In/Spectre

In/Spectre is the type of series that tests the notion “how far are you willing to stretch a good idea?” Conceptually, this is a brilliant idea for a story and overall, I think the execution is at least good. While so many mystery stories, anime or otherwise, tend to focus on purely the truth, characters getting to the bottom of how events actually happened, never have I seen creating a convincing LIE to factor into that. A lot of ins and outs are explored in the show’s attempt to qualify this point, so it keeps a unique source of engagement in a way unlike manyother shows of its type. The focus on one larger tale rather than many smaller stories also has the perk of trying to explore the types of angles other supernatural mysteries don’t have time for, in terms of implications. But it’s worth exploring the vibe of this series regardless. In/Spectre has a very odd start, one that had me baffled as to what kind of show it was going for. It featured characters talking super seriously about serious events, but also mentioning a crush in the same breath and seeming to end out on an action scene. From Episode 1 I had no idea what In/Spectre was trying to be. Comedy? Drama? Romance? Supernatural? It’s a weird mix of all of those types, but Episode 2 seemed to plant things slightly more. Trying to explain and dissect a whole scenario in a mere 22 minutes with relation to supernatural elements devoid of emotion wasn’t very interesting with how little there was too it, better positioned the series as a Monogatari-lite, a mystery series involving supernatural phenomenon and their impact on the real world. To its credit, the show is one of the better examples to follow up the genre. Unlike Rascal Dreams of Bunny Girl Senpai, it doesn’t get scared partway through the “subversiveness”, scurrying back to the comfort zone of LN anime clichés and cheap emotional manipulation. In/Spectre never feels cloying or dishonest, with even the supernatural elements fitting naturally into the setting, but it can drag its heels a lot with the emotionally distant first two episodes and trying to go through every minutia of a point for 9 episodes straight. The writer of In/Spectre, Kyō Shirodaira, also wrote Blast of Tempest which received an anime about 8 years ago. That anime featured very high stakes, almost apocalypse level, yet still decided to have all that anarchy in the background while four characters discussed various topics for 5 episodes straight! The intention was earnest, but the tone and stakes of the series didn’t complement that style of writing at all. In this show’s case, the stakes are lower, so the use of dialogue fits more. Its characters are few, but their archetypes and interactions do something to keep investment with what’s going on. Kotoko is really the star of the show, a cute “slightly older than she looks” girl with worldly knowledge from her spirit background. Her time is often spent explaining various different points, so investment can waver on her, but the comedy bits featuring her are welcome. They take advantage of some light little jokes and the animation can give her some adorably different facial expressions, and that dorky innocuousness is shown well through both her seiyuu and her English voice with newcomer Lizzie Freeman. Kuro appears as though he could be the standard boring “self-insert” protagonist but he isn’t around in prominent enough to really hurt the show for it. It takes a rare approach; an approach I haven’t seen since Kaze no Stigma, where that type of character appears as relevant but with seemingly his own motives and origins in mind. His OPness isn’t used to doubt the power of those around him, but more to effectively gauge the strength the imaginary ghost gets from belief. There’s that same issue of detachment you could view in a lot of the series, but his status doesn’t hurt the series like other MCs he could be related to since it isn’t forcing you to like him. There’s also Saki Yumihara, who works acceptably well as a straight girl to bounce off both of them, respectfully passing the Bechdel test extremely often when she tries to help Kotoko with a point or attempt to validate her: actual chemistry. Again, nothing special but the anime doesn’t necessarily do wrong with her either. Lastly there’s Karin Nanase, the source of the debate and origin of the ghost driving the conflict. Some might call her busty and striper-like appearance lazy fanservice, but it actually works pretty well for the conceptual plot. Her alluring appearance better helps draw attention to the rumors that create her in the first place and exploits the public perception on sexuality versus identity that clouds a lot of the debating. The worst character in this show is the Internet itself. Really, it’s an uphill battle when trying to portray the Internet in any way without being laughed out. Although there proves a human force to subvert the idea of a strawman (someone who exists specifically to make points proven wrong) by actually being correct, to counteract the wrongness Kotoko is trying to present, any additional nods to the internet are purely to create strawmen for the show’s chat forum debating. Perhaps one could argue that the Internet not ever agreeing on any particular point is a major reason why the conflict has to drag for over 3 hours, but it’s still a slippery slope I don’t think the show ever quite manages. As for the presentation, it’s acceptable if bland. The show features a lot of washed out beiges and blues for the aesthetic, with the occasional purple focus when Nanase’s spirit appears and a brief showing of a comment web space which looks worse than Ghost in the Shell SAC nearly two decades earlier. But to be fair, it’s not an action show, so lack of visual polish isn’t as insulting as other series. There’s some fun faces for the brief bits of comedy featured but otherwise it doesn’t speak for much visually. Same for the audio, although the ED is actually pretty fun despite the lack of animation. It’s truly rare you get an anime series nowadays where the storyline is actually the BEST part of an anime, but here we are. With the unremarkable audiovisuals and simple characters that grow into decency mainly through dialogue interactions, the plot is what will really carry the anime and make or break it. It’ll inevitably captivate some with the thorough exploration and turn off others for how uncompromising it is. For my part, even with a certain suspension of disbelief regarding the show’s portrayal of the internet that never REALLY agrees on anything, it was still decent entertainment that benefited from its lower stakes setting, unique premise and earnest character take. But where do you really take things from here? Would the next season also be about mysteries like this, or would it veer in a more action or comedy focused direction? What supernatural elements would factor into anything further? Would it even try to feel emotional? The odd genre mix of In/Spectre made for a decent watch that stood out among the crowd, but not one that’ll last beyond interest of its unique story premise.

Human beings are storytelling creatures. Our little stories are vital for us to convey truths, and sometimes, create lies. However, truth manifest lies. Lies, conceal truth. In every mystery and detective anime, there is always one definite truth. Everything else is just a fabrication to bury the truth, layer upon layer. In most cases, a clear line is drawn between what is real and what is not. But, what if, just what if – the line no longer exists? Then, truth and lies are no longer differentiable. They are blended into each other, and being played around by whoever’s behind them to reach a desired conclusion.Justice would no longer be that opaque. Everything that you ever believe in can be twisted, changed in just that instant. Kyokou Suiri knows this, and it brings this element into play. It is fully aware that in reality, one single truth cannot fit everything into an equation. There will always be doubts surrounding its authenticity, even when the methodology is laid out bare. So, the focus of it is not on the solution to the mysteries, but rather the long and tedious psychological portrayal of wit and knowledge applied in the progress. They use this to try and explain the little details of the case. Call it baseless assumptions or wild imagination, but this is what makes Kyokou Suiri close to Death Note than simply playing the role that sticks to only one truth. In fact, it doesn’t even care about the truth as the bossy female lead, Kotoko already has the answer thanks to her connection to the spectres. Everything else is just a tackle to each and every questions one would have, with its meticulous monologue. She answers each of them, by linking the dots she have. If it doesn’t work, she would try an alternative way to reshape the missing pieces. It sounds simple, but the hardest part is to make us, the audience believe in it. They need to convince us, otherwise the assumptions are just plain nonsense. Except that, this is the charm of it. They threw this on your face, saying that they don’t have a definite answer either. As for the characters, the mismatch of the lead duo is the charisma of the show. They are the complete opposite of each other with Kujo being calm and composed, and Kotoko being self-centered and a bit annoying. One has the power, the other has the wisdom. But in a way, this polar attraction is the magnet that makes the cases more attracting and approachable. It brings out the best of them both but also take the heart-tugging romance away from this pair and only igniting it inside the imagination of Kotoko. Additionally, the studio has done a great job in shaping a continuity during the ‘talk but no action’ scenes. The transition from one place to the other, and back to the start has blended in nicely as the dialogues continue. For the songs, the fun and jazzy ending ‘LAST DANCE’ is what got my attention. It’s a perfect portrayal of their relationship that I can’t really describe in words. It’s somewhat of a partner-couple bond with a bit of toxicity in between. Overall, Kyokou Suiri Kyokou Suiri is far from what you expected at first glance. It takes an unorthodox route to reach the end, with the unfit duo exploring different perspective on the cases instead of settling you with one truth. It can be unbearable sometimes, but watch closer, and you might discover the fun of it.

Imagine a show about dealing with spirits and finding the cause of one's existence.. Sounds like an action/mystery right? Now what if I told you this was accomplished through the characters talking non stop about the problem and barely doing anything about it, or that it was done by seeing the characters post reddit threads. Well that is In/Spectre, except I can't really say they accomplished anything except boring anybody who dared to watch it. Plot - Basically a spirit of a dead idol goes around terrorizing people and Kotoko and Kurou, someone who can see yokai and an immortal guy respectively try to figure outwhy this spirit exists. There are some rare occasions where either character actually confront the evil spirit, and when they do, nothing gets accomplished. Instead, they decide to host discussion. But wait there is more! As I said earlier, they eventually move onto posting reddit threads. Amazing right?! This isn't even the worst part though (well maybe it is). When we realize the reason the ghost exists, the show almost becomes impossible to take seriously. I don't think I need to spoil it, but in another show I've watched, the same exact concept was used as a joke, not a full plot basis. Everything boils down to being mind-numbingly boring and can't be taken seriously. Characters - A lot of people say that the characters are pretty fun in this show, especially Kotoko, but that wears off pretty fast. Kotoko is obnoxious but sweet as well and Kurou is just...silent type. The show mainly just tries to push how far it can go off of having a cute girl, but the characters aren't even that unique in the first place, and it's not like the conversations between them are witty or anything, it's sort of stale. As stated above, both characters have powers, but the girl's powers is seeing yokai, which is in effect the whole time so it's more of a necessity and commonplace thing than something cool, and the guy is immortal and can see the future. So one power is just straight up bland and the other is absolutely busted, not exactly a good combo. One last thing, none of the characters get any development. Overall - This show just made me want the suffering to stop, thank goodness I watched weekly for some of the later episodes. The plot was abysmal and dialogue never stopped, the characters had stupid powers, no development, and just didn't have a great dynamic as a people say. The art and sound were extremely average as well. This show was just bad and boring in every way aside from maybe its average animation and sound. No one should ever have to watch this trainwreck. WAIT THERE WAS ONE POSITIVE!!!: The ghost had some big tits

It’s really hard for an anime to feel original these days. So many series I’ve seen lately have felt like I was watching the same series, with the same characters, with different names. So when I come across a fresh and unique story, I have to acknowledge it. That’s exactly what I got out of Kyokou Suiri. Kyokou Suiri is some of the best fun I’ve had watching anime in a long time. Based on a light novel originally, it tells the story of a girl who’s traded her leg and eye for god like powers. She teams up with a boy who also has godlike powers and they form a paranormal investigation team. The first arc of the show is pretty episodic, focusing on a different case each episode. The second half of the show is one arc focusing on a single relevant case. Throughout the course of the series we’re introduced to various monsters and demons from Japanese myths which I found very cool. Being an investigatory show, the series is very exposition oriented so there is a lot of talking. It’s not useless idle chatter, however. The conversations all advance the story and are usually relevant to whatever case or situation is going on. But, if you’re someone who needs a lot of fights and action, the second half of the show will drag for you. I thought the comedy was extremely well done and kept me engaged with every moment of every episode. The banter between the characters felt real and genuine adding to the unique feel of the show. Because it’s more of an investigation/exposition themed show, there’s no crazy fight animation or massive amounts of sakuga. But, the art throughout the show and animation when the occasional fight happens were very well done and aesthetically pleasing. In conclusion, I think this is easily one of the best shows I’ve seen in the past few years. It gave me a feeling of nostalgia and joy that brought me back to the old Adult Swim days of anime. I absolutely loved the characters, their wit, banter and interactions throughout the series as well as the lovely integration of Japanese folklore. If you’d like something different and original to watch, give this a shot. Kyokou suiri gets 9 eyes out of 10 for me.