First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

OP Sequence

OP: 「CRY MAX Do-Heijitsu (CRYまっくすド平日)」 by (Fujirokyu (Kari) (フジロッ久(仮)))

「Untitled」

Yay that was a lot of fun!

Uchuu Patrol Luluco’s debut episode immediately showcases the show’s greatest strengths— a wacky, absurd premise; quirky, hyperactive humor; and fun, flashy visuals.

This eight-minute short is very apparently a Trigger production. Although in recent years, many of the studio’s short-form endeavors have been hit or miss, this first episode captures everything I love about the studio’s more revered shows.

Rejecting the Irregular

Uchuu Patrol Luluco follows the titular Luluco (Ichimichi Mao)—a normal middle school student residing in Japan’s most abnormal town. Despite being surrounded by aliens and other strange creatures on a daily basis, she has managed to grow up into an exceptionally ordinary gal. Her life is changed forever, though, when she’s suddenly granted the abilities and suit of a space patrol officer not unlike her father‘s (Iwata Mitsuo).

The show’s concept isn’t really anything to write home about, and on the surface seems like nothing more than another excuse for another anime about a schoolgirl with superpowers. However, it lends itself perfectly to the purpose of its characters—its ridiculousness is not so extreme to distract from its cast. These are not intricate individuals by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s enough to work with here to make them engaging. Luluco has strived all her life to be nothing more than normal—to blend in—and that’s it. The fact she has all her hard work stripped away within a manner of seconds not only lends itself well to the humor the scene, but the sympathy we feel towards the character. From the very few minutes we saw, the relationship she shares with her dad is really sweet, but also rife with comedic back-and-forth.

Signature Silliness

And the show is really funny in general. Some may say nay to Trigger’s trademark high-energy humor, but it remains beloved by many. The hyperactive nature of Uchuu Patrol Luluco’s characters—who bounce of the walls, spilling dialogue at every moment—is both endearing and genuinely funny. The episode hardly leaves any moment to breathe, save for the sake of particular comedic beats—it makes the eight-minute run time feel all the more impactful. When Luluco henshined into a gun Megatron style I could hardly contain myself. In fact, some of the comedic bits borrow directly from a lot of other material in subtle, tasteful ways. At the core of the humor, though, is the relentless frenzy of its characters.

PIINNKK

Furthermore, the show looks brilliant. The pink-dominant aesthetic is immensely pleasing to the eye—oddly soothing and yet perfectly appropriate for high-energy sequences. The way the characters are animated (in every sense of the word) perfectly capture the sort of quirky and frantic tone the producers were going for. At the same time, though, they look absolutely adorable. The colors look like you could just take a bite of them. Though the animation sometimes comes off as a little stiff, it does nothing to detract away from the show’s overall visual appeal. Plus, the music is awesome, contributing the same high-energy charm as the show (especially the OP). However, the smooth calmness of the ED is a welcome way to come down from the show’s quick pace.

The Verdict

Overall a really fun episode! Though the plot isn’t anything more impressive than you’d expect, the characters and visuals lend themselves to Trigger’s signature style of comedy. Whether that’s for you or not is up to you—if you never liked even the best of Trigger’s stuff, it’s likely there’s nothing for you here. However, fans of Trigger’s productions will likely find something to enjoy. This opening installment shows promise for a short and entertaining watch every week.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「Pipo Password」 by (Teddyloid ft. Bonjour Suzuki)

17 Comments

  2. It felt like Panty and Stocking meets Inferno Cop. I don’t like either. Not my cup of tea. LWA still remains only Trigger show I liked. I really hope at least Kiznaiver will change that.

    Urizithar
    Reply

  5. Another show to add to my argument that short-form anime is inherently funnier than full episodes that have the same pacing. Always makes me wish Nichijou was a far longer series of 5-8 minutes episodes.

    Definitely something I’ll be doing ‘short-cuts’ of on my blog’s weekly Impressions.

    JekoJeko
    Reply

    1. Good point, I loved Nichijō.

      But most of Nichijō were a couple+ of shorts rolled into a single
      “episode”. Gave a little more flexibility if a particular story line
      ran a little longer / shorted than the fixed 7 minute format.

      mac65
      Reply

  6. Good start! As always, the TRIGGER team is unapologetic in the way they express and play around with themes. I also noticed the Infernal Cop shoutout! Poor Luluco. I’ll be following this!

    starss
    Reply

  10. A rare case of intense color usage not resulting in my eyes bleeding is always something deserving of praise.

    Luluco is just so fun, just like PSG. I like fun. Fun is fun. More unrestrained fun is welcome and Luluco is a fantastic anime but also evokes TRIGGER’s understanding of the positive elements of cartoons.

    Looking forward to more, glad to see it’ll be covered on here.

    BirdGang
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *