Oddtaxi is one of those truly unique series – on paper it’s the sort of hyperlink-cinema noir story that fits right in with series like Baccano and Durarara (or, for that matter, films like Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, and Pulp Fiction). However, how the presentation of the story helps make it truly distinct from the other stylistic works that came before. There will be some spoilers below the cut.
Our central viewpoint character in Oddtaxi is Odokawa. He’s a taxi driver who gets caught up in a murder investigation (and cover-up), due to some stuff picked up by his dash cam in his car – including footage of either the girl or the murderer having ridden in the vehicle, along with a fugitive who is caught in the background of a selfie that is taken by a passenger in his vehicle.
On top of all of this, there’s some guy who’s trying to kill Odokawa because he ran over his phone on accident. The nurse at the doctor’s office he goes to is tied up with the Yakuza. The murder victim is also tied up with an Idol group (whose manager is putting the squeeze on Odokawa) – and one of the members of that group (and the manager) are running a Badger Game con on one of Odokawa’s friends (though they don’t know it’s one of Odokawa’s friends). Plus one of the members of a Manzai duo who are frequent customers of Odokawa is dating another member of the idol group.
Oh, and all of them look like anthropomorphic animals. They aren’t actually anthropomorphic animals – there is serious implication from very early in the series that this is just how Odokawa perceives the world – but because that’s how Odokawa perceives them, so do we.
As with the best examples of this genre, it creates a great story that draws in the viewer, as we perceive all these various related narrative threads as they intertwine and move apart until they are eventually all braided together in the end. It makes for a very intense and suspenseful story, which I really enjoyed making my way through.
If I were to make any complaint about it, it’s that the full epilogue is placed behind the conclusion of the compilation film. Now, the film, like the series, is also available for streaming on Crunchyroll. However, I could see some viewers either getting frustrated and skipping the movie, or fast-forwarding to the end in the interest of time.
Still, I’d say that Oddtaxi is a series that I think I unfairly slept on, and I’m glad I finally got around to watching.
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