Odd Taxi is my favorite anime last season (Spring 2021). It has a unique and amazing story. But the real deal is the ending that surprised the hell out of me. It was an underrated gem that everyone should know. Don't get the wrong idea of being furry or it's just a children's show. It is not like Beastars and it's not an anime recommendable for children. Trust me, don't get fooled by how playful it looks. It has a dark side that makes the show super awesome. So why not check this out?
Aside from its awesome story. The characters are so lovely. You can relate to some of them. Odd Taxi is an anime with a large number of characters. But amazingly well all of them are connected and it formed a super solid chain reaction of events. They are the reason behind the perfect story so I would give my praises to Kazuya Kanomoto for this very detailed anime.
Here's the list of characters from Odd Taxi and let's see which one you could relate to and also share my personal favorite.
Hiroshi Odokawa
The loner and quiet Taxi Driver as well as the protagonist of this anime. He is believed to be linked to the missing girl since she was last seen riding his Taxi. He is diagnosed with some unknown disease that's why Goriki always tends to him. He just wants a normal life but for some reason, he was caught in a tight spot. He is a mysterious character and the ending reveals so many things about him.
Miho Shirakawa
She works as a nurse to Gorki. She is involved with Dobu and can't cut ties with him because of her debts. At first, she was told by Dobu to approach Odokawa romantically but later her feeling developed genuinely. She's a funny character and I have to agree that she's beautiful.
Shun Imai
I don't know if he is lucky or unlucky because he won in a lottery but he becomes the target of Yano and his group. He won the lottery thanks to the random numbers given by Odokawa. At first, he is just a waiter and a die-hard fan of Mystery Kiss. And now that his life is in danger he can't do as he please. Odokawa protect him and set a plan to use his money as bait to capture the bad guys. We can consider Imai as the root of all of this.
Hajime Tanaka
His involvement in the story is funny yet so tragic. He is just a normal civilian that become so obsessed with the game called Zooden. And at the time he finally got a rare item in the game, Odokawa which drives so fast pass through him and he dropped his phone. That's where he started to hate Odokawa and seek revenge violently. He is the example of a person who becomes so obsessed with things (especially games). That he even become violent because of it. And also his backstory is very sad yet he deserves that.
Taichi Kabasawa
Kabasawa is one of the annoying characters in this anime. He is a social media personality that does stupid things just to gain attention and become viral. He is also the first passenger of Odokawa in anime. And maybe he started everything because of his photo with Odokawa that goes viral. In the photo, they capture a criminal named Dobu in the background. Because of his temporary social media popularity, he did everything to make viral posts again. Even though his method is very dangerous.
Kensuke Shibagaki
For me, this character is not directly involved with the main story. Yes, he met Tanaka during his mental breakdown and he is a friend of Baba. But I didn't see him participate in major parts. He is still interesting though because he does comedy duo together with Baba. But unfortunately, he always forgot his part that maybe result in the loss of his popularity.
Atsuya Baba
He is the partner of Shibagaki in their comedy duo. He lacks ambition and always thinks he is the weaker part of the group. But ironically he becomes successful when he started working as a solo. Despite his looks, Baba is dating an Idol named Rui. Which is way shorter than him. The two couple is cute but knowing the ending, it didn't go well.
Togo Sekiguchi
He is a big guy that works in a criminal organisation. He works with Yamamoto (handler of Mystery Kiss) and an underling of Yano. Sekiguchi is a tall guy with a short temper and always resolve things using violence. He even fights Dobu once and it's funny cause both of them are criminals. He is one of the bad guys in this anime. And the bad guy always hates his fellow bad guy.
Kuroda
If Sekiguchi is the underling of Yano then Kuroda is the boss of Dobu. He is also a member of the Yakuza and does criminal works. Despite his bad background and image, Kuroda helps children who lost their parents. He is also the person who helps Odokawa since he was a child. He may be a criminal but fairly enough he is also a kind-hearted person.
Dobu
He is also the villain in this series and I think he is the main one. Yano and others may do something bad, but Dobu is the worst. Forcing Odokawa to work for him, bribing and abusing Shirakawa and even scamming Tanaka. Despite being the ultimate criminal, Dobu hates Yano so much. He is finding the evidence that links Yano and the missing girl to use it against him.
Eiji Kakihana
This man is so pitiful. He is a close friend of Odokawa. He works as a Janitor and finds a wife in a dating app. He's so desperate to regain his glory since he was once popular in his high school days. Started he met Shiho in a dating app, he becomes even more pitiful. He loan money and he hides his true occupation just to marry a girl he met on the internet. In the end, he got scammed.
Kenshiro Daimon
A police officer and the older twin brother of Koshiro. Despite being police, Kenshiro works for Dobu and the Yakuza. He even links Odokawa to the missing girl incident. His brother didn't know all of his wrongdoing. Maybe because he hates Taxi drivers so much but still he is a dirty bad cop.
Koshiro Daimon
The younger brother of Kenshiro and also a police officer. Unlike his older brother, Koshiro has a strong sense of justice. He said he will even catch his brother if he does something wrong. He later works together with Odokawa to capture Dobu and find proof his brother is a criminal. Probably one of the best and I think his character is pretty solid.
Fuyuki Yamamoto
The handler and manager of Mystery Kiss idol group. He also works under Yano and involves in scamming Kakihana. He may love the group so much, but he mismanaged them at some point. He is involved in the missing girl case, he gives Rui special treatment and even uses Shiho in his scams. The most despicable guy in this series.
Yuki Mitsuya
A member of Mystery Kiss and the replacement for the missing girl. She may look cute and innocent but I warn you. Her ambition is so high and just like her color, her personality hides a dark secret. Just don't adore her so much because once you'll learn the truth, you'll get disappointed.
Shiho Ichimura
Also a member of Mystery Kiss and the girl that led Kakihana into a trap. She came from a poor family so being an idol is a huge opportunity for her and her family. But just like every member of Mystery Kiss, Shiho is also involved in wrongdoings. She works in Yamamoto's Honey Trap scam. But I don't blame her, she did that for a reason.
Rui Nikaido
The leading member of Mystery Kiss and the star of their group. She knows what happened to the missing girl and we can say she's involved. She hates losing and her co-member believed she can do everything just to win. She witnesses the darkest part of Odd Taxi and I believe she's the key character.
Ayumu Goriki
He is the doctor of Odokawa. A loud but friendly character that always worries about Odokawa's mental health. He's not just a doctor but also a friend so that's why even he got a huge appearance, he still got a gentle heart. He owns a clinic and Shirakawa is his only assistant nurse. An interesting character and the one to discover the truth about Odokawa.
My Personal Favorite
Haruhiro Yano
He is the villain of this series but he is my personal favorite. I like him not because of his role but his personality. A small and arrogant person who love to Rap. That's what I like about him. His ability to Rap and play words as his dialogue is just amazing. Maybe because the voice suits him well but it is surely adorable. His Rap skill is amazing that Punpee (singer of the Opening Song) make an extra Rap Song entitles "My Name Is..." And guess what? It featured Yano and his Rap.
So if you've already watched Odd Taxi. Who's your favourite character?
