Heat Guy J is a series with a somewhat tarnished reputation. Even among my very small group of anime acquaintances, I’ve seen it scoffed at for the sole reason that it aired on MTV2. Never before have I come across such a misunderstood and under-appreciated anime series as this one.

Heat Guy J’s biggest weakness is its largely episodic nature. An episodic series is usually the hardest kind to do right and unfortunately, Heat Guy trips over some of the hurdles. The first half of the series is particularly episodic. The little plot there is revolves around the actions of the Vampire syndicate and its proceedings in the underground society of Judor, but even so, there is no significant plot advancement for a while. The episodes contained within the first half of Heat Guy J are either hits or misses, as it is often in episodic series, and while each episode tells its own story the quality of that story varies. Nevertheless, what this first half does right is establish a setting and introduce all the key characters while showing you some good police action.

Once you hit the midway point, though, a fantastic change takes place. Unlike Scrapped Princess, though, the change is not drastic or immediately noticeable, but instead takes its time making itself known. At first, you realize that while still episodic, the quality standard has suddenly reached a consistent high. Then you realize that there is some kind of a plot being hinted at. And then it hits you: Heat Guy J has just turned from a run-of-the-mill series into a very well organized and enjoyable one. Once the true plot is introduced, it only picks up speed until it reaches the fantastic climax and wraps the story up with the most satisfying ending to an anime series I have ever seen.

Heat Guy J's strongest asset is its wonderful cast of characters. A lot of characters are introduced in the first half of the series, but all but four initially appear one-sided and bland. These four, incidentally the four characters with the seemingly most important roles, carry the series expertly until the sudden and completely unexpected influx of character development that arrives just as the second half of the series begins. Every single character introduced in the first half is suddenly revealed to have a fascinating backstory and a realistic and mature reason for acting the way they do. All these characters immediately turn from boring and predictable to surprising and lovable. The character interactions literally made me squeal with glee in quite a few instances. Indeed, it’s the character interactions coupled with a series of awesome plot twists that create the aforementioned perfect ending. Heat Guy J is the first instance in which such a large cast of characters is (without exception!) so beautifully developed.

The music and animation supplement the characters and the (eventually) great plot in such a way that leaves nothing to be desired. Try Force’s excellent background music is likely one of the reasons MTV2 picked Heat Guy J up, while the opening song and both ending songs are catchy and match the series. In fact, the second ending song is one of the greatest anime songs I have ever heard. The voice acting is top notch. The animation is also great. With the exception of a single episode (in which the animation takes an unexpected foray into the world of repeated frames and inconsistent character designs), the movements of characters, especially in action scenes, are fluid and consistent. The CG is so obvious that anyone would expect it to stick out like a sore thumb, yet somehow it manages not to clash with the 2D animation and backgrounds.

Heat Guy J is the perfect example for proving that sticking with an initially unoriginal series is sometimes much more than worth it. It is also a warning not to judge a series by its American licensor. On top of that, it proves that good endings for good series DO still exist, and that the police drama genre has potential yet. Watch it and see for yourself �Eyou’ll end up preaching these same things as enthusiastically as I am now!