Kyokou Suiri

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 as a concept could not be more fitting in what's been called the "post-truth" era we find ourselves in. At the crux of the drama behind In/Spectre is essentially a PR/political campaign. Iwanaga utilizes elements of social-psychology to spin narratives that find their grounds in the believable but often not real. It's as much a picture of how PR & political campaigns work as it is a grim look at the state of public discourse in a world full of actors wielding narratives. In the above regard, In/Spectre explores substance that has yet to be dealt with in the anime medium. But while the ... concept is an incredible 10/10, other aspects of the title did not fare as well.

The characters of In/Spectre are a mixed bag.

Iwanaga is the character with the most dimension. Her confidence, pushiness and past are clear and make her an enjoyable character to watch. As the main character of this psychological/mystery, we get a pretty in depth look at her rationality. She possesses sharp logic but the detailed stories she weaves don't account for the components of a potent narrative--namely: that it has to be simple, convincing and all-encompassing. She overcomplicates her stories and operates in an online forum setting among peers but somehow maintains a platform to speak on the subject without getting drown out by other voices spinning their own narratives, making the scenario difficult to believe. Lastly, she puts too much stock into how rational people who believe in ghosts are. Thats not to say that everyone who believes in ghosts is irrational, but a good portion aren't going to be as concerned about bulletproof logic so why rely so heavily on a strength that isn't as effective in that space?

Kurou is a blank slate male protagonist. He might as well be Mr. Plank. For every 100 words Iwanaga got in Kurou got in maybe 10, which works for Iwanaga's character and the role she plays, but I've never watched a show coming away knowing so little about one of the main characters. His family past & powers are given the bulk of the screen time but little can be said about his personality, his relationship with Iwanaga is ambiguous--no idea how he feels about her, or even why he agrees to date her. It may not be needed for this story but I found it bizarre how little explanation is given regarding how half of his power works. All in all, this entire 4 sentence paragraph is literally all I can think of regarding Kurou.

Not much to say about the other characters Saki & Rikka (and if you want to include Karin). Saki - ex-girlfriend cop don't really get why she's around other than for romantic tension & connection to police records. Rikka - creepy cousin that Kurou cares about.

The pacing is horrible.

The initial feeling was that this was going to be episodic with the common thread throughout being Iwanaga & Kurou's relationship, a structure that works well for a brief 12 episode season, but instead we got an exposition dump early on, rushed through character introductions and then stretched out a 2-3 episode arc out over ~6 episodes.

The art/character design for the ladies in the show was decent, Kurou however could've been copy-pasted from any old mediocre anime from 2014-2023.

In conclusion:

Concept: 10/10
Characters: 6.5/10
Pacing: 2/10
Art/Character Design: 5/10
Music: --/10 (I can't recall any part of the soundtrack that stood out enough to rate it)

Overall, I'd give this a 7/10. The concept does 90% of the heavy lifting so if that intrigues you I'd recommend watching. If not I'd say pass. Season 2 has room to make up for where season 1 was lacking, hopefully the production team makes good use of that room by fleshing out characters, relationships and implementing better pacing.

(P.S. This should definitely be marked as either "Seinen" or "Josei" as 1. little of this show is characteristically Shounen 2. this deals with more adult relationships & deeper concepts that Shounen viewers are unlikely to be satisfied with.)

I started to follow at the time of its release, at first the anime has a very good premise and seems to have a lot of potential, but with the passing of the episodes it is clear that the quality will drop with time. The story is lukewarm, decent art, a little weak soundtrack and only the main characters deliver anything.

Overall it is an anime below average to pass the time, it had everything to work out, but unfortunately they delivered another ordinary anime, lackluster, with massive dialogues, not that this is a problem, I love a good storyline, but we are not talking about ... a good plot here.

If you have nothing better to do, absolutely nothing, watch Kyokou Suiri.

I'll start by saying that I reasonably enjoyed this anime. What I'll write next might make it seem like it's not worth your while, but that's not necessarily true. It's a show that will have a particular audience and if that's you, great.

The first few episodes did the job of grabbing my attention with interesting characters and dynamics. For the rest of the series, I felt switched and baited. I might have enjoyed it more if I had not expected something different from the first few episodes.

This show is about a girl who uses logical (if far fetched) arguments to ... change people's mind. That's it. There's a bit with a guy, that's not honestly not important as of this season. There's an antagonist, that also doesn't matter yet, you get the gist of their backstory and nothing more. There's a slow SLOW fight with absolutely no hype... if that's your cup of tea.

It is interesting to see the logical gymnasitcs the protagonist takes, but if watching a girl at a laptop is not your idea of a bomb anime, maybe this is a skip?

As for me, I powered through it all and ended up enjoying it a little bit, enough that I would watch a season two if it gets it, but wouldn't cry if it doesn't get it.

So, Koykou Suiri is very bad, but you can pass the time.
The female protagonist is so cool and even then there was no better use of her. The first episode is incredible, I seriously thought it was going to be a good anime based on it, but as we can see, the episodes that have passed have shown how they can end up with a good plot in minutes.
The male protagonist does not speak or show so much charisma, shallow and meaningless secondary characters. Worst of all is spending 4 episodes listening to the girl talk about hypotheses that don't make any sense, so, as ... I said, Kyoukou Suiri is very bad despite having everything to be good. It is a pity!

Fé nos brasileiros que fazem reviews, hihi.

You ever feel conflicted while rating a series because even though you enjoyed watching it, you know it's badly written and has many flaws?
I wasn't conflicted while rating Kyokou Suiri, just wanted you to understand why I'm going to rip it apart despite giving it a decent rating.

There are 3 characters worth talking about in this show, Kotoko (the female protagonist), Kurou (the guy Kotoko has a crush on), and Saki (Kurou's ex-girlfriend).
The story is about Kotoko and Kurou solving paranormal mystery cases, or at least that's what it's supposed to be.
Stories like this usually go one of two ways, either get into a story ... right away and follow it until the end, or introduce a concept and make different stories/arcs following that concept, and it seems like Kyokou Suiri is stuck in the middle, it wanted to go the second way but the adaptation stuck with one major arc that took over 9 episodes out of 12.
Now this wouldn't have been a problem if the first 3 episodes managed to set things up properly, but unfortunately they didn't.

The biggest problem of this show is Kotoko's qualification as a spiritual detective or "Goddess of Wisdom" as spirits like to call her, in most shows the protagonist has to have some sort of a skill that's displayed for us as early as possible so the story can get into the main plot, for example if the protagonist is a detective they start by solving a case, if they're a boxer they have a boxing match.
So, what does the "Goddess of Wisdom" do exactly? She proves her incompetence right from episode 1, surely you wouldn't expect a "Goddess of Wisdom" to lack the wisdom, but here we have Kotoko stalking Kurou, forcing him to go out with her even though he's clearly not interested, asking him to accompany her to a dangerous place where she's supposed to solve a case, approaches a monster that's obviously stronger than her, almost getting herself killed, causing the monster to bite off Kurou's arm.
You may not notice the complete idiocy of her actions, because hey, Kurou is immortal and can regenerate fast so there were no consequences, but then you remember that Kotoko didn't know he was immortal!
Goddess of Wisdom? She's more like Goddess of Bullshit! I'm not even joking, you'll know why I chose the word "bullshit" specifically.

Next we have the first arc, which is basically an episode and a half of Kotoko talking to a giant snake about some case, they literally sit and talk for the whole thing, the case has been closed but the snake has questions about it, and after long explanations and twists about the truth of the case, which seemed far-fetched and didn't make sense, we learn that the whole time Kotoko was making shit up to go along with the snake's nitpicks.
What does this mean? When Kotoko tells Kurou that she was only bullshitting the snake, Kurou replies with "I think I understand your true power now", so you're telling me that this is Kyokou Suiri's way of displaying the protagonist's skills? Kotoko's "wisdom" is not an ability to analyze or investigate or deal with complicated situations, it's the ability to bullshit others? I wish I was making this up!
Now let's make one thing clear, the most effective way to lie and manipulate others is by telling the truth and twist it with just the right amount of lies, we've seen fictional characters who are known for pulling that off brilliantly, but Kotoko's case is different, she makes up stories and lies as much as she can, and none of them are consistent, this is something that most people are capable of! Not only that, but even if her lies were clever, would you call that "wisdom"? I sure wouldn't.
If we want to talk wisdom, wasn't it wiser to tell the snake to get over the case, especially since it has nothing to do with him? I mean, it's not like he was a threat to Kotoko, in fact he spoke to her with respect as if she's a higher being, so there's no reason for Kotoko not to tell him to shove his questions up his you know where.
Making shit up and completely twisting the truth was not wise at all, it was totally unnecessary, and why should we, the audience, care about a case that's already been closed anyway?!

If you think that I may be exaggerating, the next arc only proves my point, Kotoko really goes all out here with the bullshit!
I'll try to explain Kotoko's role in this arc without spoiling anything from it, basically there's this urban legend and Kotoko has to make up stories and post them on the internet to convince people that it's not real.
Note that from people's perspective it's only based on rumors and only the main characters know it's real, but apparently people can be too stupid that they need someone to write stories on the internet to convince them that ghosts don't exist!
And it's really hilarious how others look at Kotoko in admiration as if she's doing something brilliant, while all she's doing is writing posts on social media about this urban legend.
If the writer managed to make the behavior of the people on the internet convincing and had Kotoko struggling with trolls and clever people arguing with her and making their own theories about the matter, it would've been somewhat entertaining, but no, the comments are presented in a very lazy way, like the people commenting are too bored and uninterested.
And if that wasn't bad enough, suddenly we learn that Kurou, on top of being immortal, has the ability to "change the future" but in order to do that he has to, well, I don't know what, since the show never really explains how it works, all you need to know here is that there's magic, but in order for it to work Kotoko has to pull off her bullshit.
Yeah, it's an asspull so any sudden changes in the people's behavior will have magic shenanigans to justify them, if they suddenly agree with Kotoko's bullshit she says that Kurou's power is working!
How hard was it to make a fake twitter account and talk to people to research their behavior and use that as your reference? But no, Kotoko's unimpressive skill wasn't even enough to solve the problem, we needed Kurou's magic for that.

There are a few other problems worth mentioning too, like how despite being only 12 episodes long the show is not afraid of spending multiple episodes in one place with the characters doing the same thing and not moving at all, the last few episodes felt like they were dragging on I just wanted them to end, the same can be said about the first arc, which as I mentioned earlier is all about Kotoko and the giant snake just talking.
Another problem is the underwhelming role of the spirits, they are supposed to be crucial to the story and yet they barely do anything important.

To be fair though, regardless of the bad writing, Kyokou Suiri is very fun to watch, mainly because of the chemistry between the characters.
Kotoko is fun, it would've suited her more if she was presented as a straight up stalker that lacks common sense and lies to people all the time, because that makes more sense, but to be fair "Goddess of Wisdom" fits her visual design more. One other thing that annoys me about her character though is how she casually talks about how she lost her eye and leg even when it's irrelevant, she doesn't seem to do it for self pity, in fact she's cheerful and positive all the time, which makes it weird. It's like having an orphan always joke about how he has no parents, you wouldn't know if it's a cry for help or lacking common sense.
As for Kurou, it seems from the show's narrative that he's supposed to be this sweet guy with a monstrous power and a dark past, but his behavior and face expressions make him look like a psychopath, and the fact he's voiced by the same actor as Yagami Light doesn't help, I found his backstory interesting though.
And lastly, I haven't talked about Saki have I? the most likeable character in the show despite being Kurou's ex-girlfriend, ironically she's wiser and more mature than Kotoko, also Kurou seems to get along with her more than he does with Kotoko.
What I appreciate the most in this show is that it doesn't complicate and dramatize the relationship between these three characters, Saki and Kurou are not interested in going back together, which I'm grateful for because the last thing the show needed was a love triangle, this managed to keep the atmosphere light-hearted, even when Kotoko is jealous of Saki it's never accompanied with sad music or a serious tone.

As for the animation, it's solid, too bad they don't do much with it though, I mean what can you do when all the characters are doing is talking? But well, I really like the art style and character designs.
The music is also very good, it's pleasant to listen to, and the opening is catchy I never skipped it.

In conclusion, Kyokou Suiri is a fun show but a terrible story, if you found it interesting and want to judge it for yourself go for it, at least you won't be bored, otherwise I'd say there are countless other things you can invest your time in than this.

This anime rides HARD on the back of Bunny Girl Senpai, which already was riding hard on the back of Bakemonogatari. The first few episodes are enjoyable because of this, but for some reason despite being obviously inspired by these two dialogue heavy supernatural series, it chose to continue one entire story arc for all 12 episodes.

Part of the reason the dialogue heavy Bakemonogatari is tolerable is because each story only lasts 3-5 episodes, and they eventually intertwine here and there. The same goes for Bunny Girl Senpai. I was alright with Bunny Girl copying a bit from Bakemonogatari because it was at least still ... paced decently, but this show is such an insufferable slow burn that I can hardly even remember what went on for the vast majority of it. Each episode maybe, if even, introduces a small tidbit of actually meaningful information. I was shocked to find that the initial plot line would be the entire anime.

It's truly a shame because the concept and characters are very enjoyable and interesting. The plot is great, but could be easily condensed into 3 or 4 episodes. The introduction of a main character near the end is jarring and nonsensical, as adding their presence earlier could have provided some depth to the plot.

The first 2-3 episodes are fantastic and super enjoyable. They feel very fresh, but it slowly devolves into a generic copy cat of already acclaimed series.

Why do you have to complicate things. The story would have been good if not great if unnecessary things were not included. And if you had to do so, it should have made connections in the story. The first episode was good and the expectations were set based on it. The whole steel whatever would have been fine too unless there weren’t plot holes. Nothing connected. So many options and the author couldn’t settle on one thing. Make up your mind. I was in a good mood, now I’m just taking out my frustration. See this is exactly what should not have happened. If it ... were good, I’d have just updated my list and continued to find another good series. Instead I still have to watch the remaining two (bothersome). I don’t want to add stuff in my dropped list....

I came for Kuro the sociopath and action, and got an annoying Loli. This show is a wannabe professor Layton, wannabe Sakura card captor, but doesn't provide an interesting narrative for the investigations nor cute & fun action.
The characters spend SO MUCH time talking just to say nothing, with the exact same tone. It's incredibly boring.
But the art is pretty good, and the characters (when they aren't just talking and talking) are really cute and interesting. I just seriously wish there'd be less pointless talks repeating the same things and basically praising themselves for the supposed complexity of their thinking (especially since it's ... not even that complex).
So meh 6.5

I tried to hold on with this one hoping it would get better, but the story is just a bit all over the place, with characters that are mysterious, yet boring and I don't feel any particular attachment to them, in fact I could say that I don't particularly like some of them.
I feel like this had potential to be good but just lacked any kind of depth and tried to keep stringing along it's audience with 'mystery' but it's just the same character elements over and over..
Might pick this up again after some time off it.. but it was just too much of ... characters stood in place talking about what was going on instead of actually doing something meaningful.

This show is probably the least interesting out of the "person solves problems involving spirits" shows I've seen. Unlike similar shows like Natsume or Monogatari or Mushihshi, or even Hanako from this same season, this show seemingly has no flare of its own. The show is mainly talking, which would be good if the series had interesting art, characters, or direction to make all the long winded talking bearable.

Like in monogatari mentioned above. The entire show is 80% dialogue, but the series is still interesting because each character is unique in the ways the interact with the main protagonist, and there's interesting art and scene ... changes that give you something to look at while the talking is happening, all wrapped together with a beautiful soundtrack. These are all things that make dialogue driven shows bearable to watch, but this show seemingly has none of that.

None of the characters have memorable or interesting personality traits or diverse interactions with each-other. When Kotoko isn't being one-legged Sherlock Holmes, she's drooling over Kurou, and when Kurou isn't being a literal punching bag, he's an emo tsundere with a side of OP superhuman abilities. I don't even remember the name of the female cop off the top of my head....but she's also forgettable. Pretty much a vanilla character there to be a foil for the other two.

Kotoko also has the personality of a paper plate. She is not interesting to listen to at any point in this show. Listening to her talk about the solutions to the mysteries covered in this show is about as interesting as listening to your math professor go over the answers to last night's homework. When you have an uninteresting protagonist coupled with droning textbook reminiscent introspection , and average soundtrack, and uninteresting visuals, you get a lecture.......which is boring. It would have been better if this had ended up being a battle anime like Noragami (which is where I thought this was heading based on the 1st episode) because this is just......so boring.

Only pluses I can give the show are Nanase's titties, and the fact that the mystery writing isn't actually terrible like that of another show this season (ID: Invaded....).

If you haven't watched it, don't watch it. Between Magia Record and Hanako, there's other shows this season that cover similar plot themes (Hanako being the better of the two). I would highly recommend checking out one of those two before even considering this.

6 - I liked it. Didn't regret watching, but probably wouldn't watch a 2nd time if nostalgia bias didn't exist. Probably had a good message, was a guilty pleasure, or the story was solid.


This anime has the real potential to being a long running anime. All it really needs is a cute spirit mascot to sell merch. This is legit. However, it's only 12 episodes with possibly no anime sequel. Not that it's bad that it is only 12 episodes. But it does have the ability to become a 50+ episode long anime if the OP/ED was better, and there was a cute mascot to ... put into the show.

So the story doesn't necessarily stand out. The setting is fine, and the supernatural aspect of it isn't bad. It's a reverse mystery show where the mystery is already solved, but the protagonist have to figure out a way end said mystery. The final stretch of this show consisted of an interesting way to handle the big problem.

The smarts of the MC really showed, but she's simply fine as a main character. She's pouty and jealous which is fine. I'm not the type to hate "annoying" characters so long as they're not actively doing things to make things difficult for the reason. Her love interest is more of a protector than a love interest which is a nice spin to it as well.

It's mystery anime set up in a supernatural world in which there is some romance aspects. That's fine, and in a 12 episode anime it felt ok. In the end it did make me think this could be a successful anime. Not anything which would be crazy popular in Japan, but something that could gain a cult following.

There isn't much bad to say about it. The animation and art are normal. It's all generic. Some of the designs are fine, and the girls who are supposed to be "pretty" legit do look pretty! Their faces, hair, and style does express, "hey, that 2D girl is good looking."

I'm not sure what exactly would done to be able to push this to a 7, which to me means it is rewatchable and memorable. The 2nd half of this anime was definitely a well done arc while the 1st half was a decent introduction to the world. I think I would recommend this to someone to binge over a weekend if their tastes were for mystery anime.

The story here was indeed solid, and some touch ups to this story could have pushed it to a 7. Maybe a 24 episode anime with a cute anime, and a solid and heartfelt conclusion. This season felt more like a "beginning to a story." I'd look forward to a second season if they decided to finish the story. Obviously there is an on-going manga, so the rest of the story is there. Just not in anime form.

Let me just say, this show lost some points to me once I watched the 1st episode when it came out and decided to wait to binge it all. When you wait to binge something, it either means you don't have time on your hands, or you would rather watch a bad show in one setting than drag it out for weeks. I am both. But, enough jibberjab and lets get down to a simple review.

Story: 5/10
The story just did not feel...great. As others have said, the pacing is off. The first episode is devoted to meeting the 2 people on the cover of the ... anime, the next 2 episodes focus on how the girl Iwanaga uses lies and speculation to convince a supernatural snake about why a suspected killer said a certain set of words, and the rest of the show jumps 2 years later. The male figure, Kuro, is supposedly dating Iwanaga and they encounter Kuro's ex who is involved with an apparition tormenting people. The action feels lack luster and they are not really solving anything. Iwanaga is using compiled evidence to create lies and speculation on an Internet forum to stop the main bad girls plan and the man bad girl is coincidentally Kuro's cousin.
For about 5 episodes, Iwanaga and Kuro's ex remain in the car just posting on a web site. Their main goal: to convince others that the apparition is not real, or that the apparition appears under certain reasons. They never leave the car while Kuro is outside, with regenerative powers (because why not), as he is dying and trying to stop the apparition.
I enjoy shows with heavy dialogue like Bunny Senpai or the Monogatari Series. I enjoyed them because other elements helped amplify their story. The art of both shows helped, the characters were likable, and Monogatari does not remain stagnant as it flashes panels in front of the viewers eyes. However, during In/Spectre, there is nothing to amplify this story. The characters are meh, the art is average, and everything feels stagnant in the background or on screen.
And the frustrating part is the reason why the cousin created an apparition. To be normal. Sounds like a good answer? How to do that you may ask? By becoming or creating a god like figure. That just sounds like a generic goal for her. But, that is me.
Art: 5/10
The art feels average to me. I did not like the the ghosts or other spirits art style and there was not anything that made Kuro or the other characters really stand out. Only character design I liked was Iwanaga but I would probably rate her a 6/10 compared to the others. The OP and ED have a lot of symbolic meanings behind them but they feel generic. The ED seemed cool with Kuro and Iwanaga dressed in a suit and dress. I expected to see them dance together but I was let down. Instead, it was a silhouette of each of them briefly dancing by themselves and a bunch of still frames of themselves.The OP/ED did not really try anything new with their art and it felt average. I would have given this a 4 but it was cool seeing the animation of the blood of Kuro and his cousin get pulled back towards them. So, I gave this a point
Sound 3/10
The Sounds are so generic, it got bad. The music of the OP/ED did not breathe life into this show. The ED did compliment the visuals of the suit and dress worn by Kuro and Iwanaga. But, it felt like generic music to me. The VA's did not really stand out to me in the show whatsoever.
Character 6/10:
Probably the highest scored category for this show to me. The characters had various flaws but helped a little with their backstory or interactions with each other.
For starter, each character just felt bland by themselves.
Kuro, never felt like the protagonist of the show. More spotlight was focused on Iwanaga and Kuro's ex. The only interested thing about him was how he interacted with Iwanaga near the end and his backstory. His interactions with Iwanaga are cute as he tries to not fall for her antics. But, what was interesting of me was his backstory. His family for 10 generations, meddled with myths and apparitions. They sought to see the future and make it their own. So, they took the meat of a cow-like being that saw the future but would soon die after. The family members would eat the meat and would instantly die. This occurred for generations until an idea came about. The family decided to eat mermaid flesh because it allows one to become immortal and not die. Experiments were done to eat both mermaid and the cow meat to attain this power. Kuro and his cousin soon gain those powers. The only question I have is how the fuck they even managed to get this meat? Soon after, Kuro can regenerate and see multiple futures. Sound overpowered.
The next person is the ex of Kuro, Saki. Saki represents the role of the viewers. She is tagging along with Kuro and Iwanaga trying to investigate the apparition she is chasing. She offers up questions as to why something may or may not be to set up Iwanaga response to these questions. She represents humanity because she is not used to the world of ghosts or apparitions like those two but her interactions with the others were meh.
The main bad girl of the show is Kuro's cousin. She has the same powers as him and her main objective is to become normal. To do that, it is implied that she will create a God like being. A very cliche method which I am tired of. Additionally, she does not stand out as a bad person compared to other anime.
Iwanaga. A character with a prosthetic leg and fake eye. She is smart giving her title of being a Goddess of Wisdom but she felt bland interacting with Saki or whenever she was by herself. All she ever did was create speculations as to what or why something happened. The only reason I took a liking to her was her desperate attempts to love Kuro in different ways.
Enjoyment: 5/10
Besides the first episode, I binged the series in two days. And I am glad I waited for it all to air because it was boring in the latter half. The characters were mech and the music was not great. If it was not for the ads of crunchy roll, I feel this show would and should stay lost as a seasonal.
Overall 5/10:
At the end of the day, the show brought a smile to my face a couple of times. It was a weird way to see people battle Internet forums. But, ultimately, it did not really do anything special. It did not do anything or make any impact on me. For that, I gave it a 5.

I start by saying that I overall enjoyed this anime. However, there are some annoying things about it.
At first I only watched it because my all time fav VA was casted and I enjoyed the first episodes a great amount.. But, for me at least, it kinda went downhill from there. Although people say that the first 3-4 episodes are not canon so they make no sense, I quite enjoyed the story with the snake more than the next one which took about 75% of the anime, when it could have been condensed in less episodes.
It is a mystery anime, but not the average ... one, so if you don't enjoy much talking and get bored easily, this isn't for you. But the story suffers from a bunch of plotholes nevertheless. (I haven't read the manga but the anime doesn't explain these.) For example, how did Saki see all the ghosts but others didn't see a girl riding a huge skeleton in the middle of the night?
About the MC, he's kind of bland not gonna lie.. The female MC is a cute loli (what have i done here) but her personality and obsession towards the male MC got a bit annoying, at least for me, especially towards the end.
Other than that, if you enojiyed anime such as Hyouka, Oregairu, the Monogatari series, that focus more on speech than actions, you'll probably enjoy this one too.
--Forgot to mention: the opening is absolutely amazing, and the ending is really cool. Awesome soundtrack.