Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge - 07
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Fresh from a death game mini-arc, Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge takes a step back this week. Don't worry we still get our dose of fetish and relationship development.
We're back to taking things easy as the episode favours going back to old plot points instead of moving forward. A breather of sorts, though I'm not all that sure Crime Edge has been intense enough to need one. It does nonetheless benefit from an episode like this because it shines focus to the strong parts of Crime Edge and doesn't push through the death game portion of the story.
The Byouinzaka sisters are revisited once again. We've already dealt with their personal relationship once before and it's made clear that was merely the tip of the iceberg. Since we got Yamane as the main focus the last time the sisters appeared, it was time for Houko to bare all. As we learn about her own insecurities, Crime Edge takes the opportunity to expand its take on relationships.
It's made clear that Author/Instead relationships are hard. Each one has presented itself as an odd existence - S&M, physical handicaps, good and bad - but none should be as simple as the Byouinzaka sisters' relationship. They're sisters after all, and they've been through a lot. Still. We had yet to consider Houko's struggle in all of this, as she harboured feelings of inadequacy thanks to Kiri and Iwai. The latter have been going down a very slow and wonderful romantic journey that comes only for a moment or two in any given episode. That said, this was the first time we saw the ostracised Hair Queen and the Crime Edge wielding weirdo have a less obvious effect on the other characters.
While the Byouinzaka sisters grew closer together in this episode, Kiri and Kashiko reminisce in their own way. This was where we got the fetish fix of the episode in the form of a "suspended bridge theory." A theory that quite overtly points out how deep the fetishism can get in Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge, as well as drawing my attention to the complexity of the human psyche. In its approach, Crime Edge continues to have enough subtlety when dealing with its strangest recurring plot point - at times.... Kiri and Kashiko's relationship continues on the same path, with Kashiko receiving a bit of sympathy from myself.
After all that, we got to the ending. The breather is most likely over and we're about to get plunged into more dark battles. As testament to that, the Professor has come out of the woodwork and has taken a more active role. How far his reach will extend remains to be seen, but he cannot be trusted. Right now, the feeling is that Iwai and Kiri are headed into the mother of all traps, with no possibility of escape.
Not the most exciting episode of Crime Edge, but the build-up was there. It wasn't pointless or dull, just slowed down. The next episode should bring us back to the main storyline and give us more uncomfortable horror to deal with.
Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge Episode 08 Preview
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