Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge

Title: Dansai Bunri no Crime edge
Genre:Romance, psychological thriller, dark themes
Rating: 8.3/10

Summary: Kiri Haimura has always had a strong inclination towards hair and has an obsession with cutting it. He carries with him an old scissors that one of his ancestors have left behind. One day, after hearing about a rumor of a long-hair ghost lingering in a far away mansion, he decides to visit the mansion. He suspected that the rumor arose not from a ghost, but a girl with very long hair. His suspicions were proven to be true. At the mansion, he meets Iwai Mushanokoji, whose hair drags on the floor as it has been cursed and was impossible to cut. Kiri realizes that he has fallen in love with Iwai after talking to her and touching her hair.

Kiri also meets the Byoinzaka sisters at the mansion, through them, he learnt about the existence of ‘killing goods’, items which have been cursed over time due to its use from those who have committed murderous crimes. He was warned to stay away from Iwai Mushanokoji, or have the curse beset upon him.

At home, Kiri’s conversation with his grandfather led him to realize that he too owned a killing good, which was the old scissors he was fond of using to cut hair with. With the scissors in hand, Kiri sneaks back to the mansion and was able to cut Iwai’s hair. Kiri and Iwai then decided to name the scissors, ‘Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge’. This event draws Kiri into the world of Killing Goods, and the myth that whosoever kills ‘the Hair Queen’ (Iwai) would be able to have one wish fulfilled, even if the wish goes against nature’s laws.

In this first season, Kiri’s relationship with Iwai meet many mishaps as deranged ‘authors’ (Users) of killing goods sought Iwai’s life for a myriad of reasons. Kiri also learns more about the Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge and the legendary past of its first user.

Review: I only decided to pick up this series a couple of days ago and I was hooked! Despite the seemingly out of this world storyline, the plot is very engaging and was able to evoke deep and dark psychological insights. Moreover, the anime also features many funny moments, which serves to dramatize the dark scenes that occur when Authors of Killing Goods battle.

In Audition fashion, battle scenes were depicted through a colored lens, indicating the various overwhelming emotions that have driven various Authors into the Killing Goods’ powers.

What I particularly like about this series is in its weaving of Shinto ideas on death and ‘pollution’ of objects, with the psychological complexes that have arisen in the minds of the Authors. This made it possible to imagine the seemingly strange premises of the series with a certain sense of realism. Moreover, the exploration of the Author’s psyche gave all the characters detailed development over this short season.

I also enjoyed the many adorable loli characters whose appearances are less of a pandering towards fan service, but rather a means to evoke an aura of innocence to the characters. Despite some possibly ecchi scenes, I wouldn’t consider any of it as fan service, but instead, a very well use of the ecchi elements to evoke a deeper more twisted dimension to the character’s mind.

Recommended for: Any anime lover who can stomach moderate violence. Great series. Highly recommended.