First Impressions: New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is streaming on Amazon Prime

All the way back in 2010 the world was blessed with Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, arguably the swan song of the once great studio Gainax. But after 13 episodes of loud and irreverent sex, swearing and sugar, the series disappeared into the ether. Its creators went on to found studio Trigger, whilst Gainax rapidly became a husk of its former self. Now 15 years later, the stars have finally aligned and the dawn of New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is upon us. With the IP finally having been acquired by Trigger, the Anarchy sisters are free to continue their debauchery. The bitches are back baby, and it is LONG overdue.

At the end of the previous series, Stocking shockingly revealed that she was a demon! After cutting Panty into 666 pieces, she left with Corset as Brief, Garterbelt, Scanty and Kneesocks all stared in disbelief. But what has been 15 years for us has only been five minutes for them, and they still have a chance to revive Panty and save Stocking. It's time for Brief and Chuck with Garterbelt to roll into action!

It's revealed that Corset has simply brainwashed Stocking into believing that she's a demon, however the strength of that brainwashing inadvertently transforms her into a gigantic ghost that he's unable to control! Allying themselves with the wayward Scanty and Kneesocks, Brief and Garterbelt are able to restore Panty and grow her to giant size in order to fight the rampaging Stocking. But with one piece still missing, is this the Panty that Brief fell in love with?

In the 15 years Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt has been gone there has been little else to do but speculate how, should the series ever come back, it could follow up on the first series' jaw-dropper of an ending. While some felt that Stocking's proclamation that she's actually a demon has plenty of story potential, others thought it would be funnier if it simply didn't address it as all - treating it as big of a joke as the ending was meant to be in the first place. Right off the bat New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt pokes fun at that ending, dropping the audience in no less than five minutes after those events despite how excruciating the wait has been for us. But not only does "Homecoming" encompass the both of best worlds by both tackling that ending and hilariously making the twist about as anticlimactic as possible, but it also sates fans' appetites by featuring visuals that partially mirror the "fake" sequel image released all those years ago. If there's one thing Trigger know how to do, it's fan service.

Although the premise makes this episode a rather straightforward one with the simple plot of "revive Panty and save Stocking", that certainly isn't too its detriment. First and foremost it's a chance to reacquaint yourself with Panty & Stocking's distinct style of humour, which is just as crass and foul-mouthed as ever. More importantly though with both of the main characters out of commission for the bulk of the episode the stars of the show become its supporting cast - namely Brief and Garterbelt. Outside of the very quick recap Brief provides at the beginning, this episode is very much about making up for lost time and as such expects to be on board with what's going on right from the get-go. If you don't have time to go back and rewatch the original series beforehand though, Brief's introductions should be more than enough to help you through.

Even when the jokes are at their most predictable, they still prove hilarious. When Panty is revived as a paragon of purity due to only have 665 of her pieces found, it doesn't take a genius to realise which part is missing. And the fact it they then go as far to visualise such a thing goes to show just far Panty & Stocking will push its luck. It isn't all just visual humour and swearing though, moments like Brief's inner-monologue about what makes Panty who she is and why he's attracted to her are just as funny. Garterbelt is just the same as ever too, bringing the cast together with his usual brand of non-sensical yet somehow profound sermon. Times may have changed whilst the show has been away, but Panty & Stocking is very much still the same show we all know and love.

Ultimately thought no matter how many of them there are Panty and Stocking's biggest enemy isn't demons - it's one another. This episode is all about setting up the biggest bitch fight conceivable, and it does so with that sharp stylised animation that helps make this series so unique. Combined with a soundtrack that mixes up old favourites with some brand new tracks, it's a brilliant return to form that's all about just how vulgar our supposed heroes are. And when the bell rings and the episode draws to a close, the status quo has been restored as the sun rises on a whole new series of adventures. With one slight alteration though, as the abandoned Scanty and Kneesocks are invited home with the angels to join this rather unorthodox family. Even though they parted ways with Corset at the end of the previous series this is quite an unexpected route to take the characters in, and it's going to be interesting to see if and how the pair fit into a supporting role rather than an antagonist one.

But just because this episode is largely plot-orientated don't think for a second that Panty & Stocking has lost its knack for pop-culture references. In addition to being entirely fitting for their grand return, the title "Homecoming" itself is a reference to 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming - complete with the title card image (shown at the very end of the episode) mirroring that of the movie poster. In a more relevant reference to my usual content here, Corset's "death" (surely he's going to return at some point) is based on that of the Shocker kaijin deaths in the original Kamen Rider series. Given Trigger's love for tokusatsu this probably won't be the last homage of this sort we see in the series, and the way they sneaked all those Transformers references into their Gridman shows (not to mention the music video they produced for the 40th anniversary) hopefully means we'll see a follow up to one of the first series' most beloved episodes as well. Just let Trigger do a full-length Transformers series already Hasbro.

After 15 years there was every chance that the jokes simply wouldn't land the same anymore, but this first episode of New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt clearly shows that isn't the case. The bitches are well and truly back, and honestly it feels like they never left. The fact that Trigger were able to deliver and episode that perfectly matches the style and humour of the original series all these years later is an achievement in itself, but the fact they went so far as to actually follow up on that excruciating cliffhanger is just the icing on the cake. With the tease of a switched up dynamic and an ongoing plot thread, much like the soundtrack itself New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt seems poised to offer a remix of the original's perfect formula. Whatever happens, this is going to be one hell of a ride.