Created By: Shoji Gatoh
Directed By: Shin Itagaki
Studio: Millepensee
Episode Count: 1 – 12
Audio: English, Japanese
Subtitles: English
Classification: 15 (BBFC)
Format: Blu-Ray, DVD, Digital, FunimationNow
Licensed By: Manga Entertainment UK, Funimation
It’s been 15 years since a mysterious hyperspace gate opened above the Pacific Ocean, today there are over 2 Million individuals from fairies to elves known as Semanians now residing amongst the human population in the city of San-Teresa. As the two cultures mix and learn to coincide, there are also those that plan to gain power in the city’s seedy underbelly. The San-Teresa Metropolitan Police Department was established to keep the city in order and end the corruption. During a failed drug bust, a Detective is murdered and his police partner Detective Matoba is forced to partner up with a Semanian knight in order to recover a stolen fairy. From here, both the Knight of Mirvor – Tilarna Exedilica and Detective Matoba begin working together to not only recover the kidnapped fairy but also manage to uncover a more sinister operation that stretches much further than they expected. All the while, Tilarna must quickly learn to adjust to Earth’s customs and Matoba begins to rethink his stance on these ‘aliens’ that call San-Teresa home.
This show takes the best bits from an 80’s cop show, including the killer soundtrack and turns it into a reverse isekai anime. For me this anime was a breath of fresh air and stands out as one of those shows that would make a great recommendation for those skeptical of giving the anime genre a go. I could easily turn around and recommend this show to any guy I know, speculating that at least 70% of them would enjoy some aspects of it. This anime reminds me so much of the cop shows my Dad used to watch, with a cool and very suave protagonist as a cop that dons the shades in nearly every scene & always manages to find the killer in the end. Much like Detective Caine in CSI Miami, but with a much more rough and hot tempered attitude like Riggs in the classic Lethal Weapon film franchise. Throw in some fairy tale creatures and some magic – and that is Cop Craft. Now doesn’t that sound intriguing?!
First up we have the Riggs of this anime world – Detective Sergeant Kei Matoba. Having witnessed the death of his police partner before his very eyes, he feels a great deal of guilt following his murder and the subsequent loss to his family. Kei also has a very negative opinion on the ‘aliens’ and sees them mostly as corrupt. As fate would have it, he is soon partnered with a noble knight and Semanian representative in the very youthful looking Tilarna Exedilica. A skilled swordswoman that looks like a young teenager, who journeys through the gate in order to rescue the captured Fairy and punish those responsible. Now teamed up with the San-Teresa Police Department, Tilarna wastes no time in using her skills to get a start on the case. Although she appears like a young girl and her attitude reflects that at times, she is also a highly skilled magic user that has earned the title of Knight for a reason. These two lead characters, although have several hilarious moments together as they begin to grow accustomed to not only each other’s unique attitudes but also their customs. They both have some serious character developments throughout the show, with numerous murders happening around them and even some undercover work that puts their lives & pride on the line.
So we have the classic cop drama with drug busts, prostitution rings and gangs smuggling in weapons. Throw in some magic, a cop wanting revenge, great storylines and a young girl determined beyond all else to rescue her fairy friend. There are also some interesting villains involved, as not only is there corruption in San-Teresa, but those involved also come from beyond the gate from Tilarna’s world. It’s a gripping show that will hold your attention throughout, I was amazed to see just how much they were able to cram into just 12 episodes. It ended in such a way that I would love to see a second season just to see how the characters progressed over time, but it ultimately had a very satisfying conclusion in the last episode.
Cop Craft originally debuted as a light novel series under the name Koppukurafuto Dragnet Mirage Reloaded, back in 2009 by Shoji Gatoh. That name should sound familiar to some, as he also created the Full Metal Panic! & Amagi Brilliant Park franchises. The Cop Craft light novel series currently has 6 volumes available, but unfortunately was never translated and released in English. If you can in fact read Japanese, then the series is currently being published by Shogakukan. This anime series was only released last year in 2019, a full decade since the light novels debuted. This 12 episode anime adaptation was produced by Milliepensee studios. It’s still a fairly new studio, as it was only founded back in 2013. Remarkably though they have produced the 2016 Berserk anime, which followed the Golden Age Arc. I’m looking forward to seeing what they will be releasing next from this studio, as the production alone for Cop Squad was great visually, as was the music choice.
Now Cop Craft is yours to buy now on both BluRay and DVD from Manga Entertainment UK. The BluRay release will also include a code to redeem a Digital Copy over on the FunimationNow app. Where you can also watch this series in full now, if you prefer streaming. It’s certainly well worth adding to your collection, as it is very easy to recommend to people that enjoy action packed cop shows.
Overall: 9/10
