Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt Purple Edition (Blu Ray) Review

Not too long ago a friend asked me "so what's this Panty and Stocking thing that people are talking about?" to which I replied "well, you see, the thing is... uhh... well...". I just couldn't find the words to truly express what exactly I had experienced. As best as I could describe it would be as follows: the crack baby love child of Dogma and the Powerpuff Girls.

"The Anarchy Sisters Panty and Stocking are two nasty angels who got booted from the pearly gates for being foul-mouthed bitches! Now they spend their days blowing up ghosts in the lecherous abyss between Heaven and Earth. Panty likes sex, Stocking likes sweets, their afro-sporting main man Garter Belt has a fetish we can't mention. Together, they're keeping the streets free of bodily fluids. Ghosts don't have a prayer against their panty pistols and stocking swords, and if this debaucherous duo can collect enough Heaven Coins, they just might get their halos back. They've got a slim chance in hell, but rolling commando is the best way to get lucky - especially with Panty and Stocking!" - Madman

The oddity that is Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt should come as no surprise, especially when you realise that production company Gainax is at the helm. How could the animation studio responsible for FLCL, Evangelion and Gurren Lagann be expected to create anything short of a series which is both weird and wonderful. As a teen in the 90's, I had a soft spot for the Power Puff Girls, FLCL and psychadelic rock. Somehow, Gainax have squashed all three of these things together and created a series which is the true embodiment of irreverence. 

Actually, Panty and Stocking isn't like Powerpuff Girls, it's more like the Powerpuff Girls if they started using angel dust, eventually falling into a downward spiral before doing sexual favours behind dumpsters for a snappy 8-ball. Thankfully, however, this series is just as funny as it is disturbing and offensive. At times it's almost a surprise that this series came from the Japanese market. This could very well pass for a particularly envelope pushing Adult Swim series with adult being the key word. This series is NOT for kids! Even much of the background music is interspersed with sounds of various naughtiness.

The animation quality is brilliant, just as you'd expect from Gainax. However, the transformation scenes, reminiscent of many a maho shojo series, are something else entirely. I found myself thrilled by the incredible quality of the sequences before being slightly disappointed when it switches back to the Powerpuff Girl/Dexter's Laboratory style. However, I will concede that the entire series is based around this deeply ingrained parody of American cartoons in the 90's so my disappoint is entirely unfounded. Keep your eyes peeled for one particularly hilarious parody on Gen 1 Transformers. Even as a lifelong fan of the franchise, Panty and Stocking have hit the nail on the head.

If you like your comedy rude, crude and totally unapologetic, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt perfect. The comedy - outrageous, the animation - fantastic, the poo demon - present.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt Purple Edition is available on Blu Ray and DVD from Madman now.