Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge Episode 1 Impressions

What the hell did I just watch?

 Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge

Episode 1 Impressions

This is a series about cutting hair. It's also about a romance. And serial killers. And some sort of game-thing-thing that's goin' on. Like...a survival kind of game-thing-thing. And also about a girl with really long and pretty hair that can't be cut. And a main character with one of the scariest fetishes for hair that I have ever seen.

Confused yet? 

Yeah, I was too.

In all seriousness Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge is another weird anime series among a lot of other weird anime series this season. The first episode is...interesting enough. It has a rather ominous feel to it, minus that the main male character is so freaking creepy. Everybody has a fetish, but this guy just takes it to the extreme. I'm beginning to wonder if his fetish isn't necessarily cutting hair, but just cutting things in general (human flesh, to be more specific, eugh). That would make sense, considering the description for this anime and by the fact that apparently in the manga he can go into psycho mode.

Though he doesn't really feel like a psycho, more like a teenager with a really weird obsession with scissors and hair.

He's still creepy in my book.

I have a few problems with this first episode. For one thing I'm confused as to what it actually is...Is it a romance? A drama? Or no, it's a horror. A thriller maybe? Nah. It's a mystery. No wait. It's a romance again.

Gettin' the sort of Mirai Nikki vibe here

'Dem scissors

It doesn't really settle on one genre and skips from one thing to the next. It has a rather ominous atmosphere, but that's inconsistent as well -I'm going to put it down to inconsistent directing. It also has some pacing issues - it really feels like three episodes stuffed into a single twenty four minute one. Still. I'm intrigued. It reminds me of something like...Mirai Nikki crossbred with Nazo no Kanojo X. Yep. That's the comparison I feel justifiable. 

 I've noticed it does this random thing a lot - it uses what I call the 'camera-shake-blur' effect. That...makes no sense at all but that's what I call it. It's when they'll sort of make an effect where it kind of blurs and shakes at the same time (that's an A Class explanation.) You'll recognize it when you see it. It's an effect used to strengthen the atmosphere or give a more ominous/dramatic effect, but they seriously overused it in this. Someone talking? CAMERA SHAKE BLUR. Flashback? CAMERA SHAKE BLUR. Zoom in on someone's face? CAMERA SHAKE BLUR.

It's overused at this point, that's all I'm saying; I love the effect, but in moderation.

The animation is nice. The backgrounds are detailed, and character designs work well for the characters and their personalities. A few jerky movements here and there, but it's good, and visually it looks quite good.

Well it entertained me and that's what matters. I'll be watching the next episode, though right now I am questioning what the hell is going on (along with pretty much ninety percent of the rest who are watching this right now.) There's a lot of varied views on it at the moment - some like it, others hate it.

But despite how weird it is it's still oddly entertaining, and worthy of a try. I don't think it's going to be the best of the season but I won't be giving it a pass. I guess we'll have to see where it goes.

SCORE;;

3/5

Entertaining but rushed; inconsistent; what the hell lol?

Will Continue Watching