Karydan Station Files

Karydan Station Files
Detail from the opening titles, showing Natsumi (left) and Miyuki (right)
Genre	Slice of life comedy buddy cop
Voices of	Hana Futaki Tatsumi Morita Eril Siréy Ler Nerďak Sæis Iuaşa
Opening theme	"100 km/h courage" by Olus Erzeş, sung by Hana Futaki and Tatsumi Morita
Ending theme	"With All the Passion Contained" by Olus Erzeş, sung by Hana Futaki and Tatsumi Morita
Composer(s)	Olus Erzeş
Country of origin	Gylias
Original language(s)	Miranian English French various
No. of episodes	40
Production company(s)	Anim-Activity Gylian National Film Institute
Release
Original network	GTV4
Original release	26 September 1994 – 29 October 2004

Karydan Station Files is a Gylian animated series which aired on GTV4 in 1994–2004. Produced by Anim-Activity and the Gylian National Film Institute, it is a comedic slice of life series following the activity of a fictional police station in Mişeyáke.

Plot

The story revolves around Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto, two Miranian Gylian police constables stationed at the fictional Karydan Police Station, in western Mişeyáke. The series follows the daily activity of the main characters and their interaction with the supporting cast, showing both their jobs and their personal lives.

Much of the series' humour derives from the dynamic between the conscientious Miyuki and the impulsive Natsumi. Another significant component is geographic: the series is specifically set in Karydan, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Mişeyáke bordered by an urban forest, resulting in humour about the rapid transition between village, city, and natural land.

Characters

Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto, as shown in the Karydan Station Files artbook

Miyuki Kobayakawa

Voiced by: Hana Futaki

Miyuki is a police constable, who is partnered with Natsumi in the first episode. She is punctual and diligent about her duties, and has a refined and somewhat reserved personality. She is also a motoring enthusiast and a skilled technician and mechanic, frequently performing custom vehicle modifications for various people in the neighbourhood.

Natsumi Tsujimoto

Voiced by: Tatsumi Morita

Natsumi is a new police constable, who is partnered with Miyuki in the first episode. Outside of work, she is tardy, frequently lazy, prone to over-sleeping, and has a brash, boisterous, and fast-talking personality. Despite these shortcomings, she proves an able constable and forms a great partnership with Miyuki, the two balancing each other out. She is a rough driver, proud motorcycle owner, and bonds with Miyuki over their shared passion for motorsport.

Chief

Voiced by: Eril Siréy

The Chief Constable of Karydan Station. His name is never mentioned in the series; everyone simply calls him "chief". He is serious about his duties and possibly the only one who can keep the eccentric station crew effective at work. He has a dry sense of humour and is sympathetic towards Miyuki and Natsumi, nicknaming them "the fearless and explosive police ladies".

Ken

Voiced by: Ler Nerďak

Ken is a motorcycle patrol constable and a frequent colleague of Natsumi and Miyuki on patrols. He and Miyuki have a crush on each other, which later develops into a romantic relationship.

Ari

Voiced by: Sæis Iuaşa

Ari is a constable specialising in computers and cybersecurity. She becomes a prominent supporting character in the series, frequently joining Miyuki and Natsumi on patrols. She is a trans woman, and plays tennis in her spare time. She is implied to have strong tolerance for alcohol, as she does not appear to get drunk or hungover when joining Natsumi for drinks, prompting Natsumi to tease her that her sex reassignment surgery accidentally included a liver transplant.

Production

Karydan Station Files originated as a collective Anim-Activity project. The team were interested in making a series about the Gylian Police because they felt it lacked the same exposure as other public services or public organisations like Gyliair, GNRTS, or P&T. As one writer joked, "We had more shows about glamorous lady-thieves and glamorous lady-spies than glamorous lady-constables." They worked closely with the Inspectorate of Police to ensure realism, and hired several constables as script consultants.

The series was produced by Anim-Activity and the Gylian National Film Institute between 1994 and 2004. It uses an anime style, with character designs influenced by Aa! Megami-sama. The dynamic between Miyuki and Natsumi doubles as a humorous commentary on Miranian Gylian identity; Natsumi's characterisation was influenced by Edwige Ferré's La Poliziotta series, showing a similar comedic contrast between Natsumi's private bad habits and her competence on duty.

The series is notable for its highly detailed and realistic depiction of motor vehicles, particularly patrol cars and motorcycles. Unexpectedly for the studio, model kits of Natsumi's motorcycle and Miyuki and Natsumi's patrol car became in-demand merchandise.

During production, the team gradually increased the physical intimacy between Natsumi and Miyuki to reflect their close friendship.

Reception

Karydan Station Files was a critical and commercial success upon airing. It earned a positive reception for its humour, realistic depiction of police work, and strong characters, and became one of GTV4's most popular anime of the decade.

The series began to be uploaded to Proton TV during its run, and was released on DVD shortly after it finished airing.

Karydan Station Files is credited by reviewers with having codified the template of the slice of life buddy cop series in Gylias, playing a similar role as Agent Jane did for spy fiction and Kleptechne for heist adventures. It also found popularity abroad during the second Gylian Invasion, earning a notable audience in Delkora. Gylias Review speculated in an article that much of Karydan's appeal abroad stemmed from its essentially easygoing character due to Gylias' low crime rate, and detailed depiction of Gylian Police, particularly its internal democracy.