Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is a 2010 anime that follows two angel sisters, Panty and Stocking, after they were thrown out of Heaven for their sins: lust and gluttony, respectively. The sisters land in Daten City, a purgatory filled with spirits of all kinds. To get back into Heaven, the girls must collect enough Heaven Coins. These coins spawn once they exorcize an evil spirit.
However, the sisters aren’t exactly worried about getting back into Heaven. Upon landing in Daten City, Panty makes it her mission to sleep with 1,000 men and will not return to Heaven until she achieves that. Stocking is the more diligent sister. However, she can be a little more preoccupied with eating her fill of delicious pastries than fighting evil spirits. However, when they’re inconvenienced, they have no problems transforming their lingerie into weapons and beating the snot out of whoever slightly breathed on them.
In the past 15 years, the show has developed a cult following. The ending of the first season ended on a massive cliffhanger that had fans wanting a continuation. However, for one reason or another, it never came. Despite all of the false flags and borderline delusional hope, a lot of fans held out hope. These hopes were answered two years ago at Anime Expo. At a panel, Studio Trigger announced it was working on Panty and Stocking once again.
Drawn Together
When this show first came out, it fit in with the raunchy, edgy humor of shows that aired on Comedy Central and Adult Swim. According to the creators, the inspiration for Panty and Stocking was American shows and comics. The show with the most influence on it was Drawn Together, an animated American adult sitcom that aired on Comedy Central. The show is a spoof on Big Brother. It features parody versions of beloved characters such as Betty Boop, Link, the Disney Princesses, and even internet flash characters from sites like Newgrounds.
Drawn Together was notorious for its graphic depictions of violence, dark humor, and satire. It showcased controversial topics such as masturbation, abortion, homophobia, xenophobia, and even necrophilia in a very candid manner. Panty and Stocking didn’t push the envelope as far as Drawn Together, but its devil-may-care attitude shines through.
This Show Is NOT For Everyone
For anime standards, this show was a complete anomaly when it first aired. While it’s in Studio Trigger’s wheelhouse for action and animation, most people considered it too risque and depraved because of how unapologetic the sisters are when it comes to their lust and gluttony. Despite this, it gathered a massive cult following that remains strong to this day.
However, that was 20 years ago, and we live in a different world now. There has been an uptick in puritanical people in fandom spaces in recent times. This makes me believe this show will catch unnecessary backlash from a Western audience.
After 2020, many people joined online fan spaces for the first time, and they made it a worse space to be in. People who have never interacted within fandom spaces started to outnumber the people entrenched in these spaces. They took over and started screaming outlandish things like, “if you’re short, you’re minor coded” to short adults. These outlandish remarks became more and more pervasive among fandom spaces to the point where it has taken over some fandoms.
Purity culture also began growing amongst these spaces. The loud minority screams about censorship for anything they deem “impure,” such as sex, gender expression, and whatever nonsense they can come up with for the day. If they can spin it into some moral panic, they will do it and be obnoxious about it. This nonsense is similar to the demonization of Dungeons and Dragons in the 80s. Unfortunately, these remarks and behaviors have deterred people from interacting in a fandom.
Premiere Date
Old fans of the show are excited to see what’s next, but I fear new people will catch wind of this and make a hobby out of demonizing the show. Fortunately, Panty and Stocking Season 2 will air exclusively on Amazon Prime. People who attend the Studio Trigger panel at Anime Expo this year will watch the first episode before anyone else.
