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Year: 2019
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Episodes: 12
Rating: 3 out of 5
What do you think the world would be like if a sudden gate opened up and a new race of people came through it? Would we go to war with the unknown or become peaceful with this new race? It makes you wonder what would happen if a new race, species, or whatever decides to come to this world. I bet you there will be a lot of interspecies mixing along with some drugs. We know with new stuff comes new crime. We humans seem to love crime. Cop Craft is an anime where a gate to another world suddenly opens, and supernatural species come through while a specific police force upholds the law.
Overview
Life completely changed when a mysterious hyperspace gate suddenly appeared over the Pacific Ocean in the world fifteen years ago. S**t got real when Elves, fairies, and other strange creatures strolled through the gate and established relations with the Earth. In the present day, Kariana Island and its central city of San-Teresa serve as Earth’s “front door” to the magical world. In the city, over two million non-humans live with the human residents. The result is prosperity, but with this comes crime. The San-Teresa Metropolitan Police Department was established to keep order within the city.
Cop Craft begins after a drug bust gone wrong for a fairy. Detective Sergeant Kei Matoba loses the fairy and his best friend/partner of four years to a Semanian attacker. Matoba develops an attitude towards the Semanian people he derisively calls “aliens.” It is pretty racist. While looking for the lost fairy, Matoba is forced to partner with a Semanian knight named Tilarna Exedilica. From there, Matoba and Tilarna start solving cases together along with building a bond of friendship and respect for each other.
Review:
Cop Craft is an okay anime that has its moments. It is a usual buddy cop anime where the two main characters from entirely different worlds are thrust into partnership and have to make things work. Along the way, they come to respect each other and form a partnership and friendship that would probably last for the ages. It is nothing wrong with the formula; it’s just been played out many, many times. The pair go on a few cases and, towards the end, beat the final villain and still work with each other after because there is always more crime to solve in the world.
One of the cases that is fun to watch was when a vampire chick got resurrected and started her rampage. You were like, okay, a naked woman running around and has a cloud of black smoke around here. I am feeling this. Another one that is a two-part episode is when Tilarna gets turned into a cat. When she comes back to being human, she beats the hell out of the men who try to get answers from her.
The major theme in this anime is discrimination against another species. In the anime, elves known as Semanian are the ones that are looked down upon and called racist names. Even the main character Kei has a racist attitude towards Tilarna, even going as far as calling her alien. It’s only when Kei starts really getting to know her that he comes to respect her and the people she represents. Also, there is a political election and conspiracy which makes the city even more hostile towards the Semanian.
As far as the animation goes, it is above average. It is nothing spectacular or will get your eyes saying wow. I will say that it is crisp and appealing to the eyes. There aren’t any dull spots when watching the anime. That is a great thing when it comes to anime now.
Also, that opening theme, Rakuen Toshi, is a banger. It was the highlight for me to watch and listen to. I had that cool jazz sound. It is a great nightlife song because the beat is fast and something you would hear in a swing bar.
For the characters, there are some really unique ones in this anime. First, Kei Matoba is one that has a nice little change throughout the series. He starts off having a hostile attitude towards non-human “aliens” from the world beyond the gate but slowly softens his attitude while working with Tilarna. The dude has to have a soft side because he is allergic to cats but has a cat. Then there is Tilarna Exedilica, who is old in her land but like 15 in the human world. Homegirl will twirl around a sword at the first chance she can get.
Cop Craft is a decent anime if you looking for something like a buddy cop theme. The characters are funny, and the cases are pretty good, but it’s not an anime to get overly excited about. The opening theme song is where it’s at because it has that nice jazz/swing vibe to it.
