I haven't nearly laughed at an anime as much as I had with Pani Poni Dash! It's a wondrously funny parody of anime, most people having never heard of it. Expertly written, and naturally very strange and nonsensical. From the cat who lives in the vending machine who calls himself God, to a psychotic, soft-spoken girl who's always looking to torture small, cute things, there's no denying that this show will make you laugh many times throughout its 26-episode span.
Even from the beginning of the series, you can just tell that the show will never take itself seriously. With everything from aliens to religious parodies in the first episode, it is easily seen that this was intended to make you laugh yourself silly and not delve into anything serious. The anime proper begins with an 11-year old girl named Rebecca Miyamoto, who is the youngest person ever to graduate out of M .I .T. She gets a teaching job at the typical, cliché Japanese anime High School for girls called "Peach Moon Academy", where she's placed with a wide, crazy assortment of students. The story then follows a side story where aliens watch Rebecca from afar, although they usually do nothing but talk randomly amongst themselves. The plot then turns into that of a slice of life comedy, where nothing really happens story wise; just telling small little tales in of itself.
So, really, no cohesive plot is to be found. It's just parody, after parody, after parody, and so on and so forth. It's very funny, when a giant mecha appears out of nowhere, or when a magical schoolgirl suddenly transfers into the academy and absolutely no one cares. While it often makes fun of anime in general, that doesn't mean it won't take shots at particular shows either. Negima is probably the show Pani Poni Dash! takes the most jabs at; it's plot nearly the same, with a child is teaching a class of High Schoolers. Other shows such as Gundam, Azumanga Daioh, Astro Boy, Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, or Lupin III also find themselves on the chopping block, along with various video games and mangas as well.
While the story focuses primarily on Rebecca's class and their wild adventures, plots sometimes follow the nearby classrooms and their wacky mishaps. Even more colorful characters to be found here, such as Class 1-D, taught by a teacher whose real name is Old Geezer, and is a highly trained samurai.
The art style and technical details of Pani Poni Dash! are the typical chibi-variety affair; cute characters, stereotypical character designs and over-the-top voice acting. The English dub is well performed, as Rebecca’s voice in particular is spot on in terms of obnoxious, and Himeko’s is as undoubtedly annoying as it should be. A lot of prominent female voice actresses having lent their voice to this anime.
If you want to watch a show that's just fun, then watch Pani Poni Dash!, tohugh if you expect more out of it, then be prepared to be disappointed. The show is simply a parody for those who enjoy anime, which limits who will actually like the series. Those who don't regularly watch anime might not understand some of the jokes, nor will they be kept entertained very long. For those who do enjoy and comprehend the jokes however, Pani Poni, a very fun and very random comedy sure to garner many laughs.
- Marcus Speer
Even from the beginning of the series, you can just tell that the show will never take itself seriously. With everything from aliens to religious parodies in the first episode, it is easily seen that this was intended to make you laugh yourself silly and not delve into anything serious. The anime proper begins with an 11-year old girl named Rebecca Miyamoto, who is the youngest person ever to graduate out of M .I .T. She gets a teaching job at the typical, cliché Japanese anime High School for girls called "Peach Moon Academy", where she's placed with a wide, crazy assortment of students. The story then follows a side story where aliens watch Rebecca from afar, although they usually do nothing but talk randomly amongst themselves. The plot then turns into that of a slice of life comedy, where nothing really happens story wise; just telling small little tales in of itself.
So, really, no cohesive plot is to be found. It's just parody, after parody, after parody, and so on and so forth. It's very funny, when a giant mecha appears out of nowhere, or when a magical schoolgirl suddenly transfers into the academy and absolutely no one cares. While it often makes fun of anime in general, that doesn't mean it won't take shots at particular shows either. Negima is probably the show Pani Poni Dash! takes the most jabs at; it's plot nearly the same, with a child is teaching a class of High Schoolers. Other shows such as Gundam, Azumanga Daioh, Astro Boy, Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, or Lupin III also find themselves on the chopping block, along with various video games and mangas as well.
While the story focuses primarily on Rebecca's class and their wild adventures, plots sometimes follow the nearby classrooms and their wacky mishaps. Even more colorful characters to be found here, such as Class 1-D, taught by a teacher whose real name is Old Geezer, and is a highly trained samurai.
The art style and technical details of Pani Poni Dash! are the typical chibi-variety affair; cute characters, stereotypical character designs and over-the-top voice acting. The English dub is well performed, as Rebecca’s voice in particular is spot on in terms of obnoxious, and Himeko’s is as undoubtedly annoying as it should be. A lot of prominent female voice actresses having lent their voice to this anime.
If you want to watch a show that's just fun, then watch Pani Poni Dash!, tohugh if you expect more out of it, then be prepared to be disappointed. The show is simply a parody for those who enjoy anime, which limits who will actually like the series. Those who don't regularly watch anime might not understand some of the jokes, nor will they be kept entertained very long. For those who do enjoy and comprehend the jokes however, Pani Poni, a very fun and very random comedy sure to garner many laughs.
- Marcus Speer
