Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge / First Impressions

「―雷雲をわたれ―」 (―Raiun wo Watare―)
“―To Escape the Storm―”

This anime seriously has no time for breathers. It’s one thing after another and not only does it deliver a roller coaster of emotions, but it actually makes sense and you want to know what happens next. It’s very obvious that the source material is a manga because from what I can tell, the story plays out exactly as if you were reading panels. There’s some discussion, lots of full-length pans and pieces of action here and there. It’s very well told and I appreciate how simple it is while still having a gripping story. You can see where it’s headed, but you want to know how it gets there. Unlike RDG (which I’m also blogging), I feel like that Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge has a story that flows and the audience knows what to expect but with a twist.

Moving along…
This week’s episode started off introducing one of Kiri’s classmates. We’re invited into the salon owned by Misumi Kashiko’s (Yasuno Kiyono) family and she’s the crazy girl that stated that girl’s hair = her life! She’s also a hair model and it brings joy to Iwai’s face when she’s flipping through Kashiko’s magazines. I’ve never known anyone to be a model either (well… a real model anyway) so I’d be pretty impressed too. She’s encouraged to be a model rather than run the family salon and she even shows signs of blushing when talking to Kiri (third wheel?). It’s at this point that Kashiko notices that Iwai’s hair resembles a baby’s… I can imagine it’s probably very fine and soft, but since she has so much of it! It’s a bit suspicious though, especially since Kashiko has pretty much specialized in hair her entire life.

Meanwhile Kiri and Iwai bump into Yamane on the way home and this girl still gives me major creeps. She mentions that the guy wielding the hammer must have completely lost his consciousness now and only has strong murderous urges. It’s all driven by the hammer but it shows the importance of having an Instead. She indicates that it’s likely the guy won’t be coming after them since he’s so far gone – but Crime Edge would not be what it is without the action and confrontations. If there’s creepy music and a thunderstorm, you know sh*t is going down. Of course, there’s a bit of awkwardness and comedy here and there, which I appreciated because it broke down the tension. Iwai is such a clean, untainted child that it sometimes amazes me how she’s dragged into this battle of murderers. Not to mention the strong innuendos.

I’m not usually a fan of horror/thriller even when I know what’s going to happen. It’s the element of surprise that gets to me – not really the blood and gore. Crime Edge does have a very strong haunting feeling to it because it is a story about murderers and killing, but for some reason, it doesn’t turn me off (similar to Mirai Nikki). It must be because I’m so immune to crazy stories about obsessions and duel-to-the-death types of games. In this case, this man was a prisoner until he broke out and started killing innocent people. Kiri puts him in his place though and he’s surprises himself by how speedy he is. A few cuts here and there and the guy would have bled to death honestly. The episode doesn’t show how the prisoner escapes but it is revealed in the aftermath that he suicides rather than dying from blood loss. It’s a shame but also a blessing since he was probably tired by being manipulated by a hammer to kill others. I don’t claim to know how it feels, but I find it sad that these people (under no fault of their own) have to go through every day suffering under this curse. I guess that’s why they have Insteads – similar to how Kiri has Iwai. I always thought of it as the other way around, but I’d like to think that they both equally need each other.

Full-length images: 02, 05, 07, 11, 13, 17, 25, 31.

 

Preview

31 Comments

      1. It is indeed a manga, one that I’ve been following for several years now- woefully with very few translated chapters available- maybe finally getting an anime will give it the attention it deserves…

        Zen
        Reply

  5. You know a show is up to something when a prison escapee is introduced as a mindless madman by a lead character who turns out to be more insane, only to have the “madman” specifically target the characters (stealthiest demolition break-in ever!) and commit suicide when the main character cuts him up. Nothing is what it seems… except the OP. I think it’s obvious now that it is 100% spoilers. Heh. Oh well, the song is good.

    hoiut
    Reply

  6. Just caught up on this show. It’s really, really compelling! I also like how they justified Kiri’s strength by having his ancestor be the biggest, baddest serial killer of them all.

    That said, how come you keep pulling the ero shows Cherrie? First you’re making full-lengths of a naked zombie in Sankarea, now a wet loli? I thought I was the ecchi blogger! XD

    Stilts
    Reply

  7. Got to love how we all know it wasn’t suicide even thought he next episode hasn’t come out.

    Iwai is so cute, this is a show that could turn a normal person into a loli fan <.<

    I have a pair of scissors fear me huge sledgehammer guy!

    agr0n
    Reply

  9. I’m totally gonna stick with this since every episode continues to impress me more & more.At 1s,I was one of the people who thought that the premise with the hair fetish thing was silly but you know what?In the words of the ecchi blogging lord,Stills(courtesy of his all-mighty presence here),being normal is boring & being wierd is fun!I also found out that too much nitpicking can sometimes hamper one’s enjoyment,no matter how rational it is,and just accepting some shows for what they are is sometimes the best result.Crime Edge is definitely a show that should not be taken seriously if you wanna enjoy it since the it doesn’t take itself seriously,doesn’t want to,and honestly it doesn’t need to.

    As a side note: This season is trying to turn me into a lolicon and this show seems to have the highest chance of succeeding!Especially after this episode…I need my weekly dose of Hyakka Ryouran to stay on what I refer to as:”the right path”

    MgMaster
    Reply

  11. https://randomc.net/image/Dansai%20Bunri%20no%20Crime%20Edge/Dansai%20Bunri%20no%20Crime%20Edge%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2025.jpg

    O passionate cool steel edge, the cursed tool that severed the flesh of its prey.

    You, who have taste its flesh with your edge.

    You, who have soaked your edge with the blood of your victims.

    Their anguish screams and mournful cries are like melodies in my ears.

    The beautiful, crimson blood that flows throughout from the body is like a work of art.

    What a magnificent sight to behold, your body is full of scars, cuts, and wounds of my “love”.

    This is how I show my “love” to you; I cut you because I love you.

    Ken Sanders
    Reply

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