Part of me finds it pointless to do this review, because what can I say that hasn't been said about ODDTAXI already? Many people praise it as being a great mystery anime, with some publications and reviewers crowing it the coveted Anime of the Year title for 2021. To some, that may come as a surprise. On the surface, such as the GIF I used above, ODDTAXI looks... distinct, shall we say. An AOTY about... talking animals? Looks can be deceiving, and ODDTAXI, in my opinion, rewards those who look past its seemingly childish facade with one of the best written mystery stories I've ever experienced.

Synopsis

Hiroshi Odokawa is an introverted middle-aged taxi driver who drives people around Tokyo. He lives alone, and outside of visits to the doctor and his job, he rarely interacts with others. Through no fault of his own, however, he finds himself caught up in a mystery involving a missing high school girl, and he's in for the ride whether he wants to be or not.

The Good

• The writing. It's absolutely stellar. Characters have very interesting backstories. Dialogue flows so naturally, almost as if real people are having improvised conversations. This shines especially in Odokawa's conversations with the various riders in his taxi and the Homosapiens's radio show. It gives the plot a very real air to it, like the anime is actually an adaptation of something that happened in real life. Each character has distinct personalities that shine in their writing. Odokawa is eccentric and sometimes has odd responses to questions posed by his customers. Kakihana's demeanor and mannerisms convey how desperate he is to find companionship and make his life seem more important. Dobu is written as a shady criminal who doesn't play around. It sounds cliché, sure, but you really start to understand what I mean when you listen to the characters talk with each other. It's near flawless execution of line delivery and scripting that beautifully complements the already great storyline
• Speaking of that storyline, you are thrown into it from the first minute of the first episode. From there, the puzzle pieces are given to you and as you put it together in your head, they give even more pieces to you that make you stop and think about your analysis again. There is a twist and turn around every corner and sometimes it can get genuinely unpredictable. I first watched the anime weekly as it was airing, and I lamented having to wait to find out what would happen next. You can go back to Reddit posts and forum topics dedicated to discussions for each episode and see them filled with reactions to new information the plot gives and speculation on what it means for the story overall. It's genuinely gripping and well thought out.
• Every single character has meaningful importance to the story in some way. They left no stone unturned. What makes this more impressive is that there's quite the ensemble of characters in this anime, yet despite that, the plot doesn't feel weighted down by everyone's involvement. You learn a lot about the characters, their motivations, their goals, and what significance they have to the overarching plot. It's really cool to see how everyone's situations are weaved into the narrative so seamlessly. Even if it doesn't seem like a certain character will be relevant, give it some time, because I guarantee you they will be when everything is said and done.
• The music is great. A lot of it is hip-hop inspired and funky, with the occasional idol pop song thrown in courtesy of the in-universe idol group Mystery Kiss. The soundtrack complements the mysterious mood of the show. My favorite inclusion of "music" in the show is Yano, who speaks in rap at all times. The fact they can make his dialogue work in that fashion deserves commending.

The Bad (?)

• I could see some people complaining about the pacing in the very beginning being too slow. I personally didn't have a problem with the pacing but I thought to mention it here just in case. ~~Also because I genuinely couldn't think of many negative things to say about this anime and I didn't want it to seem totally biased.~~
• The animation is fine but perhaps a little bland at times. It gets the job done and that's about it.

Verdict

ODDTAXI is a masterclass in mystery anime. I've never seen anything quite like it, and I doubt I'll see anything similar to it again. For a first-time director to be trusted with an original anime and knock it out of the park this spectacularly is almost unheard of. ODDTAXI is the reason behind that "almost." My review may have been a little vague, sure, but I'm doing that for your sake. I couldn't bare spoil any surprise this anime has waiting for those who watch it, and I absolutely cannot recommend you do that enough. Don't watch the compilation movie, watch the anime and get the full experience. I've never met someone who has and didn't end up loving it.