| The Japanese Connection | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 30 | |
| |
| Air date | October 21, 1983 |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "The Bermuda Triangle" (syndication order) "M.A.D. Academy" (production order) |
Next "Arabian Nights" (syndication order) "A Star is Lost" (production order) |
"The Japanese Connection" is the 30th episode of the first season of Inspector Gadget. It is the 36th episode in production order.
Synopsis[]
Penny has left for Japan after winning the Metro City computer contest. While sending a letter to her, Gadget finds Chief Quimby inside the mailbox and receives another assignment: Claw has stolen the Pip-1 computer chip and plans to team up with his Japanese counterpart Iji-Waruda-san. Gadget has to recover the chip before Claw and Waruda use it for evil purposes.
On the way to Japan, Waruda's agents try to eliminate Gadget, but with Brain's interference, they fail. Arriving in Japan, Gadget reunites with Penny and meets her new friend Atsuko, and also learns that the mere mention of Waruda's name causes panic among the Japanese people as Waruda is the most feared man in Japan. After finding out why her uncle is in Japan, Penny goes with Atsuko to Waruda's hideout while Gadget goes to the sports hall, thinking that Waruda might be there since he's a fan of sumo wrestling. He inflates his Gadget Coat to be of similar size to the sumo wrestlers but as he does that, he starts to float off so he activates his magnets to stay fixed to the surface. The sumo wrestlers, who are Waruda's agents, try to do Gadget in by puncturing his coat, but with Gadget's dumb luck, they fail as the air released sends him through the ceiling to his safety.
Meanwhile, Penny sneaks to Waruda's hideout while Atsuko gets back home. Penny finds out that Claw and Waruda are planning to use the chip to power a laser beam and fire it to the satellites, reflecting the beam to valuable goods to transport them to Waruda's hideout. Penny finds the control room and begins to scan the chip, but she gets captured. Luckily, she has managed to scan the chip and sends the information to Atsuko, who invents the anti-Pip-1 chip and she goes with Brain to Waruda's hideout to rescue Penny. Penny, Brain, and Atsuko switch the Pip-1 chip with the anti one, thanks to Gadget luring Waruda and Claw away from the control room temporarily when he trips an alarm via an electric eye tripwire, making the beam go haywire and destroy Waruda's hideout. Claw and Waruda break off their partnership and, before returning home with her uncle and dog, Penny and Atsuko go their separate ways, promising to see each other again.
As Penny and Gadget prepare to fly home, Gadget has trouble with his seat belt and decides not to bother. Brain, dressed as a stewardess, helps him out. Gadget and Penny then stress the importance of buckling up to stay safe.
Featuring Voices of[]
- Don Adams - Inspector Gadget
- Cree Summer Francks - Penny
- Frank Welker - Brain, Dr. Claw, M.A.D. Cat, Saiko
- Dan Hennessey - Chief Quimby
- Don Francks - Iji Waruda
- Melleny Brown - Atsuko
- Jeri Cradden
Trivia[]
- It is unknown if Gadget and Brain have Japanese counterparts just like Claw and Penny.
- This is one of the few episodes where Quimby does not appear to congratulate Gadget.
- The Sumo Wrestlers that greet each other are actually saying "Ohayo", which is pronounced like "Ohio" - thus why Gadget responded with "Oklahoma". More interestingly, "Ohayo" is considered informal and rarely used in Japan, they actually say "Ohayo gozaimasu". This means good morning when translated.
Gadgets used[]
- Gadget Hands:
- underscores lines when Gadget reads Penny's card
- hands Gadget a postcard for Penny
- opens a can of dog food with can opener
- closes drawer
- picks up a lost sock
- opens front door
- shakes Atsuko's hand
- uses chopsticks to try Harakiri soup
- breaks doorknocker and discards it
- Gadget Arms
- Gadget Neck
- Gadget Binoculars
- Gadget Coat
- Gadget Magnets
- Gadget Legs
- Gadget Brella
Locations[]
- United States
- Japan
- Tokyo
- Mount Fuji
- Iji Waruda's Castle
Chief Quimby's disguise[]
- inside a Metro City mailbox
Self-destructing message[]
- "World's most powerful microchip, the Pip-1, has been stolen. Suspect Dr. Claw will deliver it to his Japanese counterpart, Iji Waruda-san. Get the chip back. This message will self-destruct."
Brain's disguises[]
- One of Waruda's agents
- Mariko the maid
- Ninja
- Stewardess (epilogue only)
Penny's gadgets[]
Waruda's Agents[]
Pop culture references[]
- The French Connection - The title is a parody
- The Big Boss - The title is a parody of the intended American title, The Chinese Connection
Gadget Goofs:[]
- Continuity: When the Samurai Agents offer Gadget Harakiri soup, in his close-ups, Brain's outfit as well as that of the Agent next to him is blue instead of black. The same thing happens later on when Brain is dressed as a ninja.
- Continuity: When Haiku first appears on Waruda's monitor screen, he is a bald, with gray eyebrows and squinting. Later, he appears as a giant sumo wrestler with black hair, no eyebrows and no squint, but is still addressed by the same name.
Gallery[]
