Odd Taxi

 Odd Taxi (オッドタクシー) is a slice of life seinen drama based on the manga of the same name.  The series broadcast on TV over the Spring of 2021.

   Odokawa Hiroshi is a middle aged bachelor who works as an independent taxi driver in an anthropomorphized version of modern day Tokyo.  Unknown to him, a young passenger who strives to become viral on the net opens up a complex web of deception and danger after taking a selfie with the reclusive walrus.

    Everything begins with the disappearance of a high school girl.  A police investigation links her last known whereabouts to hiss taxi.  Soon various factions and personalities begin trying to confirm his taxi's involvement.  The disappearance increases in complexity with each new person who crosses paths with the man who doesn't like interacting with other people.  When the few people close to him come under threat he realizes he needs to do whatever he can to protect them.  Can he unravel all of the issues before someone ends up dead?

     Initial impression, without watching a minute of the show, was that it would be an episodic story about a weird cabby dealing with a new problematic fare each week.  Instead the series is a deeply complex drama involving a large number of moving pieces.  As the story unfolds the viewer begins to understand the importance of random reference characters and events.  Almost every aspect of the story surfaces as important plot points and story pivots through out its run.  From the late night b-grade comedy duo playing in Odakawa's cab, the vapid idol pop group providing the background music or a server at a cabaret club, everything becomes important to the story.

    The artwork is basic with some rather sloppy and disjointed computer graphics.  The character designs are childish but work to reinforce the personalities as represented by their animals.  What the series lacks in the visual department more than overcomes with the writing.  The story and characterization is the entire reason the show is as good as it is.  Complex, well though out and well paced, it is rare to find an anime series this well done.  This is really a series that is worth the time for viewers who enjoy complex mysteries based in reality, even if all of the characters are animals.

    The series is available on Crunchyroll in both sub and dub.  A movie continuing the story was released in early 2022 in Japan.