Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro – 05

I’ll say this for Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro, though whether it’s a compliment or not I don’t know – it sure doesn’t try very hard to ingratiate itself.  As the show progresses it becomes increasingly clear that Ishikawa is the man who represents the series’ essential nature, and Kindaichi is more or less an audience stand-in.  And like Ishikawa, this series is alluring and interesting, but often very hard to like.

It’s bold in a sense, a protagonist so transparently devoid of any moral compass.  Ishikawa is a user, plain and simple – other people (and himself, in a way) are mainly important in terms of whatever value he can extract from them.  Someone like the courtesan Oen-san, from Ishikawa’s hometown, has value as an object of sexual conquest.  One might even say Ishikawa-san “likes” her, in a sense.  But when the opportunity comes along to cash her in for something of greater value to him (a lot of money) he doesn’t hesitate for a moment.  There will always be more women to bed, as long as he has the cash.

As someone who seems to value sentiment so cheaply – indeed, to use it mainly as he uses everything else, to enrich himself and sate his urges – one wonders how Ishikawa feels about his poetry.  Does he care no more for its intrinsic value – is it a mere tool to him?  Maybe that’s the main question this series is asking, and it’s not an uninteresting one.  And it certainly can’t be said that the other aesthetes in his company are painted in an especially favorable light – they’re ludicrous popinjays who start drinking early in the day and wax poetical about love without really doing anything about it.  It’s Kindaichi who sticks out like a sore thumb – he’s a prosaic man in every sense of the word, and he knows it.

Credit where it’s due, though – Kitsutsuki really is a good-looking series.  The art style is genuinely seductive and the direction is constantly interesting.  Maybe one doesn’t have to like a series to appreciate it (well – there’s no maybe about it, really) and this show is living proof of that.

Fruits Basket 2nd Season – 06

Seems like a good time to check in Fruits Basket, as it’s been a few weeks and this was a pretty good episode.  This season has been the usual mixed bag, but while only Episode 2 was a real plum, there haven’t been any outright clunkers either (the absence of the insufferable Kagura helps in that regard).  And this was probably the most engaging ep since the second.

A good combo, this cast – the main trio along with Momiji, Haru, and of course Hiro & Kisa.  Those two have been totally absent this season and their arc is among my favorites in the series.  Kisa is a crybaby to a grating degree and Hiro is a snarky little guttersnipe, but there’s something to their story that just resonates.  Hiro is interesting because his persona is such an obvious front.  He’s actually among the cleverer members of the Sohma, and rather insightful – his question about Tohru’s father was perfectly valid and on-point.  Kisa overreacted in a big way (Hiro had no way of knowing that was a sensitive issue) but at least she realized it and later apologized.

As usual it’s Momiji (I’m looking forward to seeing what Han Megumi does with the character as he evolves) who sets things in motion by arranging a trip for everyone to one of the Sohma’s many vacation estates.  Momiji for all his childishness (that’s a front too, of course) is very much the caregiver and facilitator – trying to build and sustain a world around him which his own immediate family couldn’t provide.  One interesting moment here is that when Tohru is a bit off her game after Hiro’s question, it’s only Kyou who notices, not Yuki.  Yuki’s fundamental narcissism just won’t allow him to process what doesn’t directly involve him (which the old baseball cap certainly does).

We also have Shigure up to his usual tricks, behaving rather mysteriously.  There’s his conversation with Rin (shoes indoors – what a scandal!), and then inviting Akito to come to the vacation house – which on the face of it seems like a literal invitation to disaster.  Shigure speaks to Akito in a way no one else dares, but Akito tolerates it – it’s always an interesting vibe when the two of them are together.  All in all it’s Furuba in serious mode, and as usual that’s when this series is on its game.