Adapting (I presume somewhat loosely) the video game that seems to sit somewhere between cult & meme, Akiba's Trip is a rough, trashy & unexpectedly enjoyable series that celebrates both the place & the image of Akihabara, perhaps to a fault. It avoids the trap of coming off as insufferably smug about “being” otaku in a way that has echoes of some of Gainax's more self-indulgent titles in the 2000s, or recent series like Twintails, but a limited ambition means it never matches them.
After getting killed in the crossfire between the neon red headed Matome Magonaka & the body-snatching Bugged One's, Tamotsu Denkigai finds himself brought back by a kiss, gifted with superhuman powers but trapped forever in Akihabara. What might sound like hell to many is no such burden to him though, there not being a thing about the district he dislikes. There is one other catch, however. If he or any other of those caught up in the battle for Akihabara lose their clothes, they die.
For the first episode, anyway. Akiba's Trip plays fast & loose with its initial setup, which may annoy some but in truth is for the best, given what the show wants to be: a light-hearted journey down the rabbit hole of the various fandoms & hobbies associated with Akihabara. Most episodes pick a target & proceed to see how deep that hole goes, though not to the point it stops being about the fun, before Bugged Ones show up to try & ruin it.
To that end, Tamotsu makes for a better protagonist than some more well known “otaku” leads recently. Given that the series is less interested in him & his Electric Mayonaise (his choice) gang & more about using them as a conduit into that episodes subject, he avoids exhibiting the insecure, aggressive “otaku pride” that, for example, makes Saekano's lead so unbearable. The characters in Akiba's Trip have all already joined to dark side, so to speak, so never really feel the need to explain or defend themselves to their peers or the audience, even as they defend Akihabara.
On the flip side, though, this means that those hoping for a more character focused comedy in the vein of Konosuba will be disappointed. Most of the humour relates to whatever fandom is up that episode, or else more broad ecchi & otaku humour. None of the characters really develop beyond their archetypes: Mayonaka is the tsundere with a crush; Arisa Ahokainen is the bubbly blonde; Tasujin Ratu is the loli professor & so on. While the main trio do occasionally take turns as leads, they never really change or develop, it even being a recurring joke for Arisa that nothing about her back story really makes sense or connects.
But as a celebration of Akihabara & its idiosyncrasies, it's pretty fun. If there's a theme that connects the mostly episodic escapades, it's celebrating the diversity that can be found in this den of geekdom. While plenty of jokes are at the fandom's expense, it's never judgemental. Indeed, as guardians of Akihabara, it's that diversity that they're defending, mainly from Bugged One's looking to monopolise the district with some shady scheme. Even the government gets called out, with a jab at “Cool Japan” & a corrupt minister trying to shut the “immoral” district down.
If there's one thing Akiba's Trip needed, it's a recurring villain. While one emerges for the inevitable dramatic turn in the final three episodes, for the most part it's just Electric Mayonaisse facing off against random Bugged One's, who at times almost feel like an intrusion into the episode. It would have been nice to see a villain working behind the scenes to bring down the Akihabara everyone loves, rather than just assuming one's there because there was a sinister looking woman in episode one & we've seen enough anime to know how that works. They'd have also somewhat offset the lack of development among the main cast by giving an alternative point of view to view the episodes from. At the very least, it would have been nice to have someone end each episode shouting “I'll get you next time, Akihabara!”
For a production that might be politely considered rough & ready (with emphasis on the rough as the series progresses), you'll be under no misconception about who made it, given that Gonzo seem to slap their name on at least one thing each episode. The production team seem to be going for a look that is comparable either to the “loose” adherence to character models that was positively received in Konosuba, or else perhaps has hints of the kinetic style of Hiroyuki Imaishi. The former is probably more apt, since while Akiba's Trip does have some fun & energetic action sequences, it never matches the feel of Imaishi's work at Gainax & Trigger.
Fittingly, given the setting, Akiba's Trip has a very idol otaku targeted soundtrack. As well as the OP by idol unit Earphones there's a different ED for each episode, with an introduction to each group to make sure you know who's singing. How high profile the acts are, I couldn't say, though the Milky Holmes singers feature. The OST is, unfortunately, mostly forgettable, if unobtrusive. There is definitely one track that sounds like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper, though.
Still, while it could have been more, Akiba's Trip is still a fun time. The characters, though shallow, are a laugh, Akihabara is an entertaining setting & all in all it's a generally enjoyable series. But there's a large crowd of similar anime out there, & Akiba's Trip does enough to get in, but not stand out.
