Pumpkin Scissors

Gonzo, Geneon, and the Anime International Company released the 24 episode anime for Pumpkin Scissors in 2006, which had the production rights bought out not too long afterwards by FUNimation, for distribution in North America. Sadly, this anime is better than the manga of the same title (serialized starting in 2002), which is a sentence I dislike saying often.

                        You don't have to take it so personally.

The plot for this series follows 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin, the 2nd in command and field leader for the Imperial Army State Section III (Pumpkin Scissors) war relief unit. It's an anime with a strong militaristic presence, much like Full Metal Alchemist, and the story starts a couple years after a major war has ended. Both countries involved in the war, the Royal Empire and the Republic of Frost, are in a state of ruin and face the threat of banditry, political corruption, and gang-warfare in the post-war aftermath.The Pumpkin Scissors unit is formed to assist the subjects of the Royal Empire to cope with the destruction of their homes and farmlands, and to protect them from other threats that wander the country. One such encounter that they face is a wealthy Baron who controls a fortress/castle, and the surrounding town. When the Pumpkin Scissors unit arrive in the town to investigate reports of corruption in the city, they are shocked to discover that almost every person in the town is starving to death slowly, despite the fact that the Royal Empire has been sending food to them regularly in an plan to boost their political influence in the post-war efforts. It's soon uncovered that the Baron has gone bat-shit crazy, and has locked all the food crates that were sent to the townspeople inside the courtyard of his fortress, and has not given any to his subjects. The food has spoiled, and gone to waste. The Baron reveals that he did so because he was too afraid of letting anyone into his fortress, for fear of sabotage, assassination, or revolt (despite the fact that not feeding your subjects is a good way to start one...).

I did honestly enjoy this anime, but I find that it's not one that is worth re-watching more than a couple times. The plot is relatively straightforward and anything you miss the first time through you would catch on the second run. There is a very strong sense of mystery surrounding one of the members of Pumpkin Scissors that was a determining factor in my watching the series: Corporal Randel Oland, a near invincible foot soldier who carries a blue lantern and can literally rip a tank into pieces if he's angry enough. But that's still only half the damage that 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin can do.

            It appears that Alice's time of the month is everyday.

Overall, quite good if you haven't seen it before. If you have seen it, you aren't missing anything by seeing it again.

You can find out more about Pumpkin Scissors here.