Panty and Stocking
Title: Panty and Stocking Genre: Action, Comedy Rating: 7.3/10
Review: Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt was definitely one of the out-there anime. I don’t mean for the season, I mean in all anime history. It was filled with sex jokes, sex scenes, and food. Not quite sure how food fit into all of it, but it squeezed its way in. I think that was probably the only normal part about the series.Yet I couldn’t stop watching, every episode was something new.
The best and brightest of Panty and Stocking was the soundtrack. It easily takes the prize for best OST of the season, and competes with hit soundtracks like Cowboy Bebop and FLCL. It was a cool rock, hip-hop, techno mix. Songs by TCY Force, TeddyLoid, and Mitsunori Ikeda made the CD explode with terrific music. Personally my favorites are D-City Rock, Fly Away, CHOCOLAT, and Theme for Scanty & Kneesocks. If you don’t have to the time or care to download the whole OST at least check out those songs, maybe they’ll change your mind. I immediately got a hold of it when it was released. For anyone who didn’t like the anime, or hasn’t seen the anime I suggest picking it up. It is worth your time, trust me. I cannot stress enough how great this soundtrack was, deserving of a perfect score. The cover art is just as awesome and shows the best of Panty & Stocking’s illustrations.
Most of the anime was drawn in a very cartoony form and much different than the traditional anime style. I loved it personally, but many found it strange and unwanted. The way I saw the anime’s choice of style is like graffiti. It fit the anime’s personality perfectly. This “street drawing” visual gave off a loose and refreshing vibe that took the anime to the next level. Many say that the drawings were simplistic and childish, but after taking a closer look I saw that the illustrator took their time filling in the buildings and characters with rich, bold colors. It wasn’t just a stand-still anime either, the action scenes were extremely entertaining because the art style brought out the best in both worlds. As you can see the transformation scenes showed off the sexy figures of Panty and Stocking so it is quite obvious the artists knew what they were doing. I just don’t think I could take the anime in a comedic way if it was drawn in a traditional anime style. The direction they took it was definitely for the best. I’m sure fans of graffiti art or games like Jet Set Radio Future (or Jet Grind Radio if you are old school) will appreciate Panty & Stocking for how it is.
Unfortunately there has to be a negative to all this positive and that comes with the story. The general plot wasn’t bad, a couple of sexy angels fighting off the forces of evil (ghosts) using their clothing as weapons. Couldn’t really complain because I didn’t exactly expect a heavy story with character development. I was expected a light anime with mindless humor. It gave me just that, possibly a bit too much. The anime was very different because it told the most open sex jokes and scenes I have ever watched before. The whole anime was based around them. That, and food… for some reason. At first that led to hilarious jokes and I couldn’t stop laughing, but after a while I just felt awkward. There are only so many times I can laugh at sex jokes in one sitting. The jokes got raunchier and raunchier as the series progressed. I wasn’t too turned off by it and I got a chuckle, but not like when I first started. Now there really wasn’t anything in terms of a “story” because most of the series was episodic. It wasn’t until the end when an actual plot developed. The last three episodes turned into a dramatic, epic battle between good and evil. I believe they did this in hopes for a season two because they left the anime off at a cliff hanger. The shocking plot twist came out of no where and didn’t really make sense either. Then again the entire anime didn’t make sense. I actually preferred when it was episodic. When they tried to introduce some sense of a story it just didn’t work. At times they would have a serious moment and others would be more sexual themes.
Final statements: The series wasn’t bad at all, but I know that most people wouldn’t like it. The jokes can be a bit much. The soundtrack and art were absolutely phenomenal though. I can’t stress enough that everyone should at least check out the OST. This is a preferred watch because I did enjoy the series and it had a lot of great points to it. The comedy couldn’t keep up as I hoped and the series should have stuck to episodic.