Reviews

[Story: 7.5] Taking on the old Jekyll and Hyde concept with a new twist, Detroit Metal City is a comedy about Negishi, who for some strange reason, ended up singing for a band of the genre he hates the most. There, he takes up the persona of Krauser II, a supposed deranged escaped convict. The setting for DMC thus brings forth the question: how different is it between the performers' stage personae and their actual lives? How much of the so-called scandal and tales of debauchery publicized on the media true? However, that's a minor detail. The real humor lies in how Negishi gradually loses control of his Krauser persona, who will break out and end up committing outrageous things the shy and mild-mannered Negishi will never dream of doing. Like raping Tokyo Tower, for example (yeah, its that kind of show).

Second key aspect of the series is the portrayal of the band's fandom. Much of the humor comes from the ridiculous behaviors of fans in their blind worship for Krauser, crowning him as an invincible demon lord and constantly coming up with crazy theories to build up Krauser's legends. Just like what real-life fans of various types of hobbies/ subjects tend to do, it's practically a satire of what fan dumb can be like.

[Characters: 7.5] Main focus of the series is of course on Negishi who leads a dual life. He loves Swedish pop but people think he's terrible at it. Thus, whatever attempts at debuting in that genre is futile. On the other hand, he hates Death Metal but the band he leads is a legend. As such, the gags in each episode involves how the timid Negishi unconsciously becomes increasingly dependent on the insane Krauser as his stress relief, using him to vent his long pent up frustration or solve his problems in an exaggerated manner. Sometimes the results are good, though most of the time it's with disastrous consequences. Either way they're downright hilarious.

[Art: 6.0] The art is ugly; no, it's deliberately bad. In a way, its 'cheapness' creates its own style for the series. Furthermore, some of the gags were made funnier because of the ugly facial expressions the characters put up - think GTO for reference.

[Music: 7.5] Just like the story, its music is a sheer refuge in audacity. The lyrics in the OP (and pretty much the entire point of the band's songs) are so crude that it is funny, albeit in a morbid sort of way. This is juxtaposed with the more sweet and bubbly ED - again, pretty much the entire point of the series.

[Summary] Needless to say, the dialogues and gags are often offensive in more way than one, so the humor style of Detroit Metal City may not be to everyone's taste. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for something different, e.g. comedy with elements of satire in it, DMC is worth giving a try. The ending is rather inconclusive, but that’s mainly due to the fact that the manga is still on-going.
Personal Overall Rating: 7.0