I'm not one to normally start off a review with a quote, but from my perspective nothing summed up this show quite so perfectly. Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is the anime parody of western cartoons. To put it accurately, you take the Powerpuff Girls and cross them with South Park. The result, an amalgamation of crude humor, sex jokes, false ecchi, monsters of the week, Team Rocket, and two "Angels" who may just be the antithesis of angels. Allow me to say that it was fucking incredible.
Story: ???
Yeah, I'm not really certain of how I should label this aspect of the show. I mean, c'mon, you read the description, what the fuck is this? How can I possibly score that? It's a bit easier to talk about it rather than apply a numerical value. The story on it's own is fairly solid, our two bitches with halos have to fight big monsters throughout the city to try and get back to heaven. The specifics have a flare of creativity about them, but the basic concept is nothing even remotely new (not that it's trying to be). I won't deny that after two or three episodes this unoriginal concept started to feel pretty damn stale. The monsters and their respective renditions of chaos certainly did not provide a reason to watch this show. This does change for a little while when the monster of the week scenario is coupled with Team Rocket's nefarious plans to enact evil upon the city, through the use of weekly monsters. I say Team Rocket but really they're just a group with the exact same dynamic as team rocket (this is a parody show). The entry of this evil trio also eventually felt stale because the question of "what's their plan and how is it going to fail" can only hold one's interest for so long. But ultimately, the monsters and nefarious stratagems are not why we're supposed to watch this show.
Oh, and fuck Gainax endings. That one after-credits scene didn't happen until they decide to announce another season. I'm fairly certain that the studio was just delivering us with a pointed jab in reference to their reputation, but honestly, fuck that.... >.>
Art: 8
The art style is just like what we 90's kids (and older) used to watch on Saturday mornings. It sustains a cartoonish feel from the character designs to the panoramic shots of the city. The action is balls-to-the-walls and over the top with big explosions and bold faced text. What's so bloody amusing about having this art-style is the fact that this show is still an ecchi, but the art-style prevents sexual arousal in any format whatsoever. Sorry guys, you'll have to look elsewhere to get your fix. Parodying the ecchi aspect of anime by using western styles is honestly rather brilliant, but with that said, I wasn't a fan of it. Throughout the show we occasionally see an abrupt change in animation style. The only recurring instance of this is when our two Angels undergo a "magical girl outfit change" of sorts. The animation adopts the modern anime style and showcases the girl's removing their signature garment in a lewd fashion, all the while being next to a stripping pole. This serves as a tease of sorts to the audience with the creators taunting us by saying: "Heh heh heh, look what you DON'T get to see." The reason why I disliked the cartoonish feel prevalent throughout most of the series is because I don't think it added anything. I do not believe incorporating that style was a bad-idea, this is meant to be a parody show through and through, but I would have preferred a balance between how the show was drawn. The initial fun of seeing that manner of art with the anime influence lost its charm after the first few episodes. Throw an episode of cartoon here and original there, maybe incorporate one episode meant to be like Gurren Lagann or any other anime with a distinctive method of animation. They could have parodied other anime along with the western cartoons. Beyond the modern anime design we occasionally got art reminiscent of Transformers, South Park, and even a 1/2 episode that almost looked akin to rotoscoping (I'm not entirely sure if that was the method they used, an eye for art is not my forte).
The actual quality of the art is a bit difficult for me to judge, but I am going to say it was very solid on the whole. It was simple, but I never picked up on any instances where the animation seemed choppy or distorted, the overall quality seemed consistent throughout the entirety of the 13 episodes.
Sound: 10
The soundtrack is surprisingly awesome. I never would have imagined that this little parody could produce a genuinely good musical score. Featuring a heavy amount of electronica that blends perfectly with the feel of the show. A few of these tracks quickly found their way into my musical library.
The true standout aspect of the sound however is most definitely the English dub. At this point the dub has become rather famous, sticking true to the parody aspect, a HEAVY abundance of crude humor and profanity is draped over the dialogue. I'm not one to instantly say that swearing=humor, but in this scenario it is a concept that works beautifully. Adding in a few "fucks" every sentence isn't a good recipe on it's own, thankfully Funimation pulled out their A-game to present us with an excellent cast to accompany the profanity ridden dialogue. With Jaimie Marchi and Monica Rial at the helm, Cristopher Sabat as first mate, and Joel Mcdonald as the cabin boy, the respective performances of Panty, Stocking, Garterbelt, and Brief were positively stellar. The supporting cast also did fantastic as well, Cherami Leigh and Colleen Clinkenbeard as the demon sisters were particularly memorable as their haughty arrogance and composure in the face of ridiculousness provided a hilarious dichotomy. Though I do give special applause towards Monica Rial for playing Stocking. Not necessarily because her voice-work was more impressive, but rather due to the fact that Stocking is juxtaposed to nearly every other role Rial is cast in. On most occasions Rial is employed by playing the sweet and kind characters with the high pitched voice and lovable demeanor. Sure, Stocking has the high pitched voice, but when her first line is "Fuck off! Don't talk to me till I've had my sugar!" Damn it all, we're in for a treat.
Character: 9
Haha, oh damn, these characters. To start this off let's talk about the two Angel sisters, or the two hoe-bags, hookers, cum-dumpsters, etc, etc. Just think of a derogatory name generally applied to females and these two are likely called it at some point or another. Panty and Stocking Anarchy, the two seem to be the personification of Lust and Gluttony (respectively), which is a bit ironic considering they're you know, ANGELS. Panty is the blonde, sex obsessed slut. She loves taking the spotlight and is generally more rude than her sister, employing a higher amount expletives and bearing a persona with a vast increase in crudeness. Stocking is the goth angel with an unparalleled love for sweets. She's a bit more calm than her older sister, though she is definitely capable of outbursts due to rage. She is masochistic and though no where near as addicted to sex as Panty (she prefers to be a bit of a tease), she is far from innocent. You can draw quite a few parallels between their personalities and their names. Panty who is far more outright, with removing one's panties being effect simile of an invitation for sex. And Stocking, the more tame sister with a tendency to tease, and removing one's leggings is more of a teasing aspect. A not so subtle interplay between character names, designs, and their personalities.
You also have Garterbelt, the splendiferous, afro-wearing preacher that serves as the caretaker of Panty and Stocking. He's constantly annoyed and exasperated with the Sister's antics, and insulting them is their primary form of interaction. For being a preacher he's quite amoral, but when you have angels like Panty and Stocking, who the fuck knows what religion we're dealing with.
Enjoyment: 9
This is honestly one of the best comedy anime I have ever seen in my life. I felt like I was watching a brilliantly scripted and acted abridged series as opposed to a legitimate production. The dialogue is so foul and outrageou the entire show was a goldmine for one-liners. I'm certain that I'll have to go back and rewatch the show a few times just to ensure I didn't miss anything while laughing. The pop-culture references littered throughout the dialogue added an extra dose of hilarity as it ensured the jokes never got too stale . References like referring to the View as "Four bitter lesbians".
If I had to name one aspect that I didn't enjoy it would have to be the pervasive amount of toilet humor. I reach a threshold where jokes about shit, vomit, piss, and picking one's nose aren't funny (said threshold generally being one joke). I understand that the creators were taking a no-holds-barred approach, but it got stale very, very quickly. Luckily, even when these odious elements took center stage, the dialogue not pertaining to the vileness that permeated the scene salvaged the episode on the whole.
Overall: 9
This oddball of a show is certainly deserving of a nine. You have to rate it on a certain scale, but for what it was trying to accomplish it was approaching perfection. Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is a peculiar comedy that should honestly be watched by anyone who has ever laughed at a joke from South Park.
