Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge - 5

"Before the Game"

If you had any reason to believe Dansai was done being explicit and deliciously insane, you'll have to start facing reality soon.

It doesn't get much more visceral than what Dansai accomplished this week, and whatever you think of the actual events, you do have to give the series this: it really doesn't care about making its viewers uncomfortable. I like to think I'm a normal pervert (let's not play the "I'm not a pervert" game; sexuality is an unavoidable part of the human experience and everyone's got a bit of it in them no matter what their stance is on it objectively), but even then I have to say that explicitness like that of the S&M relationship this episode, or that of attempted rape, is not at all something I enjoy watching. Yet, though my inner decency cringes, I can't lie; even when it's almost painful to watch, Dansai is, by all respects, a beautiful show, and I admire the fact that this series is as openly bizarre as it is without any reservation. It's unapologetic to the point of ridiculousness, and though I've no doubt that it will likely be a financial failure, I love just how far it's willing to go from the established mold regardless.

If last week was the week we met a set of Authors and Insteads with no ill will toward Iwai and Kiri, then this is the week that we meet those who very much have blood in mind. Zaiga Romeo (Nakamura Yuuichi) and Shihoudou Ruka (Hikasa Yoko) are by far the most disturbing case of fetishism I've seen in many a season, and not necessarily for their methods (which are just basic S&M tactics). No, what makes them downright gross is the same factor that's been making the series so gorgeous in the first place: atmosphere. It's not just about what the characters do, but how it's depicted, and while for Zaiga and Shihoudou this emphasizes the depravity of their relationship, this same method makes scenes like Kiri and Iwai's midnight cutting session breathtaking and wonderful. It's in the art, the body language, the acting, the lighting, in everything really, and you can't blame Kiri for feeling betrayed when Iwai friendzones him; after all, the atmosphere has always made these two feel more natural than most pairings, so it's easy to forget how unprepared Iwai is for thinking about things like relationships.

However, this is the week where Iwai really comes into her own as more than a damsel in distress. She's always been a compelling character, but never before has she really stepped out from behind Kiri's figure and actively worked to protect herself. Thus when Shihoudou pushes her into a lake (proclaiming that all boys should die right after Kiri expresses the same about girls) and finds herself alone amongst a group of hypnotized or brainwashed boys (including Kiri), she doesn't just sit there and let the attackers have their way with her. Though this is a really difficult scene to get through (unabashedly so), Iwai, like Kiri, isn't beyond getting her hands dirty; she too wields the Crime Edge and draws blood, and she successfully fights her way free with her own strength while vowing to save and protect Kiri. Perhaps this experience will get her to realize what's been obvious to us all along, but first she and Kiri have to escape the President and his Instead's clutches, and without killing anyone either. Though they don't know it, Nakajima is waiting to hand out vigilante justice outside the camp, and it's very probable that he alerted Zaiga and Shihoudo to Iwai's presence in the first place, considering what we know about his methods.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the beautiful screencaps!