I've been a fan of the anime genre ever since I was about 7 when I saw the first episode of "Macross" (a.k.a. Robotech) the instant I saw that one single episode from that one anime show I was hooked for life. It was really the stories themselves that really got me because they had so much depth as well as depth in characterization I've never seen before in animated TV shows I'm familiar with let alone even in live action TV shows at the time. And being able to see animation able to push the boundaries in storytelling and expression that even live action shows and movies to this day still can only dream of doing. Anime helped change my life forever, it's been a big part of my life and will always be, as one of the things that inspired me to get into writing.
This is another web series from Rocket Jump and they've done it again, this show is an awesome idea show both that you can once again still do more with the police procedural/noir genre but just simply glad someone finally had the guts to make one based off a genre I love anime. This is another series that was just made for me, because it is one for anime fans by anime fans.
It's a cool concept, using the subculture and certain aspects of the anime genre and mixing it into a police procedural/noir makes a tasty texture. But by its nature this whole show is really a love letter to the anime genre and the fans of it.
I really like the world they're in where we see anime is literally isn't just a huge part of everyone's lives and is incorporated into everyday life. The show does parody on the police procedural/noir genre as it includes all the clichés and even familiar formats and stories that anyone familiar with the genre would know, but what makes it funny is how the anime culture and all the familiar clichés in the genre integrated into it.
This also makes the show feel a little like you're watching a live action anime, to me this show is one of the prime examples of doing a live action anime adaptation the right way. As we see some clichés, parts of the story line but also how structured the episodes.
Like the music which is very good, as it's in the same style and language as any anime you may have seen. In two of the seasons there is both a different beginning and ending theme, we even see the different kinds of commercial break themes, my favorite one is when they did the one that clearly homages "Sailor Moon" (classic version) that just cracks me up and was awesome at the same time since I'm a fan of that series.
There are mysteries to be had in the series, even an ongoing mystery in season two, there fun mysteries if not quite as intriguing due to how straightforward they are. But that's the point as the show really isn't totally concerned about the plot, where in most police procedurals their so overly focused on it begins to feel too much like work than a story. This is a show that is focused more on the comedy and what the characters say and do.
Characters are solid, mainly Joe whom is the real heart of the show. SungWon Cho his performance I thought was just great, really love the vocal tone he uses which fits, it has that tough roughness you would hear in the noir films. He just has the best lines and I just love how he is an otaku though and though. Even on the second season when he was in otaku denial you just can't take it away from him, it's sort of as the old saying goes, "you can take a boy out of the west, but you can't take the west from the boy." I really like his back and forth with Diesel, the actress Riley Rose Critchlow also gives a really good performance and is kind of hot, she's the typical arctypial young female rookie detective that is ascending in ranks and character fast. There is a solid chemistry between the two and of course the typical trope of the relationship between detectives of the opposite sex becoming something more, which I hope it does if a season or two more is made.
The dialog is great, it's just clever and hilarious there are lots of memorable lines from the characters. I even like how the address certain things that happen in anime which is funny because it's true. Also, the amount of homages, this show is just chalk full of them in both verbal and visual, you may have to see an episode or two more than once just to catch most to all of it.
However, this show isn't really for everyone, if you're a fan of anime then this is the show for you. But if you're not into anime then this show probably won't be your thing.
Overall, this is an arresting comedy that is worth a ride along.
Rating: 4 stars
