Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again – Episode 1

What’s it about? When Shouzou and Ine were first married, they were too poor to afford a honeymoon. Seventy years later, they are far too old, even if they could afford it. They find a golden apple growing on the tree they planted on the day they were married and partake in it. The next day, they wake up young again!

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Sometimes, it’s good to remember that humor is cultural and most jokes require a great deal of context to fully understand. Even if you understand the context intellectually, it may not be ingrained enough for the humor to hit on a level beyond saying to yourself, “Ah, I get it.” I say this because Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again was an utterly dull slog.

The premise is thus: Shouzou and Ine are both around 90 years old, living in a small rural town. One day, they wake up in their 20’s again because reasons. They continue to do the kind of things that old rural people do, but they’re young and hot! Isn’t that hilarious?

Not really.

I do get it on a basic level. Rural towns in Japan have been increasingly depopulated for years, so only old people do things like participate in local sports competitions and play croquet. It’s like if the regulars at the bingo hall or shuffleboard court suddenly turned up looking like rock stars. That just isn’t my world, so instead of giving me a chuckle, the short sketches left me nearly comatose. The funniest one was at the start, when upon waking up young, Shouzou immediately tackled Ine, because damn, suddenly they’re hot and everything works correctly and is in the right places again.

To be honest, I think the most realistic approach would be an ecchi series where the two are just banging constantly.

Instead, we’re subjected to constant jokes about how their granddaughter is mega-thirsty for her grandfather. It’s as uncomfortable as it sounds, with her constantly hanging off him and trying to take pictures of him. I really don’t have much to say other than it’s weird! This show is not subversive or transgressive enough for that kind of humor! So instead it’s just awkward and I want it to stop!!!!

I do think it’s worth noting that Shouzou is a much more active character than Ine, who mostly kind of hangs around in the background and waves some pompoms around to inspire Shouzou. What does she want to do with her younger body? Does she not have hobbies that were getting increasingly difficult in their old age?

I could see this working as that ecchi series, following up the implication that the first thing they did was clown down in bone town. Upon regaining their youth, the two of them would know not to take it for granted. Wouldn’t it be nice to combine the emotional intimacy of being together for 70 years with their newfound physical prowess? Their appreciation for everything that’s supposed to be firm being firm, everything that’s supposed to be soft being soft, and nothing having fallen victim to the cruel mistress known as gravity would be unparalleled.

But nah, let’s just watch two young people with silver hair do old people things. That’s funny, right?