Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin First Impressions (1): Keeping the supernatural peace
Published on April 9, 2019
I didn't know what I was getting myself into with this series, but I was happy with this episode when I heard the music playing in the very first scene. The series follows Arata Miyako, a fresh hire at the Shinjuku Nocturnal Community Relations department. He soon finds out that his new job is to help arbitrate disputes between supernatural creatures, called Anothers. He also finds out that he has the special ability to understand what the Anothers are saying, unlike his more experienced coworkers.
As I've said before, I tend to like series about yokai and other creatures from folklore, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this series handles them. This first episode spends a lot of time introducing its concept, so the basic conflict is a simple Romeo and Juliet story. It's nothing new, but I still thought it worked as an introduction.
I do feel like it's a bit of a stretch that Arata goes from being unable to see the Anothers to immediately being able to understand them. I get that he's supposed to be the reincarnations of Abe no Seimei or something, but it's hard to accept how quickly he goes from fresh-faced newbie to showing up the veterans. I don't think it's a huge deal, but it did bug me.
I also like how the episode didn't seem to spend too much time explaining itself. We're introduced to Seo as an experiment goes wrong, so it's easy to believe that he created all of the gadgets they use against the Anothers later in the episode. No need for lengthy exposition, right?
The way that Arata's power is revealed is cool too. We as the audience see the story from his perspective, but there are still plenty of hints to show that the other characters can't hear what the Anothers are saying. As a result, the reveal feels earned, even if it didn't have much time to develop.
I'm looking forward to seeing where this series will go. Its premise seems interesting, and I think it would appeal to me. I don't know how I feel about it being in the same season as Bungou Stray Dogs, but I'm sold so far.
-
Terrance A. Crow
April 12, 2019, 7:52 p.m."The way that Arata's power is revealed is cool too. "
Wasn't it, though? It was perfectly within the narrative: Arata didn't know what he didn't know, and his co-workers didn't know to tell him! I thought that was a great moment!
