Everyone wants to think that life can be made better for the masses (idealism) but the reality is, the masses don’t want life to be better (cynicism) or maybe it’s that they don’t know how to make life better for themselves (realism). In Pumpkin Scissors, Volume One, idealism comes face to face with realism and cynicism in the war ravaged Royal Empire.

plot summary

War has torn apart the embattled Royal Empire and the Republic of Frost. After countless years of bloodshed, however, a peace treaty has been signed and an end to the killing is in sight.

But not all the Royal Empire’s woes have been solved by a few strokes of the pen; famine and ruined cities are still commonplace and former soldiers turned bandits terrorize the countryside.

The Imperial Army State Section III, aka, the Pumpkin Scissors, was created to help in the war relief effort and to combat these bandits who undermine the law and order of the Royal Empire.

Second in command of Section III and field leader of Pumpkin Scissors is 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin. Noble by birth, Alice choose the life of a soldier, against her families wishes, with the hope of creating a better world.

In one of Pumpkin Scissors’ missions to subdue a group of bandits, Alice meets Corporal Randel Oland; a strange reserved man who was himself a former soldier. At Alice’s invitation, Randel joins the team after helping the group defeat a tank driven by the bandits.

Randel has a shrouded past, however, and his uncanny skills in dealing with tanks singlehandedly has some Pumpkin Scissors members leery of their new companion. Will Randel’s presence help Pumpkin Scissors or hurt them?

review

I had a difficult time initially getting into Pumpkin Scissors because:

• A.) What the hell are Pumpkin Scissors?
• B.) Alice is annoying as hell.

Character Development

Alice is a noble with zero idea of the plight of the common man but feels she can empower and help them with sheer spunk and good intentions. Instead of actual knowledge, Alice has a romanticized idea of how people and situations are in reality. Who really thinks that drawing a sword on a tank and decrying the people inside as evil-doers will get anything, aside from becoming a stain on the sidewalk, accomplished?

Her constant, rash and ill-planned actions frequently put everyone around her in real danger. There was no way for me to connect with someone who seemed like she was from another planet in relation to the other characters. In contrast, the other Pumpkin Scissors members have more than two brain cells to rub together, are eons more sympathetic and are much more likable than Alice, especially Randel.

Randel was the reason I kept watching Pumpkin Scissors. His is a compelling character with an unknown background, a heart full of hope and a head full of, well, not much it seems right now, but looks are so deceiving in anime. Randel’s an unstoppable fighting machine who was part of the 901-ATT (Anti-Tank Troopers) which technically, never existed. Like Alice, he wants to help his fellow man, unlike Alice, he puts thought into his words and actions. Such contrast created enough interest to get me through the first episode.

Character Design

The world for Pumpkin Scissors is also very interesting; it’s reminiscent of Europe during World War I. War movies are usually futuristic affairs in anime, but this series has invented a world in the past which could become what our real world is today- with a few outlandish additions. The conceptual world for the series kept me watching beyond episode three.

The character designs for the army and artillery closely follow those from the World War I-II era. The clothing for the nobility, however, has some creative license thrown into the designs. Randel’s character design adds enormously to his likability; how is it not a good thing to have a seven foot tall, battle scarred war veteran who feeds homeless kittens on your team?

Another reason I kept watching Pumpkin Scissors is, I don’t know where Pumpkin Scissors is headed. I have an idea that there’s more to it than what is initially offered, yet, I can’t immediately see where the series will take that idea. Usually, anime that’s ill- planned is transparent and shallow. At this early stage I can’t tell if the series is shallow, but so far, it’s not too transparent. Development, for both story and characters, is happening at the sub-atomic anime level, but is very much there. The pacing and the development are steady and un-rushed at this point in the series.

Animation

Pumpkin Scissors is another fine offering from GONZO but is minus minute details in any great amount in the bulk of the shots. Background shots are at times fantastic and the CG isn’t as horrifying as it could have been. Overall, the animation was great.

Music

Aoki Flamme was the OP and was performed by Yōko Takahashi. While the music was average, the OP itself was fantastic. The graphics were well done and the coupling of the graphics with the music made it memorable; whereas the music by itself would have been, not so much. Mercury GO, by Kana Ueda and Yukai na Nakama-tachi, is absolutely adorable. It features Section III’s mascot, Mercury as he attempts to deliver a message but gets sidetracked on the way. The song itself is upbeat and cute.

Voice Acting

The English voice cast for Pumpkin Scissors was really bad in certain instances; the fake German accents were horrible and prompted the change from English to Japanese. The Japanese cast is much better, but I can’t say it’s phenomenal.

I want to see more of Pumpkin Scissors since it seems to have much more to offer than what I initially thought, but I could do without the idealistic hoopla drummed up by the obnoxious Alice. Hopefully by Volume Two, Alice will have either learned restraint or be less evident, otherwise Pumpkin Scissors may end up on the “dropped” pile.

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Rating

Pumpkin Scissors, Volume One gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

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