Reviews

Jun 29, 2021
Spoiler
***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Odokawa. Keep that name, because he is a great protagonist in Odd Taxi. No... Not protagonist... The essence, richness, and great acting of this show, which combines cool scenes, subdued yet gripping drama, and an exquisite realization of its mysteries.

Odd Taxi is restless and at the same time it is maddening. Odokawa is the character who indirectly commands all the actions. In this world, everyone is personified with animal-like representations, which brings the show closer to social issues and the handling of instincts and sentimentality, as well as representing attitudes, temperament, physique, and above all, social function. Our protagonist is no different. He is a walrus, a typical robust and apathetic animal. He is a taxi driver and like a good bartender, he listens to the great stories of his customers, even if this does not involve him directly in his personal ambitions. In fact, Odokawa is detached from desires. Since an accident in the past, his life has bypassed death and he no longer has any support. Also, at the age of 12 he no longer has any guardianship and sees the world without colors, full of intermittent and unpleasant routines. Until one event occurs, in fact, several.

Taichi is the first person with whom Odokawa shows his identity. He is represented by a hippopotamus. He is a man who desires internet fame and views. By irony of fate, Taichi takes a relaxed photo with Odokawa and it goes viral. The reason? Dobu. Dobu is the police's number one suspect in the disappearance of a girl in Nerima. Whether or not he is wrongly accused, Dobu has gained a reputation throughout the region as a very dangerous criminal. Nothing less could be expected... Taichi seeks to be the justice of this "lawless" land, with the goal of capturing Dobu. And this is how the anime proceeds.

Odokawa, who previously had no importance in the plot, becomes the most relevant person in this chess. And for this, only one environment is needed, his cab. It is there that Odokawa lives his most dangerous, funny, dramatic, difficult moments, and at the same time creates friendships and relationships that interconnect all the characters. He, at the height of his 41 years, would not really be a popular man if it were not for this coincidence. But even if this were not the case, Odokawa would be the protagonist of the show.

Shirakawa is the character who builds a bond the most during the show. Even before the show began, she already had financial problems. Part of this comes from Dobu. They were ex-boyfriends and Shirakawa needed a large amount of money in the past. After a long time, she finds herself in despair and planned to sell drugs from a doctor's office clandestinely. This ended the reputation of Goriki, the doctor at the place. Shirakawa then lives a life away from nursing and accomplishes things with Odokawa that surpasses her obligation. Dobu, during some conversations with Shirakawa, asked her to get involved with Odokawa and to get closer to him, as he was one of the key pieces about the missing girl's case. As much as she finds herself in that obligation, she has formed greater bonds with Odokawa. At the same time, Odokawa was already too involved with Shirakawa. No matter how Odokawa tried to keep from trapping those feelings, he was already consumed by a small crush on Shirakawa. Even without talking to Kakihana, one of his only friends, Odokawa had previously told him that his passion was growing. Before it was an inexplicable feeling, perhaps because it was a feeling never felt before. In fact, when one is in love, reason no longer exists. Odokawa finds himself involved in Shirakawa's problems and wants to help her in some way. Going for the solution, he and Dobu team up to solve their problems, even though Dobu initially threatens him with an Odokawa gun over the memory card of Odokawa's car recordings.
And it is from this moment on that things start to get more and more interesting in Odd Taxi. Even with Odokawa being a simple worker, he was not just a submissive character who complied with people's requests, he had to act. And in addition to acting to resolve his conflicts, his own mental problems were highlighted. Goriki, the doctor and his friend, can trace an answer to things that Odokawa identifies with ease. The very way he converses, discovers people's professions, and identifies his friend easily in a crowd makes Odokawa have some specialty. This very specialty puts him in check with his past. Even though he does not assume it, his parents are dead at the fateful moment when he was 12 years old. In addition, his life was troubled even before that day. His mother was an alcoholic and his father was cheating on her. Odokawa resigned himself mentally and as a form of security, he developed visual agnosia. This disease causes Odokawa to see people in the form of animals.

With this and all the obstacles in his life, Odokawa works with Dobu, while wanting justice, after all, both he and Yano and their henchmen. Shirakawa is a precious person to Odokawa, even though he is not good at communicating with women. After Kakihana is rescued, it was normal to think that the show would have nothing to show our eyes. But the show reminds us that it has a big conflict ahead of it. Remember the missing girl in the confines of the show? Then the second half of the show is devoted to the conclusions of the protagonist, Dobu, Yano's group, and Odokawa's friends, who are somehow joined in this event by interpersonal connections. Mystery Kiss, the group of idols, is revealed to be a group that has an extortion scheme under the covers, so much so that it was because of one of the girls by whom Kakihana was duped.

The show does not amplify the overall context of Yano's intentions and his rivalry with Dobu beyond what is necessary. They get money for the Boss and their conflict is sustained on that financial issue. Dobu wants to frame Yano in a subtle way, supported by Odokawa. The two plan with Imai, winner of the giant lottery prize, an attempt to trap Yano and his group, with the aim of framing them. Thinking from this side, the anime and the situations leading up to the final events did not use gimmicks from the past (Like Kakihana's case) to effect everyone's fate. On the contrary, the conclusion of the show is properly consolidated within this exciting event. Odokawa, nevertheless, does not hesitate to solve his own disagreements and besides managing to end up with Yano's group (besides Daimon, the oldest), Dobu was the protagonist of a sad ending and at the same time one of those who got a fair ending for his actions. His interconnections with the young man carrying his weapon was an incredible moment within the penultimate episode. In truth, the anime absorbed a troubled perspective of a boy addicted to a simple game, but one that eroded his mind in a discomfiting way. The addiction, the family stress, the burnout at work, and all his mental escapes were intrinsically condensed into a character that had no obvious relationships with any other character in the show. Ultimately, fate arranged an ending where Dobu had miscalculated the amount of bullets his gun had and was shot... Daimon (the younger brother) was instrumental in accomplishing this feat, totally planned by Odokawa.

About the conclusion, the puzzle closes in an impressive way. Odokawa has her past remembered, while the rest of the characters have a specific conclusion, even if with a bit of insecurity. Sakura, one of the 3 idols of Mystery Kiss, is shown as being responsible for the death of her predecessor Mitsuya, for the sake of rewarding her mother, who cared so much for Sakura. The show's only free criminal is one of the important things that can upset. It is understandable that she was cautious and intelligent, so much so that suspicions were placed on Nikaido, unfairly. Fortunately, the show was realistic and while showing Odokawa's improvement, it shows everyday factors that still need to be resolved in the world of Odd Taxi. It is a matter of subjective acceptance, many like the show to be organic, others prefer a total conclusion. In Odd Taxi, what matters is not in fact this partially disappointing ending, but the entire adventure we had during the thirteen episodes.

Baku Kinoshita's production and work are impressive. It was scary to see that in his debut as an anime creator he was an amazing writer and director. Punpee also needs to be applauded. Those responsible for Opening made a music video to the music from Odd Taxi and it only intensified Odokawa's perspective on people. A world filled with mysteries, adventures, and... animals. No, instincts, quirks, and a great way to build a show that deserves to be remembered for years to come.

I am impressed with the quality of April's animes, but Odd Taxi is the most beautiful conclusion we could have. There will never be another show like it. It is an artistic uniqueness, a manifestation of what it is to be creative and have a care for what you build. Congratulations. Odd Taxi, you are a unique show!!!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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