Hidden in plain sight, spirits known as youkai inhabit the world. While most are benign, a certain subset threatens the tenuous peace between youkai and humanity. Ever since she agreed to become their "God of Wisdom," Kotoko Iwanaga has served as a mediator between the two realms, resolving any supernatural problems that come her way.
At a local hospital, Kotoko approaches Kurou Sakuragawa, a university student whose long-term relationship ended with an unfortunate breakup. Kotoko harbors feelings for him and suspects that something supernatural lurks within his harmless appearance, so she asks Kurou for his assistance in helping out youkai.
Two years later, news of an idol who was accidentally crushed to death by steel beams flooded the press. However, months later, sightings begin to tell of a faceless woman who wields a steel beam. As is the case for any supernatural problem, Kotoko and her partner set out to stop this spirit from wreaking havoc—but this case may prove to be far more sinister and personal than they could have ever thought.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
jd2001z
Usually, in the mystery genre, they use all the evidence and logic they have to search for the truth. Instead, Kyokou Suiri uses all the evidence and logic it has to create a lie. The story is about two characters, Kotoko Iwanaga and Kurou Sakuragawa. One of which is a “goddess of wisdom” for the youkai who live in the world, and the other is a seemingly plain human who is not what he seems. The two of them band together (or you can say Kotoko clings on to Kurou) and they try to solve the worries and concerns of the youkai around them. Episode 1 introducesus to these two characters, and shows us a bit of their backstories together. At first, you’d have no idea that the anime is Supernatural if you haven’t heard about it before, but as the episode goes on you’d realize that they are indeed youkai in the world, and the two characters have more to themselves that meets the eye. In addition, they have a funny relationship with each other right off the bat when they meet each other.
Episodes 2 and 3 then shows us how the Mystery in this anime works. One would normally think that they would search for the evidence first then find the truth, but here they already have all the evidence they need, so now all they need is to figure out what happened. Simple, right? It’s not. In a world where spirits and youkai inhabit the earth, almost anything can happen, so logically finding out the truth will be tough. So instead of going for the truth at the get-go, Kotoko builds up blocks of possibilities of what could have happened to land to the truth that seems the most logical. Any solution may seem real to an extent, but as long as there are holes to it, it will all crumble apart. So she takes what seems right from the previous solution, or the basic elements, then adds it to a more logical one, until she arrives at the “right answer”. You can say that every “wrong” solution brings us closer to the “right” solution.
Once we learn about the “truth” of the matter from the previous case, we go on into the next arc, which comprises all of the next episodes, from 4 to 12. Here we have a long time skip, and we are introduced to a new character, Saki Yumihara, who is actually Kurou’s ex-girlfriend. As a police officer, her job is to help maintain peace in the city, and now there’s someone, or rather, something that catches her eye. Steel Beam Nanase. From what the witnesses claim, she’s a ghost with no face who carries a huge steel beam around and causes a bit of chaos in the city. Once an idol, tragedy struck her, and she died from steel beams falling onto her. One would be logical about this and say that ghosts aren’t real, it’s just in their heads. But she doesn’t. After a certain incident with her boyfriend, she starts to doubt what’s real or not, and what possibly can exist in the world. Then she sees Steel Beam Nanase. As a police officer she tries to stop her, only to be struck with the hard fact that she is indeed a ghost, and that she can’t even touch her. Then she meets Kotoko, who was able to temporarily stop her, and then Saki realizes she isn’t just what she looks like.
Saki and Kotoko then band up in order to stop Nanase, but how can you fight against a being that has no physical form, and that doesn’t really exist? Logic and fiction. In order to save people from getting hurt, they would need to create a “lie” that triumphs over the “truth”. No one needs to know that spirits exist in the world, else the entire balance between the human realm and the spirit realm will fall apart. So in order to erase the ghost from existence, they would need all the evidence in order to create a story that is both logical and entertaining. But can’t you just tell them the truth about her and everyone would believe it? Of course not. Fake news is considered “the better and more believable news” just because it’s more entertaining than the truth. No one wants a boring story. Thus, they need to create logical fiction for the sake of saving lives.
This show heavily relies on dialogue, so it is not recommended for people who just want the action or the youkai interaction. Almost every detail is important, evidence and logic are the most useful weapons this show has to offer, and if you don’t listen or think carefully, you will be confused as to what happens. They may repeat what they have said before, but what mystery show doesn’t? Repetition is one of the most important factors in informative speaking, because the audience would be able to understand that the points the speaker repeats are important. That applies to this show as well. Repetition of details implies that the evidence in hand is important. Logically, they would need to repeat the important details in order for us not to forget what is there. The solutions that are created from these details are also interesting, even though you can poke some holes on them here and there. But one thing to take note of is that Kotoko knew that there are holes in these solutions, and those are needed in order for her to grasp the “right solution”. What’s important is that she needs a majority of her audience to believe in her fictional truths, even if there are holes in them. In addition, she had to come up with multiple solutions that are all lies, that are both entertaining and logical with the given evidence, and in under a few hours, under the pressure of saving possibly hundreds of lives. If you don’t call Kotoko a genius, then I don’t know what is.
The main thing I like about this anime is the character interactions. You have the three characters, Kotoko, Kurou, and Saki. Kotoko is mean and funny, but is smart enough to solve the youkai’s problems. Kurou might seem plain, but he has something that can change the world. And Saki is beautiful and kind, but also sharp and brave. Since Saki was once Kurou’s ex, the interactions between them would be funny and awkward, especially since Kotoko is Kurou’s current girlfriend (although Kurou doesn’t seem to like it). The funny scenarios in the show mix well with all the seriousness of the supernatural for me, and I like that in this show.
All in all, I think this was a great Mystery/Supernatural anime. It gave a refreshing view on Mystery and what it can do. This was actually one of my most hyped anime this season, because I’ve already read the manga before and I’m currently up to Volume 11 of it. I can say that if you want a refreshing twist in Mystery, then this show might be for you. If you aren’t in anime, then the manga would be better for you, as it has more depth for the details and solutions.
SunlitSonata
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.
Ethan_07
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.
ChefColin
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
Marinate1016
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.
Vikorean
There are a few shows I will claim to be proud of watching. In/ Spectre is one of them, as I am happy of not having let its poor ratings stand in the way of giving it a chance. In/ Spectre is not an underrated anime, it is a misunderstood one. It seems it was expected to follow the trend of spectacular demons fights in the line of other recent successful shonen. However In/ Spectre has a very elegant and original take on the yokai theme, one not explored yet. Not the fighting approach mentioned above, nor the emotional one tackled in other acclaimed animes.Indeed, In/ Spectre focuses on helping yokai by solving mysteries with the sheer power of logic and deduction.
As such, poorly written characters would have been unfit to carry the sophisticated themes tackled. Starting with a simple but important step: their age. Do not expect for the usual colourful or overemotional teenagers, but rather mature young adults capable of thinking over acting. It may be a trivial detail, but it sets the level of complexity to be expected from these characters. Each one of them has his or her personal baggage which are linked to the plot. Past relationships and trauma define their way to tackle the existence of yokai and solving their mysteries by the same occasion.
The role of detective and main character is brilliantly fulfilled by Kotoko Iwanaga. Behind her youthful looks and clingy girlfriend tendencies are in fact hidden overwhelming intellect and maturity due to her role and respected status within the yokai community. On the opposite, the older and seemingly more composed Saki, already working as a police officer, actually hides an unresolved lack of confidence and acceptance towards the existence of yokai. These two female characters, both revolving around the main male character Kuro, are the perfect illustrations that people are not what they seem.
Finally, Kuro is probably the most mysterious character alongside Rikka, the antagonist. This make perfect sense since they both got the closest encounters and trauma experiences with yokai during their childhood, deeply affecting them more than any other characters. As such, their closeness with the unexplainable logically make them both unpredictable and hard to read through our normal human eyes.
These complexed characters are of all satisfyingly tied with personal relationships. Saki is Kuro's former girlfriend, Kotoko is his current love interest and Rikka, with whom he share the same past trauma and doom fate, his eternal childhool love but nemesis. Well written characters all tied up together with an emotional background. The simple but difficult combination, In/ Spectre managed to achieve it thanks to a clever and thoughtful writing.
The art is one of my favourite. The characters are beautifully drawn with finesse, reminding me a lot of the Chinese animes. Generally speaking, it is clean and elegant. Although I was a bit disappointed with the yokai designs, which turned out to be a bit childish and overly simplistic. A bit more thoughts in their designs would have been welcomed and on pair with the show's complexity. However, since spectacular fights are not the point of the anime, spectacular designs for the yokai were hardly the priority.
Finally, the writing has to be put under the spotlight. In/ Spectre decided to go for the detective solving mystery approach, which is already an original take for a story centered around the supernatural. However, the approach itself is original, since In/ Spectre applies a reversed logic. Indeed, the purpose is to demystify a legend with an even bigger lie in order for the Yokai to be left alone and live in peace. Such method requires of course to find the truth, but only as a mean to build a logical and relatable tale to erase the previous but more dangerous one. The supernatural feeds on rumours and folklore, the purpose is then to build a harmless one over the dangerous preexisting one.
I find this storytelling fascinating as it implements a logic and common sense specific to the Yokai world. The supernatural has its own logical foundations, opposite and hardly understandable to the livings. They need to be taken into consideration for the characters to succeed and get closer to the truth.
Final note, the first season has the classical are dragging role of introducing us to the world and the story's structure. The complicated above mentioned elements do not make it any easier to understand and enjoy the show. However, getting past these adjustments will enable to experience an intellectually challenging story, likeable characters and clean designs. I only hope the producers and viewers will be patient enough to make it possible for the anime to get following seasons. In/ Spectre has undeniable quality, it would be a pity to not see it through now the most difficult part is behind.
Stark700
Japanese youkai lore has been a fascinating subject in the realm of anime, manga, and video games. Every year, we are graced by media related to these supernatural entities, based on the Shinto religion. And while Kyokou Suiri (ln/Spectre) certainly isn’t among the first to explore such themes, it does embark on a supernatural quest with a lovely little oddball named Kotoko Iwanaga. Let’s allow reality to hit us first. Kyokou Suiri has a fair amount of volumes but the anime allows the show to be only 12-episodes. To make things more complicated, the early chapters (manga version at least) are fairly long, some expanding wellinto 40-50 pages. A common logic designates the show has fairly incomplete and as a means to advertise the manga and novels. That’s not unfair but it does limit its potential in storytelling. After all, character studies on youkai would have been a fairly interesting subject and draw more interest for a worldwide audience. Unfortunately, Kyokou Suiri decided to be exactly what I feared: a billboard that screams “buy the novels or manga if you love what you’ve seen!”
Kotoko Iwanaga is a university student who is bestowed with the ‘God of Wisdom’ role. With a missing eye and leg, Kotoko is immediately drawn to the 22-year old Kurou Sakurgawa. In a state of puppy love, she falls for him in what I describe as one of the strangest ‘love at first sight’ segments I’ve ever seen. By comparing Kuro to a goat (that’s a right, a goat), she decides to pursue him in a relationship that is clearly one-sided. Kuro himself became single after breaking up with Saki, his former girlfriend after an uneventful encounter with a youkai. The pilot episode surprisingly breaks down the elements of the storytelling quite cleverly by getting the audience attached to our main leads. On both fronts, Kotoko and Kuro are far from ordinary. It builds an enigma in storytelling as the duo investigates on supernatural cases. And because we have a show about youkai, you can believe the anime will explore the morality of these fascinating entities.
To put in simple perspective, Kyokou Suiri draws more into a supernatural mystery fiction style of storytelling rather than an action thriller. While early episodes does show off the combat abilities of Kotoko and Kuro, it doesn’t take long for the anime to dive deeper into the mystery and lore. Kotoko herself is shown to be a character with great intellect and her intuition is imperative to breaking cases. This is shown when she plans ahead and analyzes different potential outcomes based on probability and theories. By focusing on what’s in front of her, Kotoko minimizes failure and looks into all resources to make sure cases are solved. In the series’ most prominent arc dealing with Steel Lady Nanase, her skills are put to test as she investigates into the client’s history. With her theory crafting and investigative skills, she’s able to discover the hidden truths. That is to say, despite how Kotoko looks, she is a detective extraordinaire in her field of expertise.
But…on a common sense level, Kotoko falls short when it comes to socialization. Let’s face it, she’s still has the mindset of a child in her attempt to pursue a relationship with Kuro. In the anime version, the relationship is clearly one-sided between the duo. The reason falls on Kuro’s own interest in Rikka, his own cousin introduced in later episodes. It would be fair play to say the anime’s romance is one of the weaker aspects but it also doesn’t help that sometimes, their character segments is nothing short of childish, and mostly pushed by Kotoko’s bubbly personality. She also clashes with Saki, Kuro’s ex-girlfriend and their first meeting almost borderlines like a meme. A recurring gag in the series includes Kotoko creating peculiar delusions in her mind and images about how Kuro will get back together with his ex.
Remember what I said about the anime feeling a lot like an advertisement billboard? That’s because the storytelling is fairly dragged out for one of its main arcs. I’m talking about dealing with Steel Lady Nanase, a plot revolving with a vengeful spirit in the modern timeline. The arc is focused on the death of an idol under tragic circumstances although a plot twist reveals other startling revelations. While the arc itself contains important details and appeals to supernatural youkai lore, there’s far too much emphasis that it feels dragged out. The anime could’ve condensed the arc but instead chose to milk it dry to the bone. And that’s not to say, I really do wish this show got animated for more than a single cour. There’s so much more potential to explore other youkai lore. Some of the audience may or may not see this as a problem but it’s still relevant to know that the show is too short for its own good.
Helmed by Brain’s Base and their talent, I do applaud the show’s appeal for its animation. The supernatural gimmicks makes for decent choreography with some of its action contents. There’s minimal censorship that showcase the powers of youkai and the main leads in all of its glory. Speaking of main leads, Kotoko is perhaps the most noticeable character to draw eyes on with her petite stature, beret hat, and doll-like appearance. Not to mention, she is missing an eye and leg. The rest of the cast are less impressive although Steel Lady Nanase’s faceless features will raise a few eyebrows. I won’t say this show is a masterful storyteller in visual quality but it certainly knows what the audience wants. And who can forget that lovely ED theme song with those wild dance moves?
As an anime with a variety of genres blend together, it felt like Kyokou Suiri knew what it was doing from the start. But as every episode dragged on, the plot itself gets too entangled in its Steel Lady Nanase affairs than anything else. The overemphasis of the arc costs the expense of the series' other core elements. And clearly, this anime needed more episodes to tell a bigger story for the main premise altogether. It doesn’t take a genius detective to figure that out.
lLeco
Rating (My opinion) 6.5/7* A lot of Talking, TALKING, TALKING, NONSENSE, TALKING, TALKING AND MORE TALKING. If you are the type of person that enjoy mystery and a lot of dialog instead of action, then this anime is for you. Kyokou Suiri is an anime that is mostly focused in a mystery plot that doesn't make sense, I tried liking the show at first, I really did, but by the time I got to Episode 7, I was wishing for the show to end, it was boring, I couldn't stand it. I don't know how it got to the point of the whole 'Last Boss' butBOY... when it got to that point, 95% of the show was dialog. I couldn't get myself to like ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, so... if all of them died at some point, I wouldn't care.
BLP_
I made an earlier review of this show after 7-8 episodes where I explained that there were several things I liked including the art, stylisation and early character exploration. However it needed a good kick up the ass to get things moving because the characters went on endless monologues, over-complicating uncomplicated ideas and had little to no natural interaction with each other. I gave the show a 6 and hoped for the best. After watching the 12th and final episode I can say...It never did get the kick up the ass that it needed. Several episodes of tedious, pretentious, try-hard pseudo-intellectual nonsense. Characters stood in place endlesslytalking in circles, often repeating themselves. If the mysteries and theories explored were smart, interesting or well crafted then it could have had the makings of fantastic supernatural detective/mystery show. Instead we're presented with mind-blowing murder theories like..."killed by a brick on a string". The show tries to be almost Sherlockian in its structure, attempting to dissect minute details and clues, without the intelligence, wit or story crafting to do so.
RyanSpring
In/Spectre wasn't what I was expecting and was largely a disappointment. While I could certainly finger-point to forgettable characters, multiple filler episodes in a twelve episode anime and an inorganic romance that barely hangs on by a shoe string, for me the most egregious flaw of the program is that it's insanely dialogue heavy and most episodes boil down to two characters sitting near each other and having a seemingly never-ending conversation. There is little to no action, only one actual mystery to solve throughout the entire show and nothing to break up the monotony and repetition of talking, talking and more talking. Having come outin 2020, it looks and sounds fine. My wife liked the intro/outro music, which is fine and well, but that doesn't make the actual show any better. I am certain I won't remember the name of a single character in this program two weeks from today. One of them is missing an eye and a leg and one of them isn't fully human, so I guess on paper they have vaguely interesting characteristics that make them memorable, but for me they just aren't. None of the main cast felt remotely developed or fleshed out. This anime does not bother to take the time or effort to have character-building interpersonal moments. Instead, the overwhelming majority of the program is just a giant monologue from the female lead over-explaining every possible angle of the one and only mystery in the show.
This wasn't the worst anime I've ever seen, and it didn't actively repulse me to watch, but I cannot find any reason whatsoever to recommend this. It's just so mediocre and skippable. If you like any of the genres this advertises itself to be- mystery, romance, paranormal- there are countless higher quality options available. There's simply no reason to choose THIS over the other options. At the end of the day, In/Spectre is my mother-in-law- lots and lots of talking, lots and lots of saying the same thing multiple times, never says anything important and by and large pretty darn boring. :)
OBJECTIVE RATING- 6-7
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 6-6.5
Thisizaraisu
I want to preface this review by saying Kyouko Suiri is absolutely not meant for everyone. It is a very dialogue-heavy series, and if you're a bigger fan of action-oriented anime then it's unlikely that you would find a lot of enjoyment in this. That being said, I love this series because it has some of the best-written dialogue I've seen from any piece of media. When your series is structured in the way Kyouko Suiri is, smart dialogue is critical to making the slow pacing forgivable, and I've been able to forgive this show's pacing a million times over because of how captivating it is.What struck me from the get-go is just how great the chemistry is between Kotoko and Kuro, setting a strong baseline for a thought-provoking and entertaining series.
I can understand why people didn't find this one to be enjoyable, it is extremely meandering at times and its pacing could easily be a turn-off. In hindsight I'm honestly a little surprised that I was not only able to enjoy this series, but become practically obsessed with it. This was definitely the series that got me the most excited during the Winter 2020 season with each installment.
I'm not trying to act like an anime snob here, and I'm not saying anything like "you need to have a high IQ to understand the intricacies of Kyouko Suiri." I can just see why this series would be divisive, and I'm on the side that loved this one with every fiber of my being. If you're fine with climbing a bit of a hill for your entertainment, I would highly recommend this series.
SeinenJump
In/Spectre as a concept could not be more fitting in what's been called the "post-truth" era we find ourselves in. At the crux of the drama behind In/Spectre is essentially a PR/political campaign. Iwanaga utilizes elements of social-psychology to spin narratives that find their grounds in the believable but often not real. It's as much a picture of how PR & political campaigns work as it is a grim look at the state of public discourse in a world full of actors wielding narratives. In the above regard, In/Spectre explores substance that has yet to be dealt with in the anime medium. But while theconcept is an incredible 10/10, other aspects of the title did not fare as well.
The characters of In/Spectre are a mixed bag.
Iwanaga is the character with the most dimension. Her confidence, pushiness and past are clear and make her an enjoyable character to watch. As the main character of this psychological/mystery, we get a pretty in depth look at her rationality. She possesses sharp logic but the detailed stories she weaves don't account for the components of a potent narrative--namely: that it has to be simple, convincing and all-encompassing. She overcomplicates her stories and operates in an online forum setting among peers but somehow maintains a platform to speak on the subject without getting drown out by other voices spinning their own narratives, making the scenario difficult to believe. Lastly, she puts too much stock into how rational people who believe in ghosts are. Thats not to say that everyone who believes in ghosts is irrational, but a good portion aren't going to be as concerned about bulletproof logic so why rely so heavily on a strength that isn't as effective in that space?
Kurou is a blank slate male protagonist. He might as well be Mr. Plank. For every 100 words Iwanaga got in Kurou got in maybe 10, which works for Iwanaga's character and the role she plays, but I've never watched a show coming away knowing so little about one of the main characters. His family past & powers are given the bulk of the screen time but little can be said about his personality, his relationship with Iwanaga is ambiguous--no idea how he feels about her, or even why he agrees to date her. It may not be needed for this story but I found it bizarre how little explanation is given regarding how half of his power works. All in all, this entire 4 sentence paragraph is literally all I can think of regarding Kurou.
Not much to say about the other characters Saki & Rikka (and if you want to include Karin). Saki - ex-girlfriend cop don't really get why she's around other than for romantic tension & connection to police records. Rikka - creepy cousin that Kurou cares about.
The pacing is horrible.
The initial feeling was that this was going to be episodic with the common thread throughout being Iwanaga & Kurou's relationship, a structure that works well for a brief 12 episode season, but instead we got an exposition dump early on, rushed through character introductions and then stretched out a 2-3 episode arc out over ~6 episodes.
The art/character design for the ladies in the show was decent, Kurou however could've been copy-pasted from any old mediocre anime from 2014-2023.
In conclusion:
Concept: 10/10
Characters: 6.5/10
Pacing: 2/10
Art/Character Design: 5/10
Music: --/10 (I can't recall any part of the soundtrack that stood out enough to rate it)
Overall, I'd give this a 7/10. The concept does 90% of the heavy lifting so if that intrigues you I'd recommend watching. If not I'd say pass. Season 2 has room to make up for where season 1 was lacking, hopefully the production team makes good use of that room by fleshing out characters, relationships and implementing better pacing.
(P.S. This should definitely be marked as either "Seinen" or "Josei" as 1. little of this show is characteristically Shounen 2. this deals with more adult relationships & deeper concepts that Shounen viewers are unlikely to be satisfied with.)
Fennex12
I started to follow at the time of its release, at first the anime has a very good premise and seems to have a lot of potential, but with the passing of the episodes it is clear that the quality will drop with time. The story is lukewarm, decent art, a little weak soundtrack and only the main characters deliver anything. Overall it is an anime below average to pass the time, it had everything to work out, but unfortunately they delivered another ordinary anime, lackluster, with massive dialogues, not that this is a problem, I love a good storyline, but we are not talking abouta good plot here.
If you have nothing better to do, absolutely nothing, watch Kyokou Suiri.
chipi1016
I'll start by saying that I reasonably enjoyed this anime. What I'll write next might make it seem like it's not worth your while, but that's not necessarily true. It's a show that will have a particular audience and if that's you, great. The first few episodes did the job of grabbing my attention with interesting characters and dynamics. For the rest of the series, I felt switched and baited. I might have enjoyed it more if I had not expected something different from the first few episodes. This show is about a girl who uses logical (if far fetched) arguments tochange people's mind. That's it. There's a bit with a guy, that's not honestly not important as of this season. There's an antagonist, that also doesn't matter yet, you get the gist of their backstory and nothing more. There's a slow SLOW fight with absolutely no hype... if that's your cup of tea.
It is interesting to see the logical gymnasitcs the protagonist takes, but if watching a girl at a laptop is not your idea of a bomb anime, maybe this is a skip?
As for me, I powered through it all and ended up enjoying it a little bit, enough that I would watch a season two if it gets it, but wouldn't cry if it doesn't get it.
ZenoTheHermit
I really don’t understand why this show has such high ratings on here. Having not read the manga, all I knew going into the show was it was going to be an anime where the protagonists face off against ghosts, demons, and monsters. Cool, so like an anime version of Supernatural? That could be fun. Nope. Instead the show boils down to “Kotoko spends 2 episodes sitting and talking at a snake spirit”, followed by “Kotoko spends 6 episodes blogging a spirit to death”. No, really. Kotoko is pretty much the only interesting character, in a show populated by cardboard cutouts. EspeciallyKuro, who could not possibly be any more bland. Kotoko’s proclivity to say highly inappropriate things at inappropriate times makes for some hilarious moments. But that is about all that the show has to offer.
The relationship between Kotoko and Kuro is nonsensical. Why are they even together?
Even Kuro doesn’t know, as every time he and Kotoko are together he spends most of the time sighing with his head in his hands. Given Kotoko’s personality quirks, these would be great opportunities for some funny, playful banter, but there is literally no chemistry shown between them at all and the dialogue there as in most of the show is boring filler.
The big conflict in this series, Steel Lady Namase vs Kotoko and Kuro, is literally just Kotoko and Rikka having a blog battle, while Kuro and Nanase have one of the least interesting to watch fight scenes.
Kuro and Rikka’s ability to “reach for possible futures” in order to manipulate probability is poorly explained but more importantly is not something that translates well visually and as a result makes the fight scenes even more boring, as the characters have to explain what is supposed to be happening.
duraest
So, Koykou Suiri is very bad, but you can pass the time. The female protagonist is so cool and even then there was no better use of her. The first episode is incredible, I seriously thought it was going to be a good anime based on it, but as we can see, the episodes that have passed have shown how they can end up with a good plot in minutes. The male protagonist does not speak or show so much charisma, shallow and meaningless secondary characters. Worst of all is spending 4 episodes listening to the girl talk about hypotheses that don't make any sense, so, asI said, Kyoukou Suiri is very bad despite having everything to be good. It is a pity!
Fé nos brasileiros que fazem reviews, hihi.
ArchangelEST
In/Spectre is a fun, contemporary paranormal mystery anime, that creates an interesting world supported by mythological fantasy themes, and modern crime scenarios. It boasts a great soundtrack, likeable characters and one of the more lovable romance undertones. Animation / Art / General Visuals - 7/10 ----------------------------------------------- The show doesn't look particularly noteworthy. The art detail is fairly basic, as are the animations. The show sticks to a largely dialogue based format, so despite the limitations in quality, it never feels problematic. The character emotions are clear enough, and actions scenes tolerable. Sound / Music / Voice Acting - 9/10------------------------------------------
Despite not being a fan of the OP's or ED's, I absolutely fell in love with the music within the episodes themselves. There's a great mix of different styles, suitable for the different themes of each episode. There's synth, there's piano stuff, there's up-beat, and orchestral mixes for the victory moments. It's great.
Story - 8/10
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The world of In/Spectre is a fun one, taking contemporary Japan and bringing to life all the various mythological creatures like ghosts, spirits, demons, and other beings of lore in a less invasive way than many other such shows. In this world, the creatures of the paranormal prefer to stay by themselves and not interact with humans or cause trouble among themselves. That said, those things still occasionally happen, and to solve those problems, the various supernatural beings decided to contract a young girl to their service by making her a goddess of wisdom. Chosen to mediate problems of the supernatural through knowledge.
As luck or fate would have it, this girl also finds herself a most unusual of companions. Someone, who, like her, bridges the gap between normalcy and the supernatural. And together they decide to ensure that the world remains in balance.
In/Spectre takes a two-part approach to the way it handles the story. We get an introduction period where we get to know the main characters and the basics of the world through a simpler mystery. Followed by a longer story arc that tackles a much grander mystery while introducing a proper villain and fleshing out the characters further.
What's interesting about the story, is the way the mysteries are presented and solved. One could even say that it's a reverse mystery anime. What does that mean? Well, that's going to be for you to find out. Let's just say that it's not necessarily the truth that matters most when it comes to solving these mysteries that disrupt the balance of the supernatural world. And the mental warfare needed to deal with these cases takes on a life of its own.
The show also features a fun romance sub-plot, that is enjoyably non-standard, and sets up some nice adorable and comedic moments to mix up the scenes.
Characters - 8/10
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The show revolves around two main characters, and a strong third supporting. The cast is small, but powerful.
Iwanaga, Kotoko is a petite young woman who takes on the role of the goddess of wisdom, mediating the troubles of the supernatural world. And she's a feisty one. While small, she is incredibly confident and honestly even arrogant. Her intellect is out of this world, matched only by her persistence when it comes to doing her job, and ensuring her ongoing romance with Kurou.
Sakuragawa, Kurou is a young man who is by all accounts non-remarkable, yet has an air of the supernatural about him. This peculiarity causes him to break up with his girlfriend which leaves him in a state of uncertainty. Which is exactly when Iwanaga shows up and does her best to "woo" him. Despite failing miserably, Iwanaga is persistent, leading to Kurou accepting her presence and deciding to entertain the strange little woman through his stoic, yet occasionally caring and heroic actions.
Yumihara, Saki is the ex-girlfriend of Kurou and by all accounts their relationship should have been done and buried. But fate causes them to run across one another yet again, and the trio teams up to tackle the mystery. Saki is a fairly normal young woman, who ends up quite simply horrified at the existence of the supernatural, yet is also fascinated by it, and by the notion of the romance between Iwanagi and Kurou that seems to be largely based on Iwanagi demanding it to exist.
This fun romance spiced trio dynamic carries the show in a great way, rarely having a dull moment. Whether it's Iwanaga wowing us with her intellect, or making us laugh with her attempts of coaxing Kurou into sexual themes, or Kurou rebuking Iwanaga's advances, or Saki being utterly confused as to what is going on with the world and these two, there's a lot of fun to be had.
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Total - 8/10
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In/Spectre is a fun paranormal mystery that deserves to be called underrated in my opinion. It doesn't look amazing, but it has great music, fun mysteries and intelligence flexing, and lovable characters with their funny trio dynamic.
If you're a fan of other paranormal mystery anime like Ghost Stories, this is another one that might scratch a similar itch.
DiabloMask
You ever feel conflicted while rating a series because even though you enjoyed watching it, you know it's badly written and has many flaws? I wasn't conflicted while rating Kyokou Suiri, just wanted you to understand why I'm going to rip it apart despite giving it a decent rating. There are 3 characters worth talking about in this show, Kotoko (the female protagonist), Kurou (the guy Kotoko has a crush on), and Saki (Kurou's ex-girlfriend). The story is about Kotoko and Kurou solving paranormal mystery cases, or at least that's what it's supposed to be. Stories like this usually go one of two ways, either get into a storyright away and follow it until the end, or introduce a concept and make different stories/arcs following that concept, and it seems like Kyokou Suiri is stuck in the middle, it wanted to go the second way but the adaptation stuck with one major arc that took over 9 episodes out of 12.
Now this wouldn't have been a problem if the first 3 episodes managed to set things up properly, but unfortunately they didn't.
The biggest problem of this show is Kotoko's qualification as a spiritual detective or "Goddess of Wisdom" as spirits like to call her, in most shows the protagonist has to have some sort of a skill that's displayed for us as early as possible so the story can get into the main plot, for example if the protagonist is a detective they start by solving a case, if they're a boxer they have a boxing match.
So, what does the "Goddess of Wisdom" do exactly? She proves her incompetence right from episode 1, surely you wouldn't expect a "Goddess of Wisdom" to lack the wisdom, but here we have Kotoko stalking Kurou, forcing him to go out with her even though he's clearly not interested, asking him to accompany her to a dangerous place where she's supposed to solve a case, approaches a monster that's obviously stronger than her, almost getting herself killed, causing the monster to bite off Kurou's arm.
You may not notice the complete idiocy of her actions, because hey, Kurou is immortal and can regenerate fast so there were no consequences, but then you remember that Kotoko didn't know he was immortal!
Goddess of Wisdom? She's more like Goddess of Bullshit! I'm not even joking, you'll know why I chose the word "bullshit" specifically.
Next we have the first arc, which is basically an episode and a half of Kotoko talking to a giant snake about some case, they literally sit and talk for the whole thing, the case has been closed but the snake has questions about it, and after long explanations and twists about the truth of the case, which seemed far-fetched and didn't make sense, we learn that the whole time Kotoko was making shit up to go along with the snake's nitpicks.
What does this mean? When Kotoko tells Kurou that she was only bullshitting the snake, Kurou replies with "I think I understand your true power now", so you're telling me that this is Kyokou Suiri's way of displaying the protagonist's skills? Kotoko's "wisdom" is not an ability to analyze or investigate or deal with complicated situations, it's the ability to bullshit others? I wish I was making this up!
Now let's make one thing clear, the most effective way to lie and manipulate others is by telling the truth and twist it with just the right amount of lies, we've seen fictional characters who are known for pulling that off brilliantly, but Kotoko's case is different, she makes up stories and lies as much as she can, and none of them are consistent, this is something that most people are capable of! Not only that, but even if her lies were clever, would you call that "wisdom"? I sure wouldn't.
If we want to talk wisdom, wasn't it wiser to tell the snake to get over the case, especially since it has nothing to do with him? I mean, it's not like he was a threat to Kotoko, in fact he spoke to her with respect as if she's a higher being, so there's no reason for Kotoko not to tell him to shove his questions up his you know where.
Making shit up and completely twisting the truth was not wise at all, it was totally unnecessary, and why should we, the audience, care about a case that's already been closed anyway?!
If you think that I may be exaggerating, the next arc only proves my point, Kotoko really goes all out here with the bullshit!
I'll try to explain Kotoko's role in this arc without spoiling anything from it, basically there's this urban legend and Kotoko has to make up stories and post them on the internet to convince people that it's not real.
Note that from people's perspective it's only based on rumors and only the main characters know it's real, but apparently people can be too stupid that they need someone to write stories on the internet to convince them that ghosts don't exist!
And it's really hilarious how others look at Kotoko in admiration as if she's doing something brilliant, while all she's doing is writing posts on social media about this urban legend.
If the writer managed to make the behavior of the people on the internet convincing and had Kotoko struggling with trolls and clever people arguing with her and making their own theories about the matter, it would've been somewhat entertaining, but no, the comments are presented in a very lazy way, like the people commenting are too bored and uninterested.
And if that wasn't bad enough, suddenly we learn that Kurou, on top of being immortal, has the ability to "change the future" but in order to do that he has to, well, I don't know what, since the show never really explains how it works, all you need to know here is that there's magic, but in order for it to work Kotoko has to pull off her bullshit.
Yeah, it's an asspull so any sudden changes in the people's behavior will have magic shenanigans to justify them, if they suddenly agree with Kotoko's bullshit she says that Kurou's power is working!
How hard was it to make a fake twitter account and talk to people to research their behavior and use that as your reference? But no, Kotoko's unimpressive skill wasn't even enough to solve the problem, we needed Kurou's magic for that.
There are a few other problems worth mentioning too, like how despite being only 12 episodes long the show is not afraid of spending multiple episodes in one place with the characters doing the same thing and not moving at all, the last few episodes felt like they were dragging on I just wanted them to end, the same can be said about the first arc, which as I mentioned earlier is all about Kotoko and the giant snake just talking.
Another problem is the underwhelming role of the spirits, they are supposed to be crucial to the story and yet they barely do anything important.
To be fair though, regardless of the bad writing, Kyokou Suiri is very fun to watch, mainly because of the chemistry between the characters.
Kotoko is fun, it would've suited her more if she was presented as a straight up stalker that lacks common sense and lies to people all the time, because that makes more sense, but to be fair "Goddess of Wisdom" fits her visual design more. One other thing that annoys me about her character though is how she casually talks about how she lost her eye and leg even when it's irrelevant, she doesn't seem to do it for self pity, in fact she's cheerful and positive all the time, which makes it weird. It's like having an orphan always joke about how he has no parents, you wouldn't know if it's a cry for help or lacking common sense.
As for Kurou, it seems from the show's narrative that he's supposed to be this sweet guy with a monstrous power and a dark past, but his behavior and face expressions make him look like a psychopath, and the fact he's voiced by the same actor as Yagami Light doesn't help, I found his backstory interesting though.
And lastly, I haven't talked about Saki have I? the most likeable character in the show despite being Kurou's ex-girlfriend, ironically she's wiser and more mature than Kotoko, also Kurou seems to get along with her more than he does with Kotoko.
What I appreciate the most in this show is that it doesn't complicate and dramatize the relationship between these three characters, Saki and Kurou are not interested in going back together, which I'm grateful for because the last thing the show needed was a love triangle, this managed to keep the atmosphere light-hearted, even when Kotoko is jealous of Saki it's never accompanied with sad music or a serious tone.
As for the animation, it's solid, too bad they don't do much with it though, I mean what can you do when all the characters are doing is talking? But well, I really like the art style and character designs.
The music is also very good, it's pleasant to listen to, and the opening is catchy I never skipped it.
In conclusion, Kyokou Suiri is a fun show but a terrible story, if you found it interesting and want to judge it for yourself go for it, at least you won't be bored, otherwise I'd say there are countless other things you can invest your time in than this.
RebelPanda
Words, words, words. What the hell do they even mean? Well, I don’t know! But someone has to figure out what the hell this show is about and whether or not it’s good. Lucky for you, I happen to be extremely qualified in deciphering bullshit, and In/Spectre certainly is grade-A bullshit. Where do I even begin untangling this web of nonsense? First of all, there’s so much goddamn talking. If you want to see some good animation, find a different anime! But is the dialogue good or bad? Let’s establish a criterion. Dialogue-heavy anime can work well if the writing is witty, informative, believable, andINTERESTING! We’ve seen this done right in Monogatari, Tatami Galaxy, and Oregairu. In/Spectre is comparatively very lacking. Simply put, this is like a battle shounen, very drawn out fights, but replace fights with people talking in one place. Exciting, right? Now imagine five episodes of people talking in a car about ghosts, meanwhile, there’s a never-ending fight happening between two people who cannot die. Have I sold you yet?
The script is drier than a desert, but occasionally there’s some wit. The main character, Big Brain Goddess Kotoko, seems very self-aware that she’s an annoying little gremlin. Her design is cool, stylish, composed, and she’s missing an eye and a leg. Comparatively, her boyfriend, Kuro, is pretty bland—both his looks and personality. He’s only interesting because he can heal instantly and his blood poisons spirits (this is barely used). Together, their banter is witty when they’re not droning on about things that have nothing to do with them, or things that have no bearing on the plot. Unfortunately, this is like 90% of their dialogue. I can’t even tell you why they’re dating. Kotoko meets him at a hospital, falls in love because he reminds her of a goat (this is seriously what happens), then the nurses tell her his life story. I have no clue why this quiet, reserved guy told all of his business to a bunch of random nurses, but we’re supposed to believe he did. This is how we get any information, people dump exposition onto us.
Look, Mr. Author, I know writing is hard. But you should consider actually integrating information organically into your story, not vomiting exposition onto the audience. Actually, I have a bone to pick with you, Mr. Author. Your story treats the audience like idiots—constantly telling us things we can figure out on our own. We’re not babies! Yet the writing is full of nonsense and artificial plotting. It’s as if you thought we were too stupid to notice the flaws, so you brazenly covered them up with pretentious platitudes! Banter aside, I don’t hate this anime. There are a few good things about it. There’s a funny scene when Kotoko randomly meets Kuro’s ex, Saki. She falls on Saki, then when asked if she’s ok, Kotoko says “Yes, this is nothing compared to being deflowered,” in a completely serious voice. What she’s saying is totally uncalled for, and Saki was just as shocked as I was. This kind of juxtaposition between presentation and dialogue makes for the best humor in the show. It’s just like the sassy giant serpent spirit in the second episode. When it embraces its goofiness, it’s fun enough to forgive how contrived it is. During the more serious second half, it feels very forced when they try adding humor. This is the bad kind of juxtaposition. When two tones are constantly conflicting, neither work.
My next gripe I have with you, Mr. Author, is the internal logic. I’m willing to indulge you by suspending my disbelief, but you broke it just like you broke my hopes this anime would be good. In one scene, Kotoko rides a ten-story tall skeleton like the badass bitch she is, and she can also physically interact with ghosts. Normal people cannot see spirits, as shown in prior scenes, so she would just be flying in their eyes. Let’s say spirits gravitate towards her and she can see them because she’s a priestess. However, Saki is also able to see ghosts, so what’s happening here? How is everyone else unable to see spirits? How are people able to see Steel Lady Nanase? What is the distinction? How am I supposed to suspend my disbelief if you haven’t shown me the rules of your world? If I missed crucial details, I will be happily proven wrong.
Early on, I didn’t mind the dialogue-heavy script. In the second episode, Kotoko is enlisted to solve a murder mystery. It has the tropes of a CSI TV show, with the addition of a cheeky serpent spirit who Kotoko questions. She speculates possible motives based on facts of the crime available to her, running through different scenarios with the addition of a spirit’s witness testimony. She’s an inspector of ghosts and spectres. Perhaps you could call her an… In/Spectre! This one self-contained story ended with a satisfying conclusion. It thrilled me for what the rest of the anime would be. For episodes 4-12, the main plotline is about solving the mystery of Steel Lady Nanase. It was disappointing that they scrapped the mystery-of-the-week structure for one long story, but I held out hope it’d be good. Initially, I didn’t hate Nanase. After eight episodes going in circles talking about her, with clues being very slowly revealed, I did hate her. She’s dead, we have no attachment to her, why should I care about this mystery? I liked the first story because it was fast-paced and entertaining, it didn’t overstay its welcome. But Nanase did. Rather than learning new intriguing things about her, all we got were people discussing the same questions. Is she real? Is she a ghost? Is she a manifestation of mass hysteria? Are her huge boobs fake? The answer is... Who the fuck care nerd, stop playing 3D chess against your own brain and get a real hobby.
In/Spectre flies off the rails around the eighth episode. There’s a new concept at play—some people have the ability to basically open their third eye and choose their fate. It’s visualized as branching paths, which looks cool, but it makes no goddamn sense. If you can pick your fate, then you’ve already won, there’s no competition. But! If there are two people who can pick their fates, it would be a stalemate. The author seems to this would be exciting, once again, he was wrong. The stalemate becomes an excuse to draw out the final episodes to the point that you could just skip four of them and lose nothing. The story transitions from a mystery based on facts and clues to a pointless debate that boils down to sophistry to fill up screentime. In/Spectre’s author gets tangled up in his own web of bullshit so badly, I couldn’t care less about the result, I just wanted it to end. Please for the love of God do not make a sequel.
