illustration by Ricky Garduno
Panty
Panty and Stocking is like watching The Powerpuff Girls for adults. Adults who watch Adult Swim.
You'll be questioning that the same people who made Evangelion made this.
The show is insane with top tier animation in a zany cartoony style. The style is anime eating itself. It's anime that look like the way American animation tries to do anime. Sex, sex, and more sex with vulgarity and cursing fill every episode hole. How are the holes created by Panty firing here gun/ guns off into evil ghosts faces. Panty's panties become a gun. Stocking slices away at poop-monsters and booger enemies with her swords. Her stocking's become two katanas. They drive around and up buildings in their pink jeep. The show is totally crazy. One of the best parts has to be the transformation sequence of the weapons which is the Angels looking more realistic anime style and using stripping poles.
Monsters they fight are usually perverted ghosts. Like a speed demon who likes underwear or a battalion of dead sperm. Gainax made them totally Kawaii (cute).
Parody and homage our key in the show.
American and Japanese pop culture is mocked constanlty in small cameos, refrences and even opening titles. I saw jokes on Ren &Stimpy, Powerpuff Girls, movie franchises, Super Mario, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and thousands more. The Transformers one is utterly blatant and is a great parodyof the movies and original show.
Animation styles can change drastically from episode to episode. Stories don't have to be about monsters always. One episode is Panty trying to get back a sex tape so here career as a movie star doesn't get ruined.There was one only about Chuck that was, just creepy and they had one following a Japanese business man that look totally out of place. One was a zombie filled Romero parody with Panty and Stocking dressed as cops. They had to fend off zombies with sex toys.
Episode 6 introduces two adversaries for Panty and Stocking. The Demon Sisters, Scanty and her sister Knee-Socks with their pet Fastener. In reverse of the angels they stay by the rules and try to keep the highest demeanor possible. This allows for some of the best fights. I have to say Episode 6 is one of the best episodes with cars driving through a school, epic gun battles, and deadly sword fights.
To clarify parody check out the music video they did in one episode
There first batch of merch is coming out and I hope Hot Topic doesn't ever get wind of it or little girls might start wearing and swearing it. It reminds me of one episode where little girl was reenacting what Panty says because Panty's a celebrity in that universe. She's a terrible role model and the little girl says an adorable, "Fucking Shit" as Panty spouts it.
Yup, toilet seat covers.
Before and after, I hope Jhonen Vaquez gets some free stuff from Gainax.
Also at comiket they had the art book for the show.
They also have a killer soundtrack that sounds like heavenly club dance music. It fits perfectly into all out fight scenes.
They've already released some special edition blu-rays in Japan. They look great, plus those fake magazines with English, totally cool.
Here's the official Japanese web-site.
Here's Funimation and Bandai's Facebook page ask for Panty & Stocking!
