I’m not going to argue with the majority because Crime Edge really is chocked full with flaws. Regarding the plot, well, it’s essentially pretty poorly told. The story is full of rushed and vague plot points that are never fully explained, let alone even made use of. It brings up seemingly important characters and scenes that never amount to anything in the end. Essentially, the writing for the story was pretty lazy and it left a lot to be desired and not in a good way.
The show also gets way too caught up with its own fetishes. It’s not Highschool of the Dead bad, but it’s just up there. It breaks a lot of the tension and it’s quite uncomfortable watching whole scenes dedicated to them. I don’t want to see couples licking whips or girls licking syringe wounds alright?
So even with that said, why did I fall in the minority? Why was I able to finish this show?
Because everything about the show, aside from the plot, is so oddly enthralling. The atmosphere is ambiguous and mystifying. The delicately crisp animation, the beautiful dream-like artwork and use of monochromatic color palettes, the edgy cinematography and an absolutely gorgeous soundtrack drew me in. Every character intrigued me with their own quirky feats and Kiri and Iwai certainly made a very charming couple. Antagonists and side characters are well characterized and given enough depth to draw them away from merely being plot devices. The action scenes are also really well choreographed and they never last longer than they need to. The show is loaded with a lot of energy, a lot of charm and a lot of heart.
From what I thought would only be mindless entertainment, it had much more substance than I thought and some truly beautiful moments.
Do I recommend?: Crime Edge suffers from a very weak and underwhelming story and it tends to get too caught up with its fetishes. However, the show has enough charm and heart and it never has a dull moment. If you can tolerate a weak story and fetishes then Crime Edge is worth watching.
