Pani Poni Dash!

Pani Poni Dash successfully mixes some of he surreal and nostalgic elements of Azumanga Daioh with the rapid fire wackiness(albeit much more tame) of Excel Saga. The result being a truly bizarre, often hilarious send up (and glorification) of modern anime conventions, particularly moe. Amazingly there is a overarching plot tying everything together(just barley) involving Rebbecca, a child prodigy who winds up teaching an unruly class of teens, eventually being befriended by a group of stereotypical anime girls (the brains, the manic airhead, the bitch ect) and the strange events and wacked out adventures they partake in over the course of the school year; all the while being monitored by a group of less than competent aliens.

While the endless stream of gags are more hit than miss, there are still a couple of segments(and even one or two whole episodes) that bite the dust. Repetition is also a nuisance at times; some jokes are needlessly recycled or simply beaten into the ground. Despite these shortcomings, Pani Poni Dash! is quite a funny show, with some truly sublime, gut busting moments that elevate the series dramatically. Quite a few of these moments involve my two favorite characters; Rebbecca's sad sack, forever ill-fated, talking rabbit companion, Mesousa who is stalked and harassed by a cat who claims to be god and lives in a soda machine (I'm serious!). Pani Poni Dash is certainly not for everyone, its certainly an acquired taste, but once you get in the groove and the show starts to roll, its a blast.

Grade:B+

Reviewed: episodes 1-26/26, Format: English Dub, DVD.