English Title: Route of Odd Taxi [also stylized as RoOT]
Japanese Title: ルート オブ オッドタクシー
Director(s): Tsuchiya Takafumi
Screenwriter(s): Tsuchiya Takafumi
Studio: P.I.C.S.
Released: 2024
Series Runtime: 10 episodes, ~23m each.
Starring: Kawai Yuumi, Bando Ryota
My Verdict: A nicely produced spin-off that tells the same story from the perspective of two young private investigators Rena and Sato.
● Based on the manga of the same name written by Konomoto Kazuya and illustrated by Abaraya Takeichi, RoOT is a spin-off to the primary work Odd Taxi. This series is a live-action adaptation.
● The main characters are Rena (Kawai Yuumi), a 19-year-old private investigator, and Sato (Bando Ryota), a recruit assigned as Rena’s new partner. They work for a small firm called Ibusuki Detective Agency. Initially, the two are tasked with following a banker to see if he is having an affair. But then Dobu beats up Sato and takes the evidence.
● Rena and Sato are then hired by Harada Taeko, the owner of the bar-restaurant Yamabiko, to follow the taxi driver Odokawa Hiroshi who is somehow connected to the missing high school girl. (He is the main character in Odd Taxi.) Rena is drawn to the case partly because she went to school with the missing girl. The plot follows Rena and Sato as they track Odokawa and try to solve the mystery.
● So, this series tells the same story as Odd Taxi, partly from Rena’s point of view and Sato’s to a lesser extent, and partly from a third-person omniscient perspective as some scenes do not have Rena or Sato present.
● Although not absolutely necessary to watch the anime Odd Taxi first, as there is arguably enough for the audience to understand what is going on, it helps to watch it first. Otherwise, all the characters involved in the mystery—in other words, almost anyone who is not Rena and Sato—may come across as too insignificant, and what they do and how it fits into the plot a bit too disconnected.
● Even though one knows the ending after having watched the anime Odd Taxi, there is still enough intrigue as to how Rena goes about the case. Since it is from her perspective, there are some interesting details not shown in the anime.
● Also, it is cool to see characters and scenes from the anime replicated in live-action, most of which are done faithfully. Of course, there are liberties taken such as the specific look of the locations are sometimes different.
● The performances are solid. Kawai Yuumi as Rena is convincing as the cool and calculated detective whilst Bando Ryota plays the mildly annoying Sato very well. He has, as observed by Rena, little self-awareness and grew up spoilt. He is not a bad guy but it is satisfying to see him get smacked occasionally.
● Of no less importance, the casting for the main characters of the anime, even though they are minor characters in this series, is fitting and their performances mostly match too.
● One will notice that Rena and Sato briefly feature in the anime Odd Taxi and the film Odd Taxi: In the Woods, the latter work being framed as an investigation by Rena and Sato.
● The plot unfolds at a steady pace. The pacing in each episode, in some ways, is slow so each episode feels longer than it is but, at about 23 minutes, it never drags. In that sense, it is balanced.
● Since the narrative follows Rena, the humor in the anime is mostly missing. This is not necessarily a bad thing but this series can use a little more humor.
● The series is shot nicely with a measured use of odd angles and off-center framing. Although it is appreciated that these techniques are not overused, they can be utilized more. Still, it looks good and is edited well.
● The music involves some improv jazz and other lively styles which makes it, well, odd.
● Like the anime, RoOT is not hardboiled but there is a noir feel to it. Like the film (but even more so), this series adds to the anime series on how it concludes, with more exposition of details of what happened. It is also for this reason that it is recommended to watch the anime first. Those who like the anime will probably appreciate this well-produced live-action series.
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