Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace

Nothing excites middle-schooler Kobayashi anymore. Except for his friend Hashiba, all other people are the same to him. His dull life became exciting when he woke up holding a weapon and found his homeroom teacher dismembered in the classroom. The investigators suspected him but Kobayashi was more than willing to cooperate. He was even cheerful about being part of a murder. Finally, his life was exciting. All he had to do after all was find the real murderer.

To Hashiba's horror, Kobayashi went to one of the detectives and asked to become an assistant. Akechi Kogorou is a 17-year-old genius detective. Like Kobayashi, he admits to solving crimes for fun. Looking for the homeroom teacher's murderer was just the beginning of their adventures.

Kobayashi woke up to find his teacher's dismembered corpse

Kobayashi and his best friend Hashiba

Akechi Kogorou

The 11-episode series reminds me of Aoi Bungaku in its character development approach. What also seems absurd for the normal viewers is not questioned in the series. Images, sounds, and even the supporting cast create an eerie environment. There's one character who has a paper bag on his head that no one seems to mind. The cases in which Akechi and Kobayashi are involved in are equally disturbing.

I'm not gonna give this a high rating because I don't get Kobayashi at all. Maybe his unpredictability complements the atmosphere of the murders or maybe the effect was the opposite. Perhaps its his effeminate qualities that tick me off because he's something you can't categorize easily. If this was the kind of effect Kobayashi was supposed to have on the audience however, then it worked on me.

One arc in the series might also interest Death Note fans. Twenty Faces is a different take on the idea of vigilante justice. 

Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace is not your ordinary detective series. The characters are deviant (sometimes making it difficult for me to like them) and there are things that have been left unanswered. Some episodes triggered a headache, literally. If there's one word to describe the series, it's strange. It's not a bad series however. If you're not squeamish about blood and violence and have nothing against weird lead characters, then you might enjoy the series. Ranpo Kitan has a dream-like quality to it.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime is a different take of the Snow White story (the series title in English is Snow White with the Red Hair). However, Shirayuki is nothing like the Snow White most of us are familiar with in pop culture. She's independent, resourceful, and smart. Despite her skills as an apothecary, her bright, red locks draws different reactions from people. The prince of her hometown Tanbarun for one wants her to be his concubine because he likes her hair. She refused Prince's Raji's offer and fled the kingdom after she cut her hair. Escaping the prince isn't easy however. When she thought she was far away enough, one of Raji's agents found her.

She was rescued by a guy named Zen and his companions. He was poisoned by the apple meant for Shirayuki, but he able to withstand the effects. She later learned during the confrontation that Zen is the second prince of Clarines.

The two become friends. Shirayuki goes to Clarines with Zen. She now has a chance to start her life over. But her friendship with the prince is not looked upon favorably by the other members of the court.

Shirayuki and Zen

Prince Raji trying to convince Shirayuki to be his concubine

Prince Zen with his aides

The 12-episode series is a typical ordinary-girl-meets-well-to-do-guy. Romance between Shirayuki and Zen is of course to be expected. It has nothing new to offer in the romance genre. Its redeeming quality however is Shirayuki's character. In one episode where she was kidnapped, I was wowed by her actions. It's not often you see a character made out to be cute and attractive to try to defend herself. Granted, we see this type more often nowadays. Still, it's a surprise.

The lead male character however is no different from princes in fairy tale romances. He's a prince with influences and has skillful allies. The only difference however is that he isn't the crown prince. Whether there will be a significant conflict with the older sibling remains to be seen.

I don't like the love-at-first-sight stories but Shirayuki is fun to watch most of the time. There were also some instances where the characters were forced to resolve conflicts by sensible means. It would have been a turn off if Shirayuki tried to solve it by lecturing about what's good for the people and the kingdom.

Rating: 7 out of 10

One Punch Man

Saitama is no ordinary hero. In fact he looks too much like an ordinary guy and not a hero. But don't let his plain features, slightly embarrassing costume and bored expression get you into thinking that this is just another series where a regular guy goes on an adventure to become the strongest fighter. Quite the opposite. Saitama is too strong for his opponents. So far, he has defeated all the monsters and villains that he has encountered with just one punch. Yes, just one super powerful punch, hence the title of the series.

One Punch Man is set in a fictional Japan. The metropolitan district is divided into several sections. These cities are protected by the Heroes Association. Apparently, the cities are constantly invaded by monsters. These villains come in all shapes, sizes and have different set of attributes and powers. But none of these are enough to challenge the bored Saitama. He's so efficient that a cyborg named Genos became an instant fan. Some characters in the series have worked for years or trained so hard to become strong, yet Saitama was able to defeat them in just one stroke.

Saitama defeats a giant superhuman

Genos

What makes this 12-episode series interesting is not Saitama's mysterious strength. It's how he differs from all the other heroes that have been made in the action/superhero genre, and I'm not just referring to anime. A typical superhero's reasons for fighting is to protect people. Others want to be recognized by other people, especially if the hero started as an average (sometimes "loser") type. Others want to avenge a loved one's death. Others end up marrying the prettiest girl in town. But Saitama just wants to fight a strong opponent. His reasons for becoming a hero at first might have been different, but it changed when he learned how strong he was.

The series is like a parody of all the superhero series, movies, books and comics. The genre has been popular in the past several years and I was never really a fan because the stories are predictable. One Punch Man has a supporting cast that show the typical heroes. Men and women who are gifted with powers, strength, charisma, and resourcefulness. Those types of characters might make good lead roles in any other series, but again, it's just gonna continue the tradition of typical heroes. Saitama's ridiculous strength, his humor and his carefree attitude, even his looks mock the heroes pop culture are so used to seeing. And I love it! 

One Punch Man is a breath of fresh air. If you're tired of the supersaturated superhero genre, Saitama's a different breed. It incorporates both the old and new ideas of making a hero. There's also a bit of dilemma in which Saitama found himself in when people started seeing his handiwork. The humor works as well and the supporting cast are interesting.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Death Parade

At the bar called Quindecim, the customers are not the usual guests. Its bartender, the arbiter Decim, invites two souls to play death games and draw out their true character. During these games, the souls are placed in impossible situations that push them to the edge. How they act will be the basis of the arbiter's judgment.

Initially, the souls do not remember that they are dead. They are tricked into thinking that refusing to play the death games will put their lives in danger. As the game progresses, they see highlights of their lives. After these games, the souls will either be reincarnated or sent to the void by the arbiters.

For Decim, it was business as usual until he met a black-haired woman who remembered that she died the first time she stepped into the bar. For Decim, this will make judgment more difficult because the souls are not supposed to remember that they're dead at the start of the game. Decim decides to forestall her judgment. The black-haired woman is later appointed as his assistant. Her presence however changed they way Decim judges the other souls.

Decim

From left: Quin, Nona and Ginti

Decim

Decim and the black-haired woman

I thought at first this series was going to be one of those battle royale-inspired stories where characters are placed in a situation where they have no choice but to fight amongst themselves. But when I got to the part where the souls were judged, it became more interesting. Later in the series, different types of people are pitted against each other. The series evoked sympathy, disgust, and happiness. Some of the meetings were painful to watch, some funny, while one made me question my idea of justice.

It's one of the few series I've seen that I did not only value for its animation (which is great by the way), action scenes or character development. More than anything, I looked forward to how the show was going to address morality and show how the humans are at their emotional limits. The dead brought their values, experiences and precious memories while they played the games (even if they could not remember it all, it still shows in their actions). They were tested in extreme situations, the kind of scenarios that would not be normally questioned while they were still alive. Sometimes they were forced to a difficult choice, a choice that often show what was most important to them and what they were willing to give or sacrifice.

The 12-episode series did not try to be too philosophical in its approach, which is a good thing. It gave the audience freedom to decide for themselves.

The opening theme seems kinda silly to me, almost like a mockery to the inevitability and sadness of death. But if that's the effect it was trying to produce then it's effective. 

Rating: 9 out of 10