When a character in episode 7 of season 12 says “1 Bukit Batok Street 25, Singapore 658882,” there was a lot of buzzes online in Singapore about Netflix’s long-running cartoon comedy, Archer. The Parkview Apartments in the Dairy Farm area were the precise place indicated by the character Colt/Jeremy! The animation is based on a long-running series about a dysfunctional secret agent named Archer, and the episode is mostly set in Singapore. Archer and his colleagues travel to Singapore to visit the headquarters of their new competitor intelligence agency, IIA. Meanwhile, Colt/Jeremy, who has just remembered his home address in Bukit Batok, is escorted to his flat by other members, sparking a humorous discussion about the cost of living in Singapore and how poor Americans are in comparison to Singaporeans.
The TikTok user messaged the episode’s writer, Alison Zeidman, on Instagram, who answered that she intended to include some “genuine detail” about how addresses are published but hadn’t considered that particular neighborhood. Some viewers mocked the mispronunciation of “Bukit Batok” as “Booklet Baytock.” While we don’t see the condo in the animation, here are some more animated creations that do include some of our favorite places.
Bebop Cowboy (1998)
Faye Valentine, one of the bounty hunters onboard the Bebop, was born on Earth on August 14, 1994, in Singapore. After losing her memory while in cryo slumber, she obtains a video cassette that contains traces of her childhood home, and in the movie, we see the Merlion. In episode 24, she visits the Merlion only to discover that her childhood house has vanished. There is no mention of Faye’s childhood house or Singapore in the live-action Netflix production.
Plastic Memories (2015)
In this futuristic narrative in which humans make androids to serve them, a human and an android team up to track down androids gone bad. The majority of the Singapore scenes are in Episode 5 when we see Chinatown (represented by the Hong Lim Complex, Chinatown MRT, and Chinatown Shopping Complex), as well as Orchard Road, Holland Road Shopping Centre, and Club Street. Singapore is also included in episodes 3 (Bugis+) and 4. (Gardens by the Bay).
Cardfight!! The forerunner (2011)
In episode 70 of Season 2 of this anime about trading cards, the characters travel to Singapore (5th episode of S2). We see views of Marina Bay Sands and the Merlion as the Q4 team travels around the country. They meet up with old friends and competitors, Team Caesar, who transport them to a nearby campus.
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho / A Place Further Than The Universe (2018)
The show follows a group of high school girls on a trip to Antarctica. In episode 6, they visit Singapore, where they see prominent landmarks such as the Changi Control Tower, the Marina Bay region, the Maxwell Food Centre, and Orchard Road. They basically completed Singapore’s tourism circuit. They also have hawker cuisine and durians on display!
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (2014)
This is the third story arc of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and it takes Jotaro and the gang to Singapore in their pursuit of DIO. Across episodes 8 and 9, there is not only the traditional Merlion but also the reality that Singapore is a ‘wonderful’ country. The Singapore River is also shown at the end of Episode 7.
Control: Money and Soul of Possibility(2011)
As seen through the perspective of a university Economics student, this series appears to be a response to global economics and the recent global financial crisis. In episode 8, we see glimpses of Singapore (Chinatown), and by episode 9, Singapore has been devastated by the impacts of C. (where we see the Merlion and the CBD digitally disappearing). It’s worth noting that even when the SEA Financial Districts fail, it’s only Singapore that survives.
Seitokai no Ichizon / Student Council’s Discretion (2009)
This is a funny series about the “adventures” of the student council at Hekiyou Gakuen high school. In episode 11, one of the characters is on the phone and accidentally hears about the destruction of Singapore and the Earth. Cue the standard image of the Merlion and the CBD!
