Let's Go Karaoke! is a series that succeeds in making the unbelievable believable. It's a comedy at heart, yet the bond between its two unlikely leads makes for melodrama that's both kitschy and effective. Who'd'a thunk that the best way to overcome your musical failures and teen angst was by teaching a yakuza member how to properly keep a pitch?

The start of Karaoke has its protagonist, Satomi, weighed down by a guilty conscience. He feels like he was the one who totally blew his high school choir's chances of winning at the big competition. Minutes later, he randomly bumps into the yakuza member Kyoji, who just so happened to be at the big competition. Kyoji then convinces Satomi to teach him to sing so he can win big at his clan's big karaoke competition. Failure to do so grants him the title of “sucky song king,” as well as being branded with an embarrassing tattoo representing the one thing he can't stand. Obviously, getting something like an ugly Hello Kitty tattoo on your arm isn't the worst fate in the world, especially when you compare it to getting your fingers chopped off. But this is an absurd comedy, so therefore, an absurd punishment is fitting. I can't blame the guy either; I'd want to avoid such a fate too. There's no way in Hell you could ever get me tatted up with a gremlinized Olaf from Frozen just because I can't sing “Crazy Train.”

So Satomi and Kyoji perform together. Kyoji tries to perform the X-Japan ballad “Crimson” but can't quite manage to nail it. His attempts result in cringy, off-beat, off-pitch performances that rob him of his dangerous nature as a mafioso. An initially hesitant Satomi soon warms up to him, and their friendship takes off from there. At just five episodes long, there isn't much the anime can do to make these two feel novellic. Truth be told, Satomi and Kyoji don't go through a lot of change by the time their character arcs conclude. But
then again, who am I to ask for a wealth of believability with such an intentionally absurd premise anyway?

The anime still makes great use of Satomi and Kyoji's odd relationship by making them each other's foil - the former is dejected, his self-doubt popping up in his nightmares, while the latter remains confident and eager to learn despite his tone deafness. Kyoji even becomes an encouraging big brother figure to Satomi from time to time. But just when you think Kyoji is actually a nice, supportive role model for Satomi, Karaoke! is smart enough to remind you that Kyoji is still a violent yakuza engaged in shady illegalities. You can feel the anime pull the rug
underneath your feet as this happens.

It also helps that this work sports some really detailed art, coupled with some steady direction from Asami Nakatani (coincidentally enough, this year also found Nakatani working on the anime adaptation of Captivated, by You, another one-shot manga written by Karaoke's author Yama Wayama). Let's Go Karaoke! as a comedy isn't too heavily reliant on gags, although one bit where Satomi is forced to judge the singing abilities of Kyoji's yakuza mates got me pretty good. The editing works is snappy and effective here - the quick cuts and reaction shots of Satomi's disapproving scowl after every yakuza member's attempt at singing have the kid unleash his inner Simon Cowell, and it's great to see unfold.

There might be a few developmental shortcomings here, but what I got out of it was enough for me. The show wants you to root for Satomi and Kyoji by the end of the first episode, and root for them I certainly did. As a whole, Let's Go Karaoke! manages to pull a great balance between buddy comedy and high school drama, and a different breed of music anime all together.