Taiho Shichau zo (TV)

Hokey smokes, that was awesome. Only in the world of anime can policewomen beat out goddesses

You're Under Arrest! Its been one anime that I've been meaning to watch for years and years and have simply ignored for one reason or another. I knew all about it being the first child of Kosuke Fujishima (who also fathered another of my favorite all time franchises, Ah! My Goddess), and I had heard good things, but I just never ever bothered.

For the past week, I bothered.

Fourty-seven episodes never went by so quick. I was simply blown away at the sheer "goodness" of this series. From amazingly well ... developed characters to the quirk 90s fusion jazz soundtrack, there wasn't a single bad thing I could find here. Granted, there were leaps of logic at times, and a few episodes were just way too corny, but none of that really detracted from what proved to be a truly enjoyable series.

Onto the synopsis.

If you've never heard of the basic story, then you're either young or living under a rock. Tsujimoto Natsumi, on her way to her first day at work, is flagged down for violating several traffic laws by a beautiful policewoman named Kobayawa Miyuki. She then discovers that Miyuki is her new patrol partner at the Bokuto Station; Traffic section. The two start out rocky, but develop into one of the most impressive crime fighting duos ever seen.

Sorry Batman & Robin, but you need to step aside.

They unlikely pair are surrounded by a bevy of personalities including a timid mountain man (Nakajima Ken), a happy, gossipy, busybody (Nikaidou, Yoriko), and a stoic enigma of a section chief (Kachou). Throw in a draq queen and an archetype detective and you got yourself a decent supportive cast.

But it doesn't end there! Through their misadventures, Natsumi and Miyuki constantly encounter one of the most bizzare "superheroes" in anime history. Strike Man, the masked vigilante, while proving to be ultimately harmless, bungles his way through the series as a friendly pseudo-antagonist while providing some hilarious JUSTICE monologues. His deadly mega-ultimate-meteor-fireball-crusher-strike-ball-of-justice is a thing of deadly beauty...though Natsumi has never once failed to hit it out of the proverbial park and send him packing.

Another interesting character is one of the least seen but most explored. Tokairin Shoji makes his first appearance, unannounced and unheralded, late into the series but slowly develops as something very special. For someone like me who has never once touched this franchise, it was incredibly awesome to watch this guy interact with the existing characters, so I won't spoil anything, but I can guarantee you that his presence "makes" the series.

Of course the cast doesn't end there, but I got to cut it off at some point right? Shout outs go to the old man/young girl couple, the intense teenage policewoman wanna be, the kindergarten kids, and Beach Volley Ball Man.

Yes, Beach Volley Ball Man.

With all these interesting characters, its easy to think only a few of them matter. That simply isn't the case. While everyone does have their part to play, their path to that part is well explained and shown. It seemed as though for each character, even the most minor of them, the viewer is given a history and a reason to not only care for them, but also grow attached.

In other words, the characters are the story. Their actions, their relationships with one another, and the blossoming romances and admiration are the selling points, and with as uplifting as they prove to be, I'd be hard pressed not to buy!

Love, Friendship, and ACTION! Simple, heartwarming, and honest. Everything about this series gave off those feelings, and the soundtrack champions those themes.

Now, jazz certainly isn't the most popular music genres, and even less so is fusion jazz, but considering the setting and date of the series (1996 Japan), the music fits perfectly and adds a little something extra to every scene...smooth when it needs to be and fast paced fusion-action during the more volatile scenarios. The two opening songs were excellent and addictive while the endings did a nice job wrapping things up. As always, music is a matter of personal taste, so perhaps being a fan of jazz AND fusion jazz jades me, but I would think most anyone would agree that this was a decent OST.

Ultimately You're Under Arrest! was one of the most entertaining anime I have ever seen. I full expect to immerse myself in the franchise as a result, and I have to say, I'd expect the same from anyone else who gives this a try. There is a prequel four episode OVA, but they don't pack the same punch. If you're interested in the franchise, THIS is the installment you'll want to use as your barometer.

I HIGHLY recommend this. It doesn't matter whether you prefer new school or old school, action or romance, policewomen or goddess...this is something you'll want to check out for sure.

Here I find myself writing a review for a underrated show that from what I noticed doesn't get the love and attention that it needs. Well let's get on with it!

You're under arrest is a blast from the 90's providing everything that I wanted from this kind of show: Characters who steal your heart with their personality and charisma, jazzy ost during each episode and catchy op and ed song that makes you dance, unique animation style used during the 90's(glittering water animation is one my favorites) and finally a solid story that gives you a nostalgic feeling if you were a kid of the ... 90's.
The sound of the car engine running on the highway, the jazzy ost that accompanies it, a monologue filled with substance and depth told into the sunset, a dialogue line that emphasize the characters traits, a one second decision that changes everything during a car chase, this is what You're under arrest offer to it's viewers.

You're under arrest is a show that focuses on the daily life of its characters but also on their job as policemen/policewomen. It aims on the both sides of the coin and it does a great job at doing so, the result is a action packed slice of life with great female characters who steal you're heart with their personality and charisma, and capable male characters who despite their lazy and funny personality when they're is no room for mistake they are the ones who you can rely on them.

The characters are what makes this kind of show great! They have their own moments and spotlight during the show were they manage to shine. A single glance to their partner is enough to make both of them understand the next course of action is, one dialogue line filled with substance that changes everything, a flashback used at the right moment, well done collaboration to solve a case, these are the things which You're under arrest uses for the development of its characters.

You can easily distinguish the characters from their course of action and unique personality traits. We have Miyuki( best grill of course) a mechanical freak who loves to make adjustments on cars and motorcycles but she also has a sweet side and a crush on one of her colleagues, Natsumi who relies on brute force and her competitive spirit to manage everything, Nakajima a professional bike rider who has a crush on one of her female colleagues but he is to shy to confess, the Chief who is always lazy but serious and does his job perfect when it counts, Aoi who is one of the best traps that I have seen, her character and reasons are so well handled that you can relate to why he dresses as a women and finally Fujiko who looks like a hopeless policewomen at first glance who likes to gossip but when you get to know her she is really suited for her job. What I am trying to say is that the characters have depth, substance and solid reasons of choosing these line of career.

As many shows with a length of 50 episodes you will find some so called "filler episodes" that are only for the comic relief or to take a break from the serious episodes. Don't worry this show has some serious and dark arcs that portray the pride and stake of what means to be a police officer and how the public perceives this institution. You will see sweat on the face of the characters, you will see them putting everything they have at stake to protect their pride and honor as police officers during those arcs so you won't be disappointed at all.


The music is one of my favorites aspects from this show, the opening song is so catchy that I almost find myself dancing on it, the ending song is so 90's and has a nostalgic vibe and the jazzy ost during each episode makes me raise the volume higher. While the animation quality is not as great as the one from the ova(you will be amazed how each detail was so well crafted despite it's 24 years age) the visuals still manage to capture my attention and during the the action scenes the animation is top notch for its time.

I gave this show a 9 because I want others to try it out especially for the slice of life lovers who want something different you will not be disappointed, contrary you will be surprised like I was about how good the sol moments were handled. It's the magic of Studio Deen that manages each time to create something enjoyable and solid for its audience. Well then thank you for your time and patience reading this and I hope you will have a blast watching this anime!

There comes a point where you just have to sit up straight and think to yourself if what you are watching is worth it. Taiho Shichau zo is one of those shows. Unfortunately.

Coming from the OVA's, I was extremely optimistic. The 4 episodes it offered were very effective at creating a wholesome series of episodes focused on the police and their work. Take the second episode, as an example, how it captured the sincere and kind personalities of the protagonists and how qualified as people they are to be in public service. Going into the TV series, I had hoped that the OVA's potential was ... to be fulfilled in the upcoming series. However, I have had to drop it due to such disappointment.

The TV series is fun. Created because it is fun. Adapted from it's source material because it is (presumably) a fun manga. However, I feel that this show has too many aspects that I consider to be unfulfilling or just plain unfunny. I have dropped it at episode 27.

I can only recommend the OVA's. Then view the first two episodes to see if these satisfy you. Take note that these two episodes may be the weakest episodes but they should be judged even with that in mind. The disappointing nature I found these episodes to be had foreshadowed the feeling for later episodes. Only did I not realise this until later.

To elaborate, a lot of the show is downright trite and predictable. To describe the second episode, an inspector comes and everyone is panicking because they aren't prepared and so the inspector discovers this and isn't impressed. Until suddenly (!) an emergency that will prove the honesty and wholesome nature of the cast is presented and he says with satisfaction that "they are good officers". Are predictable episodes like this worth it? Haven't I seen things like this in media dozens of times already? Is this the result of the potential I saw from the OVA's? I am not shaming it's age, but I question the incentive to watch the series for those who want to watch this.

The relationship of Ken and Miyuki is unnecessarily stubborn. It is almost insulting how the OVA can advance such a great relationship organically in just one episode than in the TV series where that progress just seems to have been thrown out of the window. For a reason that is shallow and unauthentic I can only assume. These repeated scenarios that make Miyuki get upset because there is doubt to Ken's faith or where it isn't her getting affection from Ken is so poorly done and is just childish and terrible. Additionally, the process of the protagonist putting Ken into a position where he can confess and then ultimately failing is frustrating on many levels as well. It is such a destructive technique that hurts to watch and I do not look forward to how the direction goes no matter the result.

However, their relationship is only a small portion of what I didn't like from the show. The show puts effort into the use of motor vehicles and the engineering behind them which is fine. In fact, it really helps the show have more of an identity.

On the other hand, in cases where the protagonists are maneuvering in impossible ways to find a bomb to defuse or scaling a collapsing building... there are many situations where it just isn't realistic ans is absurd. Although, in the very first few minutes of the OVA this is demonstrated that impractical things will happen just for the sake of it. In this case, could you just chalk it up to being 'anime'? What are my expectations in these cases? Is it ok for impossible realities to exist for the sake of the episode?

It isn't just driving where things can get nonsensical. Things like people conveniently being in the right (or wrong) place at the right time is a big one. Movement and actions performed is another. Even the backstories of characters can be unbelievably stupid. For example, a narcissistic police officer has a grudge for another officer because she supposedly went through life getting top grades and achieving things like a perfect score at the shooting range because of... could you guess... luck! All of it. Just luck. So she tries to out do her for the whole episode and she thinks she wins but then the other person gets commended in a more wholesome way. It does show how you can be a successful police officer in both ways so it isn't all bad. Is it okay to use these impossible situations to make a slightly wholesome point at the end? I don't know. All I know is, I don't know what I want from this show so I think maybe I have just been watching the wrong show for me.

To sum it up. Specific episodes are fun but there is too much here that, in my opinion is disappointing or just offensively not worthwhile. It's hard to describe but I hope people can look past my criticisms of the show and enjoy it for what it is. I would have loved the show 7 years ago when I were a lot more naive and easy-going. Not that you would have to be naive to enjoy the show. However, the direction taken after the OVA's is what disappoints me the most and I can only recommend this show if you want something older but with flair and if you don't mind anime and it's familiar tropes and triteness.