Missed it by a letter – Chap. 5, Act 3, Strip 2

Seems this Professor has a little bit more luck with peering through the periscope than his colleague – even a little glimpse of the scenery is far more informational than the most precise close-up of a wall.

And fortunately, the highly recognizable shape of Mount Fuji is visible, easily nailing down the location as Japan – somewhere in Japan, since in B-movies set in Japan Mount Fuji always shows up, no matter where in the country they take place. Although you can’t really blame Hollywood alone for that one, Japanese artists have been playing loose with the mountains location for centuries.

And things like dress and architecture allow the Professor to even nail down the general epoch they’ve ended up in – no big surprise there, either, since B-movies set in historical Japan are nearly always set in that period, as well. It’s the one with the most ninja and samurai action, so it holds a natural attraction to B-movie makers.

Unfortunately, Snuka seems to get her information from cartoons instead of from movies, so her ideas on the history of the period are slightly off the mark. And that despite the fact that a B-movie would normally expect her to be perfectly informed about the legends and lore of Japan, since she’s Asian. Alright, she grew up in Egypt, and China and Japan are not entirely the same, if you’re really pedantic about it – but she’s discernibly Asian in appearance, so she should really know her way around that place. It’s only 17 million square miles and 4.2 billion people in four dozen countries, so it’s not unreasonable to expect that if you’re born there, your parents will take the time to introduce you to every other person in Asia before you get sent off to Kindergarten. Really, now. ._.

More on Monday.

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