Top Secret: The Revelation

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Himitsu: Top Secret - The Revelation

Japanese: 秘密（トップシークレット） The Revelation

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 26

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 9, 2008 to Oct 1, 2008

Premiered: Spring 2008

Broadcast: Unknown

Producers: VAP

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: Madhouse

Source: Manga

Genres: Mystery, Sci-Fi

Themes: Detective, Psychological

Demographic: Shoujo

Duration: 22 min. per ep.

Rating: R+ - Mild Nudity

Statistics

Score: 7.28¹ (scored by 4,256 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #2852²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #4904

Members: 19,641

Favorites: 72

Available At

Official Site

Resources

AniDB

ANN

Synopsis

In the future, a new MRI technology analyzes the brains of deceased crime victims and eyewitnesses within 48 hours of their death to extract images of their memories. Although this cutting-edge technology is responsible for solving various murder cases, it has raised several ethical concerns, placing Section Nine—the police division in charge of the MRI investigations led by Tsuyoshi Maki—under considerable pressure from the media and the government. The team members of Section Nine are not only forced to witness traumatic events through the eyes of both victims and murderers, but they also need to negotiate with the victims' families, whose consent is required for the post-mortem MRI scans.

Freshly graduated from the police academy, Ikkou Aoki joins Section Nine to replace Maki's best friend Katsuhiro Suzuki—a former member who passed away under ambiguous circumstances after watching MRI footage from a particularly morbid criminal case. As a stream of seemingly unrelated events creeps closer to the case of Suzuki's death, Section Nine will have to face its greatest challenge to date, threatening its very existence.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Top Secret: The Revelation was released on DVD in nine volumes from July 25, 2008, to March 25, 2009.

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Related Anime

Adaptation:

Top Secret

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Maki, Tsuyoshi

Main

Seki, Tomokazu
Japanese

Aoki, Ikkou

Main

Namikawa, Daisuke
Japanese

Okabe, Yasufumi

Supporting

Meguro, Kousuke
Japanese

Amaichi, Nanako

Supporting

Nonaka, Ai
Japanese

Miyoshi, Yukiko

Supporting

Shinohara, Emi
Japanese

Harvey, Matthew

Supporting

Sasaki, Nozomu
Japanese

Soga, Takashi

Supporting

Hamada, Kenji
Japanese

Onokida, Satoshi

Supporting

Madono, Mitsuaki
Japanese

Sendou, Michiru

Supporting

Sendai, Eri
Japanese

Satonaka, Kyouko

Supporting

Noto, Mamiko
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Tamura, Manabu

Producer

Aoyama, Hiroshi

Director

Ishizuka, Atsuko

Episode Director, Storyboard

Watanabe, Kotono

Episode Director

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Opening Theme

"Kokoro Film (ココロフィルム)" by ALvino

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Ending Theme

"Kemuri (煙)" by Makichang

Reviews

Feb 13, 2010

Rakuen42

Recommended

Himitsu’s basic premise is interesting and makes good fodder for ideas. In the future, scientists have created a system to record and view people’s memories post-mortem. The world has entrusted this unique computer system to Japan’s Public Security Section 9. The men and women in this small department must examine the memories of murder victims to find the motive, means, and hopefully the assailant as well. They not only bring people to justice who might normally escape their crimes unscathed, but also learn about the thought process that goes into committing the crime so in the future they can prevent them. ... This mystery sandbox makes for some interesting cases and Himitsu does a good job of keeping the formula fresh as the series progresses. Some episodes look at the memories of the killer, the blind, the insane or delusional, and even a mass murder that shows viewpoints from multiple perspectives.

The cast of characters can really help a series like this, and the main characters do not disappoint. Aoki is the main character and plays the role of the everyman and the newbie in the show. He knows how to read lips, which is an invaluable skill since the memories have no sound. His thoughts and actions will likely mirror yours as you progress through the series, and he easily grows the most out of the cast. Maki sits on the opposite side of the spectrum as the jaded boss of Section 9. He has dealt with a lot in the past few years and drives his team to perform at the best of their abilities. His specialty is a photographic memory and extreme attention to detail. He also has an uncanny ability to appear exactly when needed. The pairs’ abilities drive most case breakthroughs, fitting their role as core protagonists. In addition, their interpersonal drama allows us to see the series from both extremes.

The rest of the characters, are more of a mixed bag. Each character's personality is decent, and all of them have at least one episode devoted to them. Unfortunately, none of them fully develops. Amaichi plays the heroine in this mystery drama and has the most development of the supporting cast. She has a minor sixth sense that occasionally comes into play. She also has a sizable crush on Aoki, though he’s too busy with his work to notice much. Okabe is a married and experienced agent who has dealt with his fair share of difficulties and has a more experienced perspective. Soga, to contrast, is a recent academy graduate who still has much to learn and needs to get his impulses under control. Michiru and Onogida are the two technicians that program and maintain the machinery, and naturally, there’s a lot of interplay between them. They round out the core cast.

While much of Himitsu is episodic in nature, an overarching plot does exist. The main story focuses on a criminal named Kainuma. His case sent ripples through the division and deeply affected Maki and his outlook on life. Even after his death, he still manages to cause tremendous grief for Section 9. On top of that, the source of his influence may not be what it first appears. Toward the end of the series, this prompts a number of plot twists, some of which are genuinely surprising and moving. Unfortunately, it feels like the directors pushed far too much into the last episodes. It culminates in an ending largely based on convenience to tie the plot line together as quickly as possible. While this weakens the series, it still doesn’t drive it into the ground.

Himitsu really shines in the moral drama that plays alongside the story. Much of this deals with privacy. After all, Section 9 views the memories of the victims, and some of these may be embarrassing or potentially incriminating for others. The characters also have to come to grips with viewing the memories of those close to them. The mind of someone you may interact with every day is far different from the mind of a complete stranger. Finally, there’s the ever-present allure of using information gleamed from the videos to benefit oneself. Beyond the obvious implications lie other problems. The series probes religion, body modification, and other societal issues. It does occasionally falter in this area, but overall the morality play is interesting and engaging.

The character designs are mature to match the subject material. However, they also have a derivative feeling to them. For the longest time I couldn’t tell the two supporting males apart. Additionally, while I don’t expect the artists to put a lot of effort into the victims and other one-time characters, perhaps a little more imagination would have helped. On the other hand, the background elements get their due attention, befitting a mystery series. Much more effort goes into detail here than in the characters. A variety of settings helps keep the artwork fresh and make sure the viewer doesn’t burn out on the urban core of the series. However, it often feels like the setting is literally too dark, which might put a bit of strain on your eyes.

Himitsu’s vocal work is competent, and none of the characters are unduly grating. The voices fit the characters well, though at times it does feel like the actors needed to put more feeling into the performance. While the designs may have been uninspired, we do get a lot of variety in the voice work for the one-shots. The opening and closing themes are relevant to the series' premise and devoid of any unnecessary Jpop influences. The background music does a tremendous amount to help the mood of the series. In particular, the composer manages to drive the chilling feeling home when it’s required.

Despite its faults, Himitsu is a solid series with many high points and some unique devices going for it. It's probably the series from Spring 2008 that everyone missed. If you enjoy a good mystery or moral drama, take the time out and give it a shot.

Final Score: 8/10 MRIs

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Jun 25, 2011

IceAndCream

Recommended

I read the compelling crime-drama josei manga “Himitsu” long before I tried the anime version. The manga was shocking, yet gripping. Steeped in mystery, crime, and violence, the horror was offset by high drama and Shimizu Reiko's beautifully drawn, lucid artwork. Never had skinned corpses looked so exquisite. And amidst the sacrifice of mind and even body, was a story of camaraderie: A small band of people supporting each other, clinging to what small shreds of sanity and human decency they could manage to keep.

I was afraid the anime would not communicate the strongest points of this powerful manga. I ...

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Oct 20, 2013

Marthgun

Mixed Feelings

If, like me, you were looking for a detective show to get high on, and you somehow stumbled upon this hidden gem, then allow me to share my experience.

first himitsu's premise is very solid compared to most anime, it is about a governmental group that takes deceased, high value criminal cases, extracts the murdered and murderers brains and plays back their minds eye.

so obviously this has some potential to be very interesting.

The story is episodic mainly, with small arcs, and an underlying main story that pervades throughout the series. It didnt really go where i thought it might, nor did it live ...

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Poll: Himitsu: Top Secret - The Revelation Episode 2 Discussion cyruz - Apr 28, 2008	22 replies	by Teletuu »» Feb 26, 9:29 AM
Poll: Himitsu: Top Secret - The Revelation Episode 26 Discussion cyruz - Dec 27, 2009	21 replies	by Mazoy »» May 13, 2023 1:46 AM
Poll: Himitsu: Top Secret - The Revelation Episode 1 Discussion hyunnie14 - Apr 14, 2008	49 replies	by VirtueHunter »» Oct 24, 2020 11:11 AM
Poll: Himitsu: Top Secret - The Revelation Episode 8 Discussion cyruz - Dec 16, 2008	13 replies	by WatchTillTandava »» Apr 29, 2020 5:20 PM
Poll: Himitsu: Top Secret - The Revelation Episode 24 Discussion cyruz - Dec 24, 2009	12 replies	by Vaiketime2025 »» Apr 15, 2017 6:00 PM

Top Secret: The Revelation

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Maki, Tsuyoshi

Aoki, Ikkou

Okabe, Yasufumi

Amaichi, Nanako

Miyoshi, Yukiko

Harvey, Matthew

Soga, Takashi

Onokida, Satoshi

Sendou, Michiru

Satonaka, Kyouko

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Top Secret: The Revelation

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