Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - OVA (Completed)

Never mind the popularity of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, GAINAX were clearly having so much fun simply producing the series that you just knew there would be more of it, and that's exactly what the show's fifth Blu-Ray volume release gives us - okay, so it's only about eight minutes, but hey - it's better than nothing, right?

Rather than create one whole story for this OVA, GAINAX have simply let loose and instead created a whole bundle of very short (and largely utterly bizarre) skits - and you know what?  It works.  It really works, to the point where I wonder if this could be the future direction of a Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt spin-off in its own right.

After kicking off with a sketch that revolves entirely around some Japanese wordplay based upon the words "pitch" and "uterus" to set the tone, we get a follow-up to Panty's zombiefication within the series, a tour of Daten City hosted by Garterbelt (no prizes for guessing the kind of locations that takes us to), an utterly fantastic new Chuck to the Future segment (think Super Mario. Super Mario with cocks), the reason why you should never, ever eat Hula Hoops again, a haircut for Stocking and what would happen if Terry Gilliam got hold of Panty and Stocking's transformation sequence during his Monty Python pomp.  Oh, and if you've ever wondered what Garterbelt gets up to in the bath, here's your chance to find out.  Whaddya mean you don't want to know?  Seriously, watch it, if there's one piece of utter genius within this OVA that segment is it.

In brief (do you see what I did there), this is eight and a half minutes of fantastic insanity - its funny, it gets to go places where the TV series wouldn't dare, and it's quick-fire nature means there's never a dull or inoffensive moment.  It's a little slice of puerile comedy gold that fans of the series should absolutely lap up.

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt - The Original Soundtrack

As I was discussing on Twitter just last night, I can't remember a more hotly anticipated anime soundtrack than Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt's.  Well, it's now here, so can it live up to all of that anticipation?

In a word - yes.  Sometimes a much-hyped track can prove to be disappointing when it's removed from the context of the show and (more importantly) strung out from a brief snippet within an anime into a full-length track, and I've lost track of the number of times my eyebrow has raised into a "that's it?" position when checking out an eagerly anticipated tune in full for the first time.

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt's OST manages to avoid this with aplomb on two counts.  Firstly, it doesn't overly elongate tunes that work best as short pieces, such as the show's opening theme where thirty seconds is quite enough thanks, or tracks such as Pantscada or Juice that don't overstay their overly sexual and pornographic welcomes.

Where the real magic happens is with the show's most beloved tunes - Fly Away is probably the single most anticipated anime insert song of the decade, and it doesn't disappoint, leveraging everything that made it drop your jaw within its animated setting and blending it with other elements to perfection; it isn't overly repetitive, yet its unfamiliar elements slot in to the autotune'd, electronic aesthetic excellently.  D City Rock on the other hand is a track we're already familiar with, and it does its job slightly less well without that awesome MTV-style music video to back it up but it's still far from a poor track.

As the soundtrack progresses the awesome tracks really just stack up and up, whether it's the slightly chiptunes-inspired Cherryboy Riot, the unhinged Technodildo (yes, there is a track called Technodildo of course) or other fan favourites in Theme for Scanty and Kneesocks and Corset Theme, the former of which seems to differ slightly from it's TV counterpart thanks to a slightly less "harsh" countenance.

To be honest, virtually every track could be name-checked under the "awesome" banner or close to it, as it's effectively impossible to pick any genuine duds out of an album filled with so much energy and confidence; so much so that I'm not even going to try.  There are occasional tracks here that could (with a little tweaking) probably sneak into an early Prodigy or Orbital album, and this is a good thing indeed which affirms not just the quality of the content but also how successfully it integrates into the western "tone" of the anime itself - perhaps the main reason why this album has been so hotly anticipated from the moment the series began broadcasting.

The soundtrack as a whole also demonstrates the ability to change things up whenever required, with tracks such as CHOCOLAT (Stocking's "love theme" in the series) or the simply gorgeous end credit song Fallen Angel adding a smoother, less frenetic side to proceedings and again proving that these tracks are equally proficient in their full-length formats as the TV sized versions we were previously treated to.

This is the point where I should probably just stop gushing and come right out and say it - this is the best anime soundtrack of the year, period.  Sure, it's very different from your average OST and its content certainly won't be for everyone, but anyone who sat up and found themselves drooling ever-so slightly at the music utilised by the series simply have to pick this up and give it a listen - you won't be disappointed in the slightest.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 13 (Completed)

After meandering seemingly aimlessly (not that this is always a bad thing) for much of its broadcast run, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt finally got serious last week with the opening gambit of its two-part finale.  Well, kind of serious, anyhow.

With Stocking back in Heaven and Panty restored to her virgin state and thus powerless, it seems as though Corset has won the day as he disappears with Brief and the Hellsmonkey key that he packs.  Indeed, in a desperate bid to run from the sex she sees everywhere, the next we know Panty is living a chaste life on a farm somewhere, helping out an old lady and frolicking in the woods.  At least, she enjoys a simple life until a gang kill everyone else, and said old lady's dying words make Panty realise that she still has things that she needs to do.

Cue a final showdown between the show's three titular characters (don't pretend you didn't expect Stocking to reappear) in what initially appears to be a successful gambit against Corset's plan, only for it to go wrong at the last moment with possibly devastating consequences.  Even Garterbelt is powerless when it comes to out-bondaging his rival, and surely with his demise all hope is lost?  Not quite - never underestimate the power of a credit card, and moreover Panty and Stocking's hilarious incompetence at a pivotal moment that somehow wins the day.  So, Daten City is safe, and Panty and Stocking are re-united as the credits roll.  But is that the end?  Possibly not.  Is there really a second season in the works?  Hmmm....

You know, it's hard to know what to say about this show's final instalment as there's simply too much for a single human brain to take in - some of it was a bit pointless, some of it was a slick riot of colour and movement, all of it was exquisitely soundtracked (of course) and the ending was suitably fucked up both for a GAINAX series and the show's subject matter.  The climax of the battle with Corset in particular was hilarious; a highlight in the midst of so much insanity that it was hard to keep it all together in my head without bits of it oozing out of my ears.

Of course, understanding or de-constructing Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt isn't really the name of the game - I suspect even its thoughtful moments in this finale were more a sneaky nod to American cartoons than a genuine attempt to dish out life counselling.  It's this disregard for anything and everything that has, at times, make this series a huge success - episode five's second half will live long in the memory, I'll forever point any Transformers fan in the direction of episode seven, Stocking's love story came close to coaxing an improbable tear from my eye, and then of course there was that music video.

It's these highlights that make Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt so infuriating in a sense, as those moments were scattered in the midst of some decidedly average stuff.  That said, I'm more than glad that GAINAX took the risk of making this series, because it did enough to be remembered and talked about for years to come, proving that animation doesn't have to be visually complex to be breath-taking and that sometimes the simplest of things can bring the most pleasure.  At a time when the anime industry looks less willing than ever to take risks, it should be commended that here we have a show that thumbs its nose at certain elements of otaku culture and instead delivers a lewd but loving homage to American cartoons and culture.  Sure, as experiments go it wasn't an absolute, cut and dried success but hey - isn't that what experiments are for?

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 12

What's this, an on-going plot in Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt?  Surely not?  There have been some pretty overt hints towards it to be fair, but this penultimate episode of GAINAX's current show finally sets up a "proper" story of sorts to close out the series.

First however, we have to put up with a sub-episode that is effectively a recap instalment, largely consisting of Scanty and Kneesocks recounting their previous Ghost creations attempts and their results to boss Corset whilst using as few frames of animation as humanely possible.  In fairness this sub-episode does also seed some of that over-arching plot we were talking about, and there is more to it than simply re-used footage, but a spade's a spade and ergo a recap is a recap.

Things get far more interesting for the second half of this episode, as the usual slaying and shagging shenanigans come to a halt as Garterbelt announces that Panty and Stocking have finally fulfilled their contract and return to heaven.  So, just as it appears to be time to say our goodbyes to the pair of them, so we come to a catch - while Stocking is accepted into Heaven without a second look, it seems that Panty's bitchy nature has finally caught up with her, leaving her needing to complete her contract all over again.  This sees Panty teamed up with Brief, which of course doesn't work too well at all, with Panty showing no interest in helping out with catching Ghosts, or indeed in spending time with Brief at all until she gets invited to a party by him.  This is where everything takes a turn, with Brief's true standing revealed and Panty falling in love with some good looking stranger, before the whole thing turns out to be a trap designed by Corset to unlock a key of some description.  With Panty's powers seemingly lost in the process, is this the end for Daten City?

Ignoring the recap segment of this week's episode, is interesting to see Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt looking to set up a "proper" storyline at last just as I was suspecting that they might not bother.  Given this shows unpredictable nature it's tough to know where it might head for its finale, but there were some nice touches in the second half of this episode to turn things around into a bit of a love story before revealing a whole lot more come the end of the instalment.  The fact that this still doesn't stand up to some of the better stand-alone episodes of the series can't really be denied in terms of either concept or animation quality, but if nothing else it's piqued my curiosity for the series finale.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 11

You could well say that it's about time we learned a little more about Garterbelt beyond some of his... well, predilections.  If you've been of the opinion that you'd like to find out the history of this season's best afro, then you're in luck, as that's exactly what the first half of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt delivers.  Or does it?

The episode starts with Panty and Stocking getting chewed up and spat out, as per usual, by Garterbelt for slacking from their duties and goofing off instead.  Determined to get one-up on their master, the pair decide to spy on Garterbelt to see what he gets up to at night - a decision that takes them deep into the catacombs of the church in which they live.  One booby-trapped journey later, they find no sign of Mr. Belt himself, but they do find a book purporting to tell his history.  From here, we're treated to the story of Garterbelt's life and death as a gangster working the streets, before his death sends him on a mission throughout the entire history of the Earth - a slickly animated and mildly amusing tale that goes from Adam and Eve via ancient Egypt and beyond.  Is any of it true or just a diversion to cover up for Garterbelt's kinky BDSM sessions?  Who cares, it was a fun journey anyhow.

The second half of the episode takes another leaf out of the American television manual, turning Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt into a sitcom via an entire instalment that never leaves the girl's living room and couch.  While this sounds incredibly tedious, it's oddly energetic and entertaining to watch as Stocking and Panty engage in small talk on various subjects between complain about being hungry and waiting for Garterbelt to fix up some food.  Even Brief drops by, talking music and television before Garterbelt's cooking finally arrives - although not before a huge amount of fast food has been ordered by the impatient girls.

To be honest, if you'd thrown me the idea of a slice of life sitcom surrounding Panty and Stocking before this episode I would have just rolled my eyes at you - but you know what?  It really worked.  Sure, you couldn't make an entire series out of it but this half-episode proved that there's actually a great (and perhaps too often neglected) dynamic between Panty and Stocking beyond simply getting on one another's nerves, and that dynamic (which also works well with Brief inserted into proceedings) flows from that segment of the episode.
I can't really ignore Garterbelt's story which takes up the first half of this instalment either, which is a slickly presented and fun tale to watch which was simple yet engaging and effective.  On top of that, there was some great character and wonderfully natural animation on show in both halves of the episode, again putting paid to the "cheap and tacky" label that many expected to be able to stick to this series.

In short then, this time around Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt got pretty much everything right on both occasions.  But what will next week's episode hold?  It's become impossible to tell with this series.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 10

The longer Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, the less I've known what to expect of the series, particularly after bringing us a Stocking-centric love story last week.  As if to confirm my decision to give up on assuming anything about this show, it goes and does its own thing once again.

The first half of this episode is actually pretty standard fare - Panty and Stocking have been shrunk to a miniscule size by some plot or other executed by Scanty and Kneesocks, and although we don't get to see exactly what happened at all we do get to see the aftermath of this shrinking - Brief having a whale of a time looking after looking after our new downsized heroines before inadvertently swallowing them.  The rest probably writes itself, complete with an attempt to hurry nature to remove them from his body before our anarchic pair run rampage around Brief's body, treating it like some kind of theme park before finally being removed thanks to Garterbelt's... err... genius.

From here on in is when things get weird - rather than fill the second half of the episode with a single story, it's instead split into a "trilogy" of short mini-episodes labelled Chuck to the Future, which of course follows Panty and Stocking's loyal pet as he endures his usual series of deaths, disembowelments and so on.  The best thing to be said about these three short efforts is that they're "experimental" - while the first short is pretty standard and decidedly cartoon-like about its treatment of Chuck's adventure, the second and third segments try to do things a bit differently, first via lots of long, swooping and surreal zooms before delving into a horror-esque environment largely in black and white complete with background pops and crackles as if from some old B-movie.

If that doesn't leave you fascinated enough, then just wait for how this episode closes out - a full-blown, MTV parody treatment of D City Rock, one of the insert songs from the show's soundtrack (you'll recognise it soon enough) complete with Panty, Stocking et al as a rock band.  Put simply this is all kinds of awesome as it riffs on and nods to a whole host of famous bands and album covers (including Gorillaz and Lady Gaga) while also having a whole lot of fun with its anarchic titular characters doing "the music thing".  It's immensely entertaining and the kind of thing you can watch over and over and over again without getting bored of it.  To be quite honest, I'd be more than happy if the rest of this series from now on was just GAINAX animating the rest of the show's OST.

Really, that final segment blows away everything that went before this week with its awesomeness, making it hard to concentrate on the rest of the episode.  That said, the opening scene at the start of this week's episode was the most wonderfully Freudian thing ever to come out of anime, while I can't help but admire GAINAX for using almost half of an episode just to play around with some stuff to see what sticks - I guess that's the kind of thing you can get away with when you're a hugely successful studio, and hopefully some of those experiments will serve them in good stead for future productions as there was some interesting stuff in there.  Oh, and did I mention that music video?  Go and watch it.  NOW.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 9

No anime is complete without a beach episode, and of course that axiom goes for Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt too - this series being what it is, we skip virtually any preamble and get straight on to the serious business of the show's two titular characters wearing swimsuits.

However, Panty and Stocking aren't the only ones who have a day at the beach planned, as who else but Scanty and Kneesocks also turn up, laying claim to the beach all to themselves.  With the rules set in stone as far as they are concerned and with no intention of fighting, there's only one way to settle matters - with a good old game of beach volleyball.  Cue ever crazier volleyball antics, a brief opportunity to riff on South Park for a few seconds, and an inevitable ending involving everyone's clothes falling off and an octopus Ghost giving Stocking a pat-down that even the TSA couldn't hope to match.

While the second half of this episode is, as per usual, all about a Ghost, it takes a rather different angle in delivering its story, as we see Stocking inexplicably falling in love with a slovenly and decidedly disgusting Ghost that repulses everyone else around him.  Somehow this becomes a serious relationship for Stocking as the two begin dating, and no matter what Panty does to try and change things it looks as though nothing will split up this decidedly odd couple.  This takes us on to what is actually a slightly poignant ending to the episode - not quite the kind of thing to leave a tear in your eye or lump in your throat, but it was oddly sweet in its own decidedly Panty and Stocking-esque way.

Although this episode didn't do anything spectacular, I somehow found myself enjoying it a little more than other similar instalments of this series - the second half of this episode in particular managed to be fresh simply by moving away from the usual frenetic pace of the show, while the first arguably worked simply on account of its simplicity, not worrying too much about any semblance of a plot so that it could just goof around for a bit and mix some slick moments into its otherwise decidedly Abode Flash-esque animation.  This instalment wasn't up there with any of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt's best moments to date, but it wasn't half bad either.  Besides, a Stocking love story?  Awwwww.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 8

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that zombies are the in thing these days (actually, never mind these days, they have been for quite some time), so I suppose it's inevitable that Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt would look to get its teeth around the genre at some point.

So it goes that the first half of episode eight brings us a typical zombie apocalypse scenario... well, typical until it comes to using the inventory of a sex toy shop as anti-zombie weaponry that is.  While Panty and Stocking try to get a handle on the situation in their "one day only" role as police officers, we learn that the source of the zombie outbreak is none other than Scanty and Kneesocks, as everything goes to Hell in a hand-basket as you might expect when you mix the brain dead together with... well, some zombies.

From here, the second half of the episode brings us a trial by television, as Panty and Stocking find themselves accused of the murder of an innocent Ghost; the loyal husband to a wonderful wife who also happens to be a Ghost, and a pair of character who look more than a little familiar to anyone who has ever watched Ren and Stimpy before... Throw in a monkey defence lawyer and Tom Cruise on the prosecution and you have your plot, as Scanty and Kneesocks again become involved while we build up to the inevitable Phoenix Wright "objection!" joke that becomes basically the highlight of the episode before our pair of titular characters get their moment of pole dancing and ass kicking.

After the wonders of episode five, the action-packed awesomeness of episode six and the loving Transformers parody of episode seven, this felt like a real let-down; a far weaker episode that slipped back into the cliches of earlier instalments with a first half that relied mostly on swearing and "ooh look, zombie movie reference" moments, while the second half arguably had some social commentary going on behind its tepid concept that did at least spawn a couple of funny moments, even if you could see one of them coming a mile off.  I suppose it's inevitable that Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is going to suffer from variable quality given its structure, and after three good episodes on the bounce I'm willing to let this one go - let's just hope it returns to its dizzy heights (whatever they might involve) sooner rather than later.

UKA TV reviews - Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, The World God Only Knows

Just to shake things up and a little variety here (it's the spice of life and all that), I thought I might as well link to my latest offering for UK Anime's UKA TV segment.  For this video, I take a look at a couple of streaming anime shows in the form of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt and The World God Only Knows.

Any thoughts or feedback to help make these better in the future would be much appreciated!

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 7

Before we start this entry, a quick note about me - I'm a huge fan of Transformers.  Not the Michael Bay abominations of recent years, but rather the proper Transformers cartoon, comic and toys.

With that in mind, the first half of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt's seventh episode was clearly made for me, as two asteroids land on Earth in the midst of some usual arguing between our two titular characters.  One daft (and admittedly quite funny) little plot twist later, and Panty and Stocking have transformed into obvious parodies of Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively - after transforming their bedroom furniture into respective robots, they set about continuing their rivalry in a number of pitched battles a la the Transformers cartoon.  Of course, the original robots that set this chain of events in motion turn out to be a Ghost, finally snapping Panty and Stocking out of their robotic reverie to do something about it.

There was probably a second half to this episode too, but who cares, let me wallow in my enjoyment of a Transformers parody in a 2010 vintage anime....

What's that, I have to cover the second half of this episode?  Oh, okay then... for the second chunk of episode seven, Garterbelt finally reaches the end of his tether with regard to Panty and Stocking's extravagant living habits, causing them to declare that they're prepared to go off and earn $3 million in three days.  Needless to say, they try to do this via a variety of jobs which end in utter failure (although most of them were sexy failures, it has to be said), before realising that the casino is the easiest way to earn some dough when you have the luck of an angel.  Things aren't quite that simple however, as we soon get to find out just who the duo running this casino are behind the scenes...

Although the second half of this episode quite rightly brought back Scanty and Kneesocks after last week's episode (and threw in some fun little references to a global financial crisis and the like), this was all about the Transformers parody for me, a loving take on that kid's favourite of yesteryear that was absolutely perfect in every way from immediately trashing the robots from the new movies through to its character designs which blatantly ripped on all the old favourites from the 1980s cartoon.  Everything was perfect about this almost affectionate nod towards the show, complete with laser battles that perfectly captured the ridiculous in hindsight fights of the cartoon, the eyecatches between scenes and moments that were clearly created with Transformers: The Movie in mind.  Those who have never seen the original series will probably be lost, but for me it was an absolute riot which makes this probably my favourite episode so far.  It's a very personal reason to love something so much, but who cares?

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 6

After the sudden twist in art style and direction exhibited by the second half of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt's previous episode, it is admittedly a little harsh of me to expect anything similar from this sixth instalment of the series.  Nonetheless, a little part of me was left hoping for something similarly surprising from this week's outing... a hope which of course left me disappointed.

Instead, this episode sees Panty and Stocking return to school after quite an elongated break, only to find that their previous position as High School queens has been usurped by a new pair of sisters - Scanty and Kneesocks.  Original names, huh?  Anyhow, this dynamic duo are related to the mayor of Daten City, and have used their influence to take complete control of the school with an insistence on following the rules at all time, bringing a new era of conformity to everything from school uniforms onwards.  Not exactly the kind of environment that appeals to Panty and Stocking, naturally.

With the girls unable to do anything to exert their superiority over their rivals, Panty and Stocking soon find themselves relegated to the worst class in school filled with geeks and otaku... and a Ghost that they were pursuing earlier, who promises to let them in on some secret information in return for his life.  Next thing we know we're in an underground Ghost factory, run by the demonic Scanty and Kneesocks, which is where the real fun begins...

After frankly boring me for the first half of this episode (which is just a single story rather than two sub-episodes this time around, incidentally), things suddenly get interesting once the Panty and Stocking versus Scanty and Kneesocks face-off begins - not in terms of plot or story perhaps, but most certainly in the form of an absolutely fantastic sequence of breath-taking, high octane and expertly realised action that easily surpasses anything else from this series thus far.  If you've found yourself with doubts about Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt's art style, these scenes were the clearest indication yet of how, where and when it can work and work well, and it was simply stunning to watch, especially when matched against the show's largely stellar sound track.  To hell with the plot, when this series sits down to some seriously over-the-top gun-toting, car-chasing, weapon-wielding action it delivers, pure and simple.

It's starting to feel like every time I start to worry about the longevity of this series over the past couple of episodes, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt pulls something out from its nether regions to wow me until I sit up and take notice again.  I really hope it can continue to do so, as at last this series is beginning to exceed my expectations, even if it isn't with the frequency that I might like.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 5

Wow, I go away for a few days and this happens... Just when I thought that there would be nothing new to say about Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt the second half of the show's fifth episode comes along and blind-sides me.

Before all that however, the first half of this episode is everything we've come to expect from the series from this point, with an obvious gross-out factor from its plot that sees the latest trend in Daten City involving picking your noise, a turn for the ridiculous as the inventor of this technique holds a party within an airship that can only be flown to using the participants feather-light boogers, and a sexual element featuring what can only really be described as nasal sex.  Of course, the aforementioned inventor also turns out to be a Ghost, leaving our two anti-heroines needing to use their usual abilities to save the day before this airship crashes into the moon.  There are a few laughs laced throughout this sub-episode to be fair amidst all the eye-rolling over the top craziness of it all, so I suppose I can't write it off completely.

Here's here that everything is turned almost complete on its head for the second half of the episode - rather than following Panty and Stocking as they swear, sex and eat up a storm, we instead join an ageing man within Daten City named Taroa in his dead-end job as a salaryman towards the bottom of the career ladder as he's sneered upon by his colleagues and pitied by his boss.  Despite being a devoted father, things just seem to get worse and worse for Tarao, and when he picks a decidedly odd present for a female temp in his workplace, leaving her in tears, he's forced to join the office for a drinking session and despite not touching alcohol normally he then finds himself with no choice than to drink a mountain of beer - a state of affairs which leads to the creation of a vomit-induced ghost, which Panty and Stocking duly arrive to despatch.

Simply from reading the above, you'll probably get a very different feel for that sub-episode from anything we've seen from this series before, and so it proves - the animation style is vastly different, swapping the colourful Flash-esque normal animation with a slightly surreal yet dreary and grimy world which is Tarao's home and changing the pace and tone from break-neck frivolity into a slow and brooding analysis of the Japanese office worker and the stressed, strains and social crosses he has to bear in every-day life just to get by.  It's an arch piece of social commentary that sits entirely outside of the confines of the mainstay of this series, yet the two are beautifully merged as Panty and Stocking appear in their normal art style (albeit slightly muted in terms of colour) to win the day, standing out so much for once you can understand why they are the cities heroes.

It's really hard to know what more to say about the second half of this episode - it's so striking and fascinating I want to see more of the same, effectively telling tales from the Ghost's point of view as it reaches its point of inception, but at the same time this sub-episode would have been far less striking and fascinating has it not been from the lowbrow insanity which preceded it.  Have Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt's four and a half episodes of gross-out and sexual comedy all been building up to this moment?  I very much doubt it, but either way it's just sent my interest and feelings about this show up a notch, so it's an intriguing move by GAINAX.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 4

With that sweet tooth and constant chocolate eating, it's a bit surprising that the Stocking of this show's title isn't the size of a house by now.  Oh, wait a second...

Perhaps inevitably, the first half of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt's fourth episode turns to the subject of dieting, with Stocking's obsession with all things sweet seemingly catching up with her at last as she starts to gain weight.  Cue a montage sequence as she works hard to work off those extra pounds in all of the usual fashions, only to find that things are only getting worse, until she does literally end up the size of a house.  It's at this point that we learn about the latest Ghost in town, a nipplerific monster who is creating cakes designed to cause women's weight to balloon - cakes which Stocking has not so much indulged in but gorged herself on to commiserate over her failed diet attempts.  So, it's up to our two "heroines" to defeat the ghost and save the day - not that Stocking it much help on account of her size even though she tries her best, going as far as to run us through a less spritely than usual transformation sequence.

The second half of this week's episode sees Panty and Stocking spending a boring night fine-tuning their weapons, although naturally this doesn't last for long as Panty has hers eyes on attending a "Lingerie Run" event - no need to guess why she's interested in that of course, and similarly Garterbelt's presence as the event organiser probably requires little explanation to anyone who watched last week's episode.  An event that involves everyone running around in their underwear has also attracted a Ghost to the vicinity, this time an individual who enjoys stealing and devouring said underwear.  You can probably guess the rest - nudity, penis jokes and underwear references aplenty end in said Ghost being defeated.

As seems to have become par for the course with Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt by now, each episode manages to pull out a few laugh out loud moments in a sea of relative mediocrity.  To be fair, the first half of this particular episode was one of the best yet in terms of well built-up comedy, leading up to some hilarious fat Stocking moments that were worth the wait while also coming the closest we've seen yet to a "family friendly" instalment of the series.  Sadly, the second half of this episode returned to its old habits of relying on smutty jokes and underwear over anything more entertaining, and as a result it simply didn't work as well - kudos though to Crunchyroll for managing to work the phrase "mass naked student events" into its subtitles; doubtless a homage to a certain infamous bit of fansubbing from yesteryear.  Still, it says it all when one knowing bit of subtitling is the funniest part of an episode...

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 3

So, now I'm back from Scotland it's time for my catch-up process with this 'blog to begin in earnest - and what more disgraceful fashion to begin than episode three of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt?

As per previous instalments, this episode is actually split into two individual stories, spoofing Fight Club and Pulp Fiction in their introductory cards respectively but having nothing to do with those particular movies otherwise.  The first sub-episode out of the gate sees Panty and Stocking at loggerheads as is so often the case with sisters, with a row about some pudding instigated by Stocking descending into a full-on falling out.  This becomes a major problem when the latest Ghost pops up, with Stocking going it alone and inevitably getting herself into trouble, requiring Panty to bail her out while their continued bickering almost puts them both in trouble.

Of course, all's well that ends well, pushing us over into the second half of the episode and probably the most ludicrous and deliberately crude plot so far.  After an admittedly quite amusing take on Saving Private Ryan which replaces the Allied forces with sperm and the enemy with tissues, we move to a story where Daten City is suffering a major tissue shortage, which of course causes all sorts of problems in its own right.  So, Panty and Stocking duly investigate, where they find the paper plant which produces said tissues.. err.... "gummed up", by a clutch of seminal Ghosts.  Cue lots of double entendres before a rapidly resolved storyline.

Even a couple of weeks back after the first episode, I was expressing concerns that Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt was looking like a bit of a one-trick pony, and I think this instalment confirms my fears - the series doesn't really know where to go before lots of sex jokes, bodily fluids and sex-based plays on words.  In fairness, this does work at times - that aformentioned Private Ryan spoof was actually quite funny, and there were a few other sharp one-liners, but when they come thick and fast with nothing to break things up it all ends up getting a bit boring eventually.  Come the end of the episode, even my enjoyment of the animation style and amusement at the show not caring what topics it brings up (I don't think I've ever heard phimosis mentioned in anime before, that's for sure) has been deadened with overuse - fair play to GAINAX for sticking their neck out and trying this, but it's really in need of a little more variety to keep it moving in my opinion.  At least the soundtrack is pretty awesome though.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 2

If you hadn't figured it out from the opening episode, then this second episode of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt should make the aim of GAINAX's latest series perfectly clear - it isn't just a riff on US cartoon shows of a certain era, it's more of a gentle prod (or homage perhaps) towards  American pop culture as a whole.

With that in mind (and after an opening voice-over which is a tongue-in-cheek invitation for kids to sit down and enjoy this cartoon after school), it's no surprise that Panty and Stocking's next mission as angels is to infiltrate a high school, which they duly do in an inevitably not-too subltle fashion.  Here they meet the school's "queen", a cheerleader named Barby who ends up in a full-on rivalry with the newcomers, which we get to see via the wonders of montage - another piece of fun at Hollywood's expense, methinks.  Of course, Barby turns out to be the Ghost the girls were sent in to find, and they duly despatch her and go on their way, although not before Panty has predictably slept with the entire school football team.

In a bit of a turn-around, the second half of the episode doesn't have a Ghost in sight, instead flinging us into a plot where Panty has become some kind of squeaky clean superstar celebrity, leading to her eventually making her movie début... only it isn't a début if you count some amateur porn movie she was in previously.  Needless to say this doesn't go down too well with her adoring populace, so herself and Stocxking end up having to track down all of the copies of said movie to save her reputation.  Does it work?  Of course not...

While Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt still looks at risk of becoming repetitive rather quickly with its quick-draw blend of lowbrow humour, sex references and swearing, I do have to admit that this episode managed to be pretty amusing in places, if only for its arch take on America and Hollywood.  While a lot of these references were pretty arbitrary (with nods to 2001: A Space Odyssey and so on), there were occasional moments of sharp, biting wit on show - witness Panty posing with some black child orphans for publicity, or the high school class teaching kids to abstain for sex at all costs before handing out condoms were a couple of the more obvious ones.  Making fun of American culture, politics and so on is nothing new but it can be amusing, and I wasn't really expecting a show such as this to be quite so forthright in doing it.  If only there was a little more of that kind of comedy on show, then this series could have become something quite special indeed - as it is, it's just a decent (or rather, indecent) bit of fun that brings out a wicked grin in you every now and then.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - Episode 1

It's new anime season time - hurrah!  Could there be a more contentious way to kick off the autumn season that with what is likely to be the most argued about series of the next few months, GAINAX's Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt?

Panty's days at finishing school were clearly well-spent

This opening episode is actually split down the middle into two stories, introducing us along the way to the world of Daten City, a location somewhere between heaven and hell that attracts more than its fair share of so-called "Ghosts" intent on wreaking havoc of some kind of other upon the inhabitants.  Removing these pesky ghouls is the job of our pair of anti-heroines - the sex-obsessed Panty and the sweet-toothed Stocking, both of whom work for a Samuel L. Jackson-wannabe and man of the cloth (although what kind of cloth I'm not quite sure) Garterbelt.  The two sub-episodes of this opening instalment see our intrepid twosome taking on a spate of incidents where people are eaten by their toilets (if you needed a clue as to where this series is aiming, this is it), followed by a runaway car which turns into one long high-octane chase.
Even if you haven't seen the trailer for this series, the image in this post will tell you a lot about Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - visually, it dares to be different with non-stop bright colours and thick lines with a very simple comic book style that belies some genuinely impressive moments of animation.  This barrage of visual information suits the fast-paced delivery of the series to a tee, allowing it to throw in loads of sex jokes and double entendres in the midst of all-out insanity - put simply, the series knows it doesn't have to make much sense and it doesn't care, using simple plot devices to give it an opportunity to riff on everything from porn movies through to magical girl transformation sequences.

In terms of both its artwork and content, this is clearly going to be a Marmite series - some people will love it, others hate it.  As it goes, I generally enjoyed this opening gambit; the visuals appealed to be more than I expected (and some of the fluid action animation is hugely impressive at times), it made me laugh a few times, it was superbly soundtracked and it generally worked in its incredibly quirky and oddball way.  That said, I have to question whether the series can keep this up for its entire run - by the end of this episode Panty's sexual references were already starting to feel old, not helped by Stocking being given almost secondary billing at times leaving us with little to reign things in.  Still, I have to applaud GAINAX for doing something different once again with Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt - I can't really call it "fresh" because this kind of thing has been done before, but in the midst of your typical anime season it does feel like a unique breeze that makes for a change for the norm; the trouble is, I imagine GAINAX were looking to whip up a hurricane instead.