While many of our authors are abroad, I personally live in the United States. This episode of Odd Taxi is terrifying to me. While this particular lost tanuki’s name is Tanaka, I know plenty of other names that would fit right there instead. Let’s take a look at the most disturbing Odd Taxi episode yet.
Honestly, I don’t feel great writing about this episode. Here are some random points I noticed: this is the game that the radio duo was playing the taxi; it’s also obviously an homage to Animal Crossing. I also want to point out that the nurse had the one of a kind eraser in episode 1 – and put it in Odokawa’s pocket. Bad news Alpacas.
My confusion on the human-or-animal question has only deepened- I don’t think at this point it’s all Odokawa’s delusion. I mean, the historical drawings were animals – it’s also gotten me wondering whose eyes we’re seeing this world through. Tanaka told his story first person – why? It felt a bit like a rambling confession, where he backed up and elaborated in different directions. Honestly, it felt like a modern day Catcher in the Rye, just with Animal Caulfield – I guess that story has a taxi too, huh? My best guess is he’s confessing to the police after the fact of…something.
This next paragraph is a little bit soapbox, and somewhat United States specific, so feel free to skip – I won’t blame you. The United States has more firearms than people (well north of 300 million) and has more small arms currently being produced every year than during World War 2. This isn’t Japan, where you have to dig up a mafioso’s box in the park to be armed – guns are available. The more dangerous issue is Tanaka’s progression past despair into nihilism. When you have nothing left to lose, why commit suicide? If your life means nothing, why not take others with you? Or, in this case, a specific person – why not destroy the secondary source of your problems along with the primary? I think that sentiment, in an increasing isolated digital world, is deadlier than all the guns on earth.
At any rate, deadlier than the gun Tanaka has – I still don’t think this gun has any bullets in it. So I think Odokawa is safe, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Especially if he’s found with the eraser – that seems a waiting powder keg. I bet Tanaka goes on some rant about the eraser and Odokawa pulls it out and is like – oh, you can have it, if you want?
I didn’t really have a great time with this episode, honestly. I thought it was top shelf in execution, and I’m sure it’ll be very important to the story. It just wasn’t my favorite, but I’ll still applaud. I’m hoping next week is a bit lighter – counting on you, Mr. Monkey.
Good points. I liked how Tanaka didn’t tell his story straight, he went down the wrong directions or dragged things a few time till he reminded himself to go back, started anew, went back to the past and so on.
It felt more natural in a creepy way, like the rambling of someone unable to focus. Your idea that he is narrating all of this to the police is a good guess I didn’t think about yet.
And yeah, the whole gun deal felt lowkey threatening. And this is despite (or because of?) how cute this series and the characters look like and the avoidance of any extremes so far, be it action, blood, fanservice or anything else. It’s a great way of building up suspense. Suspense doesn’t work with gore and screams. I rare care much about so many characters but I really don’t want any of the (alleged) good guys to die here. Was even a bit worried when Takana was talking to the comedian (whose VA seems to be part of an actual comedian duo).
PS: Found another meta joke for this show:
https://oddtaxi.jp/gacha/
A bunch of people managed to roll the Dodo here. I had no such luck, it’s rare. Some of those that got him tried for hours it seems.