Kyokou Suiri

Hidden in plain sight, spirits known as youkai inhabit the world. While most are benign, a certain subset threatens the tenuous peace between youkai and humanity. Ever since she agreed to become their "God of Wisdom," Kotoko Iwanaga has served as a mediator between the two realms, resolving any supernatural problems that come her way.

At a local hospital, Kotoko approaches Kurou Sakuragawa, a university student whose long-term relationship ended with an unfortunate breakup. Kotoko harbors feelings for him and suspects that something supernatural lurks within his harmless appearance, so she asks Kurou for his assistance in helping out youkai.

Two years later, news of an idol who was accidentally crushed to death by steel beams flooded the press. However, months later, sightings begin to tell of a faceless woman who wields a steel beam. As is the case for any supernatural problem, Kotoko and her partner set out to stop this spirit from wreaking havoc—but this case may prove to be far more sinister and personal than they could have ever thought.

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Adaptation:	Kyokou Suiri
Other:	Kyokou Suiri Mini Anime, Kyokou Uranai
Sequel:	Kyokou Suiri Season 2

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Characters & Voice Actors

Iwanaga, Kotoko

Main

Kitou, Akari
Japanese

Sakuragawa, Kurou

Main

Miyano, Mamoru
Japanese

Yumihara, Saki

Supporting

Fukuen, Misato
Japanese

Sakuragawa, Rikka

Supporting

Saco, Mayumi
Japanese

Nanase, Karin

Supporting

Uesaka, Sumire
Japanese

Steel Lady Nanase

Supporting

Tanio, Aoi

Supporting

Hanawa, Manami
Japanese

Detective Terada

Supporting

Hamada, Kenji
Japanese

Yoshikazu, Machii

Supporting

Komainu (Shiro)

Supporting

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Staff

Ozawa, Fumihiro

Producer

Suzuki, Renta

Producer

Hidaka, Isao

Producer

Ishiguro, Tatsuya

Producer

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Opening Theme

"Mononoke in the Fiction (モノノケ・イン・ザ・フィクション)" by Uso to Chameleon (嘘とカメレオン)

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Ending Theme

"LAST DANCE" by Mamoru Miyano

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Reviews

Mar 28, 2020

jd2001z

Recommended

Usually, in the mystery genre, they use all the evidence and logic they have to search for the truth. Instead, Kyokou Suiri uses all the evidence and logic it has to create a lie.

The story is about two characters, Kotoko Iwanaga and Kurou Sakuragawa. One of which is a “goddess of wisdom” for the youkai who live in the world, and the other is a seemingly plain human who is not what he seems. The two of them band together (or you can say Kotoko clings on to Kurou) and they try to solve the worries and concerns of the youkai around them.

Episode 1 introduces ... us to these two characters, and shows us a bit of their backstories together. At first, you’d have no idea that the anime is Supernatural if you haven’t heard about it before, but as the episode goes on you’d realize that they are indeed youkai in the world, and the two characters have more to themselves that meets the eye. In addition, they have a funny relationship with each other right off the bat when they meet each other.

Episodes 2 and 3 then shows us how the Mystery in this anime works. One would normally think that they would search for the evidence first then find the truth, but here they already have all the evidence they need, so now all they need is to figure out what happened. Simple, right? It’s not. In a world where spirits and youkai inhabit the earth, almost anything can happen, so logically finding out the truth will be tough. So instead of going for the truth at the get-go, Kotoko builds up blocks of possibilities of what could have happened to land to the truth that seems the most logical. Any solution may seem real to an extent, but as long as there are holes to it, it will all crumble apart. So she takes what seems right from the previous solution, or the basic elements, then adds it to a more logical one, until she arrives at the “right answer”. You can say that every “wrong” solution brings us closer to the “right” solution.

Once we learn about the “truth” of the matter from the previous case, we go on into the next arc, which comprises all of the next episodes, from 4 to 12. Here we have a long time skip, and we are introduced to a new character, Saki Yumihara, who is actually Kurou’s ex-girlfriend. As a police officer, her job is to help maintain peace in the city, and now there’s someone, or rather, something that catches her eye. Steel Beam Nanase. From what the witnesses claim, she’s a ghost with no face who carries a huge steel beam around and causes a bit of chaos in the city. Once an idol, tragedy struck her, and she died from steel beams falling onto her. One would be logical about this and say that ghosts aren’t real, it’s just in their heads. But she doesn’t. After a certain incident with her boyfriend, she starts to doubt what’s real or not, and what possibly can exist in the world. Then she sees Steel Beam Nanase. As a police officer she tries to stop her, only to be struck with the hard fact that she is indeed a ghost, and that she can’t even touch her. Then she meets Kotoko, who was able to temporarily stop her, and then Saki realizes she isn’t just what she looks like.

Saki and Kotoko then band up in order to stop Nanase, but how can you fight against a being that has no physical form, and that doesn’t really exist? Logic and fiction. In order to save people from getting hurt, they would need to create a “lie” that triumphs over the “truth”. No one needs to know that spirits exist in the world, else the entire balance between the human realm and the spirit realm will fall apart. So in order to erase the ghost from existence, they would need all the evidence in order to create a story that is both logical and entertaining. But can’t you just tell them the truth about her and everyone would believe it? Of course not. Fake news is considered “the better and more believable news” just because it’s more entertaining than the truth. No one wants a boring story. Thus, they need to create logical fiction for the sake of saving lives.

This show heavily relies on dialogue, so it is not recommended for people who just want the action or the youkai interaction. Almost every detail is important, evidence and logic are the most useful weapons this show has to offer, and if you don’t listen or think carefully, you will be confused as to what happens. They may repeat what they have said before, but what mystery show doesn’t? Repetition is one of the most important factors in informative speaking, because the audience would be able to understand that the points the speaker repeats are important. That applies to this show as well. Repetition of details implies that the evidence in hand is important. Logically, they would need to repeat the important details in order for us not to forget what is there. The solutions that are created from these details are also interesting, even though you can poke some holes on them here and there. But one thing to take note of is that Kotoko knew that there are holes in these solutions, and those are needed in order for her to grasp the “right solution”. What’s important is that she needs a majority of her audience to believe in her fictional truths, even if there are holes in them. In addition, she had to come up with multiple solutions that are all lies, that are both entertaining and logical with the given evidence, and in under a few hours, under the pressure of saving possibly hundreds of lives. If you don’t call Kotoko a genius, then I don’t know what is.

The main thing I like about this anime is the character interactions. You have the three characters, Kotoko, Kurou, and Saki. Kotoko is mean and funny, but is smart enough to solve the youkai’s problems. Kurou might seem plain, but he has something that can change the world. And Saki is beautiful and kind, but also sharp and brave. Since Saki was once Kurou’s ex, the interactions between them would be funny and awkward, especially since Kotoko is Kurou’s current girlfriend (although Kurou doesn’t seem to like it). The funny scenarios in the show mix well with all the seriousness of the supernatural for me, and I like that in this show.

All in all, I think this was a great Mystery/Supernatural anime. It gave a refreshing view on Mystery and what it can do. This was actually one of my most hyped anime this season, because I’ve already read the manga before and I’m currently up to Volume 11 of it. I can say that if you want a refreshing twist in Mystery, then this show might be for you. If you aren’t in anime, then the manga would be better for you, as it has more depth for the details and solutions.

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Mar 28, 2020

SunlitSonata

Mixed Feelings

In/Spectre is the type of series that tests the notion “how far are you willing to stretch a good idea?”

Conceptually, this is a brilliant idea for a story and overall, I think the execution is at least good. While so many mystery stories, anime or otherwise, tend to focus on purely the truth, characters getting to the bottom of how events actually happened, never have I seen creating a convincing LIE to factor into that. A lot of ins and outs are explored in the show’s attempt to qualify this point, so it keeps a unique source of engagement in a way unlike many ... other shows of its type. The focus on one larger tale rather than many smaller stories also has the perk of trying to explore the types of angles other supernatural mysteries don’t have time for, in terms of implications. But it’s worth exploring the vibe of this series regardless.

In/Spectre has a very odd start, one that had me baffled as to what kind of show it was going for. It featured characters talking super seriously about serious events, but also mentioning a crush in the same breath and seeming to end out on an action scene. From Episode 1 I had no idea what In/Spectre was trying to be. Comedy? Drama? Romance? Supernatural? It’s a weird mix of all of those types, but Episode 2 seemed to plant things slightly more. Trying to explain and dissect a whole scenario in a mere 22 minutes with relation to supernatural elements devoid of emotion wasn’t very interesting with how little there was too it, better positioned the series as a Monogatari-lite, a mystery series involving supernatural phenomenon and their impact on the real world.

To its credit, the show is one of the better examples to follow up the genre. Unlike Rascal Dreams of Bunny Girl Senpai, it doesn’t get scared partway through the “subversiveness”, scurrying back to the comfort zone of LN anime clichés and cheap emotional manipulation. In/Spectre never feels cloying or dishonest, with even the supernatural elements fitting naturally into the setting, but it can drag its heels a lot with the emotionally distant first two episodes and trying to go through every minutia of a point for 9 episodes straight.

The writer of In/Spectre, Kyō Shirodaira, also wrote Blast of Tempest which received an anime about 8 years ago. That anime featured very high stakes, almost apocalypse level, yet still decided to have all that anarchy in the background while four characters discussed various topics for 5 episodes straight! The intention was earnest, but the tone and stakes of the series didn’t complement that style of writing at all.

In this show’s case, the stakes are lower, so the use of dialogue fits more. Its characters are few, but their archetypes and interactions do something to keep investment with what’s going on. Kotoko is really the star of the show, a cute “slightly older than she looks” girl with worldly knowledge from her spirit background. Her time is often spent explaining various different points, so investment can waver on her, but the comedy bits featuring her are welcome. They take advantage of some light little jokes and the animation can give her some adorably different facial expressions, and that dorky innocuousness is shown well through both her seiyuu and her English voice with newcomer Lizzie Freeman. Kuro appears as though he could be the standard boring “self-insert” protagonist but he isn’t around in prominent enough to really hurt the show for it. It takes a rare approach; an approach I haven’t seen since Kaze no Stigma, where that type of character appears as relevant but with seemingly his own motives and origins in mind. His OPness isn’t used to doubt the power of those around him, but more to effectively gauge the strength the imaginary ghost gets from belief. There’s that same issue of detachment you could view in a lot of the series, but his status doesn’t hurt the series like other MCs he could be related to since it isn’t forcing you to like him.

There’s also Saki Yumihara, who works acceptably well as a straight girl to bounce off both of them, respectfully passing the Bechdel test extremely often when she tries to help Kotoko with a point or attempt to validate her: actual chemistry. Again, nothing special but the anime doesn’t necessarily do wrong with her either. Lastly there’s Karin Nanase, the source of the debate and origin of the ghost driving the conflict. Some might call her busty and striper-like appearance lazy fanservice, but it actually works pretty well for the conceptual plot. Her alluring appearance better helps draw attention to the rumors that create her in the first place and exploits the public perception on sexuality versus identity that clouds a lot of the debating.

The worst character in this show is the Internet itself. Really, it’s an uphill battle when trying to portray the Internet in any way without being laughed out. Although there proves a human force to subvert the idea of a strawman (someone who exists specifically to make points proven wrong) by actually being correct, to counteract the wrongness Kotoko is trying to present, any additional nods to the internet are purely to create strawmen for the show’s chat forum debating. Perhaps one could argue that the Internet not ever agreeing on any particular point is a major reason why the conflict has to drag for over 3 hours, but it’s still a slippery slope I don’t think the show ever quite manages.

As for the presentation, it’s acceptable if bland. The show features a lot of washed out beiges and blues for the aesthetic, with the occasional purple focus when Nanase’s spirit appears and a brief showing of a comment web space which looks worse than Ghost in the Shell SAC nearly two decades earlier. But to be fair, it’s not an action show, so lack of visual polish isn’t as insulting as other series. There’s some fun faces for the brief bits of comedy featured but otherwise it doesn’t speak for much visually. Same for the audio, although the ED is actually pretty fun despite the lack of animation.

It’s truly rare you get an anime series nowadays where the storyline is actually the BEST part of an anime, but here we are. With the unremarkable audiovisuals and simple characters that grow into decency mainly through dialogue interactions, the plot is what will really carry the anime and make or break it. It’ll inevitably captivate some with the thorough exploration and turn off others for how uncompromising it is. For my part, even with a certain suspension of disbelief regarding the show’s portrayal of the internet that never REALLY agrees on anything, it was still decent entertainment that benefited from its lower stakes setting, unique premise and earnest character take. But where do you really take things from here? Would the next season also be about mysteries like this, or would it veer in a more action or comedy focused direction? What supernatural elements would factor into anything further? Would it even try to feel emotional? The odd genre mix of In/Spectre made for a decent watch that stood out among the crowd, but not one that’ll last beyond interest of its unique story premise.

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Mar 28, 2020

Ethan_07

Recommended

Human beings are storytelling creatures.

Our little stories are vital for us to convey truths, and sometimes, create lies. However, truth manifest lies. Lies, conceal truth. In every mystery and detective anime, there is always one definite truth. Everything else is just a fabrication to bury the truth, layer upon layer. In most cases, a clear line is drawn between what is real and what is not. But, what if, just what if – the line no longer exists?

Then, truth and lies are no longer differentiable. They are blended into each other, and being played around by whoever’s behind them to reach a desired conclusion. ... Justice would no longer be that opaque. Everything that you ever believe in can be twisted, changed in just that instant.

Kyokou Suiri knows this, and it brings this element into play. It is fully aware that in reality, one single truth cannot fit everything into an equation. There will always be doubts surrounding its authenticity, even when the methodology is laid out bare. So, the focus of it is not on the solution to the mysteries, but rather the long and tedious psychological portrayal of wit and knowledge applied in the progress. They use this to try and explain the little details of the case. Call it baseless assumptions or wild imagination, but this is what makes Kyokou Suiri close to Death Note than simply playing the role that sticks to only one truth.

In fact, it doesn’t even care about the truth as the bossy female lead, Kotoko already has the answer thanks to her connection to the spectres. Everything else is just a tackle to each and every questions one would have, with its meticulous monologue. She answers each of them, by linking the dots she have. If it doesn’t work, she would try an alternative way to reshape the missing pieces. It sounds simple, but the hardest part is to make us, the audience believe in it. They need to convince us, otherwise the assumptions are just plain nonsense. Except that, this is the charm of it.

They threw this on your face, saying that they don’t have a definite answer either.

As for the characters, the mismatch of the lead duo is the charisma of the show. They are the complete opposite of each other with Kujo being calm and composed, and Kotoko being self-centered and a bit annoying. One has the power, the other has the wisdom. But in a way, this polar attraction is the magnet that makes the cases more attracting and approachable. It brings out the best of them both but also take the heart-tugging romance away from this pair and only igniting it inside the imagination of Kotoko.

Additionally, the studio has done a great job in shaping a continuity during the ‘talk but no action’ scenes. The transition from one place to the other, and back to the start has blended in nicely as the dialogues continue. For the songs, the fun and jazzy ending ‘LAST DANCE’ is what got my attention. It’s a perfect portrayal of their relationship that I can’t really describe in words. It’s somewhat of a partner-couple bond with a bit of toxicity in between.

Overall, Kyokou Suiri Kyokou Suiri is far from what you expected at first glance. It takes an unorthodox route to reach the end, with the unfit duo exploring different perspective on the cases instead of settling you with one truth. It can be unbearable sometimes, but watch closer, and you might discover the fun of it.

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Nanase, Karin

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