Consent, boundary issues, and agency are fundamental parts of this story. In the beginning it's centered on Hiyakawa's casual appropriation of Mikado, something that's hardly framed as being a-okay even if it's being taken more lightly at first, later on it's with other characters in ways that aren't even remotely sexual.
Like I said, you can dislike it all you want to, not every story is for every person. But it's not for flair. The ghosts are for flair.
My point is that there are many more types of gay relationships than either "fluffy marshmallows" or "barbwire prison rape". Yaoi anime somehow mostly consists of these two types, with a heavy slant on the scale towards the rapey stuff.
A mature relationship like real human beings would be welcome, for a change.
There was a mix of dark comedy and a few genuinely creepy moments. I laughed quite a bit and definitely cringed at Hiyakawa eating god only knows what.
However, the moment of the episode was Hiyakawa little laugh after the flashback of him intimidating the women for their full fee. I need a gif of that.
1
I have literally no idea what's going on, except there's nothing gay about this. Just two guys being bros. No homo.
I feel like I'm watching episode 5 or an OVA or something, though, since the pacing is way too quick and all over the place. No introduction, nothing, time skipping left and right... It was weird. I'm not sure I like the characters much either.
This season of Mob Psycho is starting off weird. I don't remember Reigen being this touchy feely. I'm definitely gonna start calling cumming "clobbering" from now on, though.
I didn't mind the pacing of the episode. I kind of like they just jumped into it because so far the character archetypes and story structure are so classic for yaoi that it all feels familiar anyway. Just get me right into the creepy core touching and clobbering ghosts because that's the hook. For me the make or break for the show is going to be how well it does in portraying this kind of one sided relationship as toxic and harmful.
For now I think the balance of humor and creepiness is good enough that I can give the anime a chance to fully show its hand.
This season of Mob Psycho is starting off weird. I don't remember Reigen being this touchy feely. I'm definitely gonna start calling cumming "clobbering" from now on, though.
I didn't mind the pacing of the episode. I kind of like they just jumped into it because so far the character archetypes and story structure are so classic for yaoi that it all feels familiar anyway. Just get me right into the creepy core touching and clobbering ghosts because that's the hook. For me the make or break for the show is going to be how well it does in portraying this kind of one sided relationship as toxic and harmful.
For now I think the balance of humor and creepiness is good enough that I can give the anime a chance to fully show its hand.
Glad, I'm not the only who was thinking BL mob psycho.
Mikado sure is making a lot of dough as a prostitute for 157,333 yen with his spiritual orgasms. Also I love his old geezer glasses, he rocks the grandma look so well
This season of Mob Psycho is starting off weird. I don't remember Reigen being this touchy feely. I'm definitely gonna start calling cumming "clobbering" from now on, though.
I didn't mind the pacing of the episode. I kind of like they just jumped into it because so far the character archetypes and story structure are so classic for yaoi that it all feels familiar anyway. Just get me right into the creepy core touching and clobbering ghosts because that's the hook. For me the make or break for the show is going to be how well it does in portraying this kind of one sided relationship as toxic and harmful.
For now I think the balance of humor and creepiness is good enough that I can give the anime a chance to fully show its hand.
Damn, kind of a let down for me. I saw the tags "BL" and "Mystery" and immediately jumped in, only to find that the first episode felt wayyy too fast with the pacing. Might have to check out the manga instead because I'm sure this is a good series otherwise and the concept seems pretty interesting to me. Not gonna drop quite yet and I'll give it maybe 2 more episodes, but other than that yeah the first episode kinda left me a bit unsatisfied...
I thought the pacing was better this time, though it still covered a lot of ground.
Fortuneteller Mukae would be best boyfriend, he respects boundaries. It wasn't included in this ep, but in the manga he texts Mikado after the contract scene all, "hey, I saw you in this scary dream, are you okay?" and Mikado's all "lol, that's weird" bc he doesn't remember any of it, which was understandably cut but also a bit of a shame to lose.
It really was a choice to jam all of the big "people physically controlling Mikado" bits into this episode. The contract was a big turning point for me in the manga bc it was like, oh, Hiyakawa's behavior really truly is supposed to be scary and absolutely not okay, but the way the lines were delivered at Erika's school made her seem scarier to me than she already did. The spirit on the street thing lost all of its initial humor from the manga when they reset it to where they did, but it really worked. So scary! So much!
Right, no more negative thoughts on the shitter for me.
This was a better episode than the first. This show isn't pulling punches. Hiyakawa's behavior is incredibly disturbing. Especially because he's so casual about it.
I still laughed at some choice bits of dialogue, but this episode worked a lot more on the horror angle. The ghosts aren't what is scary here, though. The way Hiyakawa just walked into this guy's life and turned it into a nightmare is far more disturbing. The way Hiyakawa shifts personas from affable to domineering is jarring, but also effective at getting the show's point across.
Then Hiyakawa just outright tells him "You're asking for it."
Ep. 2- Definitely much better pacing than last episode, and they got all the important points.
I liked how they redid the ghost possessing Mikado bit so it didn't feel weirdly cut off like the second exorcism from last episode.
It needed to be there because of what happened with Hiyakawa and the barrier, but yeah, I agree with @daisicles that it was a bit disappointing that it cut out the part where it was Hanzawa's request and he told them he'd have to arrest them for public indecency if they didn't cut it out. Cuz that was funny.
"You'll let anyone past your personal boundaries, so it's fine that I'm also going past your boundaries because you're mine. Because I want you to be mine."
Mikado could always walk away, though, is what really gets me. He has other contacts - Mukae would help, if no one else - and he has a whole other life without Hiyakawa that he could easily go back to. They've known each other for, what, a couple of weeks tops? But why is he okay with this man casually overriding his autonomy? And that, I find fascinating.
It needed to be there because of what happened with Hiyakawa and the barrier, but yeah, I agree with @daisicles that it was a bit disappointing that it cut out the part where it was Hanzawa's request and he told them he'd have to arrest them for public indecency if they didn't cut it out. Cuz that was funny.
That bit was truly the bit I missed the most. Leaving it out is more effective for the anime, but I just really like Hanzawa going "...okay, this is really none of my business, can we wrap up the pda please?". It's a nice bit of characterization for him.
That bit was truly the bit I missed the most. Leaving it out is more effective for the anime, but I just really like Hanzawa going "...okay, this is really none of my business, can we wrap up the pda please?". It's a nice bit of characterization for him.
Yeah, Hanzawa is truly awesome, how he so thoroughly doesn't believe in the supernatural, but is pragmatic and open-minded enough to fight fire with fire and also, to stay out of other people's business. I really hope they don't cut him out too much, because he's always fun to see on screen.
You hit the nail on the head by the way predicting what they were going to skip- other than the side-trip with Mukae, which I'm glad they left in because it builds on and leads into Hiyakawa's little jealousy fit.
Yeah, Hanzawa is truly awesome, how he so thoroughly doesn't believe in the supernatural, but is pragmatic and open-minded enough to fight fire with fire and also, to stay out of other people's business. I really hope they don't cut him out too much, because he's always fun to see on screen.
You hit the nail on the head by the way predicting what they were going to skip- other than the side-trip with Mukae, which I'm glad they left in because it builds on and leads into Hiyakawa's little jealousy fit.
I'll also be sad if they leave out too much of Hanzawa. He gets increasingly important as the story goes on, definitely one of the counterbalances along with Mukae.
And I was so glad I was wrong about them maybe cutting out the Mukae side trip because Mukae is such a necessary counter to Hiyakawa. He's the one who tells Mikado there's other ways to do things, that Hiyakawa doesn't always know what he's doing, and that a lot of his actions are really, genuinely, not okay in the slightest. He's the human-centered exorcist, focused on seeing humanity in the scary things. But I know they cut him entirely from the live action movie and I was expecting him to take a diminished role here too in favor of Hiyakawa.
So, I just watched episode 2 for the third time, and I googled the amount Erika withdrew at the end, presumably what she was paid for the hit on that defense attorney- $234, 666.63 US dollars. Yikes, she's an expensive hitwoman. I guess people will pay for an almost undetectable/untraceable kill.
Also, it's only episode 2, and I'm finding it hard to wait from week to week to watch new episodes. I'm still reading the manga as well, but I think that's only making me more excited to see it on the screen.
Is it just me, or is the ending just really cool? I love both the song and the sequence. The opening isn't bad, and I do like the use of all of the triangles in sequence, but the ed is a really nice song. Edit: just looked it up, and it's sung by Hiyakawa's voice actor, and the lyrics are just... <3
2
That was a little better, but it's still all over the place (I like weird things very much, but this might be too weird even for me), and I feel like there are some major gaps in both the story and the characters for me as a non-manga reader that are going to prevent me from really "getting" this show. That said, the most entertaining part is without a doubt the "definitely not sex" scenes.
It took CR eons to get this one up, it's usually ready to stream by the time I get up on Sundays, so I got to read all of the jpn promotional tweets re: casting beforehand.
While I'm really happy that they're not just following the manga beat for beat but moving cases around and cutting them when needed, I did have one question about the meeting with Erika.
Did the anime change Erika's stated reason for meeting with Hiyakawa and Mikado or was it a translation error? In the manga, Erika wants to get herself out of the laying curses business because it scares her, but here, she wants those two to quit breaking them? And it read weirdly? If it was written that way, I trust that they're just tweaking Erika's reveal, but it sure does impact her characterization if it was a translation issue.
(ETA: I'm now pretty sure it was a translation error, having checked the French subs. That's a pretty big mistake - Erika is an unwilling cog in the machine, not an evil teenager)
But anyway, I enjoyed Mikado's acknowledgment that he knows perfectly well that Hiyakawa is trouble, but he's been so lonely and so secretly wanting someone to understand him and tell him it'll be okay for so long, he's just not gonna think about it any more since he has a place (however not great) where he doesn't have to be scared (of anything but Hiyakawa). And that's really why I wonder what might've happened if he'd met Mukae first - Mukae is more standoffish, but I think he would still be willing to be Mikado's place of reassurance that he isn't hallucinating.
And god, the Professor sounded so appropriately creepy talking about Erika. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about Hiroaki Hirata - my brain forever goes "sexy dad!" if he even comes close to using Kotetsu's voice, which made Banana Fish a teensy bit weird sometimes - but he hit the right note. I can't wait to see more.
While I'm really happy that they're not just following the manga beat for beat but moving cases around and cutting them when needed, I did have one question about the meeting with Erika.
Did the anime change Erika's stated reason for meeting with Hiyakawa and Mikado or was it a translation error? In the manga, Erika wants to get herself out of the laying curses business because it scares her, but here, she wants those two to quit breaking them? And it read weirdly? If it was written that way, I trust that they're just tweaking Erika's reveal, but it sure does impact her characterization if it was a translation issue.
(ETA: I'm now pretty sure it was a translation error, having checked the French subs. That's a pretty big mistake - Erika is an unwilling cog in the machine, not an evil teenager)
Yeah, I wondered that too- actually, the way she said it was all wrong, because her wording made it sound like she was asking Hiyakawa to stop casting curses- which is not what he does, but what she does. Unless they're going to somehow make it that Hiyakawa was casting curses as well- I mean, they did follow up with him trying one out using Mikado, and he is shady enough for it, and Mikado does look appropriately confused when she says it too- but that would be a pretty big change at this point in the story, I think.
Speaking of, Hiyakawa eating the curses sure stands out a lot more in the anime- It's almost blink and you miss it in the manga, except for the one he made with Mikado.
Speaking of, Hiyakawa eating the curses sure stands out a lot more in the anime- It's almost blink and you miss it in the manga, except for the one he made with Mikado.
Yeah, I'm really wondering where it's going. When he ate the thing in the first case, I just figured they weren't gonna do the old classmate case and they were just throwing it in as more creepy character stuff (which is always how I read it) but then they did and focused on the swallowing even more. What are you doing, Hiyakawa?? And doesn't it hurt to swallow a bell just from a physical standpoint??
Yeah, I'm really wondering where it's going. When he ate the thing in the first case, I just figured they weren't gonna do the old classmate case and they were just throwing it in as more creepy character stuff (which is always how I read it) but then they did and focused on the swallowing even more. What are you doing, Hiyakawa?? And doesn't it hurt to swallow a bell just from a physical standpoint??
I'm hoping maybe he didn't swallow the bell, but just drew the curse from it and then stuck the bell in his pocket or something, but...the guy eats some weird stuff.
3
The monsters, ghost, and curses may be the scary, but the most terrifying thing about this anime is the main relationship.
3 episodes in, and already one is in complete and utter control of the other one's entire life and soul. I knew it was supposed to be odd, but I didn't expect it to be this creepy, and I honestly don't understand how anyone can ship it or think it's romantic.
It's almost funny how when all is said and done, Erica comes off as the most normal of the three of them.
