Crunchyroll's Odd Taxi is Even Better 4 Years Later

2021 was an unreasonably good year for anime broadly, and Crunchyroll specifically. In addition to juggernauts like Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen, a handful of smaller series made names for themselves and managed to win over legions of fans. Chief among these were the isekai deconstruction Sonny Boy and the fantasy masterpiece Ranking of Kings. Though both of those series are great, 2021's greatest anime is an Anime of the Year award winner that won over a legion of fans despite being an anime original series. Even though Odd Taxi only won 2 Anime of the Year Awards (Best Protagonist and Best Director), it still ranks among the best anime ever made. Odd Taxi Is a Great Series That Has Only Gotten Better Overtime Produced by Pokémon's anime studio, OLM, Odd Taxi is a fittingly strange series that captivated many. The series takes place in a Tokyo inhabited entirely by anthropomorphic animals. The main character is a walrus taxi driver named Odokawa who, over the course of the series, becomes embroiled in a criminal plot involving a missing idol. The series is an absolute masterclass in atmosphere. Though Tokyo is almost certainly the most common setting of anime, Odd Taxi's version of the iconic city feels wholly unique, and not just because of its bestial inhabitants. Though the series does feature exciting action, the soundtrack and art direction make Odd Taxi one of the most relaxing anime that isn't literally a slice of life. Despite this almost lo-fi environment, though, Odd Taxi tackles serious subject matter such as social isolation, the difficulties of being a celebrity, and the lingering effects of trauma. All of it, however, is filtered through Odokawa's perspective, and he's what truly makes the series such a revelation. Odd Taxi's Hero is One of Anime's Most Unique of All Time Hiroshi Odokawa standing in a crowd in Odd Taxi. Though Odd Taxi didn't win many awards at Crunchyroll's Anime of the Year awards ceremony in 2022, it did win Best Protagonist, an award it definitely deserved. Odokawa sits right alongside the best anime heroes of all time. In a medium famous for its focus on young heroes overcoming impossible odds, Odokawa is an appropriately odd hero. He's middle-aged and has no major skills, but his good nature and even temperament make him a soothing presence. In a world where characters have countless ulterior motives, Odokawa is refreshingly straightforward and earnest, making him an easy protagonist to root for. Odd Taxi only has one season and 13 episodes, making it one of the best anime to binge. Few anime leave the same emotional impact as Odd Taxi, and it deserves a spot among Crunchyroll's greatest anime of all time. Release Date 2021 - 2021-00-00 Network TV Tokyo Directors Sayaka Yamai, Mayu Numayama, Kenichi Nishida, Hideaki Ōba, Shigenori Awai Writers Kazuya Konomoto Natsuki Hanae Hiroshi Odokawa (voice) Riho Iida Miho Shirakawa (voice)

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