I would describe my tastes as "Imaishi Adjacent". There are TONS of things that the man worked on that I love such as FLCL, Evangelion, Re:Cutie Honey, Red Line, His and Her Circumstances, FMA 03 and even Inferno Cop. However, these are all works where the man himself isn't in the director's chair and isn't the main person in charge. Gurren Lagann is considered his magnum opus, but even there you have to give a lot of credit to head writer Kazuki Nakashima. So, what happens when Imaishi is 100% in charge with no interference from anyone? What does pure, highly distilled Imaishi look like? The answer can be found in Dead Leaves. Extremely silly, gross, nihilistic, juvenile bullshit of the highest caliber. Just pure bullshit for the sake of bullshit that also happens to look gorgeous.
I could describe the entire plot of Dead Leaves and still not feel like I spoiled anything. Some random psychopaths who look like freaks happen to wake up naked with amnesia and go on a murder spree. Then they get sent to the moon where stuff happens involving tubes sucking shit out of people's asses and a drill penis that won't stop ejaculating everywhere. Some stuff does get explained later but it honestly doesn't matter. One does NOT watch Dead Leaves for the plot or characters. This one is pure visual spectacle through and though, which is why I'm glad it's only 50 minutes. Any longer and it would have worn out its welcome. However, 50 minutes keeps it entertaining and digestible.
While I've mostly focused on the negatives until now, I still mostly enjoyed this one. The humor works well for the most part. If you're in a silly mood, there are plenty of laughs to be had. The animation as I've mentioned is incredible. The character designs are also quite fun and pay homage to cartoons from all over including South Park, John K's style, The Gorillaz, and more. This is a perfect anime to watch with friends. You need to view it with someone else to share this WTF experience.
