Meet the Anarchy Sisters: Panty and Stocking. Believe it or not, theyre Angels…in name
only. Because Panty loves her sex and
Stocking loves her sweets and both are foul mouthed, party hardy hethens, both
have been kicked out of heaven. Now
they’re stuck in the purgatory town of Daten City, under the watch of a fallen
priest named Garterbelt. To get back
into heaven, Panty and Stocking will have to put their powers towards demon
hunting. Considering these two love
destruction amongst their other vices, should be an easy gig, right? Clearly, you haven’t met Panty and Stocking.
Hooo boy. I chose
a fun one to end 2017 on. I mean, I
might think it’s fun but Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is going to be my
biggest challenge yet. Reviewing this
will be one thing. Reviewing it while
trying to keep things to PG13 when describing hard R, if not Rated X, material
is going to be something else.
Cudos to Studio Gainax.
These guys know how to cut loose and have fun with the most absurd
premises for a series. Based on the
description I typed above, PSG would seem like a decent setup for an action
series. But it goes beyond that, far
beyond. While there is plenty of stylish
and fun action to be seen, the name of the game here is humor. And it’s not just any humor. It’s the most foul, over the top, I cant
believe this is actually in a mainstream Anime series kind of twisted. There’s literal “toilet humor” in the first
episode alone. That right there should
tell you what kind of series you’re in for with Panty and Stocking. This show isn’t for the faint of heart and if
you cant handle the first half of the first episode, it might be best to steer
clear. An afterschool special this show
is not. This is unapologetic and
unrelenting jabs at every topic and taboo known to man.
If you are planning to stick around, the first three
episodes are pretty good. The series is
structured like an American Variety Cartoon Show, with each episode consisting
of two 15 minute stories. Besides the
general set up of the show, each tale is pretty much unrelated from one to the
other. Occassional new elements and
characters are added to the mix. But PSG
turns out to be a show you can jump into almost at any point in the first three
episodes and not really miss out on anything.
It keeps things tight and the stories usually run through pretty
quickly. It makes for good binging and keeps in step with the relentless pace
of the jokes and gross out moments.
And who is leading the charge of this unconventional
Anime? Well the story may say theyre
Angels but Panty and Stocking are the furthest from the title. It boggles my mind why these two would even
want back into Heaven given their respective vices. Panty is the Paris Hilton style sex addict
who loves fame as much as she loves the men she takes to bed. Stocking will munch on sweets until the
apocalypse and still look like the cute Goth that she is. They trade verbal spars with the world around
them, as well as each other. It’s not
hard to pick a memorable quote between both girls, it’s just usually something
I’ll probably never type on this blog.
And yes, their undergarments can transform into their weapons of choice,
courtesy of a sexy transformation sequence that is clearly making fun of Sailor
Moon and what everyone assumed the sparkles of that transformation were
covering up.
Rounding out the rest of the cast if Garterbelt, Chuck
and Brief. Garter is…well if Samuel L.
Jackson ever needed to voice another Anime character other than Afro Samurai,
this would be the guy. He’s a preacher
with a fiery temper and the biggest of Afros.
He also favors a particular kind of lover…and ill just let your
imagination run with that (if you’ve already figured out how far this show is
going with taboos, it’s easy to guess).
Brief is a ghost hunting enthusiast who becomes quickly smitten with
Panty, though he is often either ignored or forgotten by both sisters. Finally there’s Chuck. Think Gir from Invader Sim minus (most of)
the cuteness and intelligence and you’ve got him. He’s mostly there to be everyones lighting
rod or punching bag…poor guy.
You’ve gotta give Gainax further cudos for how creative
they’re getting with the monsters that Panty and Stocking are forced to
battle. These demons come in all shapes,
sizes and topical vices. From demons
from the sewers (again gotta keep it PG13), to bees, to a red riding hood and
big bad wolf duo, to a race car demon capable of merging with any vehicle it
chooses, the imaginations are running wild.
Probably my favorite features is the destruction of each demon being
done in a Power Rangers style explosion of a live action model, +10 Charm
points.
Wont lie, I was grossed out a couple of times by the no
nonsense or warnings given world that Panty and Stocking inhabit. But this show has got jokes and good ones
too, especially if youre up on your pop culture and social media humor. It’s one of the most different Anime I have
ever seen and a title I think this blog isn’t really ready for but one im gonna
go ahead and review anyway. If anything,
this will end up becoming a guilty pleasure series. If you ever wanted to see an Anime push
boundaries without crossing into full on “hentai”, then Panty and Stocking with
Garterbelt might be your show…and yes, just typing that title with that
statement feels ironic. Catch ya next
week as we descend down this bizzare little rabbit hole.
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