Midpoint Impression: Pumpkin Scissors.

This is one of the series I watched a couple of episodes of back in 2006, and at the time I wasn't overly impressed by it. Recently however I went back and watched a sizeable chunk of the show, and I'm glad I did, because like Starship Operators (which is one of my favorite series) it's a lot better then the first episode would have you believe. In fact, I've considered adding it to my 'Top Picks for '06' list.

The events of Pumpkin Scissors take place in an
Empire that has been devastated by war.

A show that began airing last year and which is continuing to air this year, Pumpkin Scissors is set in the aftermath of a huge, World War I like conflict between the Empire (which seems to be loosely based on the Imperial Germany that existed prior to that conflict) and the Republic of Frost. A Peace Treaty between the two powers was signed, but it came too late -the Empire was left devastated and economically depressed. Apparently worried about their funding, the Imperial military created Section III -the War Relief unit that would become known as Pumpkin Scissors- in order to improve their image. Thus, the series focuses on personnel in this tiny laughingstock of a unit as they try to live up to their designation as a War Relief Unit in spite of a real lack of commitment on the part of the Imperial Army as a whole.

It's a little more complicated then just that however. Ambivalence to their mission among the rest of the Army is not the only problem Section III must deal with. Heavily armed bandits (some of them ex soldiers) and powerful Noblemen also show up to stand in their way, and it seems that the unit's newest member -a gentle giant of a man called Orlando who can quite suddenly become a monster when facing enemies- may have been part of a shady military research project that someone wants to keep under wraps. Thus, the members of Pumpkin Scissors can be trying to deal with the nature of humanity one episode and getting shot at the next. Often, both elements will be present in the same episode. The series has so far done a good job of mixing stand alone arcs with a conspiracy ridden main plot, and hopefully it will keep that up.

Lieutenant Alice C. Marvin is a bit too over the top at first,
but her characterisation seems to improve as the series progresses.

As far as characterisation is concerned, Pumpkin Scissors makes a strong showing. While many of the unit members (such as the idealistic Noblewoman Lieutenant Alice and her playboy subordinate Olend) start off as being quite shallow, some of them also gain quite a bit of depth as the series progresses. Not every character is like this, but enough are to make the series quite interesting from a character perspective.

Orlando's ability to win toe to toe fights with tanks the
way he does is sometimes a tad hard to swallow...

So what problems does the show have? Well, the characterisation is sometimes a bit overdone, and not just for minor villains. Alice's 'Prepare for Castle Siege!' spiel in Episode One is a good example of this. I also had issues with the combat scenes. I know expecting complete realism in a series like this is rather unreasonable, but Orlando probably pushes things a bit far. The whole thing about him being a super soldier from some shadowy research project may allow for some suspension of disbelief, but this is sorely tested by the fact that he has a tendency to go toe to toe with tanks and survive -just what sort of effect does that blue lantern of his have that allows him to survive getting hit by the cannon on an armoured vehicle?

The sign outside Section III's office. Note the Engrish.*

Overall however, Pumpkin Scissors is an excellent series, featuring both good characters and good storytelling. I'll have to see how it turns out as a whole (Gonzo isn't exactly known for delivering series that maintain a consistent level of quality through their entire run) but right now my hopes for this series are quite high.

*The term Engrish is used to refer to the badly butchered English one will sometimes encounter in Japan. It is often difficult to determine whether one should use L or R when translating from Japanese to English because of how the languages are phonetically different (don't quote me on that).