It’s not easy to pull off a genuinely funny comedy anime, especially in the eyes of Western viewers who may not have the localization needed to understand its differing nuances and subtleties of humor. Yet it seems like every season has a smattering of anime that, intentionally or not, manage to get solid laughs and comedic appreciation from international viewers.
Interestingly, Marginal Service is not marketed or listed anywhere as a comedy, yet it’s one of the funnier anime offerings of the Spring 2023 lineup. Though the last few minutes of its pilot episode seem to suggest the series is a satire or parody of superhero/cop action romps, Marginal Service’s best humor and comedic pacing seem to come in the interactions between its main cast of characters, marking this as a solid — if somewhat lacking — comedy anime.
Marginal Service Capitalizes on Humor in Character Interactions
Marginal Service follows Brian Nightraider, a recently-fired detective who gets roped into joining a team of alien hunters who work to protect the planet from evil. There’s nothing special or even all that interesting about this plot, but its sense of humor does make it enjoyable in a way that kind of makes up for that lack of narrative strength so far.
Some of the funniest interactions in the show occur between Zeno, one of the Marginal Service workers, and Brian. There’s a scene near the middle of the pilot where the two share a car ride together, and their conversation has moments of comedic gold. As an example, Brian tells the serious and straightforward Zeno that he reminds him of his deadbeat father, to which Zeno replies, “If you have an inferiority complex regarding your father, take that up with him.”
Brian then responds with, “He disappeared when I was five. I became a detective to find that douchebag and punch him in the face.” This moment, in tandem with other character interactions in this pilot, leans into an edgy sort of comedy that also seems to be parodying gritty detective shows and police procedurals at the same time.
Marginal Service Is Listed as a Sci-Fi Anime But Also Contains Satire Elements
The last few minutes of Marginal Service’s pilot offer some interesting comedy and parody elements as well. Realizing his former boss is a Borderlander — one of the aliens — Brian ends up working with Zeno to take him down but is surprised to see the Marginal Service team pull up and unleash their high-tech weaponry on the alien as well. The colorful construction outfits the team wears, combined with their silly introduction and transformation sequences, seem to be parodying other superhero-style media like Power Rangers and Sailor Moon. The shift from edgy detective action series to fun, goofy superhero shenanigans is undeniably interesting, and makes for some solid laughs when the squad is revealed at the end of the episode.
Marginal Service isn’t the kind of anime that’s unusually special, but it does offer some solid laughs in a season dominated by emotional, complex and intense anime. It’ll be interesting to see if its comedic level in the pilot continues in future episodes; the anime is considered to be sci-fi and there are hints that its plot is more serious than it initially appears. That said, Marginal Service is a decent parody of both police shows and superhero media, and Episode 1 is worth checking out for the sheer absurdity and laughter it evokes.
