Here we are at the back half of In/Spectre – the vaunted Steel Lady Nanase Arc. Even a cursory glance at the show’s artwork would reveal how central our faceless (but boobiful) idol is to this show. Is it worth the majority of the season though? Let’s find out!
You won’t have to wait long for my thoughts – I was enamored with the first half of In/Spectre, but the second half…has dragged on a bit. I think the dueling fictions were great, and I still adore Iwanaga (she doesn’t like her first name, so I’ll oblige), but these four episodes could have easily been condensed into two. I think Saki-san hasn’t lived up to my expectations, development wise (although her character design is top-tier). My complaint: her lack of response to her colleague’s death. I mean, I get it, she’s decently stoic, but it’s like the ghost busters team is all cavalier and forgetting that someone actually got their face smashed in. It’s sort of addressed in the car ride back, but I would have liked to see a bit more of a sorrow, stress…something from Saki.
Overall, I think Rikka is a great villain (although I have no earthly idea what she was showing chibi Kuro with the fireflies at the lake), but I think Kuro is a bit of a letdown. They gave him some decent lines in the afterstory episode 12 with Iwanaga, but to me it doesn’t make up for the fact that he spent most of this season….dying and trying to grab shiny threads of fate.
Finally, I guess I’m a bit mixed on the entire Steel Lady Nanase arc. I love the showcasing of how clever Iwanaga is, and how she basically outwits someone who can control destiny. That’s top notch. The actual story setting – dead idol with major scandals – doesn’t really appeal to me.
I guess my other complaint is actually the fight between Kuro vs Steel Lady – quite lackluster if you take the action apart from the flashbacks. Maybe some of that is the censorship, but I think a bit more effort should have been put into making it a dynamic fight. As it was, it felt like the life or death fight outside the car was just a formality and a backdrop to the girls’ chat. I get that the real battle was happening on the internet not reality, but it just comes across on screen a bit off.
My final thoughts on the series as a whole are coming soon ™, and I think any major judgement of this show will be how you enjoyed the Steel Lady Arc. Personally, I found it a bit mixed, but I like the general idea and I love Iwanaga’s character. I just didn’t think everything came together into a masterpiece – plenty of things I like, but there are just a few details holding this back from greatness.
But seriously, Iwanaga is the best. Come on Kuro (actually this was to Saki)….what can you do if she give you that look?
