- Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Episodes: 11
- Studio: MAPPA
Nine and Twelve have been together for as long as either of them can remember. They are each other’s only family, only friends, only allies and confidants. Twelve and Nine know everything there is to know about each other. They accept one another, they don’t juge. Nine and Twelve have been through a lot, too much really. More than the average person could ever imagine or endure and so Twelve and Nine are the only ones who can truly ever understand each other. After being used, mistreated and discarded, after having society turn its back on them, the only thing either has left, is their friendship. It has always been and always will be Nine and Twelve against the World.
I like the summary I just wrote. It doesn’t really give you much but this is the type of show that relies on its riddles. The problem with riddles though is that no matter how captivating they may be, if the answer doesn’t live up to the question, then the entire thing is a failure. Terror in Resonance presents us with a mystery. A high pressure enigma that raises the stakes with each episode and jealously guards all its resolutions up until the last minute. Let’s see if I can manage to do the same. The title gave it away you say? Oh phooey…
I was a little afraid to watch this show. I basically only knew the title, the cover art and had seen a few pieces of fanart here and there. For some reason I had decided this would be really sad and was afraid it would depress me. I turned to a few fellow bloggers for their spoiler free thoughts on the subject and the unanimous consent was: It’s a beautiful show that goes downhill in the second half because of a certain useless character but remains worth watching because of the soundtrack alone. I’m not sure why I’m still typing – there you go, review accomplished! These guys are really good at this stuff. I’m taking notes.
You know what, I got some time – let’s stretch it out a little. You know, give you a detail or two. You gotta add some padding before the dessert drinking game, that way people enjoy it more!
Firstly let me wholeheartedly agree, this show IS beautiful. It’s gorgeously illustrated, both character models and backgrounds are thick with details and I wanted to steal half of Nine and Twelve’s wardrobes. Those laser cut hoodies! The stunning artwork is combined with intricate and fluid animation. It’s obvious that they were going for realism in the visuals. The physics engines and muscle movements are all perfect, the proportions are plausible and the designs look like something you could easily find in the real world. It’s an impressive anime to watch but the trade off is a loss of spectacle. Everything is pretty but nothing is striking. All these characters look like perfectly normal people that would blend into the crowd. Well perfectly normal extremely attractive people that is, not that there’s anything wrong with that. You know I sort of forgot the point I was going to make at “attractive”… moving on!
The technical aspects are all materful. Camera work is a bit on the traditional side but still uses some interesting angles and distance shots to ramp up the tension during action scenes. Blocking is superbly done to draw your eye to the exact spot you should be paying attention to, ensuring that you never miss an important detail or get lost in the shuffle no matter how crowded the screen gets. Lighting is fantastic and doubles as an emotional cue in dramatic scenes and sound design…
Sound design is simply outstanding. Ambient and atmospheric noises have been diligently added to every scene, further enforcing that naturalistic feel. Voice acting is emotional but never strained and the cast all work extremely well together.
I’ve seen a lot of my fellow bloggers sing the praises of the fine ladies working as seiyuus and as well they should. Some incredibly talented (not to mention easy on the eyes) women are populating the field these days. If I ever get to Danganronpa 2, I will likely be dedicated my fair share of words expressing my undying devotion to Megumi Ogata. But it seems to me, the gents get a little less attention. At least on the blogs I visit. So let me take just a second here to mention Soma Saito (also the adorable Corteo in 91 days and even more adorable Yamaguchi in Haikyuu!!). From his impressive biography, it seems this guy has a penchant for playing optimistic, idealistic young men faced with difficult situations. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what exactly made his performance so great but I noted his voice acting no less than 6 times (in 11 episodes) until I finally had to look him up. He brings so much life and personality to Twelve that I feel safe in crediting his performance for creating a charming, endearing and extremely likable character that would have otherwise been bland and completely forgettable.
As for the music. Yeah, it’s amazing. All of it is amazing and all of it works perfectly in each scene. It’s one of the best soundtracks out there. Because I like you – here’s the OP:
With a storyline centered around terrorism and the moral implications thereof, it’s quite easy to draw parallels to Psycho Pass, and early episodes certainly sustained that illusion. The cat and mouse game between the boys and the police was also very reminiscent of Death Note at its best but the show is lacking both any real villain or masterminds to stand next to those two classics. Besides it’s not exactly that type of story. Seen from the terrorists’ point of vue, Terror in Resonance seems more interested in making a greater philosophical point (multiple references on Hiroshima and the long lasting impact of the tragedy litter to narrative) than keeping up the suspense. As a whole it reminded me most of Yumei’s breathtaking webtoon Fisheye Placebo (Please continue your comic Yumei, it’s incredible).
Since we don’t know any of Nine and Twelve’s actual motives, we can’t take sides based on an informed decision. All we can do is cheer for whoever seems nice. It forces the audience to take in the action in a very different way than for the above-mentioned shows. This is meant to be a much more emotional rather than cerebral offering. If those shows were thesis, Terror in Resonance is a poem. By leaving the the boys’ ultimate goal obscure until the very end, the audience is kept in an unsure and destabilized state, forcing us to sympathize with the protagonists even as we are not given the information needed to relate to or understand them.
The gamble worked on me. I cared a lot for these characters (most of them) and yet if I take a step back I’m forced to admit that they are half realized at best and have zero growth throughout the story. Just like most things about the plot, the characters are huge chocolate Easter bunnies. That probably only made sense to me. You know when you get a giant Chocolate Bunny for Easter all beautiful and delicious looking only to find out it’s nothing more than a paper thin chocolate shell with nothing inside. Well that’s what the characters are like.
I disagree with my comrades that Five was a useless character that brought on the downfall of the series. She’s not very well developed, neither is anyone else, her motives are not well established, neither are anyone else’s, and she’s irrational, just like everyone else. She really is no better or worse from a writer’s perspective than any other character but she is the least likable, and as the antagonist I think that’s to be expected. In y opinion one of the issues some people may have with this character is that she seems to change her mind and become someone else at the last minute, effectively undoing anything she’s done up until then and rendering her entire arc moot. Maybe they’re right. But the way I see it, everything turned out exactly as she had planned from the start. With limited option and running out of time, she devised a plan that would ensure that her last blow would be the most painful and devastating possible. Yeah, the lady was one vengeful b* but she played her part. If you want to rant about a useless character, Lisa is nothing but a walking damsel in distress trope used to motivate the actions of others. Her entire character could have been replaced with a phone call or a dog with almost no impact of the plot. I didn’t dislike Lisa but let’s face it, she was not that useful.
To me the problem with the story can be boiled down to two major failures. First, it simply cannot live up to its own ambitions. It’s presented as a deeply engaging puzzle, a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat but it doesn’t have the patience or the wit to pull it off. It resorts to either a few unbelievably omnipotent characters which can solve any riddle more or less instantly or contrived coincidence to sweep away any obstacles because PLOT. It completely negates any real tension the story manages to build up and makes the whole thing feel *cheap*. Since the story is trying to cram in so much action into the 11 episodes, the plot is compelled to dumb down complex situations in order to resolve plot points as quickly as possible. It doesn’t quite work for this type of story.
Had it not presented itself as such a lofty intellectual endeavour, and gone for a more lighthearted hooligan – criminal action romp, it could have been absolutely delightful. Even after becoming considerably less enchanted by the show, I still found car chase scenes and mindless running around with guns very fun to watch.
The second issue, which could have saved the story but instead completely sunk it, was the reveal. After sticking with these characters for 11 episodes and seeing them go through way too much really, you are finally granted the right to find out what all of this was for. Why these two brilliant boys would go through so much and put everyone else through it as well. And it’s just ridiculous. It’s not exactly stupid, it’s a motivation that makes perfect sense in the context of the story but how they go about it is completely unreasonable. These guys are accomplished hackers, a well established fact, and media savvy (YouTube is used as an actual plot device) and comfortable with modern communication grids. Certainly they could have found a better way to spread their message. Quicker and more efficient too. It was just too ill thought out to be convincing in any way.
And that’s a shame. This gorgeous, potentially heartbreaking story had a lot going for it but in the end, the narrative bit off more than it could chew and choked. It’s a beautiful show that goes downhill in the second half because of an unrefined narrative but remains worth watching for the soundtrack if nothing else.
Radom thoughts: Just once I’d like to see a story about a government agency trying to bioengineer the next generation of superhumans, that goes right! Children’s nursery rhymes are always creepy when sung at slow tempo but My Darling Clementine or Ring Around the Rosy are way scarier than London Bridge.
Favorite character: Shibazaki (i.e. Deus Ex Machina)
What this anime taught me: ALL men are suckers for the helpless act.
Love makes the world go round? Not at all. Whiskey makes it go round twice as fast.
Suggested drink: The Resonance of Autumn (I’m really proud of having found this)
- Every time Twelve is on a bike – take a sip
- Every time we see a YouTube video – take a sip
- Every time there’s an explosion – get some water
- Every time Lisa is victimized – sigh
- Every time Shibazaki solves it – take a sip
- Every time there’s a new riddle – take a sip
- if you solve it by yourself – get yurself a treat, you’ve earned it
- Every time there’s a thight shot of Nine – take a sip
- Every time there’s a watch close-up – take a sip
- Every time there’s a flashback to the institution – take a sip
- if it’s a dream – take another
- Every time Lisa attempts to cook – have a snack
- Every time there’s a feather motif – take a sip
- Every time there’s a chess motif – take a sip
- Every time Mukasa is shown eating – do a sit up
- Every time we see the word VON – take a sip
- if you know what it means- finish your drink
I started watching this show with very little understanding of what it was about.
I knew that there was some kind of “terrorist attack”, but I initially expected it to be far more city under seige, but it definitely grew on me.
In some ways it was fun to approach a show with less knowledge.
I really enjoyed the “otherness” that surrounded 9 and 12.
In many ways I think the main question of the story was “how is what they’re doing reconciled with who they seem to be?”
I think at first Five was interesting, but the fact that the tides of power shifted so suddenly and drastically with her arrival really changed the story, and made Nine and Twelve far more clear cut as the “good guys”, which I think was a little regrettable.
I do think the series would have been well served by a longer season, and the “engineered children” narrative has been a bit played out at this point, in my opinion.
You basically said exactly what I was thinking but clearer and more concisely. I’m a little jealous. I still like my synopsis though….
Thank you, that’s most kind of you to say.
I like your synopsis too, along with the rest. I often enjoy reading posts like this for stories I’ve seen.
I’m not a big fan of thrillers or action anime series, so if the show I’m watching right now shows degradation in its quality, I can’t help but drop it. That’s one of the reasons why I praise those thriller series which were completed by me.
Sadly, Terror in Resonance lies on the list of those which were dropped. I completely lost interest in it after Ep 5 (Don’t get me wrong, I tried rewatching it but it just wasn’t my cup of tea).
Still I agree with the fact that they were incredible in pleasing my ears; through the OP/EDs as well as the soundtracks. Trigger is my jam!
“Sekai kara hajikidasareta~♪
Tohou mu naku…
Hosoi hari no ue ni ita~”
I can’t help but sing every time I hear those beats and that amazing voice!
This was a great review! Thanks for sharing your opinions!
PS: Megane fetish for life!!!
I can understand why although I definetly would not have dropped it. I love how devisive this sho is. All the comments are compeltely different!
Nice touch to that last bullet point 😉 This time I’m able to follow the drinking game since I’ve seen it too (Time to celebrate with more drinks!)
I couldn’t point out why my interest in the show dwindled as I continued to watch it, but I think its just as what you mentioned. Another reason could be that while I found the OP pretty nice at first, it got a little mundane having to listen to it every episode. Not that I think its terrible, it sets the mood of the show well, but when it comes to Yuuki Ozaki I still prefer his other songs… …
Great review as always~ 🙂
I’m still obsessed with trigger. I was listening to it at work all day… My favorite drinking cue for this one is the watches. There were so many shots of their watches even when they weren’t relevant to the scene. I think it may have been a “running out of time” symbolism.
Yea like the “Doomsday Clock” notion we have in the real world perhaps 😮
Then again, with the characters’ code_name/real_name, one can also make some combinations of time-stamps (although I wouldn’t go further trying to make some theory out of it)
*
Glad that you are enjoying the song a lot 🙂
I’ve heard of this one a few times and if it’s just pretty I’m not sure I want to watch (but also curiosity and I love meganes #dilemma)
Oh it’s not JUST pretty. There really is a lot to love about it. But it’s not as great as it could have been and it feels like there’s a lot of wasted potential (to me)
I liked this one and wasn’t really bothered by anything. Even the ending, which isn’t the best, was acceptable to me. This was something I watched when a lot, and I mean A LOT, of terrorist attacks were going on and I think that it added to a discussion people weren’t really having. Maybe that doesn’t make any sense? Any way, I liked this anime is all I’m really getting at.
Maybe i didnt make it clear. I liked it too. Just wasn’t my favorite and it really could have been
You were probably fine. I read your article on like zero sleep so that was most likely on me. Any way, I can feel that. It still connected with me, but not on the level of being a favorite like it probably should have.
I’m so glad you mentioned not only the soundtrack (which is just so undeniably gorgeous) but also the ambient sound. I feel like a lot of viewers overlooked this aspect in favour of the other technical details like the art style, animation, and camera work. These things absolutely deserve praise, but if possible, the use and quality of ambient sound stood out to me in this series even more.
Those subtle little background noises and hums really filled u the scenes and brought that city to life! It made the impact of it’s destruction so much more potent as well. It didn’t feel like an empty set.
My post’s going to be spoiler free… because I remember very little. I somehow finished the show, but every single episode bored me. It did look and sound great, but something about the show’s sensibility completely passed me by. For me, that happens a lot with Watanabe. I don’t like Cowboy Bebop, or Space Dandy. On the other hand I love Kids on the Slope and Samurai Champloo. This one was just dull for me. I don’t remember why I finished it.
Fair enough. At least you can enjoy the op?
Yeah, the opening was great, though, personally, I think the ending was even better with the haunting tune and awesome pulsing line art. (I’m locked out of your link, like raistlin, but it’s not hard to find on youtube).
I really liked this anime. It’s so underrated to me. I loveeeee nine. He was soooo hot. Twelve was so adorable. I cried at the end. Omg i did not expect that to happen.
Theres a lot to love for sure
ALL HAIL MEGUMI OGATA!!!
Also, I freakin lived Five. Her character design in particular, what with the pristine white hair and the blazing violet eyes, was mesmerizing, almost entrancing.
I remember wanting to watch this show because of the mystery and thriller elements it was advertised with. It also looked a lot like Eden of the East, which I could never get enough of. So I watched, and I found a surprising amount of depth to the serious nature of the show. Its messages transcended the little cat and mouse tag game, and despite running out of steam towards the end, *SPOILER ALERT* I couldn’t help but be left in shock n’ awe at the bomb’s grand detonation. It was gorgeous, and eerily so.
I’m glad you did get around to viewing this show, even if it did get a little careless with its character motivations and lofty plot points (Shibazaki will always save the day). It was a neat, realistic take on something that many lost children, I could only imagine, would feel like a dream. These two, the last of their kind, got so far, and for a brief second, the whole anime community was shaken up by what just two boys accomplished alone. (I liked your intro, BTW!)
Oh i didnt mention it but the explosion was spectacular! I litterally watched slacked jawed and holding my breath. It was classy, let me tell yah. I still believe this story could have used a bit more…hesitation. A bit more space. It felt cramped and reduced
The OP, for whatever reason, always really unsettles me. I like it a lot, but I always feel really uneasy listening to it. I guess it fits the show well!
I think thats part of what makes it great
Okay, I love Terror In Resonance. While the motive for the boys isn’t the best, as you noted in the context of the story it works and I think it makes a very important point. No matter how compelling the evidence people will deny or attempt to cover it over. They could have revealed everything about the facility and then someone in power could simply have said it was an elaborate hoax or fake and nothing would have changed. However, because their actions involved people and people were upset and inconvenienced, ultimately they wanted someone to take the fall and the ‘terrorists’ gave them targets for their anger forcing a change to occur even if only cosmetically.
However, that’s just how I saw it. Other than five’s interventions, which really could have been cut out entirely with no real impact on the plot other than one less life or death situation for Lisa, I really loved this story and these characters.
Totally agree with you about the soundtrack and visuals.
I think the second you resort to terrorism you invalidate your message
A friend of mind had a similar issue with the show. For me, it was a work of fiction that presented some very interesting themes and I think was on point about the way both the public and government respond to things they don’t want to hear or deal with.
On that part i agree although they didnt linger too much on public response
👌 I found no typos in the captions. Well done
Free QA!!! Nice
I really enjoyed this one and didn’t mind Five either. Even though she was irrational, she was just a kid at the end of the day who was a product of her environment. Pretty much the same as the other kids here, even Lisa even though she could have been replaced with a dog and the story would have been the exact same. I wonder why she keeps trying to cook when it always ends in a disaster.
I would have luved a puppy in this show
Crap…I can’t watch the video because it’s blocked in my country…Ugh…sometimes I hate living in Holland 😢😢
Somehow this post seems very familiar…don’t know why though 🤔🤔 Lol😂😂
Great review, I will most likely be watching this one in March on my anime theme month. I am lowering my expectations a bit now, but I am still pretty interested in it nonetheless. 😊😊
Oh wow – I never even thought about international viability of the videos. I’m so sorry – it’s a GREAT OP!!! I’m not making it better am I…
Haha: actually: you are because I am seriously laughing at this comment 😂😂
Oh well, then I know now what to look forward to in March 😊😊
I don’t know if you take requests or not, but have you ever seen Key the Metal Idol?
I think you’d get a kick out of it.
I love Ket. I bought the dvd box set from way back whan anime was still rare and difficult to find outside of Japan. Dark days…
Sounds pretty interesting Rin-san.
Also Trigger might be my song of the week ^^
(First comment for once YES!)
IT’s beautiful isn’t it?
*nods vigorously*
XD
Don’t worry, I got that megane fetish for Nine too 😉
It’s been a while since I saw this anime so this review was a nice refresher! I remember Lisa being the useless victim all the time, but for some reason, the most memorable part (or the part that still stuck with me since watching it years ago) was that scene on the ferris wheel. Loved this show! (:
Even though she was helpless I quite liked Lisa really. She wasn’t dumb or passive and that’s already a huge win