REVIEW: ‘New Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt’ Season 1 Is Weird And Amazing In All The Best Ways

New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is one of the greatest sequels to an anime series. The sequel not only builds upon the highly beloved legacy of the first season but also lives up to it almost 15 years later. While a series as peculiar as this one has moments that feel a bit too wild, it never stops being entertaining.

New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt follows the angel siblings Panty (Arisa Ogasawara) and Stocking (Mariya Ise), who protect humans from demons and all manner of paranormal creatures in the Daten City. Despite their personalities not being very angelic, with Panty being incredibly promiscuous and crass and Stocking being a rude glutton, they still somehow manage to do their duties well.

Following the events of the first episode, the two demon sisters Scanty and Kneesocks have also joined the cast as permanent members. For both groups to earn the right to return to their realms, they’ll need to compete in killing as many malicious ghostly creatures as possible. Throughout the entire season, they fight against various types of ghosts in strange and bizarre ways.

Every episode of New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt takes on a unique tone and visual.

Each episode is different from the last and offers a different flavor of peculiarity. And as each episode includes multiple mini-episodes and stories, viewers are bombarded with an overwhelming number of different genres, visual styles, side characters, and more. As a result, numerous episodes will leave you questioning what you’re even watching or if it makes any sense. Sometimes it feels like the director is making a troll post in anime form.

However, this doesn’t change the fact that each episode of New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is hilarious in some of the wackiest, crudest, and most provocative ways possible. While some episodes and jokes seem overly random and vulgar for no reason, most episodes offer a fantastic blend of exciting moments, obscene yet funny jokes, and an entertaining narrative.

A prime example of some of the most memorable episodes is “Shoot for Yesterday,” an episode where the main cast fights a space ghost cube that changes the universe into a warped world resembling a comic book in the amazingly unique art style of Jack Kirby. Another episode transforms the anime into a murder mystery in the style of a slasher film, resulting in some bizarre yet entertaining moments.

The parodies are sharp from episode to episode.

An almost direct parody of La La Land sees Panty becoming a Broadway singer after being possessed by the ghost of an artist. Not only is the musical-style episode incredibly entertaining, but the musical performance from Panty’s Japanese voice actress, who sings in English, is shockingly good. These examples are just some of the best the season has to offer. While still goofy, they are incredibly epic, cinematic, and engrossing. The season consists of many of these unique episodes, and as such, you won’t often know what to expect next.

New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is chock-full of both obscure and famous pop culture references, as well as references to specific types of people and subject matters. It also includes homages to old media, particularly in the anime industry. Some notable references include an episode where the group goes on an Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider-like adventure, an epic Conan the Barbarian parody episode, jokes based on The Terminator.

There is a hilarious episode parodying Yu-Gi-Oh with jokes like “Blue-Eyes White Uncle,”among others. These are just a few of the many hilarious elements of the anime and are one of many reasons why it’s incredibly entertaining, but also why the anime’s second season is more bizarre than the first.

Studio Trigger knocked every episode of the season out of the park.

However, to say a lot happens in an average episode is an understatement. And as every character speaks incredibly quickly, especially in the Japanese dub, likely to keep up with the pace of each episode’s short length, keeping track of all that’s happening at once can be a daunting ordeal.

That said, some episodes are a bit slower, focusing on the main characters, their development, and the deepening of their bonds. These episodes are wholesome and make excellent use of the demons as core cast members, effectively showcasing their relationship with the angels. Additionally, all episodes that feature the new angels are quite hilarious and effectively display their extremely over-the-top Gen Z personalities. The new angels are a great fit and add a new level of humor to the series.

Production-wise, New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is one of the best-looking and well-animated anime series this season. Studio Trigger knocked it out of the park in almost every way as each episode features fantastic, explosive visual effects and amazing, vibrant art direction. The cartoony aesthetic is also enhanced in the best ways this season. Several episodes, especially ones that change up the anime’s animation style and aesthetic, look phenomenal throughout.

The soundtrack in New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt elevates the whole experience.

The anime’s soundtrack is also likely the best this season has to offer, as each track excellently matches the chaos or, on rare occasions, the subtle moments in the anime. Major characters also have their own fitting theme song, and the battle track is always hype whenever it comes on. Finally, both the English and Japanese voice cast did a fantastic job with their roles, as each performance is executed with great commitment and intensity.

Overall, New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is an amazing sequel in almost every way. It not only lives up to the legacy of the first season but also surpasses it in many ways. It’s easy to tell that every part of the production was infused with immense passion, making for a superb viewing experience.

New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is streaming now on Prime Video.