For the record I’m not writing this out of spite, but I do have this urge to rant. I stumbled onto an episode of this series a few days ago, and I really don’t know what to make of it. Initially it does a good job in keeping with the plot from the original 1920 film “The Mark of Zorro”. Don Diego is back from Spain, he pretends to be a pampered idiot, which results in pissing off everyone he cares about, including his betrothed Lolita Pulido. The Spanish Army residing in California consists of jerks running amok. In the meantime Diego uses his skills as a fencer and his secret identity as Zorro to fight the injustice. I was impressed with the series so far… and then I stopped researching it on Wikipedia, and actually watched the show. Now, I understand that we Mexicans come in a variety of colors including what we like to call light or fair-skinned (i.e. Estevz Ricardo Montalbán, Charlie Sheen, my mom); I’m even familiar with a handful of blue eyed Mexicans. Regardless, I somehow doubt that the studio really did any research into what life was like back then, and went with something more… Western European. Enter the Twilight Zone…
Hair, skin, and eye color aside, I was completely flabbergasted by the accommodations and entertainment of Diego’s homecoming party. The caterers were dressed in uniforms similar to what you would find in a cafeteria, their spread included was like something out of a simple hotel buffet, and the quintet looked more English than Spanish. I could go into a Mariachi rant , but then again that style of music wouldn’t appear for another 100 years. In the end it was kind of funny to watch how they have interpreted life in California over two hundred years ago, and to see how ideas and cultures are interpreted nowadays in anime.
I’ve posted the opening credits for the series down below. It’s like Sailor Moon except that it only features Tuxedo Mask and his side kick… Mini Tuxedo Mask. For now I think I’m just going to look at the anachronisms and laugh.
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