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Coyote Ragtime Show, Vol. 3
When I first heard about Coyote Ragtime Show I honestly didn't know what to expect. It had an irreverent sound to it and elicited visions of a goofy comedy though what's really in a name? You can't judge a book by its cover and you can't judge an anime by its title. Coyote Ragtime Show may indeed be irreverent at times but it's a powerful show with a strong cast of characters that will latch on to you the moment you catch the first episode.
In the future humans have colonized many planets across the galaxy and though we haven't really evolved as a people, our technology has. There are cyborgs a plenty and ships that can travel faster than light. For some reason we still use bullets and rockets to get the dirty jobs done instead of lasers which just seems kind of funny in a Cowboy Bebop sort of way. This particular attempt to do the science fiction genre has been done many times over but it's the manner with which it's handed in Coyote Ragtime Show that makes it feel unique.
The main characters are another big part in that feeling of originality. The head honcho is a guy named Mister who is a renowned outlaw of sorts. He operates a starship known as the Coyote and is accompanied by a pair of lackeys named Katana and Bishop. In the first couple of volumes we meet other important characters like Franca, the daughter of Pirate King Bruce, and Swamp, an old acquaintance of Mister's. Of course no show would be complete without a collection of bad guys and in that regard we have the authoritative Milky Way Federation (MWF) and the mafia-like Marciano family.
Up to this point in the show many things have happened. The series basically took on an Ocean's Eleven kind of vibe with the biggest bank heist in the world. It all started years ago with Pirate King Bruce and continues to this day, on the eve of Graceland's "destruction". Mister came back onto the scene to put an end to some unfinished business involving Bruce but before he can see things through he has to get through the MWF and Marciano's lethal robotic daughters. By the end of the second volume it appeared that the storyline is going to end with a bloody photo-finish so it's with bated breath that I popped the third disc in for a spin.
The nonstop barrage of action continued as soon as the first episode fired up. As the third volume begins Swamp and Bishop are deep under cover trying to get a close and personal look at the Photon Bomb that is set to destroy Graceland. They soon discover that the bomb is actually a decoy and it's a piece of bait that the Marciano sisters bite into. They virtually destroy the fleet but our beloved Coyotes get away in the nick of time. As they head to Graceland to tell Mister about the Photon Bomb beneath the surface things are going to hell in a hand basket on the wayward planet.
Mister, Katana, and Franca find themselves in the midst of a viper den with sisters at every corner and a battlefield between warring nations all around them. The clock is ticking and the Gigasbank is waiting to be robbed. Once Angelica from the MWF comes into the picture it becomes less clear as to whether or not Mister and company will be successful. Everyone has their own agenda and on the verge of annihilation many surprising things are going to happen on Graceland.
With four episodes on this volume I was exhausted by the time the final one rolled around. So many plot twists, explosions, and action sequences were strung together on this volume that it's quite daunting to watch. Don't fret though, this is rock-solid entertainment and overall the show turned out to be one of the most enjoyable series I have seen this year. Whether you wait for a thinpak or are looking to pick up all three volumes you can't go wrong by buying into this one. In my opinion Coyote Ragtime Show is worth every penny.
Coyote Ragtime Show just finished broadcasting in Japan during September of 2006 so you can imagine how fresh the video quality is. The anamorphic widescreen image features some nice resolution with crisp quality and a vibrant palette. The picture stays strong the entire way through and just about every scene is just as gorgeous as the one that preceded it. There were a couple of scenes here and there where some grain was noticeable but apart from that there were no other flaws to speak of. I'm pleased to say that with the extra episode in this volume there were no problems with compression either.
With Japanese and English 5.1 tracks Coyote Ragtime Show does a nice job of impressing your ears as well. My first viewing for the show was with the Japanese track and I was very pleased to have the surround mix available. Typically we get somewhat stagnant 2.0 stereo presentations so any time a show comes out with 5.1 it's something to get excited about. The track made good use of the rear channels and spread it evenly between sound effects and music.
The English dubbing offered a little more in terms of the channel mixture but it was more or less the same to be honest. Some sound effects seemed to be boosted a tad and more dialogue played across channels. Overall I was pleased with both tracks and enjoyed them equally. With the bountiful supply of action that this volume offered, my rear channels and subwoofer definitely got a work out. .
Like the volumes that came before it, the third installment of Coyote Ragtime Show presents less than compelling bonus content. All you're going to see are some previews, production art galleries, clean animations, and some on air next episode previews. This was a series that absolutely begged for a commentary track but alas we don't receive one here.
After watching the third volume of Coyote Ragtime Show I wanted to go back and watch the first two back to back. This is such a fast-paced series with a ton of action that it's easy to miss some things along the way. Trust me when I say this is a good thing. The thirteen episodes that make up the show are amazing and even though the series seems like it pays homage to others in the genre it feels quite unique. As much of a guilty pleasure as it turned out to be I have to say that Coyote Ragtime Show was one of the most enjoyable shows I have watched in a long time.
Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!
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