• Studios: OLM, P.I.C.S.
• Source: Original
• Genres: Mystery
• Synopsis: “In a city which should be familiar, there is the feeling of something a little different. Kotokawa is a taxi driver who lives an ordinary life, taxing some quirky customers around. A slightly eccentric stranger who has no relatives nor any relations with other people, Kotokawa’s hobby is to listen to Rakugo on the radio before going to bed. For the time being, the only people he can consider as friends are his family doctor Gouriki, and his high school classmate Kakihana. Kabasawa, a college student who wants a buzz, Shirakawa, a nurse who’s hiding something, comedian group Homo Sapiens, who isn’t selling well, the city hoodlum Dobu, and the rookie idol group Mystery Kiss—the conversations with these people, which should not have meant much, lead to a girl who disappeared.”

-MAL News

First Impression:

Odd Taxi has been on my radar since I watched it’s PV. The cute character designs create a fake facade as the dark tone of the dialogue and ambience of the show hint a much more ominous storyline and for it to be original makes it that much more appealing. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited for an original anime (OK not that long because that last one was Deca Dence I think?) so I’m curious to see everything unfold each week! Let’s dive in!

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Before our main character even talks, we get the premise of the show through a radio talk show about a girl that goes missing. Obviously by the end the story we’ll find out what happens but you can expect little hints throughout as well as some other trouble that might be stirring in the future.

Kabasawa

Odokawa

Before we get too deep into the story let’s take a step back and appreciate the art and the very subtle CGI in the background. When the camera is in Odokawa’s moving taxi, the bright colors and lights flash by the windows as he traverses through the city. The city itself is rendered in 3D, though you probably wouldn’t notice it at all! The motion blur and glow effects does a good job of masking the CGI, which makes its very pleasant visually. Though if I did have a complaint it would be that the 3D model of the city is quite limited and if you pay attention, you’ll notice that Odokawa passes the same line of stores a couple times in this scene alone (Good luck trying to unsee that!).

Along with the CGI cityscape, when we’re outside of the taxi, the background are a little different. They have a more sketchy background which give the screen a lot of texture. You can see it most clearly in the playground where the slide has this grainy (almost like a crayon was used) to it. My guess is that these are actual locations that were photographed and then layered with a filter. This give the sceneries more depth and a much more realistic sense of balance. It’s actually quite impressive if that’s the way they actually go about it because you have to think about drawing the characters on top of this filtered photograph. A lot of thought and precision goes into making sure everything seamlessly blends together!

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Now this is one of the scenes that had me with my jaw to the floor. Who is he talking to?! You would assume that it’s the girl that was missing…but it doesn’t show her and there’s no sound coming from the closet. If it is, in fact, her, is she still alive or is she dead and Odokawa is just mad? This is the prime example of Schrodinger’s Cat, depending on the condition of this girl…the entire casts’ position in the scheme of all of this can change and to me THAT is what makes this show worth watching!

Recommendation:

YES

Odd Taxi is a show that NO ONE will talk about but is, quite frankly, one of the most intriguing shows of the season. If the start studded voice acting cast or the opening ending theme performed by Suzuko Momori (or Momorin to her fans) then the mysterious story surrounding the disappearance of a girl will! Who doesn’t like a little Schrodinger’s Cat action?

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