"Coyote Ragtime Show" is a twelve episode Japanese anime that takes place in the far future which has the feel of "Trigun", "Cowboy Bebop", "Outlaw Star", and a bit of "Tenchi Muyo." There is a big of an influence of "One Piece" due to the storyline behind Coyote Ragtime Show. But it’s a mix of action, adventure, science fiction, along with plenty of girls toting all sorts of guns and explosives. The story revolves around one group of space pirates and a private investigator that tails them. In a sense, that aspect could be influenced by "Lupin III" as Lupin and his teammates are tailed by Inspector Onigawa of Interpol. But this Coyote Ragtime Show has an interesting premise allowing it to stand its own ground as a series itself.
There is an influence from Elvis Presley as the setting is on a planet called Graceland. The main characters are the pirate crew of the Coyote and the detective. The leader of the group is known as "Mister" who is a very skilled criminal mastermind. He’s currently serving time in prison under an alias which prompts the arrival of Angelica Burns a private investigator of the Federation Bureau. It’s revealed that Angelica has been chasing Mister for a few years and was fascinated ever since her days as a cop on the beat directing traffic. She is assisted by her new partner named Chelsea Burns who can be a bit ditsy. Chelsea in a sense is like Mihoshi of Tenchi Muyo.
During the search for Mister at the prison, they are attacked by a woman named Madame Marciano who’s been after him herself. It’s revealed that she is the leader of the organization called "Guild" that operates above the law. She sends her "daughters" called the "12 Sisters" whom are ruthless android hitwomen that carry out orders unquestioned. The 12 Sisters prove to be deadly adversaries as they are skilled in all sorts of combat ranging from martial arts, knife fighting, firearms, and explosives. They effortlessly slaughter the prison’s security guards in a matter of minutes. These "sisters" are named after the twelve months out of the year and their clothes are inspired by the gothic Lolita style.
Angelica gets into a fight with May. May reveals herself not to be human at all as she is bulletproof. But, May isn’t explosive proof as Mister appears and fires a rocket propelled grenade (RPG). As a result, May’s body gets destroyed but her head remains intact and undamaged. Mister seems to be like an older and wiser version of Lupin. At the same time, he seems to have the wisdom of Jet Black from Cowboy Bebop.
Interestingly enough, Angelica is like a female Zenigata with a high metabolism as she seems to be gluttonous when eating food. She seems have some sort of food item on her when going around.
The planet they are on called Graceland is in so much turmoil due to warring and so forth. The Milky Way Federation threatens to blow up the planet with a neutron bomb in a week.
The main adventure is looking for the ten million space dollars that was stolen from the Central Bank in the city of Diamond Dust. It was stolen by Bruce Dochley who was the legendary "Pirate King" who was murdered by Marciano’s daughters. In a sense, it mirrors Gold Roger and his treasure in One Piece. Pirates play a strong influence in Coyote Ragtime Show as they are called "coyotes." That mirrors how bounty hunters in Cowboy Bebop are called "cowboys."
Looking at the series, it seems the series is strongly influenced by Cowboy Bebop.
In searching for the treasure, Mister is assisted by his comrades: Bishop, Katana, and Swamp.
Bishop is the genius of the group, Katana is the pilot and engineer, and Swamp is the gunner. They are accompanied by Franca Dochley who is the daughter of Bruce Dochley. Though Franca is a little girl, she’s very mature and competent. When things go crazy, Franca lays down the law such as settling a bar fight. Franca serves as the head chef of the crew.
Like Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop, the group has a base of operations. In the case of Coyote Ragtime Show, the group operates out of Mister’s bar called "Pirate."
From the second episode, the story very much picks up as the crew goes out and search for the money that Bruce had stolen before Graceland gets destroyed. At the same time, they are pursued by Madame Marciano’s 12 Sisters and Angelica Burns. Overall, it’s a very interesting story as it looks to be a futuristic version of One Piece.
If you enjoyed Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Trigun, and/or One Piece, you may enjoy Coyote Ragtime Show. After watching the first few episodes, it’s a great series with a diversity of characters.
This is a series that looks to be hard to find. But, Coyote Ragtime Show is something very much worth watching with an interesting soundtrack.
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