Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law/Shoyu Weenie

Shoyu Weenie
Season 1, Episode 5
Airdate	July 21, 2002
Production Number	34-6105
Written by	Michael Ouweleen Erik Richter
Directed by	Ben Jones
← 1x04 Death by Chocolate	1x06 → The Dabba Don
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law — Season One

Shoyu Weenie is the fifth episode of the first season of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and the fifth episode overall. A Japanese band hires Birdman to sue the Neptunes for stealing their song and profiting off it in America.

Guest Stars: Grey Delisle (Dr. Gale Melody/Debbie), Adam Lawson (Avenger), Tony Masa (Kenji), Jeanne Mori (Seiko/Miko), Toshi Toda (Manager), Frank Welker (Jabberjaw/Biff)

Plot Overview

Shoyu Weenie, a Japanese band with the #1 hit song in Japan has discovered that a separate band in America named the Neptunes have totally ripped off their song (entitled "Lovey, Lovey") and made a hit (in America) with it. They travel to America to hire Harvey as their copyright lawyer, but the language barrier causes a communication breakdown until Peanut shows up and mentions that not only does he know Shoyu Weenie's music, he can speak Japanese. Harvey agrees to take the case and, in return, one of the girls in the band is forced to go on a date with Peanut.

At the trial, Reducto represents the Neptunes along with Dr. Gale Melody, a musicologist who can prove that the songs are distinct enough that they should be considered separate works. After Judge Mentok's elaborate entrance, Reducto calls Seiko Morimoto to the stand and asks her the meaning of one of their lyrics. While she's talking, everyone in the court seems to fall in love with her. Later, Birdman calls all of the Neptunes to the stand and demands that they tell him where the inspiration for their song came from, reminding them that they swore on a bible to tell the truth.

Birdman attempts to settle with Reducto at the bar, but the two wind up getting in a fight over Dr. Melody before a deal can be worked out. At the trial, she gives several examples of why the songs are different and, while in cross-examination, manages to embarrass Birdman into not asking any questions. Peanut salvages the case by showing karaoke versions of both songs back to back and Mentok declares judgment in favor of the Shoyu Weenies. Back in Birdman's office, everyone celebrates until they see a music video for a German band who also stole their song.

Trivia

The Show

• First Appearance: Mentok the Mind-Taker makes his first appearance in this episode. Also making his first appearance is Mentok's bailiff, who introduces him like they were on a TV courtroom show, ala Judge Judy.

Behind the Scenes

• Production Studio: The series finally finds a permanent home with this episode. Unlike the previous four, this episode was produced by Cartoon Network Studios.

Allusions and References

• Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan: "Shoyu Weenie" is actually the Chan Clan from The Amazing Chan and The Chan Clan. They were one of many Scooby-Doo knockoff cartoons about a group of people who solve mysteries. The series attempted to capitalize off the popularity of fictional detective Charlie Chan, who appears at the beginning of the episode as the band's manager. In the original series, Chan is the father of the "Chan clan."

• Jabberjaw: Yet another Scooby-Doo knockoff, Jabberjaw was a Saturday morning cartoon based on the same general format of Scooby-Doo, except underwater. All of the characters in Jabberjaw are analogues for Scooby-Doo characters, particularly Jabberjaw, a talking shark with a speech impediment. Unlike The Amazing Chan, the Jabberjaw characters actually were a band. In the late 1990s, Cartoon Network used the band as part of their "Shorties" advertisements alongside a song by the ska band Pain.