ID:Invaded Episode 6 Review

Are You A Mass Murderer?

Episode 6 of ID:Invaded delivered perhaps both my best and worst moments for this anime so far this season. I’ll get the worst out of the way because then I can focus on all the amazing things this episode did (though technically none of it works without the groundwork laid by the previous five episodes).

For me, the worst moment was during the arrest of Kazuto (the scene was actually pretty awesome and I’ll get to the highlights later). Basically there’s a moment where Kazuto has dropped from the balcony of the floor above to the ground floor and then he zips toward Hondoumachi while she fires at him four times and he just kind of dodges. Now he isn’t moving particularly fast so either she’s a terrible shot or he’s apparently actually able to dodge bullets. However, that isn’t the worst part of the sequence. The worst part comes at shot five which goes directly through the hole in his head.

I’m definitely calling that moment out as complete dribble and utterly unnecessary. Also, nowhere near as cool as it probably sounded on paper.

However, episode 6 of ID:Invaded is undeniably a strong episode within a series that has taken its time to flesh out the cast adding small details episode by episode, and has throughout each of the 5 preceding episodes directed the viewer to become curious about the John Walker persona and his connection to Sakaido’s past. While this episode alone isn’t a brilliant piece of storytelling, the way it is consolidating characters and plot threads and setting a direction for future episodes makes it a solid mid-season episode, where so many anime drop the ball mid-season or go and have a beach episode.

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I want to particularly discuss Hondoumachi’s character who has been present throughout the series but her role seems to be undergoing a dramatic shift at the half-way point of the series. While most of the team are starting to become more than just filler and actual characters, Hondoumachi is all but stealing the protagonist title at this point as her choices and actions are driving so many of the events over the past two or three episodes. While the core of the series and I am assuming the mystery will ultimately come back to Sakaido, at this point Hondoumachi is at the centre of the episodes. And she’s brilliant.

The final conversation between Hondoumachi and Matsuoka in episode 6, set against such a bright background despite the dark turn the conversation took, was incredibly well done. The distance between the two characters, Hondoumachi’s shock as she realised why Matsuoka had recommended her, and the consolidation of a character arc that really kicked off when she drilled a hole in her head were all just on the mark.

Of course, we’re left wondering where to next and whether we now switch back to Sakaido as the focus or do we see what Hondoumachi’s next steps are? ID:Invaded has made me curious and even as we’ve hit the mid-season it isn’t showing any signs of weakening as it pushes forward with its narrative. Progress is slow but steady, much like the character development, but the end result has so far been satisfying.

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Karandi James

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