material – one of Quebec’s longest running alternative comics. The whole key to the non-stop fun that is this show is watching Red just going around doing whatever the fuck he wants, but it’s important to maintain some kind of story to make all the ass-kicking and property destruction feel like it means something. Whether he’s in the Amazon or Outer Space, Red’s always going to keep being Red without any real emotional development, no matter how many internal demons he‘s already defeated. He’s a lot like Guts from ‘Berserk’ in that way. Which is one of the reasons the whole Knights Templar thing fits in. The other reason that the Templar’s fit in with the ‘Red Ketchup’ universe is a bit of historical marginalia worth discussing. The Templar were a Christian military order that was formed in 1119 CE. Their goal was to protect and defend Christian pilgrims as they travelled to the Holy Land. As they became richer and more powerful, the Templar gaining influence across Europe. They established a reputation for their military prowess during the Crusades and basically invented modern banking. The Holy Grail, which is just a fancy cup, is often associated with the Knights Templar. According to legend, the Holy Grail is the cup used by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper, and it was said to possess mystical powers. Some theories suggest that the Templars, during their time in the Holy Land, may have unearthed significant relics, including the Holy Grail itself. Numerous myths and speculative narratives surround the Templars and the Holy Grail. The Templars may have discovered hidden knowledge, relics, and
traditions, going on to guard the Grail with secrets of divine power. When the claims of the Knight’s Templar escaped a Papal Decree demanding they disband, some Knights were said to have sought refuge in the French-speaking part of a new settlement in Canada, forming The Knights of Malta in the New World. So it would make sense that Red’s mother would have a Templar cup.
The English voice cast of ‘Red Ketchup’ continues to offer top notch interpretations of their characters. Kash, as always, delivers a flawless performance as Red, but the Templar storyline already has me appreciating Kintaro Akiyama as pushover sidekick Peter Plywood. As each member of the crew finds their place in the prophesy of the Templars, Peter is the guy with a trumpet sticking out of his ass. Nicole Bauman voices rival spy/love interest Olga, who continues to slowly develop into one of the show’s more complicated characters. As her allegiance to the Soviet Union crumbles, Olga always finds an excuse to be hanging around Red. Being in space definitely helped to erase some more boundaries between these two super-spies – if only Red weren’t a full blown maniac, I think they could really have a shot. It’s also really nice to see Bill and Sally really learn to appreciate each other and work through their underlying issues with the assistance of a trunkload of drugs and a hentai inspired alien tentacle.
With two cups down and five to go, Canada is rooting for its favourite depigmented anti-hero to take things all the way and stop the end of days – it’s a quest well worth joining up with!
I hope this turns out to be another Gravity Falls-type show with an overarching storyline.