PAPANGAPAN In my opinion Patalliro is a grower not a shower. Its an acquired taste but I think its one thats worth acquiring because it really is a delightfully weird little gem that deserves more love. Phew its hard to even know where to begin with explaining Patalliro to those who havent seen it. It was absolutely groundbreaking for its time for being the first ever shounenai on Japanese TV. I would say its a psychedelic adventure involving a Japanese gay James Bond and a wacky timetravelling prankster dictator who solve diamond thefts and other mysteries. It has all the charm of those really classic shoujo shows where all the tropes were established Also if youre wondering why I am waxing lyrical about Patalliro when I havent seen the last 8 episodes its because theyre not subbed yet. STORY: This show is weird and wacky but in the best possible way. You never know whats going to happen especially because there are lots of unexpected scifi and supernatural elements that crop up like witches and time travel. Speaking of time travel what we learn from Patalliro is that if you arent using it to hook up with yourself then youre clearly not doing it right. The show is largely episodic with recurring plots like the PlasmaX robot family saga diamond thefts or attempts on Patalliros life. Some of the standout episodes are the ones focused on side characters especially the ones involving Zachary whos a fabulous fortune teller that Patalliro torments and of course Robbie which is my favourite episode of the series my heart breaks. Its a wild ride: there are trips to revolutionary France gigantic chickens and acidspewing dinosaurs but the characters and running gags keep the whole tone consistent and entertaining. At its core Patalliro is a spy story I think with most of the episodes revolving around clever plots to assassinate Patalliro or to steal his diamonds. The mysteries are usually solved by Patalliro himself whos quite the sleuth but its Bancoran in his role as the Japanese gay version of James Bond that does most of the actual grunt work. That said there are gags shenanigans and antics galore so its a gentle reminder not to take this too seriously. What makes comedy successful is a highly subjective thing but Ive laughed many times at this show despite the fact that a lot of its comedic chops come from puns and references that nonJapanese people will struggle to understand. CHARACTERS: All the things I found mildly offputting became the things I ended up loving about this show most notably Patalliro the main character himself. A character that shouldnt work but ultimately does for several reasons: 1. If you find him annoying I wouldnt blame you in the slightest I did at first but hes also meant to be. Its part of his character its the impetus for a number of story lines and plot points. It makes sense with his upbringing and position. 2. Whats great about this show is that it has moments showing a much more endearing side to Patalliro that makes you start to like him. That like turns to really like and by the end of the series you love the little weirdo and his bizarre antics. When it comes to the crunch hes a nice guy really and despite his selfish whims he really does care. There are some genuinely touching moments that flesh out this typical gag anime character into someone more wellrounded. 3. Another reason that Patalliro as a character works is that hes balanced and countered by the other characters in the show. His constant bickering with Bancoran and Maraich and their almost violent but playful disdain for Patalliro keeps him in check. Bancoran is my absolute favourite part about this show. Hes so dashing. Im a sucker for chivalry and even more so when the chivalry is in favour of boys love. Some of the best escapades involve Bancoran and his bishounenkiller ways bewitching every young attractive male and even the unattractive ones Im looking at you Patalliro. Not that Im blaming them who wouldnt fall for Bancoran? Maraich getting violently jealous is always a fun gag and their romance was one of my favourite parts about the series. ART: While the aesthetics of Patalliro may be offputting to some for me its probably one of its biggest selling points. The whole thing is gorgeous to look at as long as youre open to old cel animation styles. Some of you will roll your eyes at this but to me theres a richness that you get when its all handdrawn thats so delightful to watch. Its very stylised in both its backgrounds and character designs and I just love it so much so that Ive even bought a couple of the animation cels. The whole thing looks so stylish like a mix of an Aubrey Beardsley painting and an Erte fashion drawing. I hope whoever drew the curtains for this anime was handsomely paid because theyre stunning. The colour palette is a vibrant technicolor and while its not for everyone its utterly eyecandy to me. MUSIC: The OST might be called cheesy or dated by some and it is but its also undeniable that its perfectly suited to the style of the show. It reminds me of those old seventies detective shows like Charlies Angels or classic Bond films. I think its fun vintage and charming. The pseudoseventies porn music that starts every time Bancoran begins to seduce a bishounen is a particular highlight. OVERALL: Honestly I dont have many problems with this anime. Of course there are some episodes that are stronger than others but thats the same for any series. The biggest problem with this anime is that for many people there are SO many deal breakers acting as barriers to general enjoyment: its art style is bizarre the animation is very old it involves shounenai romance its full of Japanese puns its weird and often very surreal. If you can get past all that youll come to love it but I imagine that for most people its just too much an oddball. Ive tried hard not to fanboy too much in this review but I think its very apparent that Im obsessed. Hopefully that will convince some of you to give this a try because it saddens me to see how underwatched and underappreciated this anime is. As Ive said its hard to recommend: its weird its old its gay but for those of you willing to jump those hurdles its enchanting and in my opinion a really special show wellworth your time. The biggest question Patalliro leaves us with is: Who really DID kill Cock Robin?
95 /100
30 out of 34 users liked this review