Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou: First Impressions

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The first official anime of the Summer 2013 season is out! Gonzo's attempt at a return to relevance starts with Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou (Dog & Scissors) and it's definitely not a mainstream pick.

I'll be the first to admit that Inu to Hasami was barely on my radar.  A combination of Gonzo's poor track record post-2006 and the source material being a light novel, already put this series at a disadvantage.  That's not to say light novel adaptations can't turn out well - Hataraku Maou-sama and OreGairu turned out pretty well - and it's possible Gonzo can make a comeback.  But is it likely this will be the series to bring them back?

Just from the first episode, it's hard to say.  There were a number of things I could point at, both visual and plot related, that just didn't mesh but it what worries me more was how safe the first episode was.  As a comedy it wasn't funny, as a normal story it was mildly intriguing and as a whole it was hard to figure out.  Just the first episode isn't enough to make a guess as to how Inu to Hasami will turn out and that too is worrying.

Not much actually happened in the episode plot-wise.  We were introduced to the main characters: one a bibliophile who get reincarnated as a Dachshund (Kazuhito) and the other is a flat sadist who happens to be the male lead's favourite author (Kirihime).  From the start they have an odd rapport/dynamic, based on their two oddball personalities and the guilt felt by the heroine.  As far as early relationships go, it's not exciting given that Kirihime's character archetype has been overused in recent years and because all the interactions are one-sided.  Hopefully that'll change, though it should be said that Kazuhito being a dog makes things a little more complicated.

Unlike most of the episode, the ending provided some movement in Inu to Hasami's strange plot.  Bringing in the killer so quickly is a surprising move, and has me intrigued for the time being.  At least more than the prospect of a bizarre harem, that's unavoidable; just look at the OP/ED.  Just this development has me more interested in the next episode, even if I'm nowhere near sold on it yet.

Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou OP

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Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou ED

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Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou Episode 2 Preview

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