Cop Craft

Fifteen years ago, a hyperspace gate appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, connecting Earth to a strange world filled with fairies and monsters. The city of San-Teresa became a home for over two million of these otherworldly visitors. Unfortunately, the population boom also brought its fair share of problems—drugs, prostitution, and trafficking. To combat the rampant crime lurking in the city's shadows, a new department was established in the San-Teresa Metropolitan Police.

Former JSDF soldier Kei Matoba is one of the best cops that the department has to offer, despite his inclination to occasionally bend the rules. After a fairy trafficking case goes wrong, Kei loses Rick Fury, his friend and partner of four years, setting him on a quest for vengeance. To help him with the case, the department pairs him with Tilarna Exedilika, a noble of the Farbani Kingdom. As one of the Knights of Mirvor, her duty is to rescue the noble fairy that Kei encountered during his last case. Despite his distaste for non-humans, he accepts the arrangement at the request of his superiors. Now, the unlikely duo must come together and overcome their differences in order to return the missing fairy to her country and avenge the death of Kei's partner.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Exedilika, Tilarna Main

Yoshioka, Mayu Japanese

Matoba, Kei Main

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Epps, Cecil Supporting

Orikasa, Fumiko Japanese

Estefan, Cameron Supporting

Inoue, Marina Japanese

Zelada Supporting

Ootsuka, Houchuu Japanese

Vampire Supporting

Uesaka, Sumire Japanese

Mcbee, Tony Supporting

Takahashi, Ryousuke Japanese

Fury, Amy Supporting

Maekawa, Ryouko Japanese

Fury, Rick Supporting

Sanpei, Yuuki Japanese

Mozeleemay, Marla Supporting

Mizuno, Risa Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Itou, Hirofumi Producer

Fukao, Satoshi Producer

Kanemitsu, Kazuhiro Producer

Reviews

Sep 30, 2019

ExemplarCayman

Recommended

“The password is seven letters, listen carefully. It starts with F, then U, then C, K…”

Ever seen a buddy cop film? This is a love letter to the subgenre, and it turns out, buddy cop plus moe is a match made in heaven. The key premise of a buddy cop film is forcing two very different people to work together - anime allows these people to be as different as a gruff veteran detective and a space elf loli jedi. They’re supposed to bicker - so we get angry loli pouts and a despairing guy too old for this shit. “Fish out of water” - ... we get treated to a curious inquisitive daughteru interacting with the modern world. None of that, of course, gets in the way of the pure cop drama goodness - you still get all the “getting shot two days before retirement”, “investigation leading to a strip club” and “the FBI rolling in and taking over” that your heart desires.

Juxtaposition is also a hell of a drug. Sword and sorcery stuff happening against the backdrop of the criminal underbelly of Not Los Angeles makes up for a unique, eye-catching setting. The world-building, the characters, the comedy and dialogue writing are quality stuff you can expect from Gatoh Shoji (Full Metal Panic and Amagi Brilliant Park creator). Special mention for a western setting that actually feels western.

On the story front - despite being an adaptation of a novel series, it isn’t just “stuff happens until it doesn’t.'' It feels like an actual story that begins with the first episode and ends with the last. The last two episodes work as the culmination of every major arc that happened up until that point.

There is an unavoidable fact that the animation is very lacking due to a blatantly tight budget (which in practical terms means the deficit of manpower), but the show does an amazing job of working around its limitations with clever editing/shot composition. In fact, this series is a great illustration of the fact that animation/sakuga (the amount of movement, the number of frames per second, etc) has very little to do with how good a show actually looks. For example, there is one scene of a car crossing over the hill, and it’s literally a cutout of the car moving against a static background, with the front wheels just going up into the skies. It looks bizarre… until the scene changes and you see the car’s suspension violently smashing down from a jump. The front wheels did, in fact, go into the skies, what you saw is what happened in-universe. A tiny studio pulling every trick in the book to make up for the lack of resources is to be commended, especially when the very same season we can see an inverse of that with Fire Force - the cream-of-the-crop animator talent being wasted on terrible visual direction.
Even bigger flaw is a bizarre episode structure of the first arc which makes it look like a movie that just got cut into 25 minute chunks - a culmination of an entire arc happens basically in a pre-credits scene, while the rest of the episode starts a new arc. Again, it appears to be a consequence of simply not having enough animators and being forced to do 2.25 episodes out of what was supposed to be 3.
Anyway, what I am getting at, why is a show with such flaws is rated 10? It isn’t, I’d take out 0,1 points for bad animation and 0,3 points for the episode structure, so the final score of the show would be 9.6/10. There is no way in hell I’d feel justified subtracting more because neither random junky frames, nor the other thing detract in a meaningful way from story, dialogues, humor and ideas that together make up 96% of my enjoyment of this show. If other people are incapable of appreciating those things and resort to focusing on other aspects, such as production values - it’s their loss.

9.6/10 for “unique, thought-provoking and entertaining piece of fiction.”

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Sep 30, 2019

TheDeedsOfMen

Mixed Feelings

"It's the American dream, you know!"

If a gate opened to a magical fantasy land, which would be the likely outcome?

A) You are summoned as a hero and must defeat Generic Evil Overlord #21,576 with the help of your newly found godlike powers and a harem of people desperate for your love and affection.

B) The people from both sides engage in awkward coexistence and cultural exchange, featuring racism, guns, pornography, drugs, theft, prostitution, humanoid trafficking, terrorism, rampant consumerism, and cats.

By the very nature of their premises, cultural commentary and social issues should be natural topics for isekai series. After all, isekai is supposed to be about ... travelling to other worlds, and the obvious thing to do would be gawking at the different cultures like a confused tourist. However, very often these issues are neglected almost entirely, with series instead choosing to focus on arbitrary godlike superpowers and harems the size of a phone book. This begs the question: why bother with the whole "transported to another world" setup in the first place if all you are doing is the same old story of harem antics and generic villains? Even though it has its faults as well and is far from perfect, Cop Craft at least manages to avoid that fate.

In this case, I suppose "reverse isekai" is more accurate because the story takes place on good old Earth. Kei and Tilarna, who are from different worlds, team up to form a cop duo who fight crime in a city populated by both Semanians and humans (or the Doreany, as called by the Semanians). The city is on an island in the Pacific that was originally Semanian soil and was transported to Earth by a gate that happened to open between the planets.

I wouldn't mind seeing reverse isekai more often because it is refreshing to have Earth as the setting once in a while. This show seems to agree because it goes ham on Earth culture. The dialogue showcases cultural references from Earth and can often be witty. It is worth noting that both species consist of individuals with clearly different personalities and interests. The Semanians are definitely not a Planet of the Hats, a species with a single defining feature shared by almost all members. They are simply individual people, just like humans. Many of the Semanians have adapted to life on Earth remarkably well. If it wasn't for their slightly different appearance, I would often have a hard time telling them apart from humans. Tilarna, who is a noble and only recently arrived, initially seems out of touch with not only humans but many other Semanians as well.

Another pop quiz. If visitors from another planet arrived on Earth, what would they be after:

A) natural resources,
B) humans as manual slave labor, or
C) porn magazines.

If your answer was C), congrats. Apparently, even the boring, low-quality ones are worth a fortune in a fantasy world that has almost no photos. Incidentally, the shops on Earth are allegedly too well stocked in general, making it difficult to choose items.

"Do you know the name of Earth's God? 'Money.' Simplest thing in the world, right? I've converted to its religion, too."
A Semanian big-time criminal says so.

Given that the protagonists are in the police, particular attention is given to due process. There are rights and obligations that protect citizens from arbitrary police action but also make it more difficult to convict criminals, even when it is obvious that they are guilty. Tilarna, the alleged knight of justice, criticizes this pretty frequently. "Is this the justice of your world?" and so on. Search warrants? What are those? Beating up suspects? Just another day at the office.

Racial tensions are fairly often portrayed in isekai series, but this time they are more eerily similar to our current political discourse. A hard-right politician, Tourte, has a central message of "live by human rules or go home" and he wants to deport Semanian criminals (after revoking their citizenship, I suppose) in large numbers because many of them are involved in crime. One of his ads is saying "San Teresa first," and his supporters are holding signs of "ET, go home." Another character argues that the Semanians are "invading" Earth without even knowing it themselves simply by staying here. Meanwhile, calling the Semanians "aliens" is considered racist in some circles. We also get the "all the options on the ballot are terrible" view on democracy because the other candidates have other problems.

However, some of the attempts at ethical and political arguments are left unfinished. For instance, at one point Tilarna is arguing with Tourte and saying that the island was originally Semanian soil, while Tourte argues that it is now on Earth, so it belongs to humans. A more effective argument against Tourte would be that it is up to chance who is born where and thus which people are deported. It would force Tourte to argue harder, but Tilarna does not present it. There is also a lot of untapped potential when it comes to the social issues here, and I feel like the screentime could have been used a bit more effectively to highlight them in a more varied way. The ending also tries to downplay how volatile the political situation is, which seems like an unjustified 180-degree turn from some of the previous episodes.

The show also has other problems. One thing I'd prefer is a more cohesive plot. Some of the cases are not directly linked to the main plot. There is still some thematic cohesion and connected details, but tying the different cases together more strongly would definitely be a good idea. I can barely remember some of the one-episode antagonists. The worst offender by far is a sequence of 1.5 episodes (episode 8 and a part of 9) that focuses on generic slapstick comedy and some particularly off-putting fanservice scenes related to a particular scifi plot device and a cat. It is based on a freak accident and is dragged on for far too long. It contributes basically nothing to the main plot or the themes either. This part felt so out of place that I feel like I have to specifically mention it. Fanservice is far from rare in anime, but this was far more awkward than usually.

Kei and Tilarna often have good banter going on about Earth culture and related topics. Their chemistry is pretty solid and also varied enough, though Tilarna's excessive Tsundere side can be hit-or-miss in some scenes. Some of the side characters such as the other cops and the informant guy also get some witty lines, but many of them are still starved for screentime. Meanwhile, the main villain gets barely any screentime or development and is left at a somewhat generic level. If you forgot that he existed and got an "oh right, that guy" moment near the end, I won't blame you. The side villains somehow get even less, and I can't even remember their names.

Additional world-building wouldn't hurt, for Earth but especially for the Semanian planet. Could we at least step on Semanian soil (not including the island) a few times and see first-hand how they live? It is not as though isekai must take place in only one world. We learn some aspects of Semanian society by second-hand testimony, but that is no substitute for witnessing the place for ourselves. Apparently, there was initially a war between the two sides before they could reach an agreement on the land, but the war is only mentioned in passing.


The opening song is called "Paradise City" with pretty catchy music. The video features a superficially cheerful city full of neon lights, but it quickly becomes obvious that it is full of gunfights, people armed with guns in general, and also car chases, explosions, etc. A true paradise, alright. This is the kind of naming I would use too: sarcasm.

The ending song, "Connected," has Tilarna singing while the video highlights the mixed, blurred culture that has been born out of the coexistence of the two species. In this instance, some of the artwork is pretty great, such as some backgrounds of the city and the rain effects.

The stylistic choices are a mixed bag. I like some of them. San Teresa looks like a fairly typical large city on Earth: not very posh but not a total slum either, sometimes with additional neon lights. It showcases both the prettier and uglier parts of life on Earth. Notably, the cars look old-school and a bit of thought must have gone into their designs. On the other hand, there is occasionally awkward-looking fanservice that does not quite fit in the situation. Usually it is within tolerable bounds, but the filler episode I mentioned is a serious offender, and I am not saying so lightly.

What stands out is that the quality of animation for the series overall is clearly lacking. Aside from lazy-looking motion sometimes, it sometimes get so bad that the characters are speaking with a still frame on-screen. No mouths moving or anything. Some action scenes also end up looking like a series of still slides, kind of a PowerPoint presentation. I can only guess that the studio must have been running on a shoestring budget, forced to cut corners whenever even remotely possible.


The setting has great potential. They should simply focus even more on its strengths. Do more world-building, visit the other planet as well, showcase the different cultural aspects more. Don't try to brush aside a tense political situation that you hyped up just before. Have the main villain actually appear onscreen now and then. Avoid PowerPoint slideshows. And drop the worst of the filler and the most off-putting fanservice, of course. I really wanted to like this show more because the setting is great and the dialogue is witty sometimes, but then I remember some of the questionable parts, and my heart sinks.

I wish they were allowed to build a McDonald's on the Semanian planet. I think it would do well.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Sep 30, 2019

Stark700

Not Recommended

Cop Craft made me question what happens if Blood Blockade Battlefront had a brother or sister. While they share some of resemblance of its other from their base premise, Cop Craft certainly stands out to be its own series. Taking place in a gritty underworld setting, this is the type of show I didn’t know if I wanted to see again.

Are you a fan of storytelling with a buddy cop style formula? If so, Cop Craft will probably be a treat with the amount of character dynamics. There’s certain level of character interactions that will get you comfortable with its first opening episodes. Make no ... mistake though, Cop Craft itself is meant to be taken seriously although its execution of humor can be questionable. I’ll get to that later but the first two episodes hit the right marks to make a favorable impression. We meet main protagonists Kei and Tilarnia after a strange encounter and it sets the tone of the main story. This pair stands out as the most important character duo as they tackle on the challenges in this dark metropolis.

One of the more fascinating element of the show revolves around the strange premise itself. The story blends fiction and reality together in what should be described as a police procedural drama. In the present timeline, Teresa City is filled with crime. It’s like the type of city where you’ll see chaos erupting from weapon trafficking, drugs, prostitution, and even murder. Based on the light novel of the same name, some of these concepts doesn’t entirely surprise me. Shoji Gatoh (author of Full Metal Panic!) has been known to craft work with police drama. Cop Craft relies heavily on its insider ideas and main character duo. Unfortunately, the main storytelling itself is very loose and sometimes, I find that it lacks a general purpose. By the time this show almost concluded, I pretty much accepted the fact that the plot wasn’t going to improve. At least we have the main characters carrying this anime, right?

Kei is a human cop. He fights the good fight in this dark city while Tilarnia is the sidekick and partner. Imagine a strange alternate world where Full Metal Panic’s Sousuke and Chidori became detectives. Somehow, I picture Kei and Tilarnia in similar roles. There’s no doubt the pair has character chemistry despite their vastly contrasting differences. Humorous gags also occur between the two although over time, it feels more and more redundant than being actual funny. Coming from different backgrounds, there’s a mediocre appeal about both characters individually. It seems the pair’s character dynamics work best when they are together. When apart, I quickly find myself losing interest in what they’re doing. In some episodes, the anime also likes to poke fun of Tilarnia’s weak common sense and alludes to adult humor. The lack of character development doesn’t help either to get invested into either character. It’s a shame really since both Kei and Tilarnia could have been what holds this anime together. When you begin to lose hope for its main cast, there’s not much room for improvement. Unfortunately, most of the side characters hold little relevance. I honestly can’t even remember most of their names out of the top of my head.

Putting the drawbacks aside, I do think Cop Craft had a wealth of ideas to be something special. The main problem is the execution. It’s difficult to get invested into the plot when the mood changes from frame to frame nearly every episode. The plot structure also has a ‘monster of the week’ like format where some sort of crime needs to be solved. It does reinforce the dark side of the city with its underworld activities. But when the show lacks a general purpose, it quickly wears itself out and loses significance. The character development is almost non-existent with every episode spitting out random events rather than a concentrated focus. With each progressing episode, I felt like the show loses more of its relevance. The anime is only 12 episodes and according to some content I’ve heard, there’s pacing issues too. Coming in as an anime only viewer, it’s a major disappointment from what Cop Craft could have been.

However, that’s not the end of its problems. Even on a technical level, Cop Craft suffers production issues in later episodes. From an early example (episode 3), you can tell that the animation quality drops with lackluster battle sequences. It doesn’t help the anime also has to rely on some rather strange fan service at times to do the talking. Somehow, Tilurna’s character ends up becoming a source of animal jokes in one particular episode. Desperate as it seems, it’s the type of fan service that basically shows it has nothing else to say. Luckily, the world setting itself has a decent amount of creativity. The dark metropolis contains a degree of realism despite the fantasy content. It reminds me of Los Angeles with a wealth of cultural ideas and social problems.

Ah Cop Craft. I wish I read the light novels beforehand so I limited my expectations. The first two episodes made a strong impression but quickly begins to wear itself out with its charm. The main character duo delivers popcorn entertainment but it doesn’t manage to fully make the show itself entertaining. If you don’t mind the cheeky humor or bland storytelling, then this may turn out to be a treat for you. For me personally, this is one of those anime that lost steam and never looked back.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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