What They Say:
Five takes over the battle of wits against Nine and Twelve as Lisa tries to find her place in their group, but Shibazaki isn’t happy sitting by idly.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Nine and Twelve, with Lisa now in tow, have been carrying out their plans just as they wanted to, using Shibazaki as both their foil and their greatest asset, but the arrival of Five is the last piece of the puzzle necessary to turn this story into an all-out war in which anyone could be winning or losing at any moment. That’s what it’s all been building up to and exactly the kind of format that it thrives on, kicking off the latter half of the series with a fervent run that isn’t likely to slow until it’s all over and each character has truly had proper time to shine.
How can Five take over this investigation from the detectives who have managed to stop Sphinx from hurting anyone after their initial attack (granted, it shouldn’t be plural since Shibazaki is really the one doing all the legwork and as it turns out, Nine and Twelve would risk everything to stop their own attacks if that didn’t work out, but I digress)? Well Nine and Twelve haven’t been the only ones from their dark past doing big things since getting out into the world; Five has found herself a good position at the FBI, and we all know how those pesky Americans like to make foreign affairs their pet projects. It’s not surprising that she would be making strong headway, considering her skills possibly transcend those of even Nine and Twelve. Shibazaki and pals aren’t big fans of being stopped from doing their duty by gaijin who come out of nowhere and cause dozens of injuries they would’ve easily prevented, so lone wolf with heavy sense of justice that he is, Shibazaki goes maverick under the guise of a lunch break, taking off to do the right thing regardless of what the orders from the top demand. But for once, his colleagues actually have the same idea and are on board as well, something that may not really help Shibazaki in the long run, but still nice to see.
And it’s a good thing they feel the need to take action, even if they might be rendered irrelevant by Nine and Twelve’s own moves, because Five decides to play the role of a “second Kira” for those Death Note fans, drawing her rivals of past and future out to finish the game she so desperately wants to play. While it’s a bit questionable to think that not only the public but most of the investigation assumes that this message delivered in such a different way from that of Sphinx’s usual video series, a way that could come from anyone, with only Shibazaki suspecting something might be fishy due to the lack of a message, it’s still an exciting change to the game that Sphinx has always made the challenges in. So it’s clear what role those four are playing, but is Lisa finally doing anything but being a clumsy housemaid for Nine and Twelve’s depressing place of residence? Ah, while their own plans have always been designed to only include the two of them (naturally), Five has put them in a position that requires a wildcard, and as it so happens, they have the perfect wildcard literally begging them to let her help out. Make the subtle shift from Kira to Zero, and Five has the two in a game of human chess, with Lisa making her debut as a real terrorist accomplice, albeit for a mission that involves saving the public from terrorism.
In Summary:
The pieces are all in place, and not only for the game of chess that most of the main players are about to engage in. Each character has found a critical niche, and how the story plays out with all of them sufficiently involved is already a joy to behold on this show’s finest level.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Custom-Built PC, Sceptre X425BV-FHD 42″ Class LCD HDTV.
