3ET: M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane

Darkness so dark I call it Wesley Snipes.

Studio: Satelight

Director: Satou Junichi (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, Kaleido Star)

Writer: Okada Mari (Aquarion EVOL, Nagi no Asukara)

Main Cast:

Matsuoka Yoshitsugu as Saginuma Akashi

Hikasa Youko as Hazaki Emiru

Maeno Tomoaki as Namito Iwato

Yahagi Sayuri as Kasumi Raika

Kakihara Tetsuya as Maki Minashi

Fukuen Misato as Yuzuki Maamu

Murase Ayumu as Isaku Heito

Koiwai Kotori as Izuriha Sasame

Character Design: Inoue Hideki (Ikoku Meiro no Croisee, Grenadier)

Music: Sakita Hajime

The final show of this season, M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane, is a grim mecha show where a creeping darkness that drives people insane and kills them is slowly spreading across Japan. A group of eight teenagers were all trapped in the darkness together, somehow survived, and are now fighting creatures from the darkness called "Imashime". They seem to not remember each other, but have some sort of connection to each other the Imashime. They are able to hear each other's thoughts and songs from the Imashime that signify their coming demise. It's a rather silly concept that takes itself extremely seriously, and it sort of pulls it off.

The main characters feel like they don't have a lot of depth, but there is something to distinguish most of them from the basic anime archetypes. While the main guy, Akashi, is pretty standard as far as a quiet protagonist, as is Iwato as the best friend gy, the other boys are a complete psychopath and an energetic, happy kid who seems completely out of place in a show like this. As for the girls, Emiru acts desperate to fuck just about any dude that will have her, the quiet girl has a journal that predicts what will happen next, including who will die, there's a soldier girl, and a new girl who is a complete enigma. While they are not the most compelling cast, it feels like the surface has only been scratched when it comes to their characters. At least, that's what I'm hoping is the case.

Hey, half the cast is here! Oh wait, it's the boring half.

The seemingly dissonant cast does add to an uneasy feeling that permeates the entire show. The other source of that unease is the Imashime themselves. It is revealed, not completely obvious but fairly clearly, that they are human spirits who probably aren't conscious that what they are doing is killing people. The one in the first episode is a mother looking for a locket with her child's picture in it. And the one in the third episode is a child who is playing "kick the can". This brings up questions as to what exactly the darkness is and what it does to people. And one thing I will give M3 credit for is the way the characters react. They know these monsters have people's spirits in them, but they still fight and kill them because they are dangerous to the people who are still alive. There isn't a stupid "I can't kill it, it's people" moment, which is a nice bit of restraint. Although, perhaps they are waiting for the person inside the monster to know one of the characters before they get to that. My bet is on Akashi, because his brother went missing int he darkness several years ago.

So, while M3 hasn't done anything truly great yet, I see enough potential to give it a pass. The mystery of the darkness, how the eight kids survived being inside it, and what effects being there had on them has me just intrigued enough to give it a chance. And given that it's two seasons long, it has plenty of time to reveal its story. Alternatively, it also has plenty of time to ensnare me in a complete pile of garbage for that length of time. But, that's a risk I'm willing to take.