First Impression: Rooster Fighter

“This is the story of how one rooster saved humanity.” And thus begins the adventure tale of a chicken who saves helpless humans from kaiju who appear to be people who turn into monsters. However, will the people accept this rooster hero? After all, kids treat him like they might any animal they run across, not realizing that he’s on an epic quest to fight evil and avenge his family—though to be fair, he could get occasionally side-tracked by a tasty meal or other animal urges…

Just like the manga before it, this anime is certain to make anime audiences crow in how ridiculous the concept is. And at first glance, there really is a lot to love about what’s going on in Rooster Fighter. It’s set in the wandering samurai tradition (or, for those more used to western media, the lone cowboy story type), but with this samurai replaced by a rooster. He has the mindset of a samurai, though—set on doing good with few words and utmost courage. There are a ton of jokes to accompany the premise, and heart as well. Or at least the series tries to have lots of heart. That’s kind of my concern here in that I’m not sure this silly show really works with the heart it’s trying to convey; while the rooster is a good character, one that’s easy to root for, I’m not sure I really care much about his quest or the people around him. The jokes are up and down, too; I was not amused, for instance, by the sex scene near the beginning of the episode (yep, really—and with lots of sound effects). And ultimately, it’s tough for a series like this to keep the momentum going over time (see One Punch Man). And if your opening episode isn’t pure delight—and Rooster Fighter’s initial offering is more of a C+ or B- for me—you hardly stand a chance at making a series that’s basically a one-trick pony (er, rooster) into something great.

Rooster Fighter can be streamed (in both sub and dub) on Hulu.

Twwk
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