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If you've read the synopsis, then you can already see that this particular anime is going to be a bit controversial.

Firstly, I know that this ridiculous anime wasn't trying to be accurate in their use of terminologies, political correctness or facts when it comes to gender realignment/correction, Yakuza or idols. Unless you mess around with chromosomes, you can't simply reassign your sex. What you can change are the social constructs to which you adhere or represent yourself as, such as gender. They just had to do enough to basically sell it to whatever their target audience was (maybe a niche group of westerners, or ... scum like me). This anime really was designed for adults or mature audiences. If you are disturbed by scenes depicting the mistreatment of humans (esp. women), whether violently or otherwise, then I do not recommend that you view this anime. Alongside misogyny, if you do not support content that may portray even mild to moderate transphobia or homophobia (whether or not indirectly) or jokes about such things, then you likely won't enjoy this series because it will leave you with a bad feeling that will diminish much (if any) enjoyment you can get from watching it. There is also a scene where one of the main characters is sexually assaulted. Reading the synopsis of the anime should already tell you plenty, I think.

Do not confuse these Yakuza idols as transgendered folk. They do not represent how most trans folk feel or act. These are seemingly cisgendered males that have been forced into taking hormones or undergoing cosmetic surgeries to assume new bodies and new roles. Their new bodies are feminine, and their new roles are feminine idols, and sometimes sex objects; they're treated like subpar humans. So basically, they're (mis)treated just like women often are. Well, they are generally viewed and treated as women by most characters, i.e. except by their transphobic and misogynistic boss. If your sense of humour is in extremely bad taste, like mine, then give it a shot, but don't let your friends know that you watched it (show some restraint and maybe endure a bit of shame and genuine self-reflection). Some of the dialogue in this show are not akin to anything else I've seen in anime (though probably because I haven't watched enough anime due to those damn pesky exams and assignments getting in the way!). Episode 3 caught me off guard, in spite of this being a gag anime with an abridged plot that has a kind of predisposition against the disambiguity between the plot and subplot(s). You can easily tell where this anime's plot is heading... most of the time. But the gimmick, however, remains static. And that is by design.

If you're still reading this review, I'll have you know that the absolute highest standard of any anime I've watched and rated is probably Terra Formars. Yes, fools! Most people who watch anime passionately do not like that anime. It's trash to them. But why do I rate it so highly? It's because Terra Formars gave me exactly what I wanted: humans getting destroyed and desecrated by cockroaches (literally). I can't even remember what the story was about. I simply relish in and savour the suffering of humans. This Gokudolls anime has plenty of that (albeit without all that gore). But, believe it or not, this anime managed to disturb me a little when the three uhh... protagonists were getting treated almost like cockroaches. I almost felt sorry for them. Almost. I want this to happen to your generic anime hero so that I can enjoy it even more without worrying about possibly feeling any guilt.

I like the characters in this show because most of them are back-stabbing, treacherous scum with little to no redeeming qualities. I don't like heroes. I don't care for 'good' people. So I love the character concepts here! Being one myself, I can recognise and understand misanthropes, arseholes, rejects and obsessive fans. Perhaps the character developments, subtle as they might seem, are the only reason to watch this. The characters here made villains like myself feel right at home. But I still wish they'd all get eaten by cockroaches. They're all pieces of shit, especially that professor of 'girlology' or whatever. I know, I know, it's a joke. This is a gag anime. But those terrible characters are what made the series so appealing. The two-dimensional goons are the main focus - and that's very exciting! It makes this anime so atypical, so refreshing. Thus, don't expect any evil geniuses.

The main reasons why you'd want to watch this anime are likely because
(a) your anime list is already comprised of 'gender bending' or crossdressing themes because that's your not-so-secret fetish
(b) the over-the-top humour, weirdness and shock are among your preferences
(c) a well-written narrative is open to compromise if the gimmicks are good enough for you
I want to make a little comment upon the humour in Gokudolls. I found it bittersweet. I laugh at these strange scenarios that the Yakuza thugs get roped into because of my own misconceptions, expectations and unfair stereotypes. But some of the content reminds me just how shallow and perhaps ignorant or inconsiderate some of the humour is. Maybe I'll leave that to cultural differences. I grew up in the transphobic rape capital of the world, so maybe I'm a bit more touchy about the humour.

If you're thinking of watching this because you may find it kinky, then I'm sad to say that there isn't all that much there. It has its moments, such as on-stage performances, photoshoots, bodily confusions and curiosities. That type of fan-service isn't so much the focus of this series as is its humour, and surviving abuse - such as a lot of ridicule and harm directed toward the characters. There are some uncomfortable, awkward character interactions. I suppose some of the dialogue is suggestive, if not hilarious or... yuck-uza. I-I mean YAkuza! Yakuza. But then again, the start of episode 3 might be just the sort of dirty talk you were looking for, ehehe. How could I know? I'm not here to judge your kinks or fetishes. I'm just trying to help. There are no healthy dom/sub relationships, as far as I can tell. No cannibalism. No nudity. Lots of sexual references... and I've conveniently forgotten the rest of what I was going to say because some of it shouldn't be mentioned as a selling point, but rather as a deterrent. This anime isn't even mildly hentai material. More like occasional eye-candy moments (which is nice because I prefer the lighter stuff).

If you enjoy content unapologetically exhibiting a bad taste in humour, sadism, some over-the-top dramatic expressions of maybe the same three emotions on repeat, a succint narrative and character development, all wrapped into a ridiculous premise that's pandering to a very specific audience (maybe for their kinks) - then, my oh my, do I have great news! Why haven't you readied your popcorn, yet? Gokudolls should meet that weirdly adventurous anime craving you're having!

Valiant heroes defend Mars from the deadliest species of invader pests. There are many losses on both sides. The heroes take their revenge and it is always satisfying to watch them tear the pest species apart. The overpopulated pest species abused the abilities of our heroes (against their will and best interests) and tasked them to terraforming a planet just so the selfish pest species could come back and take the planet for themselves and continue to spread their filth, diseases and eventually destroy yet another planet.

Nothing beats a series where blattodea, a species relentlessly massacred by humans, turn the tables to flatten the real ... pests: homo sapiens. In this case, the cockroaches come in anthropomorphized form and appear to be quite capable of employing basic strategy. The OVA seems to develop some back story for the scenarios in the Anime. Witnessing the human deaths is very satisfying. It gives happy feelings. I wouldn't call this horror, but I can see how it might be so for others. But revenge is so sweet. This anime brings to life fantasies of mine. The last time I pointed at the screen and laughed so much was when I watched the start of Elfen Lied and the first few episodes of Attack on Titan. It's satisfactory comedy to me. I want more! I score it a masterpiece because it is rare, entertaining, misanthropic and strays further from other generic plots and universes where humans tend to prevail even though they clearly don't deserve any victories. That's my focus here. The animation, sounds and voice acting were good. The dialogue and characters were standard for anime. I don't care much for human characters anyway so I can't get attached to them and unless they're paranoid, schizophrenic evil mad scientists (like in Steins;Gate), I can't relate to the characters either. I need to see more to piece the story together but it has me curious to see more about the virus and about the evolution of the Terra Formars. The Terra Formars and the cockroaches are pretty cute yet endearingly creepy. I'd trust them before I trust the slimy, filthy, narrow-sighed and killer human dictators.

If you enjoy watching that one selfish, pretentious species of ape violently get what they deserve because they've declared themselves special privileges which prevent you from giving them some of their own medicine, then I will recommend you watch this OVA (and the Terra Formars series) because you will enjoy it, too.