Kai to Otome to Kamikakushi is the flip side of the Tonari no Youkai-san and Bartender debate for me. Objectively I feel like this show is pretty good. It does a lot of things well, and has some interesting elements to it. But it’s been increasingly clear to me over the past few episodes that it just doesn’t fit with me. Sometimes series like that do end up working, but the margin for error is a lot smaller. And with this episode, I feel like Mysterious Disappearances has exceeded it.
Mochizuki Tomoki is a creator I thoroughly respect while acknowledging that there are many entries on his resume that don’t float my boat. Including some outright turds, and this show isn’t that. But really, the point of all this – as has become clear – is the fanservice. It’s not about the mysteries or the mythology – they’re just a veneer. It’s all about fetishizing underage girls (and busty of-age ones) in a fairly stylish way. It’s not a cute girls doing cute things so much as a cute girls doing hot things. That’s not enough for me, so this was probably the last episode I’m going to cover (though as always I reserve the right to change my mind).
I compared this series to Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge and I do think the shoe fits. So why did that one totally work for me while Kai to Otome to Kamikakushi doesn’t? Because Dansai Bunri had nerves of steel and a commitment to the premise. It embraced its dark and disturbing fetishistic side, and brilliantly so. Ultimately the cute girls and fanservice weren’t the point of that series, they were the veneer. And in the final analysis I think that’s why it was widely rejected by otaku.
Frankly I expected this series to win the Patron Pick ballot (which went to Bartender, a major surprise to me). And if it had it wouldn’t have been a disaster for me or anything – there’s enough auteur stuff in each episode to at least break up the monotony. But episodes like this week, boy, I can’t deny I found it a total bore. So much navel-gazing and blatant pandering, with no purpose behind it other than the pandering itself. This show is good at what it does, but while it wasn’t obvious after the first couple of episodes, what it does just ain’t my thing.
Nadavu
May 11, 2024 at 5:15 amI had a feeling you were going to drop coverage for this show, what with this episode being by far the weakest so far and how long it took for the review to be posted. The series certainly made itself no favors by putting Ren on the sidelines for two straight episodes. Without him Sumire isn’t very interesting, and Oto is never main-dish material. Things might pick up again with the return of Ren, and there’s that Neferpitou character in the opening sequence that I’m curious about, but yeah… I’ll probably keep watching for now simply because it’s the only show I’m following that’s not on Saturday (which in my time zone starts with Tonbo and ends with Tonari no Youkai)
Bel
May 11, 2024 at 9:08 pmI’m not fond of the fanservice, but they are so upfront about it that it doesn’t bother me much. The first half of this episode and the hijinks gave me such a false sense of security that by the time the doorknob started rattling and Oto opened the door, it was so unexpected that it gave me a bit of a scare. (Maybe that was the reason the teacher insisted that they came over and stayed the night, that it wasn’t the first time her doorknob rattle in the middle of the night? For a moment, I thought it was the grandmother coming back for a visit.) Horror-wise at least, I thought that scene was quite well done. The effect was probably unintentional, but it worked for me.
I also appreciate that this time we have a Curiosity of Chinese origin, and Oto instinctively knew what to do by covering her nose and mouth and holding her breath. The supernatural part is still interesting enough that I’ll keep watching for now.
Guardian Enzo
May 12, 2024 at 12:11 amI’m OK with the fanservice aspect, but the issue is that the fanservice is basically the whole point to the exclusion of the plot.
I agree, the doorknob stuff at the end was the best part. But the first 18 minutes were Xanax.
Joshua
May 25, 2024 at 12:20 pmBeing generous right now, I did like the most recent arc, which pared back the fanservice (to an extent) and cranked up the horror aspect which won me back a little. The curse that they investigate, this Frankenstein of numerous Asian urban legends (particularly a Taiwanese one called “The Little Girl in Red”) was also a lot more interesting to me and how it was resolved (even invoking Kisaragi Station as a means to be a transportation portal between the living and the undead).