Shelf Life

Akiba's Trip

I've played the PlayStation Vita Akiba's Trip game, Undead and Undressed, for all of fifteen minutes, but fortunately that lack of experience was not a hindrance to reviewing Funimation's Blu-Ray/DVD release of Akiba's Trip: The Animation. As far as I can tell, the anime takes the general idea of the game (stripping the clothes off supernatural creatures in order to expose and destroy them) and goes in its own wacky direction with the premise. This iteration of Akiba's Trip focuses on the adventures of Tamotsu Denkigai, a proud otaku who ends up involved in a fight against the Bugged Ones, cosplaying monsters who are trying to destroy the shopping paradise of Akihabara from the inside. After suffering a particularly nasty case of chest-stabbing, he is revived by Matome Mayonaka, a Bugged One who fights for justice and transforms Tamotsu in the process of saving him. Tamotsu and Matome are joined by the enthusiastic human cosplayer Arisa, whose eccentricities are only matched by her love for helping her friends fight the Bugged Ones. Together, the trio and their companions form Electric Mayonnaise, a group devoted to tearing the clothes off Akihabara's invaders and protecting the nerdy culture that they love so dearly.

If the premise of a trio of goofballs running around and stripping down monsters across Akihabara sounds dumb, that's because it absolutely is, and Akiba's Trip: The Animation leans into that stupidity with gleeful abandon. While the setting and supernatural threat come from slightly more serious-minded video-game origins, this anime adaptation of Akiba's Trip opts for a more sitcom-style approach, using Electric Mayonnaise's fight against the Bugged Ones as an excuse to toss our heroes into new silly situations every week. There are plots involving elaborate rice cooker heists, forming idol groups, and figuring out how to replace expensive anime figurines, with the Bugged One battles mostly serving as a means to provide fanservice and cheap laughs throughout the adventure. Surprisingly enough, the saucy aspect of the premise never crosses the line into being gross; there's plenty of T&A for those interested, but the more cartoonish art style and zippy comedic pacing of the series keep Akiba's Trip from feeling truly lascivious.

This isn't a show where the cast go through transformative arcs or develop incredibly meaningful relationships; this is a hangout comedy that just so happens to feature a ton of people getting stripped half-naked in the middle of Akihabara. What's most important in a comedy like this is that the cast play off each other well, which is definitely the case for this show. Tamotsu strikes a fine balance between being charming, nerdy, and kind of a dick, while Matome is very likable as the show's leading lady, sharing a lot of chemistry with Tamotsu. Arisa is the most flagrantly ridiculous character, which means her gags miss as often as they hit, though a running gag involving her increasingly bizarre backstory is one of the show's best bits. The plots that these oddballs fall into range from hilarious to meh, but the cast interactions are enjoyable throughout. Tamotsu is also joined by his sister Niwaka, who supports the team in their adventures and has remarkable patience for dealing with her brother's weird new lifestyle.

The villains and schemes that challenge the team are less impactful; they're fine, but none of them are particularly memorable, even when they get more personal for our heroes. A plot involving Arisa's family history is introduced late in the game, and while it provides some decent drama and helps the story set up a satisfying climax, it also isn't quite as funny as it ought to be. Overall, I'm inclined to think of Akiba's Trip as a handful of fairly strong comedy adventures surrounded by other stories that are merely okay. I was surprised at how much I laughed at some individual gags, but the series overall doesn't stick in your mind for long after it's over.

Similarly, the production is inconsistent but generally positive. Studio Gonzo's animation starts off strong, taking advantage of the show's bright colors and expressive character designs, but other episodes struggle to maintain that level of quality, especially as the series wraps up. Director Hiroshi Ikehata makes sure to take advantage of the medium's malleable qualities, meaning that even when the animation suffers, the storyboarding carries the comic pacing along just fine. This isn't an amazing-looking show, but it has personality, and that goes a long way in keeping the highs high and the lows easy to stomach.

Funimation's release contains all thirteen episodes on both DVD and Blu-Ray, though the latter format is where you'll find the set's one real bonus feature, a commentary featuring Alejandro Saab, Jad Saxton, and Natalie Hoover, who play Tamotsu, Matome, and Arisa respectively. It's a good track, and the actors' chemistry is apparent even when they're just hanging out and laughing at the weird little show they worked on together. The English dub is a decent product overall; it goes out of its way to add its own jokes and switch up the translations to make a gag flow better, but I've always thought that kind of loose approach to adaptation was appropriate for comedies—a perfectly translated joke doesn't do much good if it doesn't get the audience to laugh. Purists may want to stick to the Japanese audio, but I think Funimation's work on Akiba's Trip is admirable.

Overall, Akiba's Trip: The Animation is a solid Rental recommendation. It's a raunchy but well-meaning comedy that perfectly suits a weekend in need of some laughs, but I don't know if it's substantial enough to warrant dropping $50 on the set. It's not a perfect series, but so long as you don't go into Akiba's Trip expecting either a faithful game adaptation or a transcendent comedy experience, there's plenty of fun to be had in spending some time defending Akihabara with Electric Mayonnaise.
-- James[TOP]