The Deranged Imperator

[Note: This review is based on a fansub made by AnimeYuki, not on the official English DVDs currently distributed by ADV Films]

It’s been a while since I’ve last seen an anime based on action-adventure rather than the more recent dating sim and psychological drama themes that pervade the genre; and I’ll have to admit that Coyote Ragtime Show took me somewhat off-balance with its unpretentious approach to adventure anime.

The story primarily revolves around an enigmatic and energetic old fugitive known particularly as "Mister," who is after a certain treasure left by his old friend Blues (or Bruce, according to the official translation). Throughout the story, Mister—along with his associates Katana and Bishop, Blues’ daughter Franca and his right-hand man Swamp—are chased on one side by detective Angelica Burns, and by Marciano’s 12 Sisters on the other. If that wasn’t enough trouble, the planet where Blues hid his treasure is about to be nuked by the Unified Government, leaving them five days to search for it or be blown to kingdom come.

Considering that this is an action-adventure type, the series mainly focuses more on fast-paced action rather than intense character building or pretentious storytelling. While this may seem bad, it’s actually pretty effective. The directing presents us with something that seems like a short story adapted into a twelve-episode anime. As with short stories, it does not commonly leave enough space for individual character development, rather it presents the characters immediately and leaves us to make our impressions of them. Mister is somewhat enigmatic, but he is also quite humorous and overly optimistic. Franca is young and small but she is also very determined and resourceful (a trait that seems to be lacking in kids her age). Angelica is an intelligent and sexy woman in her 30’s (wow, that sounded like a sexist remark!), but she seems obsessed both with Mister and with eating too much food. Chelsea has a great memory and, in her own words, "very useful boobs." Marciano is your typical antagonist-that-has-a-grudge-with-the-protagonist—except she’s a woman, and female villains are worse than the male ones. Marciano’s twelve "daughters," along with Katana, Bishop, and Swamp, also have their own individual idiosyncrasies. The series does not really tie us into a single opinion, so we get to decide whether every character’s point of view actually has any validity.

The visuals are great but they are not overwhelming. The colors are "pastelesque" and not really overdone like most cg coloring. Each character is easily distinguishable, from Mister’s rogue-like manner to Angelica’s "workwoman-like" demeanor. The 12 Sisters (each named for a month in the calendar) all have their unique look, except for three of them who look and dress alike. Also an interesting note is the absence of obvious and deliberate fanservice, though Angelica’s rather low neckline and Chelsea’s bouncy boobs might be enough for the truly green-minded.

The Japanese voice actors stay true to their characters’ appearances, although the music is somewhat lacking—which disappoints me a bit, as this series would have been a lot better if it had more musical themes.

All in all, Coyote Ragtime Stories is a fun and straightforward anime. It’s good viewing for people who are looking for something to watch on sundry days (as well as people looking for pretty female anime characters to drool on), but those expecting intricate character and plot development are in for a little disappointment.

~ by deranged-imperator on March 2, 2007.