Double Decker! Doug and Kirill First Impressions

*Due to the first episode having been released early, this First Impression will be based on the first two episodes.*

“This is the story of how I, a police officer living in a certain city, became a hero. At least, that’s the plan.”

Double Decker utilizes much of the same staff that had worked on the series Tiger & Bunny which came out back in 2011. I have even heard suggestion that Double Decker takes place in the same universe as Tiger & Bunny, but I consider that to be a questionable claim from what I’ve seen. I was never a huge fan of Tiger & Bunny, but it was a solid enough series if not a particularly memorable one. Double Decker seems to be aiming for a bit more parody and humor in its approach, not that the previous series was lacking in those qualities. This means that one’s mileage will vary according to their comedic sensibilities. If you can appreciate Double Decker’s irreverent attempts at self-parody, then you’ll probably have a good time with this series. Conversely, if you find the humor cloying, nothing in the plot, characters, or setting is likely to win you over. To put it simply, I don’t think this show is going to win me over.

The show centers around a group of detectives, called Seven-O (………ha), who fall under military jurisdiction, and are tasked with handling cases involving a drug called Anthem, which essentially provides superpowers to the user. The detectives work in pairs in what is referred to as the Double Decker system. Our protagonists are Kirill Vrubel, an idiot who aspires to be a famous hero, and Doug Billingham, an aloof and seemingly disinterested veteran officer who is in a constant state of deadpan. The show attempts to revel in its idiocy, but, unfortunately, these over the top characters never clicked with me. They remind me a bit of side characters from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, but, since I could never power through more than a handful of episodes from that show, I can’t be particularly confident in that comparison. I find them garish in both personality and appearance, and the first two episodes have certainly felt like they’re sticking to a case-of-the-week format, so I’m not expecting anything especially compelling on that front either.

While I may find the writing unappealing, I largely can’t say the same of the visuals. There was an initial wariness that came about when, in the opening sequence, I recognized the telltale jerkiness of CG animation, but, unlike Tiger & Bunny, the digital effects are integrated well, used sparingly and add more to the show than they take away. The action is decently animated, and the faces can be very expressive which serves to benefit the comedy. The character designs are okay, even if they can occasionally come off as too busy. Also, why is the car they drive a Delorean that’s outfitted like the car from Men In Black? I think it’s fair to say that, whenever the show’s excessive silliness works its way into the visual aesthetics, I tend to start taking issue with those aesthetics. Still, despite some busy and chaotic design choices, the show is never unpleasant to view. It also lacks Tiger & Bunny’s themes of corporate sponsorship, so there’s little worry that the detectives would stop pursuing a criminal mid-chase to shill for Pepsi.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• The detectives all have code names assigned to them by their boss. The reason given is that the boss is a moron (He also devised the name ‘Double Decker.’), but I only remember Kirill’s code name and the reason I remember is because the show seems to be making a joke out of how often his alias changes.
• There is an underlying system to how the Anthem cases are dealt with that involves several tiers, each of which has a corresponding degree of appropriate engagement. This is an oddly complex system for a show that doesn’t seem to have much interest in explaining it.
• There are a few hints at both Doug and Kirill have deeper motivations and ideals, but the show is so quick to turn to parody that, whenever they started getting serious, I was put on edge waiting for the punchline to come, like the comedic equivalent of a jumpscare.