If you believe subtitles are always the best way to experience any anime, then you clearly haven’t seen New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt.
A Prime Video sequel to a cult classic show that doesn’t just have one of the best dubs ever, I’d argue it’s the definitive way to experience the series. But, before I get into what makes it quite so good, here’s a little history lesson if you’re not obsessed with the franchise like me.
The original Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt started its run back in 2010, with 13 episodes from Gainax, a studio famous for producing internationally acclaimed shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion. It stood out from the rest of the company’s line-up, with a cute and colorful look inspired by US Saturday morning cartoons.
Brief dips into other styles like that of more conventional magical girl media, plus even some bombastic claymation, showed off the studio’s visual aplomb, and kept every new scene fresh and exciting. It might have looked the part, but the show certainly wasn’t for kids; the abundance of raunchy humour intentionally pushed the boundaries of what you can depict on TV.
With episodes dedicated to everything from an elaborate Saving Private Ryan parody starring sentient sperm cells, to an extended robot brawl à la Transformers, you never knew quite what you were in for every time the catchy intro theme rolled.
Back with a vengeance
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It might have been hated by some contemporary critics, who lambasted its scattershot structure and taboo themes, but its memorable central characters – the titular angel sisters Panty and Stocking, their bumbling sidekick Brief, and questionable mentor Garterbelt – have lived on as forum avatars and are frequently referenced across internet culture.
This year’s surprise revival New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, now helmed by the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners animators Studio Trigger, proves that its eclectic formula works better than ever in 2025, though.
I was worried that a series with Amazon signed on to distribute would be toned down in some way. If anything, though, the humor has become more extreme, albeit with a few much-needed character redesigns to address some of the most poorly aged elements of the original. It’s an unrelenting barrage of obscene jokes rendered in beautiful, colorful visuals that now looks more vibrant than ever in full HD.
Although many of its 30 episodes are short, self-contained pastiches, there’s a deceptive level of depth to the characterization here. Indeed, Panty and Stocking might have one of the most dysfunctional relationships on TV, with their frequent conflicts played up for laughs, but a handful of more tender scenes make them surprisingly human.
This is by no means the first animated show to be unapologetically vulgar, but it’s unique in that it seamlessly glides between giant egg-spewing ghost turtles to moments of real heart in a way that never feels jarring or out of place.
It’s so successful at this in no small part thanks to its superb English dub, which is more transformative than a direct translation. Performances are flawless and the jokes are localized wonderfully, lines overflowing with profane language and intentionally cringeworthy Gen Z slang that has you simultaneously rolling your eyes and chuckling. Given its clear US influences, the English voice acting feels right at home – I’ve never watched another dub where I’ve actually forgotten that it was originally in Japanese.
If you’re looking for a light-hearted watch over the holiday season, I can’t recommend New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt highly enough. Just make sure you catch the original season via Crunchyroll or DVD first and, if you have children in the house, keep them far away from what’s one of the best anime shows around. Well, for me, anyway.
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