Ranked #1774

ChäoS;HEAd

ChäoS;HEAd is an anime that jumps on the psychological murder mystery bandwagon only to fall right off.

The straight and narrow: the recluse Takumi, who is an otaku hikikomori, receives a link online to a picture detailing the grotesque murder of an unidentified man. Takumi is appalled, and decides to ignore it. The following day, he comes across the exact crime scene he saw in the picture. Very soon, he starts suspecting everything and everyone around him. He gets paranoid. Who sent him the link online? Who are these strange girls who suddenly have interest in him? Why did he get a picture of a murder that hadn't even taken place as yet? Soon, Takumi can't trust anyone and eventually realises that he can't even trust himself. There is a pretty good set-up for the anime, but it quickly falls apart.

The first problem with this torture-filled gore-fest is the lack of sympathy for what is seen. The more successful anime in this genre know how to play with the viewers' emotions. They understand that the blood and gore and torture has a more resounding effect if it happens to a character the audience cares about. ChäoS;HEAd ignores this. For the most part, horrible deaths await characters who are rarely given a name and hardly given a face. This anime pretty much fails from the get-go to involve the viewer emotionally and mentally, and this is exactly what anime of this sort are supposed to do.

In terms of the subtlety of delivering the plot, ChäoS;HEAd is like a giant rat stomping through your kitchen at night gnawing away loudly at a hunk of smelly cheese. There is no subtlety. There are the typical 'I'm up to something' grins, the 'I'm watching you' glares, and the 'You have it coming to you' growls. What happened to leading the viewer astray? Am I supposed to think this is a thriller? Thrill me! Don't make me figure out the plot by the fourth episode.

Another problem is that the storyline doesn't seem to know exactly what story it wants to tell. The first half pans out as a supernatural murder mystery and then the second half shifts gears abruptly, turning the anime into a grand sci fi anime about corporate conspiracy and world domination. Lastly, the whole concept of using the 'unreliable narrator' completely fell flat. At first, it does seem that Takumi may be one of those protagonists whose point-of-view and limited knowledge add to the suspense factor of ChäoS;HEAd. The use of an unreliable narrator can actually make a story ten times more interesting, as seen in anime such as Perfect Blue or Paranoia Agent. However, as the show wears on, everything becomes rather easy to figure out and Takumi's actions become predictable and easy to interpret.

The production values for this anime are not that impressive. The art's consistency wavers at points, but generally, it is a decent-looking anime despite the tired character designs and the lazy-at-moments art. If you pay attention to Takumi's face, for example, in one scene, it's long, skinny and angular, and then in another, his face takes on a more oval appearance. Then there are proportional issues as well.

The score seems to have as much of an identity crisis as the rest of the anime. There are haunting, halting (for intense scenes) or sappy (for the..."romantic" scenes) piano piecies, 80s cheese synths, music that sounds like it came off a video game soundtrack, and then heavy metal guitar work. Some moments, the score shines, others it doesn't.

And now the characters. Takumi is the protagonist. He comes across as a totally annoying, socially-inept person with the maturity of a twelve-year-old boy. It's also astounding that he never seems to realise that every girl who interacts with him is an archetype from one of the galges I'm sure he likes playing. The geeky, soft-spoken meganekko? The needy, tsundere little sister (whose relationship with him is borderline incestuous)? The mysterious weird girl who is into the occult? Smells like stereotypes to me.

The only character with any sort of depth or personality is Takumi himself. And even if his personality is awful, it doesn't stop him from being a good character. He is pathetic. He's delusional. He's disturbed, he needs a life and his general attitude to everything stinks. His fantasies about sex and girls are limited to what he has been exposed to: countless eroge. His personality is handled quite well, as he exudes the characteristics of an escapist with subtler megalomaniacal traits (as seen in his childhood). I think it further deepens his character that despite these attributes, he is incapable of doing anything to help himself or get what he wants. There is also something that makes him easy to pity/relate to concerning his mania against real-life girls and his deep affection for animated or two-dimensional ones. Although, watching him is a near torture--he's easily one of the most irritating leads for anime ever seen.

ChäoS;HEAd has not been an enjoyable ride. It treats its audience as though they need to be spoon-fed half the time. There are more entertaining, smarter, subtler anime of this sort out there. I would suggest you look for those instead.

ChäoS;HEAd is like playing a game of Clue, only to figure out that it's Colonel Mustard in the conservatory with a candlestick about three turns in. read more

Takumi Nishijou is desperately in need of salvation from his pathetic existence. Healthy doses of unpleasant, yet spiritually cleansing, psychological torture might do the trick. Of course, what better way to subject an otaku victim to character-building punishment than to shake his sheltered life to its core by bombarding him with pretty sword-wielding girls who look like they stepped out of a sci-fi anime and then have him severely doubt his sensory perceptions every step of the way. Therapy can wait until later because these girls want his help to save humanity from - you guessed it - an evil corporate suit!

...Huh?

Set in Shibuya, the story revolves around teenager Takumi who is an otaku hikkikomori - an anime, manga, and video game obsessed shut in. His shelter is a container which looks more like a portable toilet than it does a house. Takumi's most prized possessions are his anime and manga memorabilia. His 'Seira-tan' action figure provides him with consolation that his reality is not one worth putting any effort into - it's all just a delusion to retreat to.

Correction: very many delusions to retreat to.

When Shibuya begins to experience a string of gruesome deaths, this catches on with the internet-dependent youth as New Gen. The person who stumbles upon the first murder is none other than our unlucky protagonist who soon questions his own involvement in the crimes.

ChaoS;HEAd's intrigue lies mostly in its protagonist's revolting lifestyle, cringe-inducing behavior, and thought process that is nothing short of pathetic; Caution: enduring them may incite homicidal thoughts. Tragically, Takumi himself recognizes the futility of his existence; struck by the suspicion that the New Gen perpetrator is targeting him, his major concern is that it will interfere with his MMORPG playing. His mental instability, while interesting, surprisingly affects the viewer on a deeper level. His coping mechanisms such as conjuring up the insanely moe Seira-tan’s words of praise for his level of failure combined with his debilitating cowardice, his desperation for and dependence on the support of someone, anyone at all make him not just a loathsome and pitiful person – but a human one. Reflected in Takumi's eyes is human nature at its most deceptive and disappointing but also at its most fulfilling and bittersweet. Forget the chaos and bloodshed; what really matters to him and affects the viewers are the common sensations that he feels so strongly - love, trust, rejection, self-doubt, horror, denial, and belonging. Unfortunately, what little likability he has is destroyed towards the end – this guy was never meant to be a hero and it shows so, so painfully.

The supporting characters include Takumi's female classmates and budding sidekicks in heroism - Rimi, Ayase (who is a carbon copy of Rei from Evangelion…), Yua, Sena, and Kozue. One of the series' most awe inspiring faults is that the viewer should sympathize with these girls in their moments of rage and despair but cannot because they are such glaringly cliched anime/manga/eroge prototypes - exactly what Takumi is expected to stop obsessing over. As soon as the viewer is able to take them remotely seriously, he or she is reminded that they are ultimately fan pandering caricatures with swords that carry more significance and purpose for existing than they do.

ChaoS;HEAd's story can easily be seen as a blatant insult to the viewers' intelligence and ability to reason. What starts off as a darkly amusing psychological thriller with twists and turns that toy with the endlessly declining slope of a lifeless person's life, eventually reveals itself in its true form - a sci-fi fairy tale with a lot of sci-fi/psycho-babble and horrendously complicated explanations for what is going on...So much so that it would probably be delusional for someone to say they even think they understand, much less care. In fact, it is just babble no matter how much they try to explain it. The series’ set up where the unreal often blends with the real should make the full blown fantasy world that has gradually been constructed feel fitting…but it doesn’t. What drew me in was the suspense and unpredictability at its start, not knowing who the next murder victim would be, etc. The supernatural sword battling and heavily sci-fi influenced route the story takes later on is disappointing. Just because the elements play significant roles in the plot development doesn’t make them any less distracting and cheesy because they are mixed awkwardly with increasingly unconvincing drama. Takumi’s response when confronted with his twisted universe's video game logic is "This girl is even more delusional than I am". This statement yields results so heavy in comical irony at his expense that it finally brings the viewer to sympathize with the guy. Or laugh at him.

One endearing aspect of the series is that it does not take itself too seriously. Murder is recurrent, paranoia is unyielding, and yet the main character is still subconsciously hoping for sexual gratification by his 3-D tormentors. It is amusing to see a physical threat morph into foreplay in the middle of a crowded street and then have the interrogation proceed as though nothing happened.

Unfortunately, the art is poor as its quality fluctuates significantly but is never very good. While the character designs themselves are not bad, they are inconsistent and at times sloppy.

The ending theme is irresistibly cute albeit with lyrics that sound like they belong in an inspirational ad for the mentally deficient - "You're always super special; that's why you are here with me. Miracle baby, I'm happy to be with you". It's catchy, nonetheless.

Takumi, being a character that goes through every possible emotional high and low, has a seiyuu who doesn't just do his job but he does it so well that the performance is actually noticeable in such a strange show. His acting in both the series and especially the visual novel is some of the best I’ve heard yet. The rest of the cast do a passable job but no one stands out.

ChaoS;HEAd is an anime that will fail in the eyes of many because its ambitious start as a quirky psychological thriller meets a lame and cliched end complete with an unwelcome final boss who has less depth and motivation than ones found in the crappiest of rpgs.

It is bizarre, cheesy, 'inspirational', and nonsensical. It is an all-out train wreck. But...I kind of liked it. read more