What is it: A show mainly about an eleven year-old teacher and her experiences with her class. The wacky tale focuses on mainly nothing but tries to show the daily lives of those attending Momotsuki School. Based on the manga by Hekiru Hikawa, 26 episodes were produced by Shaft in 2005.
Why it is special: This is a series that is very near and dear to me because of the lasting effect it has had on me. Basically a non sequitur, this comedy tends to venture into the surreal during many occasions. In addition to being off the wall, the anime tends to point out that it is an anime with different allusions. Jam packed with many references to other animes, mythologies, and even Japan's internet culture. The main reason why I am so attached to this show is that it was my real first venture into anime, which probably shaped how I now view comedies.
Plus One:
The openings/endings: Shaft put a lot of effort into making different openings and endings. 3 different openings were used and 6 for the ending. With such a variety, viewers were never really sure what song was going to be playing. This showed just how much effort Shaft put in and also set the trend of changing the op/eds.
The references: As mentioned earlier, this show is just jam packed with so many references. Every episode has some sort of writing on the blackboards, so much so that if a viewer wants to read them all they have to stop it and read for a few minutes. Along side the extra reading, there are also points in the show where random characters from other shows just appear. What makes it even more surprising is that some of the guest appearances are shows Shaft would later go on to produce.
The humor: Basically this show is all over the place, not to mention the humor. Many of the funny parts are kind of absurdest/surreal humor. I very much enjoy this type of humor so I was laughing at many points in the show.
Minus One:
The characters: What kind of started out as a small cast eventually grew and grew over the course of the show. With so many different and all unique characters every moment was interesting and exciting. With such a large cast it was difficult to remember everyone even though there were unique. Sometimes even the main cast was over shadowed by extras or characters that you wanted to see more of did not appear much.
The plot: Frankly speaking there isn't much of one. The first few episodes set up what seems to be the overarching story but nothing really becomes of it. If anything, it is just used for more comedy.
The humor: For many, this kind of humor just flies right by them. I get it, you just don't like this kind of humor, which is why this show probably isn't going to work for you.
All for One:
Pani Poni Dash is really the mold for me in terms of comedies. Sure there are better shows that have a more traditional sense of humor, more plot, more everything. But that isn't what sets them apart for me, it is how Pani Poni was so self aware of itself and what it wasn't trying to be. This is a show where many are not going to understand it or fully respect it but for me it is something that set it apart. This show is basically why I have a love affair with Shaft.
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