#mitsuya oddtaxi

[fizzstix]

messaging... texting even... communicating........

[kottaniq]

What are they running from?

[mllermanda]

Drew an alternative universe about Oddtaxi since these three characters are the main ones who wear masks in the series. Just with this fun idol group, I named them "Mystercats" with some help from my younger sister too.

[octournament]

odd taxi characters react to you having a tapeworm infection 💖

Atsuya Baba: hahaha!... you're joking right?

Ayumu Gouriki: im sorry, but this is the only way we can cure you.. *pulls out gun*

Dobu: LMFAO

Donraku Shofutei: *stares at you in disappointment*

Eiji Kakihana: ermm.... you could have told me earlier.....

Fuyuki Yamamoto: **goes beast mode** IM the only one allowed in your guts!!!!!!!!!!!! *growls*

Hajime Tanaka:

Hiroshi Odokawa: damn, i dont care.

Kenshiro Daimon: **MAULS YOU ON SIGHT**

Koshiro Daimon: *turns away to hide his blush* i’ve always wanted a partner with a tapeworm….

Kensuke Shibagaki: uh... okay?

Kuroda: What.

Miho Shirakawa: **SCREAMS AND KICKS YOU CAPOERIA STYLE**

Rui Nikaidо: damn bitch fr?

Satoshi Nagashima: cringe

Sekiguchi: shut the fuck up bitch *starts beating you up*

Shiho Ichimura: just take a bath and you'll be fine!

Shun Imai: *slurps the tapeworm out of your mouth and into his stomach* mmm!! yummy snack. thanks [y/n]!

Taeko Harada: well.. at least you have a friend now?

Taichi Kabasawa: tch…. thats so fucking unepic. we’re through [y/n]. you lose the internet. kek

Yano: same *starts rapping*

Yuki Mitsuya: omg same! i named mine kylie lol!

spoilers on this part lol dont click if you didnt watch the entire oddtaxi anime

(the actual) Yuki Mitsuya: *starts backing away slowly from you*

[kadethecat]

Yuki Mitsuya from ODDTAXI Stimboard

X - O - X - O - X - O - X - O - X

[foureyedronin]

[angelbinder]

COME CLOSER THEY ARE A NORMAL IDOL GROUP.

[lilaccbush]

sleep well, little kitty

[pyromania-art]

[ID: A digital illustration featuring the cast of the anime Odd Taxi. In the middle of the drawing is a platform that Odokawa is standing on, alongside his cat and his taxi. The title, “Odd Taxi” is also written on the platform. On opposite sides of the platform are Mitsuya and Wadagaki, with Mitsuya nervously walking and Wadagaki with a confident expression. On opposite corners of the platform, are Shirakawa, with a fighting posture, and Dobu holding up his fingers. Surrounding these illustrations are drawings of the rest of the cast with various expressions, and the stolen money scattered around. The colors of the illustration are more saturated than normal./end ID]

[dilukha]

Where to?

[canonicallyautistic]

I didn't mean it

[mabeljonesrock]

I just find out Yuki Mitsuya and Nezuko share both the same voice actor. Akari Kitou.

Odokawa:I had a missing girl in my apartment

Tanjirou:I had a demon in my storage box

They also voiced by the same actor Natsuki Hanae.

[viovio]

the inherent homoeroticism between you and a girl who you had no problem killing but died anyway and now you're fucking haunted

[mllermanda]

Happy Holidays everyone as this picture was a pun based on an idea I had after talking to a Discord member about Oddtaxi and Yamamoto, the main who runs Mystery Kiss. Hope things go well with everyone here and I hope you have a good one!

[gelo-p]

Trying to figure out ODDTAXI before the final episode.

(Spoilers for Episodes 1 to 11! +my personal theory)

------

How did Wadagaki kill Mitsuya???

“Whoa whoa whoa!”, I hear you say. “That’s quite an accusation!!”

Well...

Episode 11 clearly states that Mitsuya didn’t die from suicide.

Nor was she killed by Nikaido.

Yamamoto might have yakuza connections, but considering he’s honestly trying to propel Mystery Kiss to the top, getting rid of his best dancer seems counter-productive. So, I’m ruling him out as well. (Not to mention he needed to give up half of Mystery Kiss’s profits in order to dispose of Mitsuya’s body... not a smart move, if it was him)

And that’s where Wadagaki comes in.

Would she kill Mitsuya just to get into Mystery Kiss? Probably. It’s a petty motive, one might say, but let’s not forget that Nikaido was pretty much planning the same thing.

It’s also heavily implied at this point that on that night, it was Wadagaki, not Mitsuya, that Odokawa drove to the agency’s office.

Odokawa first mentions it on episode 5:

"He would have recognized her immediately!!”

Well, he didn’t.

By episode 10, Dobu finally asks Odokawa who the girl on his dashcam data is:

To which Odokawa replies:

At that point in time, the only “Mystery Kiss girl” that Odokawa knows (and matches Mitsuya’s description) would be Wadagaki, whom he drove for in episode 5.

(Remember, the dashcam data was taken during episode 1. Episode 5 footage wouldn’t have been there yet.)

------

So. Wadagaki has both the motive (wants to get into Mystery Kiss) and the opportunity (was at - or very close to - the agency the night it happened) to kill Mitsuya. That’s why I’m pinning her down as my #1 suspect.

Which brings us back to my question - how’d she do it???

To be honest, I don’t know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If I had to guess, she just happened to find Mitsuya in the office that night - the opportunity presented itself. Why was Wadagaki there?? Trying to talk Yamamoto (again) into letting her join Mystery Kiss, I guess. She’s done it before anyway.

I doubt this “spoke directly to Yamamoto” was on that same night, otherwise Yamamoto would have realized that Wadagaki was a suspect since day 1.

------

...and that brings us once again to this scene in episode 5.

I’ve previously wondered before how Wadagaki is connected to Tanaka (of course I still call her Mitsuya at that point...) and now that I’m pinning her as the killer, I have a theory.

So, imagine this. You’re Wadagaki, and you just killed Mitsuya. There were no witnesses, right?

Wrong. The taxi driver that drove you there. He knows.

First thing to do: look up his plate number on the internet. See if there are matches. Okay, maybe not the plate number - but you know, mentions of a walrus taxi driver. Just to get an idea of who he might be.

Well, what do you find a few days later?

The exact driver, in a viral tweet. Cool. So now you know the identity of the only witness.

And as luck would have it, soon enough someone wants him dead! :D

You eventually find each other (2 people reeeally interested in the walrus driver) online and start talking. You agree to help him out - why? Because he’s going to get rid of him. Not for you, but if someone else also wants the driver gone, it’s in your best interest to help him out.

You finally get his plate number.

“Tell me if you run into him again.” That sort of thing.

And then a few days later, your manager sends you a message after telling you he’s about to pick you up:

“The plate number of the taxi I got is is あ10-22, driver’s a walrus.”

Sweet. So you tell your friend about it, and now he knows where to wait. He meets up with you, hands you a GPS phone to plant in his taxi, and the rest is episode 5.

Of course, it’s all conjecture at this point. I just think it makes sense, given how this series works with the many coincidences it presented. These doesn’t have to be the exact circumstances; I just think Wadagaki being the killer would explain why she teamed up with Tanaka.

It would be awesome if I got it right though. ^^;

------

As for Odokawa’s condition... I honestly don’t know. There aren’t enough clues about it. The murder mystery interests me more, anyway.

CAN’T WAIT FOR NEXT WEEK!

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: How ODDTAXI's Big Cast Keeps Its Mystery Interesting

  How many different characters can an anime have before things get too hairy? Or — furry?

  Animal crime drama ODDTAXI takes its menagerie of a cast very seriously. ODDTAXI is about walrus taxi driver Odokawa, a runaway girl, organized crime, idols, and city living. It shares a “panoramic” day-in-the-life angle … with a twist. Despite its unique anthropomorphic animal character designs, its world is grounded in a reality where species is the least of anyone’s concerns.

  Taichi Kabawa explains the importance of social media to old man Odokawa

  EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

  You won’t find one-dimensional prey versus predator dynamics or a shallow status quo vaguely resembling a food chain. ODDTAXI’s cast unexpectedly finds themselves in Rashomon-esque contradictions and conspiracies with all the modern conveniences of social media.

  Mystery Kiss members Shiho Ichimura and Yuki Mitsuya contemplate their future

  Rather than tell a linear story, ODDTAXI insists on showing us offbeat paths, as if we were a city-dweller bumping into eccentric personalities across the street. What matters most is first impressions: your job, gender, income. Even the most mundane facts can change everything.

  Sensational idol Rui Nikaido and fanboy Shun Imai at a polaroid event

ODDTAXI hits the ground running introducing about a dozen major characters, zig-zagging perspectives between cab rides. Until Episode 4 — “Tanaka’s Revolution.” This anomaly in pacing throws a wrench into everything we assume we know. After giving a random, supposedly one-off character an episode about his moral crusade, nothing can be taken for granted. It’s a risky move, but it pays off.

  When you accidentally turn on selfie mode

  ODDTAXI’s “panoramic” pacing gets away with this by adding more pieces to an already incomplete puzzle. By introducing every character with the intent to break first impressions, we are forced to reconsider how ensemble casts make a mystery richer.

  WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

  Odokawa is boring by design. He’s a 41-year-old with a laid-back attitude toward essentially everything, including gangster baboons pointing guns at his head. Odokawa says he’s like an authentic bartender: someone who knows keeping secrets is half the job. Keeping a missing high school girl in his apartment feels more like an aside than a plot twist — the first question asked in Episode 1 is answered before the credits roll.

  Shirakawa rides with Odokawa

  Odokawa’s private cab service is for everyone. His ability to make easy rapport might as well be a façade depending on who gets in. Alpaca nurse Shirakawa is stealing pharmaceutical medication, Odokawa assumes she’s just naive. We catch glimpses of a hopeless bachelor trying to find a girlfriend, a struggling idol group, gangsters, a student trying to go viral — what are they all hiding? There’s a niche for everyone in this tidy metropolitan ecosystem, even if it’s just “bachelor” or “idol fanboy.” First impressions lead us to assumptions any anonymous taxi driver would have. This is why introducing so many players at once works.

  Odokawa recounts seeing Shirakawa meeting with notorious gangster, Dobu

  Dominos begin falling when Shirakawa’s activity leads back to a violent gangster named Dobu. She’s played as a possible love interest to melt Odokawa’s old, icy heart. It’s not exactly a slow burn, but by the time Odokawa becomes suspicious of this innocent-looking nurse, ODDTAXI’s omniscient bird’s-eye view of the city makes everything situational irony. Text messages we aren’t supposed to see, shady yet familiar figures in alleys … even when we’re not behind the wheel, we know just enough to piece it together.

  AGAINST TYPECASTING

  Rui Nikaido behind the scenes at an idol Halloween event

  Toy poodle Rui Nikaido leads the girl group trio Mystery Kiss. ODDTAXI feeds us snippets of Mystery Kiss on TV and the radio, but never the big picture. Unsurprisingly, the idol industry isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Mystery Kiss is presenting a face-façade. It’s not even subtle: Rui’s backup dancers are contractually obligated to wear masks so Rui stands out — quite literally making them “two-faced” with contempt. By Episode 5, Shiho suggests that Rui is so ambitious she might’ve already killed someone to get ahead. Mystery Kiss is a microcosm of ODDTAXI’s ensemble cast at large. Everyone wears masks even when they don’t want to.

  Pretty in pink, better in leather.

Episode 2 shows Mystery Kiss fanboy Shun having a sincere heart-to-heart with Rui during an event. She tells him the business is hard and sales are underwhelming. Afterward, we see Rui and her manager behind the scenes: a jaded-looking Rui sports a punk leather jacket. Even the tell-all idol persona Shun saw earlier wasn’t the “real” Rui. In fact, Mystery Kiss’ manager, a bodyguard-sized fox, is withholding information from the girls. ODDTAXI doesn’t waste time putting its ensemble through the wringer of mask-breaking situations. First, come the disguises, then always harsh reality.

  Shiho tells her manager what she really thinks of Rui

  PROTAGONIST SYNDROME

  Let’s come full circle. By the end of Episode 3, ODDTAXI gives us enough hints to realize Shirakawa and Mystery Kiss are perhaps part of something bigger. Not to mention the uncanny resemblance between an 18-year-old and Shiho partaking in dubious behavior on a dating app, or a possible gangster conspiracy against Odokawa. Unsuccessful manzai comedians confide to Odokawa about the competitive entertainment industry, while two policemen meerkat brothers play favorites with criminals. The world is an unfair anti-meritocracy, but no one’s insisting they’re the special hero who will fix it. Except for Tanaka.

  Tanaka cries tears of joy when he finally pulls a dodo in the mobile game “Zooden”

This is why “Tanaka’s Revolution” is refreshing despite being so jarring. In Episode 3, Odokawa nearly has a hit-and-run with Tanaka, causing him to break his phone. A dodo flashing on his screen before it shatters: “The bird that went extinct without ever learning to fly,” Tanaka monologues. “Perhaps I was projecting myself onto it. It was just like me.”

  "No, if I died here without achieving anything, I wouldn't even be Rare. I'd just be normal."

  What happens next breaks convention by switching gears to the first-person. Tanaka’s childhood obsession with erasers mutates into a life-consuming compulsion to acquire a rare gacha character. ODDTAXI’s “panoramic” perspective is stretched to painful extremes by unexpectedly introducing a narrator so self-aware of his obsession with status it emotionally wrecks him.

  Tanaka’s sacred dodo is deleted from his Zooden account after his phone is repaired

  SHARE THE ROAD

  Compared to Odokawa’s perpetual rotation of passengers, Tanaka’s voice is straightforward. He details his backstory until we know him better than Odokawa. Why frame an episode like this? Tanaka’s narcissism. It’s what makes him, and this episode, black sheep. In a world where everyone’s a main character, Tanaka suffers from toxic protagonist syndrome. His inability to accept reality for what it is leads him down a violent crusade. This episode doesn’t just serve to contextualize Tanaka in the ensemble itself but is also a warning against seeing only black and white.

  Odokawa drives with Mystery Kiss’s manager

With clever delivery of characters being in the right time and place, ODDTAXI is a rare breed of drama that prioritizes nuance. It’s a true testament to how ensemble casts best reflect the messy, unpredictable aspects of life. Although Odakawa isn’t without his own biases — no one is a perfect judge of character — you couldn’t have a better guide for this gallery of oddballs. When we start thinking of everyone as an empathic eccentric starring in their own backseat confessional down a bumpy road, we learn to listen.

    Which member of ODDTAXI's eccentric critter cast speaks to you? Let us know in the comments!

        Blake P. is a weekly columnist for Crunchyroll Features. His twitter is @_dispossessed. His bylines include Fanbyte, VRV, Unwinnable, and more. He stans Ichimura.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Blake Planty