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I won’t deny that there are times I wish I loved Zankyou no Terror as much as I admire it. But I do admire it an awful lot. It’s just so relentlessly beautiful in its execution – every episode has moments that leave me just about speechless. The motorcycle sequence, the insert song (Kanno Yoko I’m assuming, but I haven’t seen an official credit – Kanno-sensei insists her English is “poor” and the song’s is quite natural), every frame of Lisa’s nerve-jangling time on the streets – it’s really unassailably brilliant stuff.
Still, there’s a discernible detach to the series, which is no doubt one of the reasons why I find it harder to connect with it emotionally than intellectually. However, it’s now obvious that this is quite intentional – Watanabe-sensei is telling a story about alienation here, and part of his method is to keep us from getting too close to the people on-screen. It would be wrong to make too much of a comparison to Paranoia Agent at this point – that was an overtly surrealist work by a much more avante-garde director in Kon Satoshi – but it’s striking how that story about a different sort of terrorism felt so much more immediate and personal than this one does. Kon and Watanabe could hardly be more different in terms of style and the two series certainly seem to reflect each of them in their own comfort zone. It’s not a criticism of one or the other show – merely an observation on how brilliance in art can be achieved in vastly different ways even in the same medium.
It it makes any sense, even on the intellectual level I find myself much more invested in the process of events in Terror in Resonance than the events themselves. I don’t actually find the riddles laid out by the boys for Shibasaki to solve to be all that interesting, and while the background that pushed them to these extremes has been teased in fascinating glimpses, it’s still far too much of an abstraction to really compel. Even Lisa’s story, the most human and personal in the series, is abstract – we know roughly what she’s dealing with at home and how it makes her feel, but almost nothing of why things have degraded to this degree. It’s almost as if, to this point, Watanabe and whoever is writing the series (if indeed they aren’t one and the same person) don’t consider those questions to be important. Whether that changes and how the transition is handled if it does are going to be crucial factors for the series going forward.
Rather, it’s simply watching the rats in their maze that’s most compelling. The lack of emotional histrionics gives the events of Zankyou no Terror a greater sense of realism, already a strong point with Watanabe’s restrained and incisive direction. It’s interesting to watch the clinical deconstruction of Lisa’s existence, Watanbe’s ruthless portrayal of how unprepared she is to deal with any element of her life. The cat-and-mouse between Shibasaki and the boys is like an exquisitely choreographed dance, and in Watanabe’s hands even the internal politics of the investigation take on a gritty documentary fascination.
I don’t think Shibasaki’s resentful colleague was entirely wrong in his shouted accusation that Shibasaki was enjoying the duel with Sphinx, even if Shibasaki was entirely in the right about the specifics of the impending incident. This is an extraordinarily bright cop who’s surely been bored out of his mind since his exile, and I think he’s getting off on this in a somewhat similar way to what Netero felt in his duel with Meruem. This time around Shibasaki treks to Aomori to try and get inside the heads of his targets, stating quite sagely that no matter how carefully someone covers their tracks, human memories abide. The most interesting comment from the former supervisor is surely that the strange young man told him he was “listening to music from a cold land” on his headphones – an unintentional clue that will likely end up telling Shibasaki more crucial information than all the intentional ones Sphinx have left for him.
It does seem as if we’ve reached another stage of the duel now, with Sphinx having realized they have an opponent worth engaging. Their “attack” this time comes in the form of a different sort of bomb – they hack into the police archives and steal the reports regarding their own case. Shibasaki doesn’t realize what the consequences of failure are as he’s chasing their riddle about the Oracle at Delphi and his own name – one which he solves, only to have his victory annulled because the department didn’t play by the rules – but no buildings are blown up. Rather the boys release the records to the public, ultimately more damaging to their cause but preserving for now the moral ambiguity which Zankyou no Terror seems to be striving to maintain regarding their actions.
Ultimately I still believe this is evolving into Arata and Touji leaving a trail for Shibasaki to follow to the secrets of their childhood, but I’m not so quick to absolve them from judgment. Whether the series itself will continue to try and have it both ways morally or ultimately commit one way or the other remains to be seen, but for the moment it seems that Lisa is the key to exposing something more of who the boys really are. Twelve clearly wants something out of his contact with Lisa that he isn’t otherwise receiving – a sense of connection to humanity, perhaps – but all of their interaction is still couched in terms of keeping tabs on Lisa because she can’t be trusted with what she knows. She’s a wild card here in many ways – I could even see a situation arising where both boys develop feelings for her and this causes tension between them, though it’s not likely. One way or another she’s the catalyst for change in the story, I think, and I expect that to start asserting itself as soon as next week.
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BoukenYellow
August 1, 2014 at 12:24 pm(Reposting because I forgot to include the link the first time.)
I don't think I'll ever be able to stop gawking at this show's cinematography and music. If Watanabe held a class in cinematography, I'd happily sign up. The motorbike scene was easily my favourite part of the episode. There's a sort of ironic, twisted poignancy to it- it's sweet until you remember that Twelve's a terrorist with a cruelly unorthodox upbringing.
I've seen next episode's preview video, and I've can't wait- the last major character will show up, and the ever awesome Han Megumi will be bringing her game to the show. There's also one other part that intrigues me, but I'll keep my mouth shut until I've watched the episode and have the relevant information.
And Enzo, I thought you'd like this. Funimation posted an interview with Watanabe on their webpage. I think it might be a translation of the interview that can apparently be found on the show's official website, but I can't be sure.
http://www.funimation.com/blog/2014/07/31/terror-in-resonance-official-interview/
Any thoughts?
Roger
August 1, 2014 at 12:55 pmFor my part, I got to give props (again) to that wonderful musical score. Kanno's music just gives this series a unique feel not seen in many of the shows this season (only Sawano Hiroyuki;s score for Aldnoah Zero is of comparable note). I especially love the track that plays when Shibasaki interviewed that witness in this episode. Can't wait to get my hands on the OST just for that gem.
As for what transpired in this ep, I can't help but wonder if what that young officer (forgot his name) said to Shibasaki has some grain of truth in it: that he is indeed enjoying the "game". After all, the guy has been demoted to clerical duties for so many years, and he got to use his skills and intellect only on measly crossword puzzles. With the Sphinx case, he now has the chance to flex his investigative muscle to the fullest.
Also, is it me, or does it feel that Shibazaki has some deeper connection to Nine? Episode 2's end seem to imply that Nine is waiting particularly for him, besides the fact that Nine used his name as the answer to the question here.
sonicsenryaku
August 1, 2014 at 2:34 pmAnd now that it seems that Lisa is becoming more involved in the plot, Im starting to love this series on an emotional level as well as i do intellectually. Twelve and Lisa are beginning to connect in a way they didnt think possible and its only going to grow deeper from here. It's kinda sad that Lisa's only reprieve from her depressing life is a couple of terrorist who she arent sure are trying to bring society to its knees
admin
August 1, 2014 at 2:38 pmI wish I was too – it's really the last piece of the puzzle for me.
Roger
August 1, 2014 at 2:45 pmI guess we'll have to wait until we get to know more about Lisa's background. All we know is that her mom is overbearing, why she is such will definitely play a big role in whether or not I emotionally embrace Lisa's storyline and the series as a whole.
sonicsenryaku
August 1, 2014 at 3:40 pmmaybe that last piece will fall in place when Megumi Han's character comes in; I know you love yourself some Megumi Han hahaha
Zeta Zero
August 3, 2014 at 3:09 amJust so long as it isn't cliche and has some degree of originality to it. I don't want emotion just for the sake of emotion.
Peter Scott
August 2, 2014 at 12:58 amAh, wget: that most fiendish of hacking tools!
Roger
August 2, 2014 at 2:11 amjust a curiosity on my part. Is wget actually able to download from secure servers and is it traceable?
whemleh
August 2, 2014 at 1:13 amI'm staring to think I'm a little tsundere for his damn show, because I thought this was a absolutely fantastic episode. I'm very much emotionally connected now, and I really outright enjoyed watching this week. And I was close to considering it an overhyped piece of very good.
Also I think the sense of connection you mentioned in your last paragraph is set to become one of the series most important themes. You have all these isolated and lonely characters, and except for maybe Nine, there's a real sense that all any of them want is genuine human contact.
Aeolus
August 2, 2014 at 1:20 amI've been getting more Ghost In The Shell vibes, rather than Paranoia Agent, though that may result from Kanno being a musical goddess. Modern is the word I would use to describe this show. We're coming to live in a world where the release of information is seen by authorities as a more heinous act than an explosion. Also, I giggled at them having ordered their supplies via Amazon.
Nic
August 2, 2014 at 2:21 amI'm glad I'm not the only person who loves the shit out of Bjork and Sigur Ros.
Also, the motorcycle song was sung by these guys:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POP_ETC
admin
August 2, 2014 at 5:18 amThanks. Never heard of 'em, but it was a good song.