Kyokou Suiri

Words, words, words. What the hell do they even mean? Well, I don’t know! But someone has to figure out what the hell this show is about and whether or not it’s good. Lucky for you, I happen to be extremely qualified in deciphering bullshit, and In/Spectre certainly is grade-A bullshit.

Where do I even begin untangling this web of nonsense? First of all, there’s so much goddamn talking. If you want to see some good animation, find a different anime! But is the dialogue good or bad? Let’s establish a criterion. Dialogue-heavy anime can work well if the writing is witty, informative, believable, and ... INTERESTING! We’ve seen this done right in Monogatari, Tatami Galaxy, and Oregairu. In/Spectre is comparatively very lacking. Simply put, this is like a battle shounen, very drawn out fights, but replace fights with people talking in one place. Exciting, right? Now imagine five episodes of people talking in a car about ghosts, meanwhile, there’s a never-ending fight happening between two people who cannot die. Have I sold you yet?

The script is drier than a desert, but occasionally there’s some wit. The main character, Big Brain Goddess Kotoko, seems very self-aware that she’s an annoying little gremlin. Her design is cool, stylish, composed, and she’s missing an eye and a leg. Comparatively, her boyfriend, Kuro, is pretty bland—both his looks and personality. He’s only interesting because he can heal instantly and his blood poisons spirits (this is barely used). Together, their banter is witty when they’re not droning on about things that have nothing to do with them, or things that have no bearing on the plot. Unfortunately, this is like 90% of their dialogue. I can’t even tell you why they’re dating. Kotoko meets him at a hospital, falls in love because he reminds her of a goat (this is seriously what happens), then the nurses tell her his life story. I have no clue why this quiet, reserved guy told all of his business to a bunch of random nurses, but we’re supposed to believe he did. This is how we get any information, people dump exposition onto us.

Look, Mr. Author, I know writing is hard. But you should consider actually integrating information organically into your story, not vomiting exposition onto the audience. Actually, I have a bone to pick with you, Mr. Author. Your story treats the audience like idiots—constantly telling us things we can figure out on our own. We’re not babies! Yet the writing is full of nonsense and artificial plotting. It’s as if you thought we were too stupid to notice the flaws, so you brazenly covered them up with pretentious platitudes! Banter aside, I don’t hate this anime. There are a few good things about it. There’s a funny scene when Kotoko randomly meets Kuro’s ex, Saki. She falls on Saki, then when asked if she’s ok, Kotoko says “Yes, this is nothing compared to being deflowered,” in a completely serious voice. What she’s saying is totally uncalled for, and Saki was just as shocked as I was. This kind of juxtaposition between presentation and dialogue makes for the best humor in the show. It’s just like the sassy giant serpent spirit in the second episode. When it embraces its goofiness, it’s fun enough to forgive how contrived it is. During the more serious second half, it feels very forced when they try adding humor. This is the bad kind of juxtaposition. When two tones are constantly conflicting, neither work.

My next gripe I have with you, Mr. Author, is the internal logic. I’m willing to indulge you by suspending my disbelief, but you broke it just like you broke my hopes this anime would be good. In one scene, Kotoko rides a ten-story tall skeleton like the badass bitch she is, and she can also physically interact with ghosts. Normal people cannot see spirits, as shown in prior scenes, so she would just be flying in their eyes. Let’s say spirits gravitate towards her and she can see them because she’s a priestess. However, Saki is also able to see ghosts, so what’s happening here? How is everyone else unable to see spirits? How are people able to see Steel Lady Nanase? What is the distinction? How am I supposed to suspend my disbelief if you haven’t shown me the rules of your world? If I missed crucial details, I will be happily proven wrong.

Early on, I didn’t mind the dialogue-heavy script. In the second episode, Kotoko is enlisted to solve a murder mystery. It has the tropes of a CSI TV show, with the addition of a cheeky serpent spirit who Kotoko questions. She speculates possible motives based on facts of the crime available to her, running through different scenarios with the addition of a spirit’s witness testimony. She’s an inspector of ghosts and spectres. Perhaps you could call her an… In/Spectre! This one self-contained story ended with a satisfying conclusion. It thrilled me for what the rest of the anime would be. For episodes 4-12, the main plotline is about solving the mystery of Steel Lady Nanase. It was disappointing that they scrapped the mystery-of-the-week structure for one long story, but I held out hope it’d be good. Initially, I didn’t hate Nanase. After eight episodes going in circles talking about her, with clues being very slowly revealed, I did hate her. She’s dead, we have no attachment to her, why should I care about this mystery? I liked the first story because it was fast-paced and entertaining, it didn’t overstay its welcome. But Nanase did. Rather than learning new intriguing things about her, all we got were people discussing the same questions. Is she real? Is she a ghost? Is she a manifestation of mass hysteria? Are her huge boobs fake? The answer is... Who the fuck care nerd, stop playing 3D chess against your own brain and get a real hobby.

In/Spectre flies off the rails around the eighth episode. There’s a new concept at play—some people have the ability to basically open their third eye and choose their fate. It’s visualized as branching paths, which looks cool, but it makes no goddamn sense. If you can pick your fate, then you’ve already won, there’s no competition. But! If there are two people who can pick their fates, it would be a stalemate. The author seems to this would be exciting, once again, he was wrong. The stalemate becomes an excuse to draw out the final episodes to the point that you could just skip four of them and lose nothing. The story transitions from a mystery based on facts and clues to a pointless debate that boils down to sophistry to fill up screentime. In/Spectre’s author gets tangled up in his own web of bullshit so badly, I couldn’t care less about the result, I just wanted it to end. Please for the love of God do not make a sequel.

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.

"Too much speaking" is a common criticism for this anime. Well, even though it is true, all it does is make it a little boring in the last few episodes. This anime didn't stray away from its core message. And the ending was spreading well wrapped.

You should watch this story as a seinen themed one. Because this anime doesn't have conventional main characters, and characters are actually three dimensional and their actions arise from very relatable reason.

My most loved element of the story is... Great character interactions... The people in the story actually have souls and behave in a way that's relatable. You will ... end up wanting more and more screen time of your favorite characters.

It also gets points for making the previous girl (Saki) actually very likable. She is a total sweetheart. Her reasons are genuine and anyone would react the way she acted. Typical stories would show ex-girlfriends as bad people. but I'm glad that this show isn't that way. BOTH girls are top tier Wifus.

This story, unlike many anime has an intriguing relationship between characters. Main focus of the anime is the girl and the guy is mystery in his own. Interactions between characters reveal additional information for story progression. And it's surprisingly good.

This story is very intriguing and subtle, and I recommend people to watch it. It has great music and good characters.

The ending is actually very meaningful. Problems in relationships happen. And sometimes they can't be repaired. When that happens, you must learn to move on with decency and hope. Maybe our partners aren't always compatible. But love can change people.

All I saw in the end was two mature people, making the best possible decision for their lives, while understanding each other. For me that's a great thing. And I love this anime, despite all its flaws.

Story: 8
Music: 10
Art: 7
Entertainment: 9

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.

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.

I'll start by saying I had high expectations for this show, and am an anime only viewer. I speak nothing of the Manga here, It is probably paced differently there, as it is a different medium entirely.

Unfortunately, I have to say watching this show is like reading a really wordy book where you already know what the characters are thinking. It starts with a really strong first episode, and the background for the main characters was very interesting, but everything else in this show moves at a snail's pace. Every option must be explored and explained. This show regularly wastes half of an episode talking ... about exactly what is going on rather than showing it. The last episode I watched, ep 7, is entirely set in the same building, almost all in the same room. The entire thing is straight exposition, and I found myself struggling to even pay attention, because I hardly need to watch to predict what needs to be done to progress the narrative.

Mob psycho, toilet-bound hanako kun (this season), noragami, (many other shows) all deal with simple or mindless threats in an episode. Any threat that lasts longer needs a developed motive, or setting if it isn't a living villain. For a show that clearly wants to be set up for multiple villains (because the manga clearly has multiple arcs), in/specter has only had one villain by episode 7. I could explain the mechanics of this show's main villain in a paragraph, or even two sentences and 30 seconds of animation. Not to mention I have seen almost identical "twisted spirit driven by living human" premises in other shows already.

The arc with the snake in ep 2 and a significant part of ep 3 is a complete and utter waste of time. From what I've heard it is filler in the manga, and it makes no sense why they addressed it at the second episode of the show. There are around 2.5 hours of this show out so far, and probably 10 minutes contain conflict with a villain (one with no free will and intent of its own). A vengeful spirit with motivations left over from its life that need to be unraveled would have fit this narrative so much better.

Part of the issue may just be with the amount of stuff I am watching/have watched in the past. I've been watching anime for like 7 years, so I have seen a good number of shows (no I'm not trying to flex). I have seen many of the clichés in this genre, and a show with this many clichés doesn't need to spend so much time explaining them. The only part of this show I haven't seen somewhere else is the folklore surrounding the main girl and boy's abilities.

I can't fault this show's animation or sound, but at this point almost every show that comes out looks acceptable. The production value is fine, and the intro is fantastic, but that just isn't enough to carry a show for me anymore.

I would not recommend this show if exposition dump sounds bad to you. If you like the premise of the show and have not seen many others with a similar premise, I could recommend you continue with it. However, there are just better options to satisfy this itch in my opinion.

Like supernatural shows addressing spirits/ghosts/demons? -> Mob Psycho, Noragami, Blue exorcist, (maybe demon slayer but not really)
Like supernatural shows with mystery/interweaving plot/huge plot investment? -> erased, steins gate, promised neverland, death parade
want a drawn out villain story? -> anything else

I know those are not even close to replacements for the exact motif and feeling in this show, but I feel they are all better stories, and all are a better use of your time if you have not seen them. This show isn't offensive, but to me its very very average. It is possible that the snake arc was so abrasive, that it sent me into an echo-chamber of my own head for how boring this show is, and I've had too many drawn out episodes in a row to be really fair. Not to mention, there are 5 episodes left to turn it around. I don't expect it, but if I find myself Impressed at the end of this season, Ill come back and revise this review.

If you love this show, then great, continue. Watch what you enjoy, it's what this is all about, and this is only one opinion on the internet.

TLDR: Pretty disappointed with everything following episode 1. Just good, not great. Too much talky talky, no action to be found. Just F'ing watch Mob Psycho already.

When I saw that In/Spectre was getting an anime adaptation, I knew that I needed to watch it. As a huge fan of Blast of Tempest (same author and creator) I was extremely excited to get to watch this anime. And boy am I glad that I am watching it and I hope that you will be too.

Story: 8/10
The premise of this show is quite entertaining and interesting, following Kotoko Iwanaga as she solves various supernatural problems with the help of Kurou Sakuragawa, while simultaneously and humorously pushing her affection onto him. It presents itself very well within the mystery genre. Unlike lots of ... other mystery anime, these mysteries and situations are not not so simple that even that snotty-nosed grade schooler next door can solve them. I like that. It actually makes you want to listen and notice every detail of the problem being solved, while admiring Kotoko’s intelligence and effort at solving these mysteries. Plus they are really intriguing and entertaining mysteries that tie in very well with the other story events.
The story itself is very dialogue and understanding heavy. If dialogue heavy anime are not your usual cup of tea, it's fully understandable. But the dialogue is In/Spectre's strength and boy is it ever good.

Characters: 9/10
This is where this anime shines brilliantly. The relationship between Kotoko and Kurou is a fantastic one. As a character herself, Kotoko is a very likeable and great protagonist. She is both outgoing and caring, but also a frank individual who does not shy away from letting her feelings be known (but in a good and humorous way). Kurou on the other hand, is a character that fits the mystery premise of the show perfectly, as he himself is completely shrouded in a dark and unknown mystery.
The relationship between Saki and Kotoko is great and quite funny so far. Not very many anime have an ex that is a main character, let alone a fantastic one at that. Saki is awesome and is a nice breath of air that complements Kotoko by being her exact opposite in personality, which works exceedingly well. As opposites, they complement each perfectly (a nice oxymoron if I may say so).
If there is one major reason to watch this anime, it is for the amazing set of characters.

Art: 6/10
The art is, quite honestly, nothing special but is not that bad by any means. It is average to slightly above average for what you would expect for today's day and age. Brain's Base, does a pretty decent job at maintaining the integrity of the character models from the manga, as there is a good resemblance. Where the art does good is it that is does a great job at setting the mystery tone of the anime and complements the darker tone of the show.

Sound: 8/10
The voice acting is solid. Each Voice actor fits there character well. Plus, having Miyano Mamoru as the voice actor for Kurou was a pleasant surprise to say the least. This just adds another layer of “great” to the voice acting in this series, as he is a fantastic Voice Actor.
The OP is quite unique (but very good), and grew on me over the last four episodes, and the ED is a really cool jazz solo done by Miyano Mamoru.

Overall: 8/10
In/Spectre is a nice addition to the mystery anime genre with a pair of protagonists that have a fun and interesting relationship that hopefully continues to be an advantage for the remainder of the show. I am thoroughly enjoying this anime, and I hope that you are too :)

This show honestly makes me want to read the manga, it's really a great show.

Being that I have an interest in Youkai and that kind of culture. This is the right show for me, and it can be for you! Here are reasons why!

The story has a vast number of interesting points. From it's great characters, one which being Kotoko whom despite looking tiny, and having one real leg and one real eye, is not only quite smart, full of spunk and wisdom, but honestly a badass in some scenes. She really is great. While the mystery behind Kurou is a good plot device to ... move the show forward. As the story follows the two, protecting Youkai from far more dangerous Youkai, and such.

The op is for sure one of my favorites of the season. The visuals for the opening are really different too. An intense and great opening. The sounds in the anime in general are very fitting also.

While the art style is on point once again, along with the animation in general. The first few episodes really show it. From being the right kind of dark and gritty, to being the right tone of brightness during day scenes.

All in all a great show for this season that you should watch with us all!

Kyokou Suiri wasn’t a series that was at the top of my expectations list going into this season, but it was definitely mid-tier with a bullet.  Along with Runway de Waratte (which debuted about as promisingly as one could hope) they were my main sleeper picks.  Kyokou Suiri is an interesting and odd manga (actually based on a liht novel on the Kodansha Taiga seinen imprint) and there was a lot of promise here even if the show is flying way under the radar.  And while I wouldn’t put it on the same pedestal as Runway, I did like this premiere an awful lot.

It seems like forever ago now, but Brain’s Base was ... once upon a time among the real power studios in anime – and one quite closely aligned with my personal tastes.  We don’t see that much from these days since the bulk of the main staff bolted to form Shuka, but they’ve put together an extremely capable and experienced staff for In/Spectre, led by director Gotoh Keiji and writer Takagi Noboru.  Perhaps this series is more popular than I realized given that it has almost no following in English, because based on the premiere than anime seems to have quite a respectable budget.

I quite like the way this relationship is introduced.  It’s clear that there’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye, but the narrative never grinds to a halt to explain things to the audience – we just watch these two dance around each other and form our own picture.  That certainly applies to Kurou’s tale of how he and his fiancee ran into a kappa on the Kamo River in Kyoto.  He may (then again, he may not) believe he’s pulling the wool over Kotoko’s eye (already half-hidden by her beret) but she sees through the story he spins for her benefit.

Kotoko and Kurou are both strange and interesting people.  She’s brash, extremely blunt and refreshingly forward when it comes to her romantic feelings (though she did keep them bottled up for two years in deference to his relationship status).  He’s impassive and slightly unnerving in his presence.  But what’s interesting is that Kotoko isn’t unnerved by Kurou at all, despite the fact that all of the youkai and spirits that consider her a Kami are terrified of him.  Just exactly what Kurou is we don’t yet know – only that his body is poison to youkai, he has no fear and has done nothing yet to reveal why all of faerie seems to view him with dread.

There’s some quite amusing atmospheric stuff here, like the samurai ghost who loves romance novels and the little youkai who stirs Kotoko’s cocoa (say that ten times fast) in the hospital.  But the main draw of the premiere is definitely the chemistry between Kotoko and Kurou – which is considerable – and the snappy dialogue.  I haven’t waded deep enough into the source material to know the nature of the mysteries the premiere presents, and that’s fine – I rather look forward to the prospect of seeing how Kyokou Suiri goes about revealing it.

It’s really hard for an anime to feel original these days. So many series I’ve seen lately have felt like I was watching the same series, with the same characters, with different names. So when I come across a fresh and unique story, I have to acknowledge it. That’s exactly what I got out of Kyokou Suiri.

Kyokou Suiri is some of the best fun I’ve had watching anime in a long time. Based on a light novel originally, it tells the story of a girl who’s traded her leg and eye for god like powers. She teams up with a boy who also has god ... like powers and they form a paranormal investigation team. The first arc of the show is pretty episodic, focusing on a different case each episode. The second half of the show is one arc focusing on a single relevant case.

Throughout the course of the series we’re introduced to various monsters and demons from Japanese myths which I found very cool. Being an investigatory show, the series is very exposition oriented so there is a lot of talking. It’s not useless idle chatter, however. The conversations all advance the story and are usually relevant to whatever case or situation is going on. But, if you’re someone who needs a lot of fights and action, the second half of the show will drag for you.

I thought the comedy was extremely well done and kept me engaged with every moment of every episode. The banter between the characters felt real and genuine adding to the unique feel of the show.

Because it’s more of an investigation/exposition themed show, there’s no crazy fight animation or massive amounts of sakuga. But, the art throughout the show and animation when the occasional fight happens were very well done and aesthetically pleasing.

In conclusion, I think this is easily one of the best shows I’ve seen in the past few years. It gave me a feeling of nostalgia and joy that brought me back to the old Adult Swim days of anime. I absolutely loved the characters, their wit, banter and interactions throughout the series as well as the lovely integration of Japanese folklore. If you’d like something different and original to watch, give this a shot.

Kyokou suiri gets 9 eyes out of 10 for me.

Japanese youkai lore has been a fascinating subject in the realm of anime, manga, and video games. Every year, we are graced by media related to these supernatural entities, based on the Shinto religion. And while Kyokou Suiri (ln/Spectre) certainly isn’t among the first to explore such themes, it does embark on a supernatural quest with a lovely little oddball named Kotoko Iwanaga.

Let’s allow reality to hit us first. Kyokou Suiri has a fair amount of volumes but the anime allows the show to be only 12-episodes. To make things more complicated, the early chapters (manga version at least) are fairly long, some expanding well ... into 40-50 pages. A common logic designates the show has fairly incomplete and as a means to advertise the manga and novels. That’s not unfair but it does limit its potential in storytelling. After all, character studies on youkai would have been a fairly interesting subject and draw more interest for a worldwide audience. Unfortunately, Kyokou Suiri decided to be exactly what I feared: a billboard that screams “buy the novels or manga if you love what you’ve seen!”

Kotoko Iwanaga is a university student who is bestowed with the ‘God of Wisdom’ role. With a missing eye and leg, Kotoko is immediately drawn to the 22-year old Kurou Sakurgawa. In a state of puppy love, she falls for him in what I describe as one of the strangest ‘love at first sight’ segments I’ve ever seen. By comparing Kuro to a goat (that’s a right, a goat), she decides to pursue him in a relationship that is clearly one-sided. Kuro himself became single after breaking up with Saki, his former girlfriend after an uneventful encounter with a youkai. The pilot episode surprisingly breaks down the elements of the storytelling quite cleverly by getting the audience attached to our main leads. On both fronts, Kotoko and Kuro are far from ordinary. It builds an enigma in storytelling as the duo investigates on supernatural cases. And because we have a show about youkai, you can believe the anime will explore the morality of these fascinating entities.

To put in simple perspective, Kyokou Suiri draws more into a supernatural mystery fiction style of storytelling rather than an action thriller. While early episodes does show off the combat abilities of Kotoko and Kuro, it doesn’t take long for the anime to dive deeper into the mystery and lore. Kotoko herself is shown to be a character with great intellect and her intuition is imperative to breaking cases. This is shown when she plans ahead and analyzes different potential outcomes based on probability and theories. By focusing on what’s in front of her, Kotoko minimizes failure and looks into all resources to make sure cases are solved. In the series’ most prominent arc dealing with Steel Lady Nanase, her skills are put to test as she investigates into the client’s history. With her theory crafting and investigative skills, she’s able to discover the hidden truths. That is to say, despite how Kotoko looks, she is a detective extraordinaire in her field of expertise.

But…on a common sense level, Kotoko falls short when it comes to socialization. Let’s face it, she’s still has the mindset of a child in her attempt to pursue a relationship with Kuro. In the anime version, the relationship is clearly one-sided between the duo. The reason falls on Kuro’s own interest in Rikka, his own cousin introduced in later episodes. It would be fair play to say the anime’s romance is one of the weaker aspects but it also doesn’t help that sometimes, their character segments is nothing short of childish, and mostly pushed by Kotoko’s bubbly personality. She also clashes with Saki, Kuro’s ex-girlfriend and their first meeting almost borderlines like a meme. A recurring gag in the series includes Kotoko creating peculiar delusions in her mind and images about how Kuro will get back together with his ex.

Remember what I said about the anime feeling a lot like an advertisement billboard? That’s because the storytelling is fairly dragged out for one of its main arcs. I’m talking about dealing with Steel Lady Nanase, a plot revolving with a vengeful spirit in the modern timeline. The arc is focused on the death of an idol under tragic circumstances although a plot twist reveals other startling revelations. While the arc itself contains important details and appeals to supernatural youkai lore, there’s far too much emphasis that it feels dragged out. The anime could’ve condensed the arc but instead chose to milk it dry to the bone. And that’s not to say, I really do wish this show got animated for more than a single cour. There’s so much more potential to explore other youkai lore. Some of the audience may or may not see this as a problem but it’s still relevant to know that the show is too short for its own good.

Helmed by Brain’s Base and their talent, I do applaud the show’s appeal for its animation. The supernatural gimmicks makes for decent choreography with some of its action contents. There’s minimal censorship that showcase the powers of youkai and the main leads in all of its glory. Speaking of main leads, Kotoko is perhaps the most noticeable character to draw eyes on with her petite stature, beret hat, and doll-like appearance. Not to mention, she is missing an eye and leg. The rest of the cast are less impressive although Steel Lady Nanase’s faceless features will raise a few eyebrows. I won’t say this show is a masterful storyteller in visual quality but it certainly knows what the audience wants. And who can forget that lovely ED theme song with those wild dance moves?

As an anime with a variety of genres blend together, it felt like Kyokou Suiri knew what it was doing from the start. But as every episode dragged on, the plot itself gets too entangled in its Steel Lady Nanase affairs than anything else. The overemphasis of the arc costs the expense of the series' other core elements. And clearly, this anime needed more episodes to tell a bigger story for the main premise altogether. It doesn’t take a genius detective to figure that out.

I found this to be a disappointing adaptation and I will not be watching the remainder of it.

I think that there are three main problem areas which prevent the show from succeeding:

It has a grating pace. The plot structure is basically episodic monster of the week, but stretched out over several episodes at a time. And It is constantly perforated by repeated or only tangentially related flashbacks made up of panning stills and dull narration.

The characters lean heavily into stereotype to make up for the dreadfully lacking ability of the team to develop them on their own in the new medium.

The dialogue is mostly ... monotone, the characters generally have static facial expressions, and the extremely long scenes wherein only this motionless narration of basic deductive reasoning is occurring gives a lot of space for the viewer to realize how many other ways they could be better spending their time.

I went into Kyokou Suiri (In/Spectre) excited and came out bored. In/Spectre isn't a bad anime. I love the art style, the character designs and concepts, the romance, the soundtrack and lastly the voice work. The problem lies entirely with supernatural "mystery" element. And I use mystery loosely. A good mystery tries to get the audience actively engaged in trying to solve the crime (e.g. Poirot) and a bad one makes the audience passive by having some Deus Ex Machina solution (e.g. CSI, Bones). Kyokou Suiri does neither. Instead its like having someone explain to you a Mystery novel they recently read. This is ... easily the worst style of mystery I have ever come across. To make it worse the "mysteries" are not even interesting or unique. The pacing of these expositions scenes are horrible. The anime tries to throw in some visual to make it more interesting. But these visuals are used to try and keep the attention of viewer because the dialogue alone is so bland and long that most viewers will lose interest after a couple minutes.

The only aspect that this show exceeds in is its romance. Honestly I believe that had this show dropped its supernatural and mystery elements this would go from a 5/10 to a 8 or 9. My assumption for why people will keep watching this show will be for the romance and characters, and not for its plot. I dropped this anime after episode 8 because I was so bored with the bland exposition which takes up a tragic majority of each episode. If you like mysteries, suspense, or a plot that's engaging then I recommend you avoid this. However if you love romance and want to see something beyond the cliché anime high school romance setting then you should check it out.

Note: Have not read the manga
I wanted to enjoy this anime from the preview, I really did. Interesting main character with disabilities that actually limit her in a believable way? Mamoru Miyano? Very interesting case files dealing with supernatural causes? Yes, yes, yes!

Instead what I got was a mystery anime with maybe 2 arcs vaguely trying to moonlight as the Monogatari series in which they talk every episode and not much gets done at all.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm okay with anime that's very dialogue heavy, but it has to be interesting. And I know a lot of the reviews here say ... 'if you're a fan of bakemonogatari, you'll be a fan of this!'. Well I'm a fan and let me tell you, Bakemonogatari's dialogue has substance behind it, it's witty, it shows off the characters in a fun way that action wouldn't in that particular moment. In/Spectre unfortunately does not do this.

I understand, it's a mystery anime, there should be mystery, it should sometimes be a little slow as we're uncovering the solution! But when we go through literally an entire episode and nothing happens? It's a little disappointing.

What sucks is that the characters actually are very interesting and from my limited pov as an able-bodied person, I felt like the scenes they used to convey Kotoko and her disability were in good taste. Each character brings something to the table, which makes me so frustrated that the anime itself is so terribly paced like this.

I plan to finish out the series and maybe my views on this might change? But, unfortunately, I doubt it.

Not always do we come across series that is dialogue heavy to the core and follows a slightly unconventional story path than other anime. How can a series consisting of nothing but conversation between the protagonist and the supporting character for 80% of screen time can be some damn entertaining that it will keep you at the edge of the seat till last second? May I present you Kyokou Suiri!

Plot-

You can pretty much guess it from the summary. Kotoko Iwanaga is a mediator a.k.a. "goddess of wisdom" who acts as a consultant for the youkai which are usually invisible to normal humans. What makes ... the plot engaging is the 'consultant' part. Every premise/issues offers its own set of unique solution which are covered in dialogue heavy expositions.

Our second main protagonist is a mysterious person on its own. For now we don't know what the central plot of this series is but progression is paced really well so no complaints regarding that.

Art-

Nothing ground breaking it offers in this department. Animation doesn't look cheap so there is that.

Music-

Definitely one of my favourites of this season. The jazz ED by Mamoru Miyano is addictive as hell.

Overall this series is must watch from me for this season.

Rating (My opinion) 6.5/7*

A lot of Talking, TALKING, TALKING, NONSENSE, TALKING, TALKING AND MORE TALKING. If you are the type of person that enjoy mystery and a lot of dialog instead of action, then this anime is for you. Kyokou Suiri is an anime that is mostly focused in a mystery plot that doesn't make sense, I tried liking the show at first, I really did, but by the time I got to Episode 7, I was wishing for the show to end, it was boring, I couldn't stand it. I don't know how it got to the point of the whole 'Last Boss' but ... BOY... when it got to that point, 95% of the show was dialog. I couldn't get myself to like ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, so... if all of them died at some point, I wouldn't care.

This is getting very high scores so i thought i'd take the time to toss my opinion out there.

This is a fast paced show that assumes you are an idiot.

Well, maybe not...but boy does it beat a point to death! It isn't terrible...and the beginning had me there for a good few episodes...you will find yourself feeling "ohh, wait so thats where we are go---oop. nope we aren't okay"......or those super cringe moments where you suck on your teeth and hope the scene fades.

I guess I just couldn't believe the characters. I understand this show doesn't need to be realistic....i actually am ... very fond of the more bizarre stories. But it just felt like "I am weak but my brain goes fast fast! He is strong but also weak. We are perfect for each other! Here is cute thriller teehee!"

So, this review is trash but honestly there's nothing to say about this show without literally spoiling it. If you are vaccuming while watching this, you might mistake it for some clever thriller driven by fantastic fables and storytelling. But it just isn't! The stories sound made up. I am not talking about the stories that this show is taking inspiration from...I am talking about the literal stories in this show. They are silly, childish, and even once explaining it I feel like patting a seven year old on the back for correctly stringing together a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Sometimes it feels like I am watching the story unfold about two delusional characters who have failed in life so they create this world where one is a literal God and the other appears to monsters as some dark lord that should never be bothered...terrifying....but he cooks and cleans and she is aggressive and confrontational.

*yawn* whatever. I guess the romance genre feels stale. Not my cup of tea but I guess i dont' drink tea anyways.

In/Spectre is a 2011 Japanese novel published by Kodansha and written by Kyo Shirodaira (Blast of Tempest), with illustrations made by Hiro Kyohara and by Chasiba Katase. A manga adaptation with art by Chasiba Katase has been serialized since April, an anime television series adaptation by Brain's Base premiered on January 11, 2020. The anime focuses on Kotoko, when she was still just a girl, Kotoko was kidnapped by the spirits that asked her to become a mediator between the two worlds, as well as the Goddess of Wisdom for these spirits. However, great power always comes with a price: an eye and a leg. ... Now, years later, watching out for dangerous spirits, helping the good spirits, Kotoko meets a mysterious young man named Kurou and immediately takes an interest in him. How can spirits be afraid of a single human and what secrets does Kurou hide?

Once again I assure myself that the Japanese mythology is one of the richest, which also has many dark sides about it. And In/Spectre is dark and I would even add that it is quite a 'disturbing' series to watch sometimes. However, the only problem I find Important to mention is that In/Spectre also uses humor to balance tragedy and make it less disturbing. The problem is that this balance between tragedy and humor is somewhat bad, one interferes with another and because of that the series is somewhat unbalanced. Indeed, that is not much of a problem to address, but it would have made In/Spectre much more enjoyable to watch.

Although the backgrounds are nothing special, the viewer can really see the attention paid to the various protagonists; for example, Kotoko is the one with the most attention paid to her character, very dynamic animated, and cute, but never crosses over to the 'moe' side of cuteness, and you never lose the impression that she is most definitely far wiser than her years. Also, it is worth mentioning the animators paid enough attention to the supporting characters. Indeed, not something you would easily call an eye candy, but still the animation is good.

In/Spectre focuses on Iwanaga Kotoko and Sakuragawa Kurou. When she was still just a girl, Kotoko was kidnapped by the spirits that asked her to become a mediator between the two worlds, as well as the Goddess of Wisdom for these spirits. However, power always comes with a price: an eye and a leg. Now, years later, watching out for dangerous spirits, helping the good spirits, Kotoko meets a mysterious young man named Sakuragawa Kurou. Even though she is something more than a normal 17-year-old girl, she still lives an absolutely normal life. She falls in love with Kurou, whom she meets at the hospital and after some time becomes his girlfriend. Iwanaga Kotoko tells Kurou about her situation and even recruits him as her assistant, however, it turns out that Kurou has a secret of his own. Now the duo will solve many mysteries and serve as the mediators between the human and youkai worlds.

All in all, it looks somewhat average and there is hardly anything, which makes this series good. Yet, after some episodes, you will appreciate the good writing, as well as how the two worlds are depicted. It might scream average, when you start watching it. But do give it some time, after a slow start it becomes quite interesting show to watch.

I made an earlier review of this show after 7-8 episodes where I explained that there were several things I liked including the art, stylisation and early character exploration. However it needed a good kick up the ass to get things moving because the characters went on endless monologues, over-complicating uncomplicated ideas and had little to no natural interaction with each other. I gave the show a 6 and hoped for the best.

After watching the 12th and final episode I can say...It never did get the kick up the ass that it needed.

Several episodes of tedious, pretentious, try-hard pseudo-intellectual nonsense. Characters stood in place endlessly ... talking in circles, often repeating themselves. If the mysteries and theories explored were smart, interesting or well crafted then it could have had the makings of fantastic supernatural detective/mystery show. Instead we're presented with mind-blowing murder theories like..."killed by a brick on a string". The show tries to be almost Sherlockian in its structure, attempting to dissect minute details and clues, without the intelligence, wit or story crafting to do so.

This anime has more water than the Pacific Ocean.

First episode tricked me with Bakemonogatari style's dialogues and youkais and I believed that it would be similar to Bakemonogatari. Haha, it is more similar to my diploma. In russian title is 'False Conclusions' and its really true. Firstly I thought we will get some stories which include a murder and yokai, but, we got like 1 introduction story about turtle, and then infinitive Steel Nanance arc. Protagonists saying same thoughts in different words for 4 series in a row. And even 'action' in 9th episode is just saying boring things.

Iwanaga and Kuro are cool ... characters with specific chemistry, but author don't want to show us their communications or put them in interesting situations, so we just got some weird detective without a murderer. Cannot recommend this anime.