Essential Anime for the Novice: Coyote Ragtime Show

At this point, anime has reached a level of mainstream inclusion that even many non-fans can name a couple of titles. Even if it is only a couple of Studio Ghibli titles or mainstream successes. What if you’re still only dipping your toes in the waters of anime? How do you proceed when you get past these titles? What if you don’t have someone to guide you to the hidden gems of yesteryear that aren’t talked about nearly as often? Being a novice fan is hard in this era, where dozens of new titles show up every three months. In this new feature, we’re looking at hidden gems that aren’t commonly discussed, including our debut title, the 2006 ufotable series Coyote Ragtime Show.

Our First Entry Is… Coyote Ragtime Show

Anime fans who came into the hobby within the last decade likely only know the studio ufotable from their dynamic and fluid action series such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba or their entries into the Fate/Stay Night universe.

There’s more to this studio than flashy animation though. Allow me to take you back to 2006, when the then-fledgling studio released their first original work, a hard sci-fi action romp titled Coyote Ragtime Show.

So, What’s Coyote Ragtime Show About?

In the opening episode, the first main character introduced to the audience is a space detective named Angelica, who is visiting an intergalactic prison. Her purpose is to track down a criminal mastermind known only as “Mister.” He’s serving a sentence under an assumed name for a traffic violation. If rumors are to be believed. Unfortunately for her, another criminal mastermind, Madame Marciano, sends her army of twelve assassin robots into the prison to assassinate him. This is exactly the opening Mister needs to escape, but why would he escape prison when he only has a week left to serve? Hidden treasure, of course!

A few years prior, Mister’s associate Bruce pulled off a heist thought to be impossible. Unfortunately, death caught up to the pirate king before he could do anything with this treasure, so it stayed untouched on the planet Graceland. So why the sudden rush to break out of prison and pick it up? It seems the residents of Graceland are in a war against the Milky Way government. To make matters worse, there is a threat to blow up the entire planet with a photonic bomb. It’s a race against the clock as Mister and his crew must find their way to the war-torn planet and retrieve the booty before the blast destroys it.

Throughout twelve episodes, we follow Mister on his quest to retrieve the legacy of the legendary space pirate king; a hidden treasure of cash that was stolen from the impenetrable Central Bank. Of course, this wouldn’t be a space adventure without a ragtag team of associates, including the former criminal turned priest Swamp and the daughter of the legendary pirate king that Mister swore to take care of.

What Makes Coyote Ragtime Show So Special?

I consider four criteria whenever I watch a series and judge whether it is appropriate for novice anime fans. The first three are the standard measurements I use for any anime; story, characters, and overall look of the series. In most cases, if an anime is successful in two of these categories, it succeeds as entertainment. However, when recommending anime to newcomers, I also consider accessibility. So how does it stack up?

Starting with the story, Coyote Ragtime Show is ufotable’s first attempt at an original story and they swung for the seats. From the first action-packed episode to the thrilling conclusion, the story moves at a nonstop pace. Every episode moves things along and every new development keeps the audience on their toes as the deadline for the planet’s explosion looms.

The Characters

Even better, this is a series filled with quirky and likable characters. While the main cast is memorable on their own, I have a soft spot for Marciano’s twelve robot assassins named after the months of the year. While you might not identify them all by name by the end of the series (there are twelve of them and they are supporting cast after all), their appearances throughout the run always signaled to me we were about to see some fun action sequences and gunplay that put a silly grin on my face.

Beyond that, the main cast more than earn their screen time. Mister is a gentleman thief with a personal code of honor. He promised Bruce that he would look after Franca and is determined to keep that promise even if he has to put himself in harm’s way. Meanwhile, Angelica Burns, equally driven and on the right side of the law, wants to put Mister behind bars.

The Look

Originally airing in 2006, Coyote Ragtime Show isn’t the polished ufotable that would re-debut in 2011 with Fate/Zero. Matching the story’s high-octane action and the characters’ grittiness, this is a good example of what animation was like almost twenty years ago. Some fans might watch and long for the polished digital animation that would become more prevalent in the following decade. It’s worth noting there’s nothing bad about how Coyote Ragtime Show looks. The character designs are solid and the action scenes, while not as flashy as future ufotable endeavors, are strong enough to keep the audience engaged.

So far we’ve established that this Coyote Ragtime Show is a fun sci-fi romp, but how accessible is the series for beginners to the medium? Is this a series newer fans can get into with minimal explanations or the need for liner notes? Once again, the answer is a resounding yes. The series occurs somewhere in the universe and offers enough hooks to attract both new and veteran fans without overwhelming them with jargon or space lingo.

Where To Find Coyote Ragtime Show

The last question remains, how do you hop on board with this ragtag crew of space criminals? The good news for everyone is that the entire run of this show is available widely in both English and Japanese on Crunchyroll for all your binge-watching needs.

Four Exploding Gracelands Out of Five

If you’re a fan of other sci-fi action series that have a hint of levity such as other classic, well-known space actions in the same vein as Cowboy Bebop or Outlaw Star, Coyote Ragtime Show is a fantastic and self-contained short story that will introduce fans to the early days of a studio that would become an animation leader over the next two decades.