I've stated in the past that a lot could be gathered from a show's 1st episode, but it's rare that I come across cases where the very 1st opening scene sums up the anime just as well. Not even a full second into Triage X and the 1st thing the audience is greeted with are melon-size oppai. With that being said, leave any sense of decency you may have at the front door, and revert back to your hormone-filled pubescent days because Tri-hard X is as brazen as it gets.
GUNS!!!.. BOOBS!!!.. EXPLOSIONS!!!.., annnnnd MORE BOOBS!!!
Let's face it; there are only two reasons for anyone to watch this:
#1, for the "plot"
#2, for the "plot"
But as far as the actual content goes, there's very little here worth discussing. This is an anime that exists solely as a container for boobs and action. Any plot points brought up that gives hints towards a character or narrative arc goes nowhere. From the mysterious inner-workings of the various organizations that the viewer is made aware of to the straightforward overarching narrative that contained it, all of it was merely brushed over. Mini-arc formats that began with no buildup and ended with no solid conclusion. Outside of being an advertisement for the manga and all the "plot" it may contain, Triage couldn't be bothered with the trivial matter of "caring." But man cannot live off boobs alone, so in substitution for a story, the show gives us chicken scratch that vaguely passes as one.
This chicken scratch was manifested with our protagonist, Arashi Mikami, as we find out that he's a part of a band of assassins that kill off members of society that they deem unworthy. With the help of a few armed titties with legs and his weapon of choice, they take on several assignments where they're tasked with cleaning house, leaving no grunt unscathed and no boob untouched. Wait, boobs and assassins? Is this Akame Ga Kill 2.0? All shit talking aside, the show could have done a lot more with the material than what it aimed for. No, I wasn't expecting much, to begin with, but they made no effort in hiding the fact that it was only there to boost sales and intrigue for the source material. The anime did very little to stand on its own, and it reflected profoundly on its drab presentation. The most we get are hints towards something brewing just below the surface; hints that ultimately panned out to the creators saying "Just go buy and read the manga already." This was marked off with an underwhelming ending that even the show's protagonist seems to be aware of, as the closing lines delivered by him felt like the studio's way of saying they simply didn't give a fuck:
"No. Nothing's been resolved."
They just went about finishing it without a proper resolution or care in the world, giving the audience narrative blue-balls in the process. Everything was just left up in the air, like the Freeze frame ending of an 80s movie. To give you an idea, it's like if I stopped writing this paragraph mid-senten
The art/animation was relatively simplistic, which is a shame since I thought it was the perfect material to push boob physics even further. Although there was nothing overtly offensive about the production, there was also nothing impressive about it either. It was just the bare minimum needed to get by, almost cynically pushed off an assembly line with the paint still wet.
And just like the animation, the soundtrack was equally generic, with your usual J-rock opening and OST that does nothing to stand out. Every musical cue felt incredibly phoned-in. The music fits the show in the same way every tween TV drama has your typical strum of an acoustic guitar hanging in the background. And as your eyes glaze over from watching GUNS, BOOBS, EXPLOSIONS, the soundtrack is just there, chiming along in the most unassertive way imaginable.
But enough of that, time to cover the wonderful people we follow throughout Try-hard X's episode run.
I'm hesitant to even refer to this cast as "characters," honestly speaking, there's only one actual person in the entire show. The rest is bodypillow models in the making. Our main protagonist, Arashi Mikami, is as stoic as they get, in other words, he has as much personality as a brick wall. With a brooding personality stuck in angst hell and dialogue equally as stiff, every moment he's on screen, I could just feel a bit of my soul being sucked out.
The rest of the cast can be summed up with a simple formula: archetype + boobs
They're all busty females with one predominant personality quirk, so basically, well-endowed smurfs. The only "development" they get are the ones hanging from their chest. Of course, this is only a bad thing if you were expecting more, but if you just came into this for dumb action and TNA, then this character lineup is godsent.
The antagonists were all overblown manchildren. It helped add to the campy nature the show unintentionally stumbled in. Also, none of them were afraid of groping a few sweater puppies either, so expect a lot of fun "boob-play" sessions.
GUNS, BOOBS & EXPLOSIONS; a tried and true formula
While Triage X was flawed on every level imaginable, it still managed to keep me entertained. I was brought to a time in my youth where sex and violence were all it took to appease me. It was certainly good schlock entertainment at times and if nothing else, kept my interest long enough before abandoning ship.
If you're simply looking for an easy-to-consume time-waster along the lines of a brainless blockbuster, then Triage X should fit the bill. And while it plays out well in that sleazy entertainment realm that it shamelessly occupies, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything else here. It's a show that focuses more on the "plot" than it does the plot and is very much aware of its ploy. The lower you set your bar, both in terms of standards and maturity, the better, as Triage X is wholly satisfied with its awarded consolation prize of being lowbrow smut.
