The Reference Club

This week's new Panty and Stocking featured a rare reference to a classic Japanese movie followed by two John Hughes parodies. It wasn't bad.

The first story is also unusual for focusing on Stocking. The title is "The Ohagi of Doom", with the very different Japanese alternative title of "大御菓子峠", which roughly translates as "Super Snack Pass". Both titles reference the Nakadai Tatsuya samurai movie The Sword of Doom/大菩薩峠 though the plot bears no resemblance to the film. Stocking is after a fabled sweet, competing with thousands of other sweet fanatics and, finally, a ghost.

After this, the show's back to American movie references and sexual gross out humour with two shorts parodying John Hughes movies. First there's a Home Alone parody called "Not 2 Home Alone" in which the two new boy Angels infiltrated Panty and Stocking's home, encounter some kinky gadgets, and accidentally masquerade as the angels. After this is a short called "Six Hundred and Sixty Six Candles", easily the best of this week's three, consisting of a parody of not just Sixteen Candles but also featuring references to Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club.

One of the demon sisters, Kneesocks, is depressed because her sister is absent on her 666th birthday, an important milestone for any demon. Already I appreciated this clever parody premise. Panty, feeling oddly benevolent for once, decides to cheer Kneesocks up by taking her as her date to the local high school prom. Of course, they end up fighting a ghost, at which point Panty is reminded to her regret that she'd gone commando for the evening, and the show's creators don't shy from showing this clearly. I was a little surprised there was no reference to Anthony Michael Hall getting Molly Ringwald's panties.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is available on Amazon Prime.