Pugyuru is, in a word, weird. Indeed, beyond just being a frantic little comedy anime that you can watch in under 40 minutes, it is a window into what a total outsider might think all anime is like, which was especially the case in 2004. Long before anime was so well-known in the West, back when it was considered strange and underground, and back when the general public dismissed it offhand as a medium, ignorant of the potential and artistic mastery that lay within. They thought bright colors, loud sounds, and bizarre, often sexual humor were all that anime boiled down to, if they wereeven aware of it at all. Well, Pugyuru is exactly that kind of anime that was responsible for such a reputation. It is scattered, unfocused, and could best be described as a feverish frenzy that doesn't waste a moment blazing through its vanishingly brief runtime. Then, even so, Pugyuru still executes this comedy well. All in all, it is quite funny, and for those who are used to it, all of its oddities only add to it. Beginning with the story, there really isn't any to speak of outside of the basic setup- a girl, whose name we never get to hear, is given a "maid" by her wealthy absent parents, but this maid, Cheko, from the so-called "maid country", doesn't seem to be exactly human. She is incredibly short, produces cooked rice from a compartment in her head, and has an upside down skeleton that changes shapes randomly whenever it is measured. She also attracts other bizarre entities, like a snow-woman made of shaved ice, and a giant talking squid that masquerades as a maid, wearing human masks to blend in. The comedy comes from the inherent absurdity of the situations they find themselves in, such as two yakuza guys obsessing over maid autographs, or a high school delinquent girl losing her cool about Cheko's cuteness, or Cheko running out of batteries despite otherwise appearing quite biological. This absurdity is the main draw, and as such, the "story", if it can be called that, is the strongest part of the show.
The art is nothing special, with a pretty standard art direction, and a generally subpar production quality, though given the nature of this anime it's not like its taking away from anything, and doesn't really diminish the experience overall.
The sound is pretty solid, with a very catchy OP and crisp, fast-paced voice work that matches the energy of the humor.
The characters are quite distinct, much like the show itself, and drive the anime forward via their unpredictable hijinks. Of them, the unnamed protagonist (sometimes called Magumagu outside the anime) and the tough-as-nails weirdo Kanato are my favorites. This is simply because they were the funniest to me- Magumagu serves as a humorous contrast to the insanity which surrounds her, and Kanato is a fun reimagining of the delinquent tough girl, taking the absurdities of her trope to the extreme, like her unnatural relationship to nail-bats. Overall, if you like the weird side that anime has to offer, especially as it was in the 2000s, then Pugyuru will prove to be a pretty good time for you, and even if you end up with a negative view of your experience, it's less than 40 minutes, which is such a low cost that you won't really be wasting your time either way.
