"Space Patrol Luluco" is a new anime that just had its season finale June 24, 2016 by Trigger. For those of you who don't know, Trigger is most well known for their hit anime "Kill la Kill" from 2013 and their newest anime "Kiznaiver" which is currently airing alongside "Space Patrol Luluco" (all of which are available to watch on Crunchyroll). While "Kiznaiver" has much more of a serious tone, "Kill la Kill" and "Space Patrol Luluco" thrive on comedy with tangible, underlying themes of which a wide variety of viewers can relate.
Probably one of the most unique details about this anime is that every single episode lasts only seven minutes and 50 seconds (seven minutes and 54 seconds including Crunchyroll's four-second intro). For the casual anime watcher, I believe that this is a great one on which to start. There is not much time to invest, plus the plot is relatively simplistic and Trigger makes sure to stick with it quite cohesively. In fact, they rarely step away from the anime's central concept.
The anime follows Luluco, a "normal" (and they really cannot stress this enough) middle-school girl who lives in Ogikubo, a town in Japan that allows alien species to live alongside humans. In no time, she is abruptly forced to join the Space Patrol to save her dad, and eventually her town. She joins up with Alpha Omega Nova, her first crush, and Midori, a black market dealer turned good, both of which are aliens. The craziest things about being in the Space Patrol is that the members' uniforms actually transform the wearer into an actual gun, which is always hilarious to see. Over the course of her employment with the Space Patrol, the team run into increasingly ridiculous situations that defy our laws of physics and logic. Essentially, this "normal" girl tries her best to maintain her normality among all the insanity. Without spoiling too much, we learn that Luluco is crazy in love with Nova, and the plot is quite good in keeping that as its main focus.
While the expected audience is intended to share in numerous laughs, there is actually a neat story here. Personally, I was beginning to see the anime as humor for the sake of humor, but I'm impressed with Trigger yet again as the plot as some amazing twists and turns. Although, most of the characters apart from Luluco and Nova are quite literally supporting characters, I felt thoroughly attached to both Luluco and Nova by the finality of the show. Better yet, the story is left with more than enough room for a sequel. If you liked "Kill la Kill", you will definitely like "Space Patrol Luluco" and probably appreciate all the cool references.
