First Look: Shinrei Tantei Yakumo
Title: Shinrei Tantei Yakumo
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural
Summary: In order to help a friend possessed by a spirit, Ozawa Haruka knocks on the door of her university's movie research association. There she meets Saitou Yakumo, a rude, unkempt young man with a red left eye, who is said to have spiritual powers. At first Haruka is skeptical, but she comes to believe him when he conveys messages from her older sister, who died when she was a child. Together, they work to shed light on the terrifying events happening at their university.
First Look: Shinrei Tantei Yakumo picks up with a bang and gets the series rolling. Its dark opening, quick introductions, and intense storyline pulls you in from the first episode.
The series starts off well but is slowly starting to lose its pizzaz. The first episode was filled with action and mystery while later episodes begin to trail off. I feel that after episode one, turning toward character development wasn’t the best option. It was a great way to learn what exactly the crimson eye is, and why our lead is so bitter. However, I feel that the first episode really sets up the pace audiences think the anime is going to be. Shinrei Tantei Yakumo starts up fast and then slowly falls to more dialogue and explanations. I’m sure that this series will be more of a rollercoaster in terms of entertainment. Some episodes will be boring as they take thirty minutes to set up part of a short story and then the next episode of frantic chasing and exorcisms. I noticed the pattern of having the final minute or two setting up for the next storyline (or possibly end-all arc).
But what I thought was going to be a big portion of the story ended up being a two episode ordeal. This probably wont make me hate the series, but I feel that only half of it will be enjoyable. They have done a great job using mini-arcs to place pieces into the big picture. As for now I would say the final two to three episodes will probably be the best. There are a lot of ways they can take this anime and I’m hoping they don’t screw it up. Now that we have a good idea of the basic storyline let’s move onto the characters.
The main character is the most likable really. He doesn’t feel like it is his duty to save the world from spirits or villains, but he will still help out if he feels it is necessary. He is a calm, serious guy that I can take a liking to. His partner on the other hand a bit more loving and caring when it comes to lost spirits. Does that make the two a bad pair? Quite the contrary actually. Just as Yakumo learns to be nicer to people, Haruka is learning about the spirit world and how evil people really are. I’m not sure if it is a good take an optimist and show them harsh reality but it is entertaining at least.
The art style is also pretty fitting. The use of bright colors is forbidden other than Yakumo’s red eye. And even that is more of a blood red than ruby. It sets up the atmosphere well for ghosts. The series as a whole isn’t very scary but it has some great screenshots of ghosts that give you a chill. Overall I’m happy with the art.
The series doesn’t have big faults in it. I haven’t seen any plot holes so far and the characters don’t seem too bad. Everyone seems normal in this supernatural world, and the two main characters have a good vibe going. I hope that they don’t pull any romantic drama other than the occasional touching moments. I’m sure Haruka is starting to get absorbed into the spirit world because of her feelings toward Yakumo. I wouldn’t be completely against it though, so it isn’t a deal breaker.
Final statements: The series seems like it will be pretty solid, but nothing eye catching. I will keep it on watch because I feel the ending will be worth the wait. Let’s hope I’m right.