Kemono Jihen – 05

「潜入」 (Sen’nyū)
“Intrusion”

Quite the interesting turn of events. Am I the only one who thought this character introduction felt a little forced? I’m not sure how it compares to the source material, but Mihai Florescu’s (Ono Daisuke) introduction seemed to be an elaborate coincidence. It just so happens that Mihai has been located in the offices for an undetermined amount of time without anyone noticing or sensing his presence?

The same can be said about Kabane running into Kon at the park. Why, of all places and moments, did she fall out of the tree when he so happened to be there?

I do feel for the young kitsune. She was used by Inari, manipulated into doing her bidding, replaced like an old overused dishrag, and now, while Kabane might not intend to, he uses her as a practice target. When will Kon stop getting the short end of the stick? With her strength, prowess, and demeanor, she deserves a stronger storyline, one I hope to see developed as the show progresses. I imagine Kabane’s ongoing kindness will be a factor, but no spoilers please.

Circling back to Mihai, it will only benefit to have another mature character to interact with the younger ones. However, his maturity is only in age. What in the world is this vampire’s objective? Kabane is his ‘slave’ and when he finds out Shiki is suffering from past trauma, he finds it amusing? Overjoyed by the event even. I’m not sure if his purpose ties back to what Inugami said about him being ‘bored with the world’, but if so, it’ll be to the detriment of these poor, already mishappened kids.

I’m aware of the criticisms I’ve laid out however I’m still really enjoying the show. The humor is soft but well done between the characters. And outside of the unlikely events, the covert mission at Bugbite electronic is the first one to turn into a two-episode arc. Shiki’s new ability (which he so happens to have developed) comes in handy, thus the successful infiltration of the labs. I’m curious to find out what happens next. Will Shiki be able to overcome his fear? Will Akira? Or will Kabane take the glory once more? He did after all have a brief ‘training’ session with Kon who is anxiously awaiting his return. Loyalty is one of her many virtues, so you know she’ll be holding him to that promise.

At the moment, everything still feels introductory and if I could compare the feeling to anything, it would be like when you’re setting up a chessboard. Not all the pieces are lined up so the game has yet to begin. Although, for the first time, with this next episode coming up, some of the events will have potential consequences for the characters.