This Anime Title With 8.3 on IMDb Is the Most Underrated Crime Gem of the Decade

At first glance, Odd Taxi seems impossible to take seriously. It's an anime about talking animals, with a walrus taxi driver as the main character and alpacas and llamas as police officers.

However, this title, which was released in 2021 with virtually no fanfare, has become one of the biggest anime sensations of the decade.

Here's why Odd Taxi is more than just a cute anime title – it's an exemplary noir worthy of the best screenwriters.

What Is 'Odd Taxi' About?

Hiroshi Odokawa is an observant 40-year-old taxi driver who drives late-night passengers around Tokyo and seems to know more about his passengers than they know about themselves.

One day, he finds himself caught up in a complicated story involving a missing girl, local gangsters, the police, and a group of unsuccessful comedians who dream of fame.

Each new passenger adds a piece to the puzzle, and chance encounters gradually come together to form a coherent picture of an unplanned crime that is inevitably unfolding.

'Odd Taxi' Is Thought Out Down to the Smallest Detail, From the Secondary Characters to the Setting and Dialogue

There's nothing superfluous in Odd Taxi – every character, even the most minor, has their own story, motivation, and role in the plot.

Initially, it seems as if the writers are merely introducing us to Tokyo's nightlife inhabitants: a student looking for easy money, unsuccessful comedians recording a podcast, and a nurse with dark secrets.

But by the middle of the season, all these threads begin to intersect with surgical precision.

The dialogue in Odd Taxi is delightful – it's lively and witty, and sometimes philosophical, but it never devolves into empty chatter. Most importantly, it sounds natural. You get the distinct feeling that the characters actually exist in the real world, even though they have animal faces.

'Odd Taxi' Is a Masterfully Written Crime Title That Will Keep You Glued to the Screen Until the Finale

Watching Odd Taxi is like piecing together a complex detective puzzle. The title leaves plenty of clues, but they're scattered so skillfully that you only notice them in hindsight, once the picture has come together.

By the time the final piece falls into place, you can't help but smile – the creators elegantly unravel the mystery they created. While some viewers might find the finale predictable, it's one of those cases where predictability doesn't ruin the experience.

It's not a twist for the sake of a twist – it's how the story leads the viewer to it.

What Did Viewers Think of 'Odd Taxi'?

Reddit user CAPTAIN_SIMPLORD wrote:

“One of only a couple series that I went into expecting to watch just like an episode and ended up binging the entire thing in one sitting. Definitely a slow start but once pieces start falling into place, the story just becomes irresistibly good.”

• On IMDb, Odd Taxi has a score of 8.3/10.

Where to Watch 'Odd Taxi'?

Odd Taxi is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Prime Video.