Odd Taxi follows the journeys of walrus taxi driver Hiroshi Odokawa. Photo: Screenshot
Run out of stuff to watch? Join us as we excavate the streamers' back catalogues for the shows we might have missed. This week: Odd Taxi.
Review - Set in a world of adorable anthropomorphic animals, the series follows 41-year-old Tokyo taxi driver Hiroshi Odokawa. Most people dismiss anime as a format, but Odd Taxi is a stellar example of the range and depth of storytelling that is possible through animation. The characters appear cute (and they are!) but the themes explored are very real.
Abandoned by his family as a child, Odokawa is a simple man who doesn't expect much from life. His primary "human" interactions are the unique slices of the colourful lives led by Tokyo residents riding in his taxi. Each episode we get to explore the different wonderful characters the city has to offer, as they let their social guard down in Odokawa's taxi. As the audience, we see more of their lives outside the taxi and the contrast between the two makes for a fascinating social experiment.
A scene from Odd Taxi. Photo: Screenshot
Even though we get only 20 minutes per character, the show manages to capture the essence of the human experience in each of these cartoon animals beautifully. We see a teenage hippo trying to go viral by exploiting random acts of kindness, an ageing Pomeranian pop star trying to hold on to her fanbase, a sweet llama nurse trapped in a drug-smuggling ring forced to steal prescription meds and, my personal favourite, a monkey Yakuza boss who only speaks in Japanese rap.
The overarching plot follows a corrupt cop's pursuit of a missing child. As the show progresses, we see how all these lives are interconnected in strange and interesting ways. The show makes you doubt every single character, especially Odokawa, and, without spoiling too much, the choice of visual design is also integral to the mystery of the plot.
Is it worth a watch?
Story: 5/5 (Incredibly thrilling, funny and dark)
Production: 4/5 (It always amazes me to see how Japanese content does so much with so little money)
Bingeability: 5/5 (One-off series with 12 20-minute episodes)
If I liked this one, what shall I watch next?
Death Note (If you wish to delve into the world of anime, start here)
Samurai Gourmet (Read Jogai Bhatt's review for more
Odd Taxi is streaming now on Crunchy Roll.