Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge – 04
…The real reason Kiri took out the scissors was because that one piece of hair was annoying.
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I have no idea what happened between this episode and the last one, but Iwai was absolutely adorable here. …Or maybe it was her haircut that I found adorable. Anyways, things are slightly less depressing this episode! Yay! |
After an eventful meeting and dealing with possible murderers for a while, it looks like things have finally slowed down for Iwai and Kiri. Plus they’re in spring now, which is symbolic of beginnings in Japan and whatever. Iwai definitely seems more comfortable around people (in general, minus Authors), and it’s good to know that she’s not entirely dependant on Kiri. And hey! This episode wasn’t quite as insistent on reminding us on how much her life sucks! …Though things are more than likely to fall through again since she has no idea that her new friend is actually also an Author.
The Byouinzaka twins don’t seem to be all that bad now either. Yamane seems more like an average girl as opposed to a crazed killer now. Plus she’s no longer really hostile to Iwai anymore (for now), and apparently they weren’t even the ones who killed Iwai’s father. …Though I have a feeling that murder was more the result of the fact that Iwai dealt with antiques for a living. It’s definitely a logical connection considering that the entire plot for this anime is that old objects have murderous intentions. Though there’s still a mystery behind his death since the Hair Queen thing seems to be females only and I don’t think killing him would have granted anyone anything. Not to mention there’s the fact that his favourite place led Iwai right to even more Authors.
I don’t care what it’s real name is. I’m calling this thing the “Lynch Note”
…I feel like Ishida Akira gets type cast into these arrogant bishounen roles an awful lot. Er anyways, despite being an asshole, I can see Seiji actually being somewhat of an ally to Kiri since he’s not all that interested in killing Iwai. …Or at least I kind of think it’s possible, but at the same time, it seemed like he could also be Kiri’s perfect adversary or at least a plot device that would stop him from killing any of the people who go after Iwai. So in a way, it’s very lucky that Kiri hasn’t killed anyone yet (as far as we know, which I’m becoming more doubtful of since that would make Seiji’s job a bit too easy), since I’m pretty sure that murder would be a punishable crime for Seiji to kill him over. If Seiji would even want to kill him, since Kiri is the only one protecting Iwai and is pretty much the only reason why she’s still around. (Which, by extension, means that her being alive is convenient for Seiji to have an endless supply of people to judge.) Oh well, at least we have our explanation for the sledgehammer hanging incident. I can’t see the culprit behind that being any one else other than Seiji.
His Killing Goods are pretty interesting as well. Since instead of killing random bystanders, it seems exclusively for killing criminals. With that though, I wonder what happens when Killing Goods lose their Author like what happened in the last episode. Do they magically find their way to the next person in the family? What happens if the dead Author was the last in their family line? Does the curse end then? Though seeing Kanae with the hammer last episode, I wouldn’t put it past Gossip to figure out who the next relative is and conveniently place it near them. Even though they are said to be information providers only.
This reaction, coming from a guy who enjoys cutting hair a little too much.
Kouzakura? Uh, I guess she makes an interesting Instead. What she says about Seiji eventually loosing it and trying to stop that from happening seems like noble enough cause (minus the part where she likes almost dying). I’m surprised that she doesn’t do more, considering that she knows about the Killing Goods. She knows that there are serial killers hidden in society listening to inanimate objects telling the to kill people just because, and yet, she’s spending her time chasing one guy. Maybe this is a case of, she knows that she can’t do a whole lot, so she’s trying to save the person (aka Seiji) who’s actually within reach. Plus with Gossip and possibly the most powerful people in the world behind this, there’s not a whole lot one can do. In any case, between the Byouinzaka twins, Kiri, and now this, I think I’ll just stop contemplating these people and their fetishes.
Finally, on to the last two. Hitomi and Houichi didn’t seem like that bad of people actually. During their random exposition conversation at the end of the episode, it sounds like they don’t necessarily want to kill Iwai at all. Hell, it sounds like Gossip is behind people wanting to kill Iwai in the first place (since the whole controlling information thing would include telling people that they could have their wishes granted). Anyways, I assume Hitomi’s Killing Goods is the piano (I’d like to know how her ancestor managed to murder people with it), and seeing how Houichi is deaf, it kills if people listen to something played all the way through. Which would also be a reason why she doesn’t play anything to it’s finish (which is a shame since that insert piece was rather nice). Like Kashiko though (if Kashiko does turn out to be an antagonist), I can see Iwai’s friendship with Hitomi turning tragic since, you know, the Author and Hair Queen thing.
This batch of characters is a bit different since their surnames are waaay more typical. Or at least Seiji’s (Nakajima) and Houichi’s (Koizumi) are what I’d consider to be normal, fairly common, names. …Following every other character though, their given names seem to be important (maybe). Houichi’s uses the characters for “sweet aroma” (or something similar to that) and “one”. …Hell if I know what that means for his character though. As for Seiji …This one kind of hurt to realize since his name literally means justice. I didn’t even have to look at the kanji to know exactly what his name meant. Karuko is kind of weird in that it’s comprised of the kanji “light” (as in, the opposite of heavy) and “child”. …I don’t know if that means anything. As for her first name, Hitomi was kind of like Seiji in that it was painfully obvious what the intentions behind the name was. Hitomi name uses the kanji for pupil (as in, the pupil of the eye. Ha ha, she’s blind.) Kouzakura’s name is pretty much “small cherry blossoms/sakura”. Nothing spectacularly revealing there. I assume the “Zenigata” part is a joke or something since she’s pretty incompetent and the name Zenigata is based on a popular fictional badass policeman. Though the Zenigata from Lupin was kind of incompetent too if you count that he never really could arrest the guy properly. On the other hand though, with Kozakura’s friendliness (or at least, she likes the thrill of being asphyxiated) with Seiji might be something along the lines of Zenigata and Lupin’s friends-yet-enemies relationship. …Though I admit to never making it very far through any Lupin series (minus watching all of Mine Fujiko), so I could be wrong.
So many seiyuu stereotypes everywhere! Not only do we have a Yusa Koji (probably) villain, but we have a mature older woman type, Hitomi played by Inoue Kikuko (who’s other roles include the main trio’s mother in Penguindrum, Touma’s mother in Index, Kotoura’s mother in Kotoura-san, Sumire (aka Felicita’s mother) in Arcana Famiglia, the list goes on. Oh, plus Belldandy in Ah! My Goddess, if anyone remembers that at all). Okay, so maybe not everywhere. But a lot of these people, I feel like I should know their general personality based on the seiyuu.
Dansai Bunri seemed to have slowed down a bit and these new Authors just don’t seem as entertaining as the first few were. Maybe this is to prove a point that not all Authors are insane, since Kiri isn’t. (Plus Gossip seems more suspicious now.) I guess a slow episode once in a while is okay, but I do hope that the overly long introduction of Hitomi and Seiji pays off for the plot other than just having them there in the background as side characters. The exposition of Kiri and Iwai in the first episode definitely paid off though, so I’m not too worried.
Because night time haircuts are just that much more romantic.
About Karakuri
University student and the one at Metanorn who's known for wearing glasses. Likes blood, insanity and plot twists, but also plays otome games and adores cute romance anime. It balances out... somehow.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
I’m still waiting to see a fork that is a killing goods.
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
PLOT TWIST. Mahiro is a killing goods owner and Hasuta, Nyarko and Kuuko are his Insteads!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
With those three repeatedly being stabbed, that definitely sounds plausible. LOL. Now all we need is a crossover and everything will be set.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
It will be called The Fork of Stabbing and Impalement and somehow, it will be badass.
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
I really love the diversity of killing goods. Now we have a book that makes a noose appear out of nowhere and a piano!
For the piano, maybe the last note will hit a decibel that could break human eardrums? I know it is possible to kill someone with sound so maybe Hitomi’s piano works that way.
And Seji really needs to see a dentist about those shark teeth of his…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Those kind of sharp, jagged teeth must be a dentist’s worst nightmare. And not just one or two but the entire jaw line up and down. Maybe this anime is currently being invaded by characters from Naruto. Kisame Hoshigaki has shark teeth for instance. That could be a clue. 🙂
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
I’m more concerned as to what happens if he actually bites his tongue or something. That might be fatal in itself >.>
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
They’re certainly getting creative with them.
I’m pretty sure it would still work on Houichi with that though (maybe?), but that does seem like a reasonable guess. I was thinking more along the lines of the last note or whatever makes people want to kill themselves or something. I’ve seen that done in anime before. Hell if I can remember which one, but I’ve seen it.
I’m concerned as to how he got those teeth like that in the first place…
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
Oh, I think that happened in the ROD OVA(been forever since I’ve seen it). That is plausible too. I really just want to know the backstory about how the piano killed people. It’s not like you could whack someone with the thing.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Oh! That sounds really familiar! Maybe it did happen in ROD. …Personally, I keep thinking of those old american cartoons where pianos would fall from buildings. OTL Maybe it was an accidental thing like with Yamane where her ancestor wasn’t actually trying to kill people.
…Like playing so badly that people died, I don’t even know.POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I would imagine Hitomi’s not interested in killing Iwai because she actually likes her curse. Being able to get rid of people you don’t like without having to touch or hardly interact with them is pretty darn convenient. Plus she’s got it under control with Houichi.
This show just has great atmosphere, and is so interesting. We’re now well into the supernatural, with a book whose words can judge and a piano whose notes can kill. I’ll warn you know, Kiri… piano strings are difficult to cut with anything, and very dangerous…
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
If I’m remembering correctly, Killing Goods can’t be destroyed directly, so trying to cut the piano strings wouldn’t do Kiri any good anyway. He’d have to go for Hitomi herself instead if it came down to that.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Yeah, I don’t see Hitomi struggling with her power at all. Plus it looks like her and Houichi have something going on, so maybe she’s even grateful to it. They certainly make a great pairing.
If they’re anything like violin strings, then I have to agree… Though what Suma says above is right. They did say that you couldn’t damage Killing Goods. Plus I imagine Kiri would be screwed unless he took out his eardrums or something since not listening to sound is practically impossible.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Never a dull moment in this show, huh? It’s filled with lunatics left and right making things sick and twisted. And that’s just the way I like it.
After watching animes for a while, I’ve come to the conclusion that if there’s an extended period of peace, it’s because there’s something really destructive on the way. It’s nothing short of bad luck Iwai found herself surrounded by Authors again. One would think the world is trying to kill her.
There’s no way I can see Seiji as any kind of help that would benefit Kiri and Iwai. After what he did to Kouzakura, it’s clear that he’s drunk on his own power and he’ll eventually lose himself. And those teeth. The guy must be half shark. As for Kouzakura, no one can ignore the possibility that she may be a masochist. People with that kind of reaction screams S&M.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, but I wonder if he can really turn the power of his book into something that would kill someone like Iwai. If the book is doing the judging, then have Iwai or Kiri done anything to deserve the death penalty?
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
Well Seji said, for the Authors, he would need to see the event happen in front of him so I guess if Kiri ever killed anyone in front of Seji he is a goner. As for Iwai, based on her personality, I don’t think she would do anything that would make her a criminal so Seji could not use his book on her.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
I don’t think he would be all that interested in killing Iwai anyways (at the moment) since she’s a magnet for serial killers at the moment, he doesn’t have a wish, and it sounds like all he really wants to do is judge murderers.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
I like the direction this is going for sure.
Ahaha I’m pretty sure the world IS trying to kill her. …Or at least, the most powerful people on the planet are trying to kill her because apparently they have nothing better to do. I’m sure there’s more on the horizon for Iwai as well. …Though mostly because we’re not even halfway through the season and having 8 more episodes of her talking with the local (friendly) serial killer probably wouldn’t bring in the DVD sales.
I can see him as a benefit, even if he is an antagonist. Or at least, if another Author comes to kill Iwai, at least Seiji will kill them so Kiri doesn’t have to have a round two. …I’m pretty sure that all of these Author-Instead relationships can be defined as made of of an S character and an M character. Though really, what else would there be in a relationship where someone has to constantly pretend to murder the other one.
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
Was there ever anything stating that she had to be killed with a killing good? I imagine killing her in any way works its not as if she could do anything about it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
…I don’t think they ever said anything like that. Though they might have implied it with the fact that the original Hair Queen created the whole thing in the first place, so maybe only the Authors get the wish granted. Or maybe Gossip is only giving the information to the Authors. I’m not entirely sure.
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
I think it mentioned that by killing the Queen, the curse on the killing goods would be lifted. So I think she would need to be killed by the killing gods for it to work. Although like Karakuri said, Gossip is the one giving the information so maybe Gossip is lying in order to be have some entertainment and watch as a bunch of people try to kill each other for no real reason at all. Heck, maybe in a plot twist,their duty is to protect the Hair Queen from Gossip who are the real villains.