A lot of walking, and the unfortunate specter of this adaptation’s missed opportunities.
What They Say
FLOWERS OF EVIL revolves around Takao Kasuga, who is caught stealing Nanako Saeki’s gym clothes by Sawa Nakamura whose cold attitude makes her generally disliked by everyone. In exchange for her silence, he makes a “contract” with her, in which he must abide by all of her unreasonable demands. Initially torturous, Kasuga wants out until one day when things start to change between them…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Going into this series having read the manga has been a blessing and a curse. It’s been interesting to see how the adaptation has improved on the manga in places, but it’s also meant that this suspense series holds absolutely no surprises for me. So when the series reaches an episode that is stretched to the breaking point to delay the inevitable big reveal, it feels somewhat torturous. With only 13 episodes and a second season unlikely, the only sense of dread I feel is that I know what important manga chapters we may never see animated. Those new to the series may be able to luxuriate in the atmosphere of suspense, but I could just feel the clock ticking away with nothing to show for it.
Easily five to seven minutes of the episode’s start is given to Kasuga and Nakamura walking hand in hand through the town in the dark of night. It starts out great, with the two of them walking through a narrow tunnel, in what could be thought of a wedding of sorts, as Kasuga has seemingly now accepted Nakamura’s darkness. But it goes on, and on and on to the point where I have much less to discuss in this review. The scenery is as beautifully painted as ever, and the sound design is top notch, but the pacing of the show has always been languid. Here a single chapter of manga is stretched out to 21 minutes.
We may wonder how much trouble Kasuga could be in, and how he can possibly get out of this. He sits in the dining room all night long, unable to sleep, until his mother eventually wakes up. He then slowly walks to school, with slow, timid steps, in a change from the walking sequences we saw in the first episode (yes, even more walking!) Kasuga thinks about fleeing, but meets up with Saeki, which forces him to enter the classroom where his future awaits…
And it turns out nobody knows he did it. In the frenzy of painting ink around the room, he managed to cover up his name, so that he is no longer identified as the culprit. Nakamura sticks out her tongue, but doesn’t intend to tell anyone either. The students are panicked, as are the teachers, who call an emergency meeting where it is announced that students will be required to walk home in groups while the mystery pervert and vandal is on the loose.
Kasuga retreats to the side of the building when he has the chance and nearly vomits from either anxiety or guilt. Nakamura stops by to congratulate him, but he doesn’t seem very pleased. The two are then approached by Saeki, who recognized the flower painted on the floor, as it matches the one from the Baudelaire book Kasuga bought for her. She correctly identifies him as the one who stole the uniform and vandalized the class. Before we see her reaction, however, the episode ends. Further development is left to one of the series’ dwindling number of remaining episodes.
In Summary
Flowers of Evil remains one of the season’s best, and continues to be compelling even at its most tortuously slow. This episode tests the patience of those who already know the big reveal coming at the end. The pace has slowed from 2 manga chapters an episode to just 1 this week, and this is not a show that has time to spare. Perhaps those who are in suspense will find this week’s episode more effective, but I could only feel future development from the manga slipping away, page by page, twist by twist as the episode walked on, and on, and on.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony VAIO 17″ HD screen