3ET: Mekaku City Actors

Where are her feet? Did someone screw up her program?

Studio: Shaft

Director: Shinbou Akiyuki (Bakemonogatari, ef – a Tale of Memories)

Writer: “Jin”

Main Cast:

Kaida Yuuko as Kido

Hoshi Souichirou as Seto

Tachibana Shinnosuke as Kano

Hanazawa Kana as Marry

Kashiyama Nanami as Momo

Asumi Kana as Ene

Terashima Takeru as Shintarou

Togashi Misuzu as Hibiya

Miyano Mamoru as Konoha

Character Design: Abe Genichirou

Music: Nakanishi Ryousuke (Kuroko no Basuke, Sakura Trick)

Mekaku City Actors exists at the intersection of several different pieces of otaku culture. The director is Shinbou Akiyuki, one of the most prolific and popular directors working today. The story comes from a series of Vocaloid songs, which has spawned light novels and manga; and their creator is in charge of the script. And the story is told in a non-linear fashion where the characters are all tangentially related, like two of my favorite anime of recent vintage, Baccano and Durarara. Said story is about a group of teenagers who have mysterious powers, mostly having to do with observing and being observed by people. Some of these kids have formed a group that is trying to get their powers under control, others are on their own. It's not exactly clear what it is trying to do as of yet, meaning that Mekaku City Actors relies on its characters and its general weirdness to pull people in. And to that end, it is fairly successful.

It's rare for an anime with a large main cast like this to have no one who annoys me, but Mekaku is able to pull that off. I chalk that up to how the characters feel like real people, even in this early stage. The way they interact with each other reveals their relationships, from the way the shut-in Shintarou condones the virtual girl Ene's existence on his computer to the teasing friendship that Kano, Seto, Marry, and Kido have built up. I also appreciate scenes like the schoolgirl idol Momo speaking with her teacher about her poor grades. It reveals points about her character, like her obsession with manga, that a lesser show would have just stated as a matter  of fact. This is a sign of good writing, and "Jin" is showing in this debut that he has talent for making an audience like characters, even before they are put in mortal peril.

"Actually, no. Kizu fucking never."

The show is also put together in a way that speaks to the intelligence of the people working on it. Shinbou's directing style works as he does what he does best, make would-be mundane urban landscapes visually interesting. Everything is recognizable, but seems a bit off, and not just because of the near future setting. He also has allowed a unique style to shine through with Mekaku, even though the severe head tilts and use of on-screen text are still there to give it his signature Shinbou style. There is also a use of color to indicate the main cast, even before they're met by different characters. Most of the time, the rest of the people walking around the city are monochrome, while the characters are in full color. This works to not only identify them as people the audience should care about, but also tags them as people who are different from everyone else. There's also the overt, but not obvious way used to show them using their powers of having their eyes flash red. All of these are signs that this show is smarter than the average anime, and requires me to pay attention to it to know what is going on.

And if a show isn't losing my attention, that's a real good indicator that I'll stay engaged. And the small story of the first act has only whet my appetite for more, so Mekaku City Actors is a strong pass from me. I don't know where it is heading, hell I don't even know all of the characters that well to be honest. But, from what I have seen, I'm in. Let me see what kind of weird web these characters weave themselves into.