Inferno Cop

Inferno Cop comes to us from Studio Trigger, the studio Mr. Gurren Lagann Imaishi set up after he got sick of things at Gainax. This is the first anime they've put out, simply as Youtube releases. My guess is this is one of those small projects a company does so they can get used to the creation process. Lots of companies do this. Release small product where success doesn't matter at all. It's just a learning process so they know how to structure the creation process internally. But, given that this comes from those crazy ex-Gainax guys, what they produced turned out to be inspired. ...

The gist of Inferno Cop is that it’s a hilariously awful exaggeration of manly 2000 AD-esque cyberpunk cop bullshit, where the lead character is some hard-nosed brutal arm of the law in the same vein of Judge Dredd or Robocop. Inferno Cop is taking a step back from these cyberpunk police shows and realising how silly they really are. Inferno Cop drives a flaming police car. That’s totally the kind of thing you’d see in those kinds of shows, but placed in the Inferno Cop setting is where you realise how dumb it really is.

Inferno Cop is entertainment satire in the same vein as Daily Lives of Highschool Boys or Detroit Metal City. It destruction of an entire genre is glorious to behold, and startling considering its complete lack of budget. It's achievements are even better when you compare it to the utter failure of every other short show from 2013. If only they had the same fantastic writing behind Inferno Cop.

Final score: Inferno Cop/Inferno Cop

This will be short.

I do believe for some this show has become the new "Mars of Destruction". For those of you who don't know what that show is, it is a one episode anime that was absolutely appalling in all aspects. But there's one little thing...you can't compare Mars of Destruction to this. Mars of Destruction failed to be what it wanted to be and Inferno Cop succeeded at what it wanted to be. It is a funny, show with a bizarre sense of dark humour wrapped up neatly in 3 minutes.

Inferno Cop isn't meant to be clever nor witty. It doesn't have ... anything meaningful to say. It is just a comedy taking the piss out of stories set in some crime ridden city involving some dark, brooding vigilante's fight for justice topped with a sprinkle of badassery. It takes the cheesy dialogue out of those and brings it to a new low by making it even more stupid. Just listen to the opening narration; you'll get the idea. If you want a clearer picture, it reminds me of something OneyNG would come up with (but significantly less vulgar).

The animation is 'bad'. I think given the content of the show, they decided not to make it too flashy. The characters don't really 'move' much. Since I don't know much about animation, I don't know what to call it, but it just looks like still images of a characters moving about; no arms, legs head or anything moving at all. The art deviates from the norm as well. I think all of this was a good move itself because it compliments the jokes and the type of humour.

As for my enjoyment, I bloody enjoyed it for what it is. I have not laughed so much at anything for a long, long time. I was even laughing in the shower up until late at night while I was attempting to write my essay.

I know only 2 episodes are out now, and I'm sorry to those who dislike people reviewing incomplete anime. This will be my last and only review.I'm just trying to give an honest review in hopes that one opinion will be at least taken seriously.

Inferno Cop, a show where ending credits is 4x longer than the episode itself.

This is a masterpiece, but at the same time the worst shlock ever made.

This is satirical comedy at its peak and beyond. It's something that far exceeds my intellect to comprehend. This is maximum autism.

To make more sense, I'd have to copy our Lord Foggle's review on Mars of Destruction here while purely agreeing with each of the sentences and have no satirical intentions afterwards, and for me to come close to deducing what Inferno Cop is, I'd have to be born as Einstein in all my seven lives. ...

The great Stephen Hawking once said, "Perfection simply doesn't exist... without imperfection, nor you or me would exist."

Rumor has it that he was forced to eat his own words once he saw Inferno Cop.

And when life gives you lemons, just throw that lemon away and watch Inferno Cop.

You might've heard about this anime and how people are calling it 'Anime of the Year' and 'Best Anime Ever'. Well, guess what? They're all pulling your leg. As it turns out, this anime is nothing more than an ugly, poorly-constructed web series with almost no redeeming value. Here's why:

Story: 1
Three minutes per episode isn't a whole lot of time to develop a story. Almost every episode is either a letdown or a ripoff. Among the things ripped off in this show are "Return of the Jedi," "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," "Neon Genesis Evangelion," and of course ... "Ghost Rider." Creativity and thoughtfulness are low.

Art: 1
The animation is far from good. In fact, it isn't really animation. It's just a puppet show using characters that look like they were cut out of comic books. You can tell it's not animated because the characters' faces never move, they don't move like animated characters should, and they explode when they die.

Sound: 4
All of the characters sound like they were voiced by the same person. Most of the sound effects were explosions and the music was hard to hear past the speaking. Apart from some cheesy lines of dialogue, there was barely anything good about the sound.

Character: 3
Several characters get killed off in the anime. The only characters with any real relevance are Inferno Cop, Mecha Cop, Mister Judge, Real God, and Hellfire Boy. The only character with any real development is Inferno Cop.

Enjoyment: 4
This really depends on who you are. If you're into nonsense, cops, and explosions, it might appeal to you. If you're more skeptical and want to see something decent, then this might not be what you're looking for.

Overall: 2
In all, this anime is not the 'masterpiece' that it's being made out to be. The animation isn't really animation, each episode is mostly 'one part dialogue, one part explosions,' and the whole thing felt like a collaborative project between Marvel Comics, IPC Media, and Michael Bay. It's not very good.

Inferno Cop is Trigger's new groundbreaking anime masterpiece. Inferno Cop is former GAINAX employee Amemiya Akira's directorial debut. He follows in Yamamoto Yutaka's footsteps as he tries to breath new life into the medium, or "save anime".

Story - 10
Inferno Cop has a deep, though provoking narrative. Beneath what may at first appear to be a shallow action comedy, resembling something one might find airing on Adult Swim, there is actually an interesting underlying social commentary. This show examines such topics as the criminal jusitce system, the medical care system, and religion. It manages to do all of this in 3-minute ... episodes.

Art - 10
At first glance the art may seem cheap, and the animation shoddy, but there is more to it than that. The series has a distinct visual style like nothing else out there that fits the series perfectly. It is also a subtle critique of the studios that are killing the industry, like Kyoto Animation, who rely on flashy animation to sell their shows.

Sound - 10
The voice work is top-notch. The cast fit their characters perfectly and deliver moving performances. The brilliant sound track fits the series perfectly and is always used appropriately. There is also a beautiful ending sung in near-perfect German.

Characters - 10
The show mainly focuses on Inferno Cop, who it goes without saying is a fantastic character, but there is also an outstanding supporting cast. There are even some excellent tragic characters that brought me to tears.

Enjoyment - 10
Not only is Inferno Cop such a deep, moving show, but it is also incredibly enjoyable. The exhilarating action, and high brow comedy make the show fun to watch, too. Unlike other attempts at DEEP anime, Trigger didn't forget to also make the show watchable.

Overall - 10
Why are you reading this instead of watching Inferno Cop? This show sets the bar so high that I doubt anything will ever compare. With Inferno Cop Trigger takes charge and ushers in a new era of anime.

Overview:

Inferno Cop is like a combination between Ghost Rider, Strongbad, and the stoner comedy cartoons of Adult Swim. Rather than spoofing a single genre, Trigger decides to spoof a wide variety of media from Shonen to Robocop, from Marvel comics to Evangelion! This is easily the best comedy Studio Trigger has made to date!

I would like to apologize to Hiroyuki Imaishi for all the times I've spoken ill of his work! Normally I find his style of spoof to be extremely tedious, unfunny, and trying to convince people it is a masterful deconstruction when it isn't any more clever than a Setzer and Friedberg ... movie.
Inferno Cop took EVERYTHING that I had a problem with in his spoofs, and corrected it!
It is fast, funny, and mercilessly spoofs a wide range of media without ever pretending to be more clever than it is. My favorite is the Eva episode. Imaishi spent years of his life working on the numerous Eva series, reboots, and side movies for Gainax and it takes a big man to be able to laugh at himself and make fun of his own work. Please accept my apology from the bottom of my heart. I bow down to you Mr. Imaishi, you insane, glorious bastard!

When making an anime, one would like every studio has high dreams, hopes for whatever they're making becomes something worth remembering for many years, something that will stay with their viewers, hopefully change their life, even if it's a little bit, for the better and become an epic tale grandparents will tell their children. Sadly, you rarely find anime that's even worth remembering, and most series are made just with the goal of milking some money, without thinking in the true art an anime can have behind. Inferno Cop is not the case. This is a series that went outside of every cliché to create ... a true piece of art in every sense, a story full of feelings, action and heavy philosophical themes while studying the psyche of probably the most complex character in any medium. Inferno Cop is the unquestionable leader, the best thing ever created, something that years from now will be talked like the biggest invention, even over things like the wheel, the lightbulb or the internet.

Inferno Cop is a series that inculcates values of justices and relentlessness like any other thing in existance, it should be what every human, alien and whatever use as a guide, Inferno Cop is the real messiah of this world, the one everyone should follow without asking question. Inferno Cop is the answer to all our questions.

But the series goes beyond that, it analyzes what goes through the mind of Inferno Cop while living in a very harsh world full of terryfing demons and babies that threaten the world. Inferno Cop values every life, and through each episode we see him struggling to create real justice, not just a superficial one, he thinks about justice and looks for an answer that can help everyone, for real justice is meant to be for everyone, and not just a few. Real justice has no enemies, but there are poor sheeps that haven't been enlightened.

While being tempted by nihilism thoughts, Inferno Cop's will and trust in the world never falters, and he always has friends like Hellfire Boy, he will keep being the hero the people didn't ask, but need. He knows hell very well, and won't let the world become one by the hand of the evil organization Southern Cross, and won't let himself be defeated by the imposing Mecha Cop (and his Sega Saturn CPU). A beautiful rivalry is born here, and the already epic tale becomes just something else, dwelving in the difficulties of having different opinion, but in the end, everyone is always looking for what they think it's best.

Inferno Cop comes from the depth of hell and isn't looking for glory, his solidarity is unprecedented, he just want the world to be a better place, he wants you, your family and friends to be happy even at the cost of his, and he doesn't even ask for a 'thank you'.

The series analyzes Plato's Theory of Forms, and one-ups Plato by introducing the hell world, a world were everything is the antithesis of their ideal state, the world humanity may one day selfdestruct itself into. Inferno Cop comes from this world, he's the last hope of everyone, he's comes to our sensible world not only to save us from the hell world, but to help us reach the intelligible realm, the only way to achieve true happiness and justice for everyone. And he just might make it, because he's Inferno Cop, he's our hero, he's a superior being with an unbending will and love for every living being. He's what this world needs, and what Trigger somehow managed to make real, while using an OST that might just bring a full pack of emotons from everyone who listens, and an animation full of realism, fluidity and beautiful art.

The series even manages to go into the science world, making an abstract portrayal of combustion, creating an exothermic redox chemical reaction between Inferno Cop's justice (fuel) and will (oxidant), creating the flames that sorround this magnificent character. Not only that, the amazing fight, while never failing to disappoint, it also teaches classic and quantum mechanics, because they just have that level of detail with every shot fired. They say he can control time, and with Laplace transforms, change it into complex frequencies. That is the level we're talking about.

Everyone should always follow Inferno Cop's example, and while it might be impossible for mere mortals to become like him, Inferno Cop teaches us that we must always aim as high as possible, so that even if we can't reach said goal, at least we will know we got as high as possible, that we did our best and probably contributed our grain of salt to the world. At the very least, we should always be thankful about Inferno Cop, because even if we can't see him (well, until Trigger released this anime, that is), he's there helping us, and he came from the depths of hell, which means he climbed much more than any of us to get to where he is. Inferno Cop is the biggest legend of this world, which makes this series, undoubtely the best thing in this world.



Review originally made for my top 100, which you can access here: http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=767350

When it comes to giving something a score, I don't base it off of the story, the art style, how well everything just works together. I base it off of how much fun I had watching it. So, put it on a scale of 1 to 10, I have to pick 10 because "roller coaster" isn't an option.

Inferno Cop was produced by the now critically acclaimed Trigger, and it certainly shows and fits along their other works. What you're not going to get here is a deep story, thousands of hours of people slaving over frames of animation or the best sounding show to date. ... What you will get, though, is a piece of work which shines through with spontaneous moments of hilarity and a loosely put together story, not like that's what's going to be holding your attention.

This show is fast, and I mean really, really fast. It doesn't take a moment to breathe, and because of it's quick and jabby humor, you too won't have time to breathe. Throughout the entirety of the show, I was laughing to the point of tears, and even on the second watch through (which happened on a bus ride with a few buddies), I still caught myself laughing so, so much.

I can't describe much of the show, or I'll just spoil it. It's super short, and so is this review. My advice is just to watch the first couple of episodes, and if you enjoy that, finish it. Otherwise, turn around now and leave, because Inferno Cop will just chase you down and turn you into a very sorry person if you don't get your lead now.

Inferno Cop is one of those parodies that you can just love

- Story
It was just funny nonsense about an "inferno"cop, in the first episode it seemed like some dumb nonsense, but the more you watched, the funnier the nonsense becomes.
I actually take suspicion these creators were using drugs while creating the story, it is pure nonsense, no cliches *bout time*, funny jokes, and funny side characters, this was pure fun

Art-
Now, there is nothing to say about the art, it is simple, and it is perfect for a parody, it's just some simple drawn characters, backgrounds, and some simple moving, not even a walk animation, but, ... as this is a parody, the animation makes it even funnier, if this wasn't a parody, this wouldn't even deserve a single point.

Sound-
Well, the voice actors were perfectly suited i can say. The MC has a funny voice actor, n so do some side characters, there is nothing much to say about that, since it is mostly about characters, so it was all good.

Characters-
Well, as i said, funny, and the MC was just pure genius, there were like 3 or 2 companions with the MC through the story with him. Since the anime is too short *or parody we can say* I just suggest you see this for yourself, pure joy i say.

Enjoyment-
I didn't regret any second, the first episode would seem like a bad parody, but after that, the nonsense intensifies, and you kinda start loving it, so fun 12 episodes of pure nonsense.

10/10
-Wuf

Inferno Cop: From The Bowels Of Hell

To be completely honest with you, I really don't know what to think of this series. The anime viewer in me found it to be a downright hilarious watch, while the critic in me found this to be a mediocre production from a relative new production company. Inferno Cop is brought to us by the production company Trigger in their first production to hit the anime market. To be honest, I can't rip Trigger that much since most production companies first works are never that good. I guess the good news for Trigger is, they never even tried to ... be good with Inferno Cop.

Inferno Cop is a three-minute anime series that uses still framed characters with linear backgrounds. There is no "animation" in the sense that there are multiple frames in a constant flow, but rather the still frame animations are moved manually within the scenes. It's about the equivalent of cutting out shapes, pasting them to Popsicle sticks and moving them around in the scene. The best way to describe it is "cheap." You can tell the animation budget was extremely low for this series and perhaps that was the intention. The producers of this series intended to make an incredibly goofy, slapstick humor comedy that you can get a laugh at with how cheaply it's made.

So what's Inferno Cop about? Well...it's premise is a little insane. It's essentially about a cop from the bowels of hell that serves justice in a city known as Jack Knife Edge Town. His mission is to take out an organized crime syndicate known as Southern Cross. There is a revenge scheme as Southern Cross killed Inferno Cop's family and Inferno Cop sells his soul to hell for the power to take down the syndicate. However, don't expect that narrative to hold true, since the story takes odd twists and turns and becomes more about the strange situations Inferno Cop falls into. The plot is relatively similar to Ghost Rider, although that is just one thing I'll mention about this series.

The strength of this series was in its humor, especially with the inclusion of pop culture references, anime and non-anime a like. There are subtle stabs at anime, video games, and movies...some include the aforementioned Ghost Rider, Star Wars, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Dr. Who. I could go on-and-on about the pop culture references, but I found it hilarious at the brilliance at how they were used. I found the overall scriptwriting was extremely funny and while I found the seiyuu work to be flawed, I have to give them credit for staying in-character with it's insanely written script.

The biggest weakness with Inferno Cop is essentially skin deep. There was minimal effort put into this series from a production standpoint. The animation is the cheapest I've ever seen in an anime, the voice acting sounded like it was done by a couple guys in their basement...much like Girl-chan In Paradise for those that watch flash animation cartoons, and the music was cheaply produced and lacked variety.

Overall, Inferno Cop is a pretty simple anime to define. It's a series that's made to get a cheap laugh...and if nothing else, it's a nice series to watch if you've got about 5 minutes to kill. While I know I criticized its animation and overall production, the thing is I felt that it in a sense helped with it's dumb, watered down brand of comedy. Part of the laughs with Inferno Cop does come from how cheaply it's produced. This is a series where if you really like the cheap comedies you can watch on Adult Swim, then I'd highly recommend this series. I'd compare it to something like Robot Chicken except it has more of an on-going narrative rather than sketch comedy. It is honestly one of the better anime shorts I've ever watched, if nothing else. At least I got a laugh out of it, that's more than I can say for something like Chitose Get You! If you're looking for an anime short with an amazing narrative, I wouldn't recommend Inferno Cop, but if you're looking for a cheap laugh without taking up most of your time, than Inferno Cop is the way to go and I wouldn't be surprised if you found yourself shouting "Inferno Cop" in Engrish throughout the series.

This series warrants a 10 for the sheer randomness that unfolds as it runs its course. The art isn't anything special, primarily low budget still shots, but the writing is top notch. You will ask yourself at least once per minute "what the f**k am I watching?". And then you'll watch the next episode. The end of the series is one of the most catastrophic and totally random that I've ever seen, in any form of media.

First, I'm going to split this review into six points: Plot, Characters, Animation, Music, Voice Acting and Overall...

Second, review in Spanish at the end...

And, third, I hope that it will help them and they enjoy it!

Also, forgive me if my English is not very good, I'm not any expert...

Without more, begin:

Plot: It is one of the most crazy and bizarre stories you ever saw in an Anime, the plot itself has no feet or head and makes no sense. To measures that pass chapters appear more and more wefts each one more bizarre than the last, and despite the simple which is this anime, never ... get it to understand the plot...In general, only focus is to be it more bizarre and crazy possible and forget everything else... I would put him 3 points of 10, going up 2 points only because at the end remember having one plot.

Characters: It is of more decent that you have this anime, they are charismatic and entertaining, although like the plot, they are so bizarre, crazy and does not make any sense. I would put him 6 points of 10, only because, as I said, being charismatic and entertaining.

Animation: It's horrible, so, they are just static images without moving for 3 minutes!. I would put him the minimum, aka, 1 point of 10 possible

Music: Okay, not is neither as good nor bad, simply is good. You would put a 5 of 10...

Voice Acting: About voice acting, I understand that only one made the voice of all the characters, so it did well, it is not the seventh wonder, but it did well.

Overall: Is crazy, it is very bizarre, it makes no sense, but still entertains, it has a couple of good jokes and is something pretty decent in general, if you get used to 1 fps animation, you can enjoy.I would give you 5 points for 10...

In spanish:

Trama: Es una de las historias más locas y bizarras que he visto en un Anime, la trama no tiene ni pies ni cabeza y no tiene sentido. A medida que pasan los capítulos aparecen mas y mas tramas cada una más bizarra que la anterior y a pesar de lo sencillo que es este anime, nunca logre entender la trama...En general, sólo se centra en ser lo más extraño y loco posible y todo lo demás lo olvida... Yo pondría lo 3 puntos de 10, subiéndole 2 puntos solo porque al final recordaba tener una trama.

Personajes: Es lo más decente que tiene este anime, son carismáticos y entretenidos, aunque como la trama, son bizarros, locos y no tienen sentido. Yo le pondría 6 puntos de 10, sólo porque, como he dicho, son carismáticos y entretenidos.

Animación: Es horrible, con tal, son solo imágenes estáticas sin movimiento durante 3 minutos. Yo le pondría lo mínimo, aka, 1 puntos de 10 posibles.

Música: Está bien, no es ni tan buena ni mala, simplemente es buena. Le pondría un 5 de 10...

Actuación de voz: Sobre la actuación de voz, tengo entendido que solamente uno hizo la voz de todos los personajes, así que lo hizo bien, no es la séptima maravilla, pero lo hizo bien.

En general: Es una locura, es muy bizarra, no tiene sentido, pero todavía entretiene, tiene un par de buenos chistes y es algo bastante decente en general, si te acostumbras a la animación de 1 fps, se puede disfrutar.Le daría 5 puntos por 10...

Many times Trigger has saved anime, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt, this is the best thing not only Trigger, but anyone has ever done to the anime industry.

I present to you an anime so perfect that everything else seems trash in comparison, an anime that revolutioned the industry, the single greatest anime that has ever been created: Inferno Cop.

Story: 10/10

The story for Inferno Cop is the best you'll ever see. It took all the potential that the premisse had and used it to the maximum. It's amazingly executed, with legendary fights to get you on the edge of your seat ... and heat up your blood. Heart wrenching moments WILL make you cry, the emotional impact this series has on you is insane, and it's bigger than any I've seen. Angel Beats? Clannad? Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso? What's that compared to the MASTERPIECE that is Inferno Cop? The mysteries are great and very thought provoking, it leaves you very confused, only to explain it all and blow your mind in the end. You like plot twists? Inferno Cop has plenty of insane plot twists. Not to mention the comedy, which is guaranteed to make you roll over the floor laughing.

Art: 10/10

The art for Inferno Cop has no competition. Imagine if KyoAni, Comix, and Ufotable worked together. Now multiply it by 100. That's the beauty of Inferno Cop. It's simply breathtaking and will give you orgasms. Every frame is screenshot worthy, and could be used as your wallpaper. It's like if they had the budget for a KyoAni and a Comix movie combined, for every frame. Not to mention the animation is insanely fluid, every scene feels like a Sakuga.

Sound: 10/10

This is the best soundtrack I've ever heard or will hear. The songs used in the emotional scenes are more beautiful than Clannad's, and will cause a heavy impact. You can't escape from the tears even if you just hear the song itself on Youtube. The action scenes, with and OST more epic than Shingeki no Kyojin's, will make you get pumped on levels that you didn't even think were possible. The soundtrack in the Slice of Life scenes will put a huge grin on your face, without a doubt. Not to mention the variety, having over 100 songs in it's OST, Inferno Cop will always present you a new song, making it feel even less repetitive, which it already didn't, since every scene is a new experience.

Characters: 10/10

The characters in Inferno Cop are the most realistic, human characters I've ever seen. They feel like they're really alive. Their development is incredible, and insanely well done. They're all extremely likable characters, and I guarantee your top 10 characters will be all Inferno Cop characters after you watch this.

Enjoyment: 10/10

With it's breath taking visuals, and beautiful soundtrack, Inferno Cop absorbs the viewer into it's world. It feels like you're there, adventuring yourself with the characters. Time passes by and you don't even notice, when the show is over, it will feel like you've only seen 5 minutes. This anime is amazing, and the most enjoyable I've ever seen.

Overall: 10/10

Inferno Cop is simply perfect. In all aspects. Nothing comes close to it. It's a masterpiece, and definitely the best anime ever made. Trigger saves anime once again. Your favorite anime will seem like shit when you watch Inferno Cop. You'll say to every single anime you've liked before: "How did I like this?". In fact, I recommend only watching Inferno Cop after you're completely done with watching anime in your life, since if you watch anything after Inferno Cop, it will ruin your experience with that show due to your standards being set too high.

“We must cut out all that is different like a cancerous growth! It is essential in this society that we not only have a norm but that we conform to the norm. Differences weaken us! Variations destroy us!” – From the Twilight Zone episode “The Eye of the Beholder”

By and large, the presence of originality has been eroding away from the world’s forms of entertainment for a while now. The cinema industry has propelled itself a shade above mediocricy thanks to a seemingly neverending stream of re-makes, basically transforming nostalgia into mountains of cash. The NFL’s motto has currently been “this is the way we’ve ... always done things now shut up and deal with it”. Anime, in particular, is suffering from a years-long endeavor into the tried-and-true. What was once a medium of constant innovation and unabashed quirkiness has now denigrated into a dystopian system of moeblobs and tsunderes, of boobfalls and deus ex machinas, of overpowered angst androids and their legion of clueless harem chicks.

It is in this industry that Inferno Cop steamrolls through, shattering the mindless tedium that anime has become with a fiery passion for all that is pure and righteous in what we watch. This OVA’s backstory is a famous one; Hiroyuki Imaishi, who first flirted with fame thanks to the great Gurren Lagann, left Gainax to create Studio Trigger in 2012 and Inferno Cop was the first work that Imaishi directed with Trigger. As many have stated before, Inferno Cop saved anime from the repetitive nonsense it had devolved into; it also obliterated any rational standard I have for anime in general, like how I think of character animation. How can I describe it? Imagine that you’re a little boy and you want more action figures but your parents don’t have enough cash for them right away. What do you do? You draw what you think resembles some cool action figures. You cut them out and, well, you move these flimsy scraps of paper around and talk for them, just like you would with your toys. That’s what Inferno Cop’s characters look like; they don’t move with their arms, legs, feet, etc. but instead are shifted diagonally, vertically, and horizontally. In other words, Inferno Cop’s character designs are terrible but the series lampoons its stylistic flaws often enough that it becomes an integral part of the title. That’s just the kind of anime this is.

Throughout the duration of this medium’s existence, there have been quite a few mentally unhinged characters to grace anime (eccentrics like Steins Gate’s Rintarou Okabe and Hisoka of Hunter X Hunter fame come to mind), and then there are the guys occupying this show’s cast, particularly the titular character. Inferno Cop is a delusional maniac who, believing his quest is a righteous one, murders a baby, devours his friend’s remains, and destroys the Earth in the course of 13 episodes, and all of this is convincingly portrayed thanks to the colossal efforts of Junichi Goto, who simply oozes the absurd overacting that this role requires. As is wont to occur in one-man shows like this, the rest of Inferno Cop’s cast doesn’t do much of anything, Mecha Cop and Hellfire Boy simply exist to assist the protagonist; the only somewhat noteworthy members of the supporting cast are April O’Neill from TMNT, the corrupt cop in episode 1, and of course God. “Wait, why is God there?” you might ask. The simple answer: don’t expect Inferno Cop to make sense.

Like anything and everything else that is deprived of logic, Inferno Cop is a controversial concoction of pummeled potential. On the one hand, you must commend this series for, along with its unique character designs, convincingly displaying and/or developing an array of topics like the justice system, pregnancy, the passion of competitive sports, time travel, and the apocalypse all in a mere 13 episodes, with 2 minutes per episode. On the other hand, a series that squanders its runtime on an expansive spectrum of ideas instead of simply starting and finishing its story deserves some measure of criticism. What was mentioned about our titular character early on is that he suffered an irrevocable, life-altering tragedy long ago at the hands of Southern Cross and he is apparently wandering from town to town for revenge. However, what would’ve been a solid plot element instead nosedived into oblivion, to put it lightly, as Southern Cross devolves into an increasingly irrelevant presence throughout the series until it is dragged from the pit of nothingness to protect the Earth from Inferno Cop (It’s as stupid as it sounds; trust me). More than anything else, what really puzzles me about Inferno Cop is how the show never bothers explaining how the hero received his powers. I mean, you don’t just roll out of bed with a head swathed in flames, do you?

Perhaps expecting a reasonably compact plot is utterly extraneous for a show that attempts coming across as a particularly off-the-wall comedy. Even then, I don’t regard Inferno Cop as a whole as consistently amusing; the success of this series’ irreverent brand of humor is mercurial to say the least in that occasionally Inferno Cop is flat-out hilarious (episode 2’s bullet scene is an obvious moment) but more often that not it’s uninspiring. Many have ventured to praise Inferno Cop not as a comedy but as a glorious satire of the superhero genre, presumably to compensate for Inferno Cop not being funny after a while. Satire is a genre that presents a comically exaggerated viewpoint on a topic which highlights, explicitly or implicitly, what needs to be changed in our society. If you wish to an anime that does justice to the field of satire, Paranoia Agent is for you because, as far as I’m concerned, Inferno Cop isn’t satire. I don’t know what this is.

Even Inferno Cop’s soundtrack isn’t all that impressive; in fact, excluding the earworm that is “Die Hollen Porizei”, it’s barely worth mentioning. Regardless, Inferno Cop overall is worth watching because it is purposefully left-field while anime today stick to the right; it is unique not in its material but in how it is delivered, not in substance but in style. Ultimately, Inferno Cop is the definitive “turn-your-brain-off” flick, an OVA you can enjoy as long as you’re not anticipating anything deep and meaningful.

Ghost Rider forever, baby!

I was hoping to write a well thought, balanced, and fair review of Inferno Cop after taking what I expected be a rather average show, I was proven wrong after finishing it in a day. Inferno Cop is one of those rare shows that really redefines the medium as whole such Akira and Neon Genosis Avangelion. Inferno Cop is an anime and that is an indisputable fact.

How does Inferno Cop achieve this? Simple, simplicity. Inferno Cop doesn't feel like its better or smarter than the audience but I feel that it thinks that its smarter since it uses the old storytelling technique of telling not ... showing and executes with precision and logic (tough there isn't much of that in other areas). Inferno Cop seamlessly introduces characters and concepts with skill allowing the viewer to fully appreciate the rich and vibrant world of Inferno Cop and its characters.

Speaking of characters, Inferno cop has a good assortment of them from: Supemerman disguised as a baby, pregnant woman, Inferno Cop's aunt, Mecha Cop, Hellfire boy, and so much more; each of these characters have rich, deep, and meaningful development and character arcs over the course of the series. Each character is unique in there own way especially Inferno Cop himself.

However the voices that accompany the cast of amazing characters is truly amazing. Inferno Cop is an anime that could convince even a dub junkie such as myself to indulge in splendor of japanese voice. The men and women in Inferno Cop all sound the same making every character feel familiar but are different enough that you could tell them apart. You can really hear the emotion of dialogue. The series OP takes a queue from western media with a minimalistic intro other than the longer ones of its contemporaries however the ED is one for the ears to enjoy and sing along with for the next episode. Soundtrack truly does make one question their own ears.

Furthermore te artwork accompanying the Soundtrack and Voices of Inferno Cop is a sight to behold. Articulation, the bending of joints, is one of the most over used troupes in all of animation (not just anime); Inferno Cop does away with this over used animation technique and opts instead to use still PNG-like images of characters set against a series of semi-realistic photo backgrounds, obviously using real images in the latter half of the series. The fights scenes truly were the highlight of Inferno Cop giving studios like: Ufotable, Bones, and Madhouse a run for their money. Every frame of Inferno Cop is a true Test for the eyes.

I did not enjoy Inferno Cop, I withstood it. I stand on place where many men have ventured and came out a changed person. Inferno Cop is truly a contender for one of the greatest anime of all time. No aspect of it is lacking in any degree. Glitter on Inferno Cop, glitter on.

(Don LaFontaine voice)

“In a world rife with kid heroes receiving convenient powers out of nowhere…a world overrun with moeblobs and shallow archetypes for characters…a world ravaged by light novels more concerned with otaku references than telling a good story…one man will rise to dispense his brand of ironclad justice.”

(Insert fiery whoosh sound effect)

(start playing Die Hollen Polizei)

“From the studio that brought you Little Witch Academia comes an anime that kicks tiresome clichés to the curb. A dramatic tale of good versus evil unlike any you’ve ever seen, set in the United States of Japan.”

... (insert stock explosion sound effect)

“Inferno Cop! Now available at your local Crunchyroll distributor. Rated R.”

(Cut out music)

(normal voice)

Alright, given the nature of Inferno Cop, I felt compelled to start off on a silly note, since most of the other reviews here clearly aren’t taking themselves seriously, which makes sense, given that Inferno Cop is impossible to take seriously.

If you couldn’t tell from my text-only trailer, Inferno Cop is a comedy from Studio Trigger. Not too long ago, I reviewed another project of theirs, Little Witch Academia. LWA was made on a large budget. Inferno Cop is the polar opposite.

This series sports less animation than most Flash cartoons on Newgrounds. The Astro Boy anime of the 1960s has more motion than this. Not only that, the backgrounds all look like they were ripped out of old visual novels, none of the speech is lip-synched, several character models are re-used, and none of the episodes are particularly long. This actually works in Inferno Cop’s favor. The comedic timing it employs simply would not work with detailed animation, as drawing articulations of movement would slow it down too much. In other words, this anime is a lean, mean, fighting machine! It has no time for padding! It has no time for lengthy expositions! And it can do jokes most other works of animation can’t. Even if it looks more like a comic book than a proper anime, Inferno Cop takes full advantage of the “less is more” mentality. I’d also like to add that while the visuals are minimalistic, it’s not the worst ever. I like the flame effects, and some of the character designs are well done. No one looks like a typical anime character, but rather, that of American comic books. Whether or not you’ll like that is for you to decide. I personally don’t mind.

Though the budget doesn’t just limit the artwork, oh no. The voice cast is limited too. What do I mean? All of the female characters are done by male actors speaking in falsetto. Not to mention that a good portion of the voice acting is overly hammy. And that many different characters are obviously voiced by the same actor. Given that everything else is already made with the absolute minimum of resources, it fits. I will say the actor for Inferno Cop does some impressive shouting at times.

As for the series itself? It’s about Inferno Cop, a man coming back from Hell to avenge the death of his family at the hands of an evil criminal organization. That’s it. A premised so simplistic, so overdone, that you just roll with it to see how absurd it gets, and boy, does it get absurd. This show makes a mockery of many different things, not just anime clichés, but many things in general. It feels like something that, were it made in America, would air either on Adult Swim or Animation Domination High-Def. Being an ONA, the episodes are very short, and the whole series can be marathoned in under one hour. This would be a perfect thing to show at a late night party with friends.

For all of that said, I do want to emphasize one thing; Inferno Cop is not dumb. Yes, it’s low brow, and feels like the makers made everything up as they went along, but it’s not asinine. You do not need to “turn your brain off” to enjoy it. Part of the fun is trying to make sense of all the weird shit that happens in Inferno Cop, which was hard for me to do, because I was laughing too much to do so. While I wouldn’t quite call it a masterpiece, (Gintama is, on average, even funnier) Inferno Cop was a good way to kill forty-five minutes of my time, and easily the best Japanese ONA I’ve seen thus far.

One last thing: the majority of the budget clearly went into the soundtrack, including the main theme, a rock song sung in German with very thick Japanese accents. According to a quick fact check, the lyrics, while composed of real German words, make no sense. It only serves to make Inferno Cop even more-no, not awesome, I need a bigger word to describe it…stupendously astonishing as a work of gloriousness.

TL;DR version: for a 3 minute web-show from the ex-Gainaz guys that brought to you Gurren Lagann, it's a damn good throwaway show that's just chock-full of WTF action and ridiculous scenes coupled with surprisingly good SFX and VFX given the aim and budget of the project.



Back in the early time of this season (Winter 2013) when Scamp, glorious cult leader that will save animedom, hyped this up, I'm suspect that this might be a troll of the highest order. Some felt like they were trolled out of their time, but for me, this is one of the better anime that's just outright intriguing. ...

Being what it is, i.e. a low-budget web show just to get in the groove of animating for a new studio, it is surprisingly not shit compared to other shorts this season. The animation while incomparable with full-fledged anime production, is still high quality compared to other shorts such as Ai Mai Mi or Ishida to Asakura. If I were to force myself to choose something that comes almost on par with the animation quality that Trigger brought for Inferno Cop is probably "Oosaka Okan". At least that last one is a tourism ploy so it must at least be somewhat decent.

The artwork is something of preference, despite my urge to beat anyone that disagree. For what it's worth, I love the way the characters are drawn in a mixture of western gritty grimdark style and not-so-standard Japanese style. None of that BS bug-eyed stale moe style, which is a refreshing thought. I disagree with anyone that says they are "drawn by a kid" because, lets be honest, kids can draw normal moe derivative style way better than the style Trigger chose to make Inferno Cop.

Also with the budget being downright low and the importance of this anime is no more than "practice", the SFX is also more than decent; I'd dare say very good. While sure it has a lot of explosions and stuff, sometimes there are studios that just can't get even explosions to sound visceral, but for the life of me I can't really give examples from the top of my head. Dialogue is so-so, considering that they probably just hire two or three people to cast the whole lot, from the titular hero to the female characters in the show.

And being quite frustrated with Winter 2013's offering, a short show this weird and hated after the initial trolling is what made me enjoy this show more that what it should be. All the mixture of cheesy crime-ridden town being saved by a hellcop with stupid incoherent plot, the good animation quality given the budget, the cheesy SFX and some well-timed interruption jokes made this show punch well above its "short web series".

I gave it a 9 because 10 is where all the anime that made me abandon all logic, intelligence and reason to go full fanboy on (like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, etc.).

If you open a good dictionary that has been published since 2012 and look up the definition of the words perfection and masterpiece you will find that Inferno Cop is in fact the definition of those words.

When I first watched Inferno Cop I thought it was just a fun anime, but nothing special. I was wrong. Inferno Cop is in fact the deepest anime of all time. Tackling themes as diverse as the nature of God and the evils of shoplifting.

Inferno Cop communicates these themes effectively through its diverse and often morally grey characters.
2 examples of these characters from the first episode are the ... group of tugs that attack a pregnant woman, but also pay their takes and a police officer that proclaims to be the law itself but also pirates anime. Can either of those truly be considered good or evil?
Than there is Inferno Cop himself. A man whose flame of justice will never cool down and will not stop fighting crime until he has created a world with less shoplifting. Inferno Cop might not be the hero we have, but he is truly the hero we deserve.

*This is my first review, so please, bear with me*

Never in my life, have I seen something so retardedly stupid that it's awesome...until now.
Studio Trigger brings Inferno Cop to the table as thier first "production," and honestly, they did a good job.
This web-series has over-the-top action with a western comic feel to it, which makes this "anime" all the more better to watch.

Story: 3
You don't watch this for the story. It's VERY stupid..and makes no sense whatsoever.

Art: 7
... The gritty western-comic style, and South Park-esque cut-outs are great for a webseries like this...where it is focused on crazy action and black comedy.

Sound: 8
The sounds made by characters and their enviorments are ridiculous...and hilarious at times. They are fun to hear.

Character: 6
There is no character development whatsoever...but they are all likable. From Inferno Cop himself to Random Gang member #2253, they will have that one special place in your heart that you never knew existed.

Enjoyment: 8
After watching this at 12 AM after a long day of work and school, this is a real treat, and I was laughing like a mad-man the whole time.

Overall: 7
After taking all thee factors into consideration (and the fact that this IS a webseries), Inferno Cop by Studio Trigger deserves a 7/10. It is one of those few shows that are so stupid that it's good.
After seeing what insanity ST is capable of (including their work done at Gainax), I can't wait for them to make a full TV Series.


Good Day and Good Night internet, and thanks for reading my first review!

I can not find words to describe this anime, for it is akin to the supreme manifestation of god's will, something that we foolish heathens don't deserve to feast our eyes upon.

This rating is but a mere number, assigned by a foolish man, a number that can't truly convey the essence of the sublime existence that is this anime, constrained by it's own capabilities, for it's worth can not be appraise by that which is worth less. Alas, I can not assign a greater score to this anime, this manifestation of Buddha himself, so this 10 must suffice.

10/10