OP Sequence

OP: 「ここで生きてる」 (Koko de Ikiteru) by (Mary x jon YAKITORI)

 

「お客様の中に、探偵の方はいらっしゃいませんか?」 (Okyaku-sama no Naka ni, Tantei no Kata wa Irasshaimasen ka?)
“Attention Passengers: Is there a Detective on Board?”

A very interesting premise has been established here, and this 45-minute feature-long opening episode created strong feelings of attachment and intimacy, but in all the wrong ways. The extra-long duration was used to its maximum potential as the producers wasted no time getting us onboard the Kimizuka Kimihiko (Arata Nagai) x Siesta (Saki Miyashita) ship, only to throw it all down the drain by the end of the episode. If you are someone that read the synopsis before watching, you would’ve expected this, but yet I underestimated just how impactful Siesta’s untimely death would be.

What does this premise mean?

I can tell that the rest of the series will have a slightly different tone to this first episode, as the entire purpose of this opener was undoubtedly to emotionally invest us into the character of Siesta and the bond she shared with the main, I mean they even posed in wedding gowns for goodness sake! There were some obvious hints at romance between the two, and their comfort in each other’s company grew at a rapid pace, and we got to see them work on cases together, share laughs and even embark on date-like experiences. In the end, all of this was for the sake of a strong premise, as now we really want to see how “Kimi” will move past this, and I for one am excited to see the girl who strikes an “uncanny resemblance” to the late Siesta, as per the synopsis.

Romance aside, Siesta was indeed a legendary detective, and with Kimi as the “trouble-magnet” by her side, the two were an unstoppable duo. I do not know how Siesta died, nor do I have any predictions for how someone of her caliber bit the dust, but I would not be surprised if this turned into a revenge story to find Siesta’s killer if one even exists. Another route this series could take is that Siesta’s death was purely that of a tragic accident or terminal illness, in which case the series may simply revolve around themes of loss, tragedy, and leaving the past behind, as Kimi embarks on a new journey in Siesta’s honor.

Was Siesta an android?

One of the interesting things that were never clearly addressed was whether Siesta was actually an android herself. She knew practically everything about androids, and even Kimi couldn’t help but ask the question, though Siesta’s response may be indefinite. I’m not sure if her being an android would change much of the current situation unless she could somehow be revived. The concept of Siesta being an android could tie into the overall plot of this series too, revolving around a kind of man versus machine trope, though there is little evidence that the story will take on this route entirely.

Siesta’s significance moving forward

There’s no doubt that the character of Siesta will be a major aspect of this Tantei wa mou Shindeiru, for a variety of reasons. From a surface level, the title of the show and the promotional posters all allude back to her character, so her existence, as short as it was, will surely be a plot device throughout the show, and may even navigate the entire story. The title of the show, which translates to “the detective is already dead,” gives me a feeling of doubt as to whether she is actually dead at all! The way the title is written is like someone denying that she is alive by saying “what do you mean? Of course, that’s rubbish, Siesta is already dead!” I could be wrong about the intention of the title, but that’s the feeling I extract from it.

Looking at things a little deeper, I think Siesta’s natural talents and perhaps “superior DNA” might be something sought after by opposing forces, and this could be a driving force for the plot too. She obviously had an impact on Kimi’s life, despite such a short-lived encounter, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the plot revolves around Kimi and his new “Siesta-like” partner working together to protect whatever is left of Siesta’s DNA. These are just a few of my far-fetched predictions for Tantei wa mou Shindeiru, but I definitely look forward to watching more of this series in the future.

22 Comments

  1. This premiere was all over the place. It felt less like one long episode and more like 2 episodes stuck together. It also kept changing the seeming direction throughout (all of a sudden cyborgs?).

    As a result, I really have no idea what to make of this show, and will have to make my decision after seeing ep 2.

    hjerry
  2. The writing was really poor. The mystery / detective story was guessing random stuff, which arbitrarily turned out to be true. The romance was a bit batter, but still heavy handed. And worst off all, they diched the sole thing which made the show truly outstanding: having a white-haired female MC.

    Enan
    1. I haven’t seen the source material so I wonder if this is an issue of adaptation, tho I did feel it was quite a rushed opening episode. And yes the detective deductions did feel a bit unexplained and random at times.

      I agree with the white-haired female MC thingy, it definitely gave this show its sole so I’m curious how things will pan out without her~

  3. I really didn’t know what to make of this one. Especially when they were rampaging round the plane and it looked like Origami had stolen Zafkiel from Kurumi and was using Zayin on Parasyte-guy.

    Derivative? Surely not.

    Angelus
  4. Tastes differ, so plz forgive me for stating that I found this episode to be reaaaally boring. I’d answer the question if Siesta was an android with a “yes” since she had no believable personality. Kimi wasnt much better. As Enan said: The writing was poor. Btw, being aware of the fact that you use clichés doesn’t make them any less cliché. It’s also always a bad idea to start a series with random villain n.1 and his feelings. Won’t watch this show but thanks for the review anyways!

    Lia
    1. No need for forgiveness, I’m sure you weren’t the only one who found the ep boring xD

      I was 50/50 on it. Like I was hooked on the concept of it but maybe the execution took some of my excitement away.

      I thought the animation for the plane fight was pretty swell tho.

  5. Not gonna lie, the dialogues and the interactions ruined it for me. The characters are extremely unnatural and even small talks feel cringe as hell. The plot is still up in the air and that’s not a big problem, but my main concern is that i had already massive problems in watching the first episode due to the aforementioned dialogues and interactions. It’s a special type of bad writing that reminds me a lot of the lowest points of the Index franchise and those were VERY low. I’ll try to watch at least a couple of episodes, but i am not optimistic at all about this series.

    Lambdalith
    1. The execution was a factor for me too. I feel with a premise like that they could’ve done a lot more with it in terms of how they engaged the viewer.

      Haven’t seen the Index franchise but I get where you’re coming from for the most part.

  6. Omae wa mou shindeiru

    Well, the looting, er… pillaging, umm… borrowing of Tsunako’s lovely design is kind of off-putting. Its originality can be reduced to giving the third band of Siesta’s hair tie a crossing patter. I guess it helps that S4 of that show won’t air until next season. Will be odder still to see a socially-adept version of the character.

    I guess they needed a double-length episode just to get the two parts in — who are they and what is their relationship. That said, it’s kind of hard to take seriously at this point. But, lots of shows are mediocre in their premise so we’ll see how it goes at least, assuming they get into the actual story soon.

    Mockman
  7. I think the guy is/was suffering from delusional schizophrenia. He’s a loner who created this fantasy world that may seem very real to him, but it is so full of inconsistencies and unfounded assumptions/delusions when seen by the even the most casual observer. No idea where the show is going, ironically he may actually be a capable detective in the present but I have great doubts that his memories of the girl or what he did in the past with the girl are based on reality, or that the girl was even real to begin with.

    Shutaro
  8. I was really interested in the first episode so I went and read the first novel and it seems by animating it in this way the context was changed becausethis wasn’t a short-lived encounter, but a glimpse into a sadly ended three year adventure.

    Rune
  9. It’s too early for me to formulate an opinion on the writing for this show so I can’t say I don’t like it yet. I do like the one sided feeling that Kimi was projecting towards Siesta and wonder if she intentionally shoots him down to play hard to get.

    But, yaseen hijazi mentioned the fight scene on the plane was interesting. I don’t know, Siesta sprinting on top of those seats seems unbelievable. There is not enough head room in the passenger cabin to go Naruto on the enemy.

    I can’t believe Siesta was killed off, I liked her “I’m the leader” behavior! I was you go girl~and she’s dead—NOOO!!!

    RenaSayers
    1. Thanks for commenting RenaSayers 🙂

      Good point you brought up about the plane not being big enough, the scenes were drawn in such a way I didn’t even stop to consider how unrealistic it was! But hey that’s anime for ya huh xD

      And yeah the fact that it was a double-length episode just meant more emotional investment for Siesta… T_T

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