A supernatural detective series starring a sort of Stewie from Family Guy (the diminutive Muhyo) and his nervous assistant (Roji) is probably the best summation I can give this new title now streaming on Crunchyroll. If that sounds a bit dismissive, it’s because I’m In two minds about this show based on the 2004 manga by Yoshiyuki Nishi.
The titular duo investigate spiritual instances and execute the case following supernatural law, banishing the offending spirit to heaven or hell depending on the nature of their crime and the life the spirit led before death. Its a neat idea, and the first episode features a heartbreaking case of two schoolgirl friends, one of which died in by falling into the path of an oncoming train. Haunted by her friend's death, Rie implores the duo to investigate track 5 at the station and help her former classmate find peace in the afterlife.
So why two minds? Well let’s split the series into good and bad elements, and you’ll see what I mean.
The good:
The story is touching and the idea of two lonely girls forming a strong bond, only for one to be left out when the other becomes popular is genuinely moving and realistic, grounding the story nicely.
The animation is pretty good, with solid CG work blending nicely with the more traditional looking elements to form a pleasing whole.
The voice acting by the girls in this episode was excellent - I really believed in their friendship given the passion with which both delivered their lines. Bravo.
I really like the grotesque demonic forms in this episode too, they have a real Ghibli style to them and I think they’ll be a lot of fun going forward.
The bad:
The protagonists are extremely off-putting. Muhyo is an obnoxious little sod, and Roji is a squealing clown. I genuinely hated them despite their good intentions. Muhyo in particular comes across as a grumpy Hugh Laurie "House-style" world-weary practitioner, but without the acerbic wit. It’s grating.
If I’m going to spend an entire series with these two, I hope to God, Allah and Buddha (sod it, and Beelzebub) that they develop sharpish. They aren’t funny or charming.
And that’s really my first impression - world building, demons and story-telling good, protagonist very much bad. I’ll likely watch more to enjoy the spirits and see where the story goes, but there’s only so much of these two I can take in their current form, so the push and pull of the show may see me skip it for a less antagonising experience. Disappointing perhaps, but dripping with potential.
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