Review of Detroit Metal City
Overview: What would happen if you mixed the random comedy and faux tough guy MC of Cromartie Highschool with the crude humor and heavy metal parody of Metalocalypse?! You would get Detroit Metal City. I watched all 12 episodes in 1 binge and I haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time! Not only is this one of the best anime comedy series in years, it is widely accessible even for people that don't like anime. Story: 8/10 The story is about a mild mannered guy from the country named Negishi that moved to Tokyo in order to become a pop singer. Unfortunately, his music doesn't sell,so he is forced to make a living by being the frontman for the wildly offensive and insane band Detroit Metal City. Detroit Metal City is named after the KISS song of course, and is basically what conservative parents in the 1980s thought KISS was like. All of their music is about rape, murder, and praising Satan! Negishi's onstage persona is Johannes Krauser, a German serial killer/rapist that calls himself the "terrorist from hell". It is rather funny to see a guy that sends flowers to his mother and is a virgin play the role of a man who supposedly murdered and raped his parents at age 5. Of course, part of the comedy is that this is actually fairly accurate in real Death Metal music. With the exception of the insane Norwegian bands that actually burned churches and murdered people in the 1990s, most metal bands are actually a bunch of nerds that are NOTHING like their onstage personas. Negishi must continue to play in this crazy band all while dealing with lunatic fans, and keeping his friends and family from finding out about it.
Character: 9/10
From the loveable and goofy Negishi to the sociopathic, Metal head band manager, the characters are hilarious and excellent! I especially liked the awkward, middle aged man that plays the DMC band member "The Capitalist Pig" which simply involves wearing a gimp suit and getting the shit kicked out of him in every concert. Some of the best character interactions and chemistry in the show was between Negishi and his sweet girlfriend Aikawa. It is unfortunate that the anime ended so abruptly and she never finds out about his persona or takes their relationship to the next level. They just flirt, go on a a few dates, and that is as far as it ever goes in the anime. It may be different in the manga, but I haven't read the manga yet.
Sound: 7/10
The soundtrack is hilarious and features some of the most batshit insane lyrics you will ever hear. Unfortunately, DMC aren't very good at playing their instruments and don't sound even 1/10th as good as Deathklok. Brandon Small from Metalocalypse actually knows how to play a guitar, unlike these guys!
Art: 7/10
The art closely follows the style of the manga from what I have seen of it. It is certainly not spectacular, but it isn't bad and works well with the tone of the series.
Enjoyment: 10/10
I lauged my ass off and I am willing to bet that most of you guys will too!
Overall: 9/10
Detroit Metal City was a highly enjoyable little anime that I recently found out about and I am REALLY glad I gave it a chance. There is no English Dub, but the Japanese dub is filled with seasoned veterans and is nice to listen to. Negishi is hilariously voiced by the same guy that did Keitaro from Love Hina! If you need a good laugh, I would check this series out right away.