Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge - 04

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With each passing episode, I find myself being more and more drawn to Crime Edge.  Who would have thunk it?

I've mentioned in previous posts that my biggest reservation with Crime Edge was going to be the story.  For one, the animation is impeccable - didn't need three episodes to see that - and the soundtrack fits the series almost perfectly, aligning itself with the dark tone and mystery of the series.  That left the plot, which didn't have me convinced even after three episodes.

Luckily, this episode did a damn good job of convincing me to trust the direction of the story.  How it convinced me, was with the way it handled the introduction of the new Authors and that was enough.  Though it may seem like an insufficient reason to put more faith in Crime Edge, I'd like to remind people this is an anime adapted from a shonen manga.  It may not feel, look or act like it but it's still a shonen series and with that comes the unavoidable plot twists, devices and overall execution.

Take this episode for example.  Introducing the next enemy/antagonist is a tried-and-true next step in any shonen series, yet Crime Edge pulls it off and makes it feel original.  The introductions aren't big; one just shows up and the other is hinted at since the first encounter.  Not only does it come naturally, but the pairs - Authors and Insteads - have poetic backgrounds.  I say that thinking more about the piano player and her tuner, but even the judicial author and the cop can be put in the same group.  Both pairs have their own relationships, which continues to be an oddly touching aspect of the series.

With the introduction of two new characters filling up the episode, there isn't much else to say about this episode of Crime Edge.  I suppose I could bring up the continued presence of the Instead's fetishism but then again, it continues to be a small part of the series.  In fact, it's only used to bring some bizarre humour to an even stranger series.  Aside from that, Gossip's name popped up once again however nothing was revealed.  We'll have to wait and see what Gossip's role in the series will be and for now assume it's a mystery for a reason.

Final Note: Is Zenigata named after who I think it is? More poetic writing at work here.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge Episode 05 Preview

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