Since declaring bankruptcy, Studio Gonzo’s spent years in the proverbial doghouse. What better way to celebrate that status than to produce an anime about dogs and sadism?

Lame jokes aside, this episode was kind of all-over-the-place. The scene where the main character died was dully repetitive and the show as a whole was constantly transitioning into things that made little-to-no sense. On the plus side, it was having a lot of fun with itself after the pseudo-serious introduction. The main character became a lot more enjoyable to follow when trapped in a dog’s body, going insane because he didn’t have any books to read.

And totally geeking out when he did

Too, the writers weren’t stupid enough to make him unable to communicate with others just because he was a dog. He and the Natsuno had a great comedy routine going on that got referential at just the right time, throwing out cut-in rakugo gags with great flair. I love shows that just put to energetically selfish characters in a room and let them talk. And, lest I forget, there was pet store named after Iggy Pop. I believe the entertaining second half was a lot more indicative of where the show is going to go, so I’m willing to give it at least 2 more episodes to make sure of that.