Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Fantasy Match-up: Family Guy versus Pugad Baboy

East meets West. Peter and Brian Griffin (left) stare at their
Asian counterparts of sorts in Dagul Sungcal and Polgas (right).


Whenever I'm not in front of a computer (working, surfing, blogging or playing) or a Pop-a-shot machine, I revert to my couch potato ways.

In front of the boob tube, remote in one hand and a snack on the other, I usually tune in to Jack or Fox, sometimes Nickelodeon or HBO, to give myself a good time. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for Glee, but another favorite TV show of mine is Family Guy.

An animated series that caters to mature audiences, Family Guy is like The Simpsons meet South Park. It's more explicit and vulgar than Springfield's first family, but not as brutal as Kenny and company.

Peter: Easy buddy. I just want to try the drink here.


I am currently re-reading Pugad Baboy 14 and noticed that the comic strip shares some similarities with Family Guy. For international readers, PB is a long-running comic strip by Pol Medina Jr. that depicts domestic life. It also voices out the masses' sentiments on current events, latest issues and pop culture. More often than not, Medina gives his strips a touch of political satire. 

I have a lot of catching up to do in terms of Pugad Baboy reading material. The last one I read is, well, PB 14. And I'm still stuck with it. Last time I checked, there's PB 23. My only regular dose of PB comes from the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Libre so I've never given the PB-FG comparison that much thought, until now.

And now, here's a rundown of their similarities.

As mentioned, PB loves to take on relevant issues and pop culture, and is not short on politicians, prominent figures and celebrities. The same can be said with FG.

Both PB and FG are headlined by interesting families that are composed of six members: the former has the Sungcals (Dagul, Debbie, Kules, Tiny, Utoy, and Polgas) while the latter has the Griffins (Peter, Lois, Chris, Meg, Stewie and Brian)

The families are headed by fat guys Dagul and Peter who are part of the food and beverage industry. Dagul is a chef while Peter works for the shipping department of a brewery.

The matriarchs of both families, Debbie and Lois, share a passion for supporting their husbands' endeavors and looking after their children.

Both couples have three kids. Dagul and Debbie are parents to Kules, Tiny and Utoy, while Chris, Meg and Stewie are Peter's and Lois's kids.

Lastly, both families have talking dogs. TALKING DOGS! Polgas is easily the most recognizable figure in PB  while Brian standouts in the FG universe in more ways than one.

And for what it's worth, both the Sungcals and Griffins are friends with law enforcers... or something to that effect. FG has Joe Swanson, who is a police officer, while PB has Sarge, a soldier. It's a stretch, but hey, they both work for the government, have guns and kick ass.

Now this won't be a fun entry if I'll simply lay out their common grounds, would it? Just for kicks, I'll pit the PB Universe against the FG Universe in a fantasy match-up. See who has the upper hand.



Dagul vs. Peter
While Peter is friggin' funny, he's also a dumbass, jerk, sexist, wimp and lazy. In short, he's a good for nothing retard. And I'd like to put extra emphasis on retard. There were episodes showing this guy hitting his wife, kids, dog, friends... practically everybody. He also asked his daughter to have sex with him and had his youngest son suck his nipples. The only thing keeping him from being totally useless is the fact that he has a job. And while his aforementioned qualities make him funny, deep inside, we all know we don't want a Peter Griffin in our lives.

Dagul on the other hand, is a great chef and a skilled martial artist. He also happens to be a good husband to his wife, Debbie, and a good father to his kids. He also knows how to hold his alcohol unlike Peter. And above all, his brand of humor is witty.

WINNER: Dagul

Debbie vs. Lois
Debbie is a typical homemaker. Though she goes out of her comfort zone once in a while, people simply see her as the woman behind Dagul and nothing more. How's that going to beat a hot piano instructor who became a reporter on the side and whose ex-boyfriends include Gene Simmons? Lois's credentials also include being the daughter of a rich prick, being skilled in martial arts, having an affair with Bill Clinton, starring in a porn movie and giving birth to that hellspawn Stewie.

WINNER: Lois



Chris vs. Kules
Like father, like son. Chris is a younger version of his dad -- fat, dumb and senseless. At the very least, he's a talented artist, and that sets him apart from his good for nothing father. He also plays Luke Skywalker in the 'Laugh it Up, Fuzzball' arc of FG.

Kules is the eldest son of Dagul and Debbie and works overseas as an architect. He has a knack for taking shots at the Arabs and their culture.

Both guys had their highs and lows and are funny and likeable on an inconsistent basis.

WINNER: Draw

The Losers Club

Meg vs. Tiny
It's Meg, for crying out loud! Everyone is better than Meg. Nobody likes Meg. Nobody cares about Meg. Not even her own parents. I still can't believe that she is being voiced by a hot actress.

WINNER: Tiny

Stewie: Ho-hum.

Stewie vs. Utoy
Though Utoy is a computer whiz that showcases an above average level of intelligence for a kid of his age, and is also good at martial arts like his dad, he doesn't stand a chance against Stewie. The youngest member of the Griffin family possesses a deep understanding of physics and is a superb inventor. Among his inventions are robots, a multidimensional transporter, a teleporter and a weather control device. He also happens to be an excellent marksman with a mean streak. Sounds like a supervillain in the making, huh? And he has been all that at an age where his peers can't speak or stand.

WINNER: Stewie

Polgas: Kampay!


Brian vs. Polgas
An atheist with a thing for opera and jazz, Brian is the Griffin's resident talking animal. Being a contrarian, he can provide valid insights on various topics. He also happens to be a frustrated writer and, like his master, loves to drink but can't handle its aftermath. In fact, he killed a dog while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Polgas on the other hand has a very high tolerance for booze. You seldom see him causing trouble after a drinking session with Dagul. Polgas is also an operative of the Organized Canine Bureau. Brian had lots of adventures with Stewie, but they pale in comparison to that of Polgas who becomes a doggie version of James Bond whenever he becomes Agent Delta or Dobbermaxx. Brian may have had the time of his life sleeping around and rubbing elbows with Frank Sinatra and Rush Limbaugh, but Polgas, who leads a double life, is in a league of his own. Besides, it's easy to hate a contrarian. Polgas? He's downright lovable.

Evil Monkey: Less jamming more sweeping.


Brosia vs. Evil Monkey
Brosia is not exactly blood related to the Sungcals but has earned her place in the household by being a loyal servant, or for a better choice of words, househelper. Brosia enjoys pulling antics on almost everybody in Pugad Baboy, but the most frequent victim of her jabs is none other than her boss, Dagul. Brosia never passes up on an opportunity to make of the Sungcal patriarch's hair loss problem. Her low IQ provides the bulk of her character's humor and is the center of many PB strips. However, she has shown that she is good with numbers especially when it involves money.

Evil Monkey secretly resides in Chris's closet so you can consider him as a freeloader. Initially, none of the Griffins knew about his existence save for Chris who he constantly tormented with 'The Pose'. The primate eventually came around when Chris caught him and showed him to the rest of the family. They become friends after he helps Chris with schoolwork and explained that his frightening mannerisms are caused by various conditions and unintended actions. He eventually moved out of the Griffin household to live in the closet of a kid which he would torment too. What a douche!

It pretty much boils down to Brosia's antics against 'The Pose'. Brosia holds an advantage in terms of appearances since she's a regular in PB, unlike Evil Monkey who only made brief stints. But even with his limited appearances, EM is easily one of the recognizable figures in the FG Universe, and he can thank 'The Pose' for that. Both are funny in their own ways. Both torment the people they live with. I say it's a tie.

WINNER: Draw

Rest of PB Universe vs. Rest of FG Universe
Okay, this is taking longer than expected, so to cut it short, I'm just gonna enumerate the people you'll get to meet on each universe.

The Sungcals have to deal with a stoner/crime fighter (Bab), a member of the New People's Army (Noli), a soldier who drives a tank to work (Sarge), an ex-con turned local politician (Igno), a corrupt legislator (Sen. Cabalfin) and lots of dirty cops. Also celebrities, athletes and more politicians.

The Griffins mingle with a pervert that has one hell of a chin (Quagmire), a paraplegic policeman (Joe), a black guy that gets his house destroyed more often than not (Cleveland), a really old pederast (Herbert), an irresponsible mayor (Adan West), and a mediocre broadcaster (Tom Tucker). They occasionally get visits from Death. Also celebrities, athletes and more politicians.

Death is cool and all, but Noli, Sarge and Igno, drunk or not, laugh at the face of danger. They're that crazy, and they've been doing it for more than three decades now. Also, I'm Filipino. So it's Pugad Baboy FTW!!!

Not happy with the way this match-up ended? No offense to the real life Peter Griffin, but this is my Lone Opinion. Why not express yours in the comments section below? 

2 comments:

  1. In my professional opinion I enjoy participating in the viewership of the show known as family guy more than the charming comic pugad baboy. Whilst I respect you're opinion and all family guy has a more universal culture impact than said comic, and so with this in mind I leave you off with these words to live by to show my stance on you're opinion.

    "Splish splash, you're opinion is trash"
    -Mozart probably

    ReplyDelete