Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge - 11 & 12

"Red Rising" and "The Forbidden Games"

Be careful what you wish for.

Episode 11

You know, I seem to have the worst luck when it comes to trying to show others why I love this anime. I happened to have my thirteen year old cousin with me while I was watching this episode this time, though I thought she wasn't paying attention because I had another anime streaming on the television for her. Of course, she just had to start noticing what I was watching when all the overtly sensualized and censored Yamane stuff happened, and of course I got labeled a weirdo pervert. It seems to be the cursed fate of those who love Dansai; we'll never look like sane appreciators of art to those who don't understand the beauty we see in the series. But that just makes me sound like a snob, and I can really, seriously see why all this weird fetish stuff doesn't work for everyone. If I were younger and less openminded, I don't even think I could have stomached most of the downright questionable stuff here, much less consider it gorgeous and addicting. I like to think I've matured somewhat since then though, so even if I look like a sicko to thirteen year olds, I won't stop proclaiming my love for this utterly twisted series.

Enough about me though; this last arc of the series has revved up the ante, and there's a lot going on here. Emily was scary enough when she first battled Kiri, emotionless and cold as she was then, but she's raised the bar on what terrifying child-murderers can do with her skill. It's not the first time I've seen the "wounds can't heal ability" in an anime, but somehow the whole trope is a lot more disturbing when associated with Dansai and it's strange brand of cruelty. Watching Kiri deal with his bleeding is really quite scary, especially when he still intends to fight Emily after all that. Yamane's help is of course instrumental (and hugely suggestive), and though the weird censoring of the needle feels bizarre, it also makes that scene a hell of a lot more erotic than it has any right to be. But really, that's the magic of this anime; it's all in the atmosphere, even if that atmosphere occasionally runs a truck right through your comfort zone.

I really have to stop and appreciate the characterization of Kiri and Iwai's characters here though. Everything that happens here is really rather subtle and the two don't interact all that much, but it's more obvious than usual just how much Kiri cares for his girlfriend/Instead. Despite being horrendously wounded (dying, to be exact), he nevertheless goes off in search of Emily to finish her off once he realizes how large a threat she is. And Emily is dead set to get rid of Iwai for the sake of their shared father, which only makes her that more dangerous. Iwai isn't in the spotlight quite as much here, but she does show signs of wanting to get along with Emily, something Kiri probably understands quite well. Sometimes, however, you can't really have it both ways, and I doubt a simple talk will stop a cold-blooded murderer like Emily, small child though she may be.

Episode 12

So here's a term you'll never hear me use outside this series: werescissors. I didn't make it up, but it does pretty much encapsulate the beastly nature of Kiri's Greyland form at the end of the episode, though it doesn't quite do justice as to how legitimately scary the nature of this episode is. It has nothing to do with how creepy Kiri is, or the terror Emily feels at being sliced up by his Pain Augmentation (holy hell, a power that makes everything feel more painful than it already is?!), and everything to do with some rather disturbing truths we've been noticing all along. Though Yamane was right in guessing that Kiri had not yet seen his original Killer and thus hadn't manifested as an Author properly, other signs have shown that this isn't quite so black and white.

Namely, for a long time now it's become more and more apparent that Kiri isn't just fighting for Iwai's sake. While he does genuinely love her and is determined to keep her safe from the other Authors, there's always been that doubt, in his mind and everyone else's, that he likes being the Crime Edge. He genuinely enjoys slicing through flesh and feeling powerful through it, but never has he been so depraved about it as in the moment where he really connects with Greyland. Though he's ostensibly just channeling the murderer through, it's not so simple as blaming his ancestor. There's real bloodlust in his actions, and it's in that moment, where he discovers that more clearly than ever, that he finally lets the original killer into his heart. And that, to me, is a lot scarier than his actual Werescissors form.

It's only once he's really let loose as Grayland that Emily finally succumbs to real fear. In her case it's more about reaching into the shell of the Author, the emotional numbness that people like Yamane show when they awaken too early. As an Order Made, Emily often alludes to the difficult process and pain she probably went through to become one, and like the Byouinzaka sisters, it damaged her perception of the world and stunted her emotional growth. Though Kiri only hoped to scare her off, his newly awakened thirst for blood is not at all satisfied with that, and I think both of them will find all too quickly that this was probably a very, very bad mistake. Hopefully Iwai will be able to bring Kiri back to his senses, though I fear that once he's tasted the dark side, he's never coming back exactly the same as before.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the caps!