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):
Now we’re finally getting places. After its atmospheric first episode that scratched a mere 18 pages of the manga, the story proper begins with the introduction of the hook. The pacing is sped up, and events start to happen, giving the audience a taste of the roller coaster ride that’s only just beginning.
At the end of the last episode, Kasuga noticed that Saeki’s gym bag was left behind when he returned to the abandoned classroom to retrieve his favorite book, Baudelaire’s Flowers of Evil. He turns to leave, but temptation overcomes him, and he decides to take a look. He opens the bag, takes out her gym uniform and smells its soft scent of shampoo. His bliss is soon interrupted by a noise behind him, and in a panic, he jams the uniform under his shirt and steals it. Whether he actually intended to steal it, or whether it was done in panic no longer matters, though, as the evil deed is done.
He immediately realizes his mistake, and plans to return the uniform secretly when he notices that Saeki appears to be absent. No such luck, though, as she soon walks into the room crying after apparently reporting the theft to the teacher. The teacher announces the theft to the class, making any sort of secret return of the uniform an impossibility. Kasuga’s suffering has only just begun, though, as he is approached by Nakamura, the creepy girl, after school, who demands he take her beyond the mountains. When he refuses, Nakamura says that she saw him steal the uniform. Kasuga runs away in panic, and immediately regrets that, too, as now there’s nothing to stop Nakamura from reporting the crime.
But Nakamura has no plans to let him off so easily. She doesn’t report the theft, and passes him a note telling him to meet her in the library. When he does, Nakamura promises to keep it a secret, as long as he agrees to a contract with her. Before Kasuga can even fully agree, Saeki shows up, apparently having been invited by Nakamura. Kasuga is too cowardly to confess, so Nakamura pushes Kasuga forward so his face falls on Saeki’s breasts. Embarrassed and angry, Saeki runs away. And from Nakamura’s gleeful expression, it’s clear that her reign of terror has only just begun.
The first episode drove many people away with its rotoscoping, and many others will be driven away when this episode reveals Flowers of Evil’s dark heart. Nakamura delights in torturing Kasuga for some unknown reason, and we’re given little explanation as to why. Does this sadism have a point? The sound design is still fantastic and oppressive, the pace has sped up, and I’m slowly growing used to the rotoscoping. I still have some doubts about artistic choices made, especially the use of clips from the episode in the opening, and the bizarre skipping used when Kasuga runs away. Is this a comedic device or animation shortcut? It’s never good to have to ask that question.
Still, the ride is just beginning, and this episode ends what you would expect a normal first episode to be. The atmosphere is established, and now the plot is as well. The horrors have just begun.
In Summary
The second episode finally delivers the plot of the show, which will rightfully scare away viewers who weren’t repulsed by the art design of the series. It’s a risky choice to make a show that is designed to purposefully alienate the audience, but that’s clearly the choice the director made. The manga Flowers of Evil is based on, however, is fantastic, and those who stick around with the show will surely be rewarded for their patience.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment: Sony VAIO 17″ HD screen
