Watching Terror in Resonance is a bit like reliving the horrible event that happened in NYC. Sure, many movies and pop culture has reference to that tragic day, but nothing quite resemble what Terror in Resonance did, at least in its first act.
MIXED - Story
In essence, Terror in Resonance is a detective story. But instead of watching a lone wolf detective trying to bust his balls chasing criminals who are always one step ahead, we are treated with a cat-and-mouse chase. We know who the culprits are early on and we know what they are up to. But we don't know why they are the way they are and why they did the things they did. This is where the anime gets interesting.
Terrorism is such a sensitive topic in our real world society right now, yet the creators of this anime is not afraid to bring it to the forefront of our minds. This is not for those who still think they are affected by any form of terrorism in any way, shape or form, be it 9/11, Charlie Hebdo or Boko Haram. It is graphical, even though no deaths are involved, at least none that has been reported (but that does not mean it's victimless). It's a bit like the IRA back in the last century when the police was warned before the bombs went off.
In Terror in Resonance, the terrorists (two teenagers who called themselves Sphinx) forewarn the authority by the way of a video uploaded to the internet. They give out a puzzle about the location of the explosive device and leave the cops to figure out where. The first terrorist act that they performed is very much akin to the 9/11 tragedy. The settings might be different, but the impact is just the same. There were no casualties, but one of the towers of the government building in the Shinjuku district was destroyed.
As the story progresses, the terrorists put their crafts in places that cause mayhem. However, there is a conflict of interest here. On one hand, their goal is to disrupt daily lives by blowing things up, but on the other, they actually do not want to cause fatality. Sure, you can disrupt lives without killing, but why threaten to blow up something in a crowded area when you are not actually planning to go through it, knowing that the end result have a high probability of causing death?
On the other end is the cops who, despite mobilising a huge amount of resources, seems to be helpless. In come Shibazaki, a demoted cop who happens to be really good at investigating these sort of things. He is the driver who solve the riddles being raised by the terrorists.
The whole series gives off this "Ghost In The Shell" vibe about it. It is dark, sinister and mysterious. However, it doesn't provoke any deep thinking in the same way GITS might. In the end, it is a story about how the cops chase down a bunch of teenagers who happen to know a lot of stuff about blowing things up.
GOOD - Characters
For every good crime thriller, there must have some well thought-out characters who support the script. Luckily, Terror in Resonance offers a bunch of different, if not all interesting, group of individuals.
Nine is the mastermind of the entire terror operation. He is calculated, calm and logical. Twelve forms the second half of their little terror outfit. He is playful, daring and lot more cheerful than his counterpart. The third member to join them inadvertently is Lisa Mishima, a klutzy girl who runs away from her troubled mother and the bullies from school. She ends up staying with the Sphinx pair and is the source of some light hearted moment in an otherwise dark anime.
On the other side of the fence is Shibazaki, the lone cop who actually cares about the motive behind all the terrorist attacks in a time when the rest of the police force only care about how to stop the terrorists. He is later joined by a hot headed partner who initially rejects the Shibazaki way, but eventually comes around. Sadly, this pair sounds too much like a cliche pair of Hollywood cops.
Getting in the middle of it all is Five, a super intelligent girl from the FBI who seems to be somehow related to Nine and Twelve. Sadly, she proves to be the weakest link in the series with her outlandish personality and a somewhat ridiculously childish plot to stop the terror by, wait for it, causing more terror.
There is not much character development in the show, but luckily the show is not character driven.
MIXED - Graphics
The attention to details is nothing short of perfection. From the computer screen (which looks remarkably like Windows / Mac) to the explosion, everything is in its place. The character design fits the character in question. The cheerful Twelve wears outgoing casual weekend wear while Nine is more conservative in is choice of clothing.
However, the art style is not to everyone's taste. The creators use hard solid lines, everyone seems to be suffering from vitamin D deficiency. They are all so pale and lack skin tone. You can hardly find any soft colour in the series and everything is dark and heavy.
Ultimately, the graphics in Terror is more of a personal taste than anything. Some might be put off by the lack of warm colour, while others would praise the aesthetic approach that the creators took.
BAD - OP/ED
I will probably burn in hell for this. But I, for one, did not like the OP and ED of Terror in Resonance. I cannot pinpoint the one thing that I didn't like about it, but the songs sound rough and unrefined. I know that some viewers would love it. The one exception is the final slow melody that is vastly different from the other songs.
Please feel free to disagree.
GOOD - Music / Sound
The BGM to the anime is much better. The music is cheerful relative to the artistic direction that Terror has taken. It's much more soothing than the OP/ED. The sound is also well done. Explosions, helicopters, trains, gun shots, everything mixes well with the environment. It really feels as if you were there.
OVERALL
Terror in Resonance is an anime that provoke. Whether it's the artistic style, the theme or the plot, it would make some viewers uncomfortable. That said, the series is by no mean more sinister than your average crime thriller. You might not feel for the two teenagers. After all, they are committing a crime, regardless of motive.
The plot is intense and interesting to watch. Characters are, in the majority of cases, an ensemble that support each other to tell a story. Art and sound are areas up for debate. There are some rough edges, but in the overall scheme of things, Terror in Resonance is enjoyable to watch.
