In Pumpkin Scissors, a catastrophic war between the Royal Empire and the Republic of Frost was ended after the two sides signed a ceasefire. The main part of the story takes place three years after the ceasefire. The Empire must deal with starvation, pestilence, and former soldiers turning into criminals. In order to aid the people, the Imperial army State Section III, which is also known as Pumpkin Scissors, is established.
Captain Hunks is the commanding officer and administrator of Pumpkin Scissors. He has a relaxed and informal personality, and serves as a calming presence for the group.
Second lieutenant Alice L. Malvin is the main female protagonist of the series. She comes from a noble origin, and graduated from the academy right before the ceasefire. However, Alice has a short temper, and she can also act recklessly. Alice's weapon of choice is a short-sword; most of the other characters have preferences for guns.
Martis is a Warrant Officer who wears glasses, and serves as a voice of caution and reason when Pumpkin Scissors is out on an assignment.
In the first episode, the Pumpkin Scissors meet Corporal Randel Oland, the main male protagonist of the series. He's a retired soldier who joins the Pumpkin Scissors to aid them in their war relief effort. It turns out Oland was part of a secret anti-tank trooper unit, which consisted of foot soldiers trained to take down enemy tanks by themselves. Oland appears to be about seven feet tall, and he has scars all over his body. Most of the time, Oland is a very kindhearted person. However, when he turns on his blue-steel lantern, he becomes a fearless combatant.
Overall, the animation in this series is rather decent; however, there are times when the director tries to combine CG elements with the traditional 2D animation used for the backgrounds and the characters. The CG elements just stand out too much when they appear against a traditional 2D animation background.
There is a little bit of blood in Pumpkin Scissors, so I can't really recommend it to younger viewers. Personally, I would recommend this series to anime viewers who are 15 or 16 years of age and older.
| Pumpkin Scissors | 24 | 2006-2007 | Katsuhito Akiyama | Gonzo/AIC | FUNimation Entertainment |
