Television series

Taiho Shichau zo

Name: Taiho Shichau zo
Genre: Comedy, Action, Anime, Crime
Released: 1996
Cast: Akiko Hiramatsu, Bin Shimada, Sakiko Tamagawa, Etsuko Kozakura, Rica Matsumoto

A gleefully silly 1996 anime comedy about two Tokyo highway patrol officers forced into partnership. Natsumi is hot-headed and reckless; Miyuki is uptight and by-the-book. Their chemistry is electric chaos. Think buddy-cop antics at ridiculous volume, with car chases, criminals who are more joke than threat, and a relationship that sparkles with friction.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a bickering odd-couple pairing where two mismatched patrol officers turn traffic-stop chaos into running gags, and don't mind slapstick that leans on personality clashes more than plot.

Skip it if the gags are broad and repetitive over a hundred episodes, and its 1990s anime look and loud energy may feel dated or wearing if you want restraint or sharp continuity.

What it asks of you: Episodes run about twenty-three minutes, and there are a hundred across three seasons, so it's a long shelf of short, easy sittings.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Excel Saga1999

Another late-90s anime that loves absurdist comedy and genre parody, with a similar anything-goes energy and characters whose partnership improves the show. Excel and Il Palazzo have the same 'opposites rubbing each other raw' dynamic that makes Taiho Shichau zo sing.

But It's even more chaotic and scattershot than Taiho—sometimes it feels like it's trying seven jokes at once. The animation quality drops noticeably in the second season.

Ranma ½1989

Peak 90s anime chaos. Endless gags built on character contradiction and physical comedy; romance that grows from mutual exasperation. If you love watching two people argue their way into affection, this is the masterclass.

But It runs for 161 episodes and repeats itself. The formula, which is brilliant, is also exactly the same every arc. Commitment required.

Tenchi Muyou!1995

Absurdist sci-fi comedy with a large ensemble cast and the same anything-goes energy. Treats the ridiculous with complete sincerity. Multiple timelines and multiple versions mean there's always another way in.

But The franchise is a labyrinth—multiple series, OVAs, movies, all slightly different continuities. Choosing where to start is genuinely confusing.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Taiho Shichau zo

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Patlabor 2: The Movie1993

Both explore the same ensemble of Japanese police through comedy and action, but Patlabor 2 shows what the universe looks like when the humour stops and the weight arrives. A secret other side of the same coin.

Same universe, same characters, but a completely different register—serious, political, meditative, gorgeously animated. Proves that Taiho's traffic cops exist in a world where stakes can get real. A tonal whiplash that somehow works.

But It's a sequel to a show you haven't seen, and it assumes you know the characters. More important: it's about urban terrorism and doubt, not jokes. Tonally, it's the opposite of what you wanted.

Maison Ikkoku1986

Another Rumiko Takahashi romance-comedy with warmth underneath the slapstick. Slower burn than the others here, with a real will-they plot that actually pays off. The characters feel lived-in.

But 96 episodes. And the comedy can feel uneven—some arcs land perfectly, others drag. Requires patience and investment.

Celebrity Ghost Stories2009

A show that doesn't entirely work as written but finds magic anyway. The English dub especially—anarchic, unafraid of its own silliness, a cast that throws everything at the wall. Chaotic energy as an art form.

But The dub is so loose it barely matches the source material. The show itself is uneven. Sometimes feels like you're watching someone else's inside jokes.

Bubblegum Crisis1987

Both are ensemble-driven action-comedies built on chemistry between female characters, but Bubblegum Crisis trades all the jokes for pure visual style and cool. Same engine, opposite fuel.

Four-episode OVA that's pure 80s cyberpunk aesthetic and adrenaline. Four women in power suits fighting robots in Neo-Tokyo. More style than substance, but the style is immaculate and the action sequences are kinetic art.

But It's incomplete—only four episodes exist, and it ends on a cliffhanger that was never resolved. Gorgeous but frustrating. Also feels dated in the synth-soundtrack way that might annoy you.

Dirty Pair: Affair on Nolandia1985

Taiho Shichau zo is Dirty Pair's spiritual successor—same comedic DNA, same trust in character bickering, same belief that two women arguing can carry an entire show. Dirty Pair wrote the book; Taiho learned it perfectly.

Space-opera comedy with two hothead partners solving cases and causing destruction. The template for slapstick buddy-cop action in anime. Every explosion and argument between them sparks the same joy. Influences everything that came after.

But 1985 means the animation is rough. It's episodic and sometimes thin on plot. If you need slick production and tight narrative, the creaky age will show.