In the Summer 2016 Preview Guide, I gave the first episode of this manga adaptation a middling score, saying that it isn't without potential. Rarely have I looked back at a review and been more perplexed at what I wrote, as on a second view that first episode is plainly a hot mess. While that episode turns out to be one of the lowest points of the series, its problems were also indicative of the series' failings as a whole.

For what it's worth, the premise itself is fine. The whole business with the tattoos is a standard marker for certain characters to have superpowers, providing a vehicle for the greater plot; the only slightly fresh angle is that the militaries of major nations are pursuing these powers rather than smaller random organizations. To a degree, the series falls into a familiar shonen-action comfort zone. The core cast is fine as well, although it's impossible to take a character named Bluesy Fruesy seriously – and it's her actual name, not even a nickname or code name, either! (Mercifully, she's more commonly referred to by her nickname, Izzy.) The only major issue with the cast is that the series does a poor job of explaining why the Kingdom tattoo wielders (other than Iltutmish) would be slavishly loyal to Arya, given her destructive ultimate goal and penchant for patricide.

The show's main problem doesn't lie with its individual elements, but instead how they are combined. The editing in the series is a disaster, especially in the first episode. There are all kinds of sudden jumps, gaps that lack connecting scenes, and a general lack of consistent flow. Occasionally the series will keep it together for a while, but it regresses again after maybe an episode of clarity. It also has a bad habit of awkwardly introducing new characters or inserting important scenes with no setup, like a moment where a soldier proposes to his cosplaying girlfriend before going off on a mission; that soldier has only been around for an episode at most and the girlfriend hadn't even been hinted at before. We also get a lengthy and important flashback for a character who's already died, which interrupts what should be a key emotional moment for the protagonist to split it awkwardly across an episode break.

The tonal shifts in the series aren't any smoother. It does have a sense of humor – or tries to, anyway – but on too many occasions I had to wonder whether a scene was actually intended to be funny or just an example of horrible writing. The content works better when it strives for darker angles, but the humor tends to sabotage that effort. The series also wants to play up its sex appeal without going full-bore on fanservice which results in an array of halfhearted cheesecake scenes, mostly centered around Toko's chest, the improbably revealing apparel of one American agent, and Princess Arya's propensity for sexual harassing other women. At least she provides one of the series' few highlights in a video she produces to taunt American forces and provoke characters to fall into a trap.

The series is more action-based than anything else, but its action scenes offer more glimpses of potential than actual achievement. Fights can be every bit as choppy as the disjointed editing, with sudden cutaways being used to save on action rather than the more typical still frames and speedlines. That's a major disappointment, as some scenes show that this could be a competent action spectacle. The battles can get quite graphic as well, though not to extreme levels.

Beyond the choppy editing, the technical merits of the series are average at best. The animation effort by J.C.STAFF is at its strongest in the flashier action sequences, though these also rely too heavily on obvious CG for aircraft and smoke effects. Character designs are typical, and shifts into SD art aren't unusual in more comic moments. The series arguably looks sharpest when its monstrous creatures tied to the tattoos are onscreen, and a late battle between them is easily one of the show's visual highlights. A rock-based musical score does what it can, but there isn't much to work with here. Opener “Belief” by May'n is the strongest of the soundtrack, while closer “Egoistic Emotion” is unremarkable.

The English dub provided by Funimation also does its best with the characters and story, with Monica Rial predictably playing Iggy (an adult woman frozen at the physical age of a teenager by her tattoo) and Jamie Marchi playing brassy American agent Lisa Lovelock; both fill their roles quite well. Casting and performances in general are pretty solid. Funimation's release of the title is only basic by their standards: a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack with only clean opener and closer for extras.

Though director Takashi Watanabe hasn't always produced top-quality work, his successes (Shakugan no Shana, Starship Operators, Slayers Revolution, arguably Freezing) definitely outnumber his missteps, so I have to wonder what went wrong with Taboo Tattoo. A weird sequence at the end of episode 12 suggests that a second season was intended, but there has been no word about a sequel since then. Maybe that's for the best, since season one was mostly a chore to sit through.