Paniponi Dash Vol. 1: Lethal Lessons 2005 ADV Films Official US Website Buy It Now Official Japanese Website

Is anyone tired yet of high school comedies? I didn’t think so, and anime has some of the best of the bunch. It doesn’t matter if it’s a lecherous teacher like seen in GTO, a group of eclectic girls such as the ones found in Azumanga Daioh or even the diminutive teacher and her outrageous class from Doki Doki School Hours, anime fans here in North America, and elsewhere I’m certain, just can’t get enough of them. The ever-growing anime marketplace does have room for more classroom comedy, and ADV is more than happy to deliver.

So, you might think that you’ve seen it all, but there are still more twists that can be thrown out there. Paniponi Dash indeed is another high school comedy with a complete lack of drama (it’s not necessary here) but you’ll find that Rebecca Miyamoto isn’t like any of the teachers you’ve ever met before. She’s intelligent, having graduated from MIT recently, she’s half Japanese (on her mother’s side) and half American (on her father’s side) and there’s just one more little twist. Rebecca has come to teach class 1-C at Momotsuki Academy, and she’s only eleven years old.

Paniponi Dash easily falls right along other high school geared series like Doki Doki School Hours and of course, the one series that is still at the top of many fans lists as being perhaps one of the best anime comedies out there, Azumanga Daioh (still my personal favorite.) Any and every comparison can be made, and it certainly will, but Paniponi Dash may have similarities, but it’s not quite the same. If you’re looking for giant robots, small robots, mythical Japanese creatures, talking animals, space aliens and big laughs, this is definitely the series that is going to deliver all of that and quite a bit more.

Rebecca, or Becky as the class now calls her, may be the main character, but Paniponi Dash has A LOT of different characters that you’ll learn to love. The most important of these would be none other than her class. You have a rather odd class representative, Ichijo, a bookworm (though she’s not found of the word) named Miyako, the essential idiot of the bunch, Katagiri, a student who seems to excel at various forms of manipulation and verbal abuse, Rei Tachibana and some other girl that really doesn’t have much of a presence, though when she does, people call her Kurumi Momose.

Becky and her class also have dealings with the other students, and they are just as bizarre. You have a magic girl, an old teacher, affectionately called the Old Geezer, who is well past retirement age, pretty boys, and basically any other character type you would find, and others that you might not, all in one anime. Oh, but somewhere circling around the Earth are a pair of aliens who are keeping an eye on Rebecca for some reason that is only know to them. There’s also Mesousa, a talking rabbit who is plagued by the devious nature of Lord Cat. Actually, he’s not that devious, just annoying.

So, how does a 10th grade class take to having an 11-year old teacher? Quite well actually, after a little bit of teasing of course. Becky we find is always trying to act like an adult, but even though she might be a genius, she’s still just a kid and prone to outbursts and some tears here and there when her feelings get hurt. That’s a two-way street however, and her class often ends up at their wits end at times, particularly in instances where she can’t remember their names or doesn’t necessarily want to participate in class events. How she ever managed to get through MIT is beyond me, but it’s the perfect premise for comedy.

Surprisingly, in the first five episodes, some of the more recognized high school events are missing. Paniponi Dash doesn’t feature any cultural festivals, there isn’t a Sports Day, and many of the other things that have been seen in other anime haven’t been presented, at least not at this point. I’m sure we will see them in future episodes, though the class does go on a camping trip and, as you might expect, chaos erupts.

There is one other thing that sets the series apart from its counterparts, and that is a good sense of parody. Paniponi Dash pokes fun at a lot of things, and not just things that are of Japanese origin. Films, books (or manga), and just about anything else that you can think of is thrown into the mix and lampooned in a variety of ways. You could see the series taking a healthy shot at a classic American sci-fi film one minute, then poking fun at a Japanese comedy show the next. Plus, throughout the series, the blackboards having nothing but nonsense written on them that ends up being quite entertaining to read or even determine just what the animators where thinking. Paniponi Dash doesn’t quite reach the same level of jest as what Excel Saga does, but it comes incredibly close.

Paniponi Dash does not, and let me make this clear, DOES NOT, have any particular theme or look when it comes to the animation. It bears a resemblance to far too many different titles to pick just one. The characters usually have the classic look that is often seen, fairly big eyes, occasionally spiked hair, and certainly aren’t too far away from falling into the Azumanga camp of animation. However, the series also loves to use super-deformed images for the characters, toss in real pictures as backgrounds, and essentially try every trick they can think of to make the series entertaining, and that works very well in this case. Some may find it a distraction and that Paniponi Dash is a series without a sense of direction, but this is a comedy, and the style works perfectly.

With so many cultural references, how is someone supposed to keep up with all of them? Ah, that’s quite simple really, and you may remember from Excel Saga that ADV included AD Vid-Notes. If you’re not familiar with them, it works like this; turn on the Vid-Notes option and every time there is some point of reference that you may or may not know, you will get a pop-up that gives you the details. At times, you may just get a few while other times your screen may be flooded with them, making PAUSE a much needed feature.

The DVD also has a few other features included with it, and as you typically have seen, there are clean versions of the closing animations. Yes, animations, plural. The ending of each episode tends to be just a little bit different, though drastically at times, with what is shown. There are also two Japanese television spots that ran on network television for the series. If you like games, there are details on how to enter the Paniponi Dash Chalkboard Champion game. The final on-disc extra is a different version of the opening animation, but the DVD also includes an insert. Here you will find details on just about every character that appears in the series, and with so many, an asset like this can help you better keep track of them.

Seen one high school comedy, seen them all . . . I hardly think so. Paniponi Dash is what the end result might be if you mixed together Azumanga Daioh with the insanity of Excel Saga, but with it’s own distinctive style that sets it apart. Rebecca Miyamoto is proof positive that big laughs can certainly come in small packages, though her students help in this category quite a bit. Paniponi Dash may have you wishing that you were back in school, at least if the state of higher learning was anything like shown here, and this is an series that’s certain to be a hit with existing fans of this style of anime and probably one that will lure in the curious enough to have them hopelessly addicted.

Episode 1 – Swimwear in the Coldest Season, Winterwear in the Hottest

It’s Rebecca Miyamoto’s first day at school, but this 11-year old isn’t attend class, sh’es teaching it, and she’s managed to get lost somewhere along the way. Once she finally arrives though, some innocent razing from her students ends up upsetting her, but she needs to keep one thing in mind; she’s the teacher!

Episode 2 – A Safflower Stands Out in Any Garden

Becky is having a hard time remembering her new students’ names, and after she calls Kurumi “plain,” she’s going to have to think of a way to pick her spirits back up. (Actually, getting her name right might be a start.) And, a robot joins the class; at least this “new student” wants everyone to think she’s a robot.

Episode 3 – It’s Always Harder on the Ones Who Have to Watch

Becky is fed up with Katagiri’s cowlick (only because she’s come to school with bed head and has the same thing) and decides to get rid of it by pulling it out. But now Katagiri isn’t acting like her usual self and Becky needs to find a way to recreate it before she gets worse.

Episode 4 – Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

There’s a bit test coming up and the girls have decided to have a slumber party with an emphasis on study. Rebecca is even joining them, but only because they need a guardian (and remember, she’s only 11.) The Lodge Club seems like just the right place, but there may be too much emphasis on play rather that study.

Episode 5 – It Is a Treasure If It Is Fulfilling

The school goes off on a camping trip, but there are already problems. Strange creatures have been seen in the forest, missiles have been launched at God knows what, and Rebecca and her group (there’s only three of them) are having issues about who is going to do what and they may have to rely on others for . . . well . . . pretty much everything.

-mike-