The Ones Within

Unresolved To The End

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] Episodes 10 – 12

Affiliate Link – Nendoroid

The Ones Within remained an oddity right until the end. We have those who have dropped out of the games below the complex and yet other than one flash to them during the end of episode 12 that plot line goes nowhere. Instead, after recovering their companion from the white room the group go right back into the games for episodes 11 and 12.

Now there’s nothing wrong with either episode. They have some random moments and the whole concept remains pretty weird, and it all has a sense that maybe somehow it will go somewhere. Yet, now that the series is finished the bottom-line is that the anime just leaves us hanging with the kids still about 30 million views off finishing and no clue what happens if they actually succeed. Then there was this random sequence that looked like maybe they were older and back home but it could have been someone else and we won’t get any explanation of that either.

While the lack of ending will probably mean I won’t end up recommending this one when I do a full review, I have to admit, there were more episodes that succeeded than didn’t in this anime and episodes 10 – 12 are all very entertaining. Watching the four characters who were given a child AI that needed to be made happy interacting with the rest of the group was great and it gave us some insight into Makino. The casino set up was also kind of fun as it put each personality on display in their approach to gambling.

Affiliate Link – Nendoroid

Basically, The Ones Within remained far more watchable than its score on MAL would suggest and is an anime I’ve enjoyed this season. While none of the characters have moved on from their ‘type’ the interactions within the group and the way they respond in the various games work really well and these final episodes put that aspect fully on display. Besides, watching a fish blossom out of someone’s head is certainly entertaining, and Iride’s solution of hugging monsters to befriend them continues to be an amusing approach to conflict.

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Karandi James

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Images from: Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Dir. S Oonuma. Silver Link. 2019.

The White Puzzle

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] Episode 9

A much better episode from The One’s Within than episode 8 though I can’t help but accept it has lost momentum and despite being a pretty interesting episode there’s a general sense that this isn’t going to end up getting to an actual ending. Still, Onigasaki’s disappearance causes the group to unite in a way they hadn’t really before and I’m actually genuinely surprised at Iride’s approach in this episode. I kind of expected him to try to be nice to the llama to persuade him but instead he went for a straight ultimatum.

Faced with a hostile prisoner and a group that has decided to boycott any further games until he’s returned, the llama offers a compromise of sorts and gives them a game where the prize is saving their friend. Unfortunately, the llama has a terrible sense of humour and the game is finding a code to a room by assembling a giant white puzzle. Talk about driving people crazy.

Meanwhile though, Onigaski has discovered a tunnel out of the white room. Given the surveillance everywhere in this story I am genuinely surprised that no one is tracking him when he does this. But he meets up with a group underground who are apparently also those who have escaped the room and we learn that the games are taking place on an island and the number of the avenue seems to refer to the group number. Which makes me wonder if 13^th is ominous in this instance or does that not apply as an unlucky number given this is not a western story?

Affiliate Link – Soundtrack

Roro seems particularly put out by the white puzzle game and  I’m back to wondering why she had the papers in her room and what message the llama was trying to send to her by his targeted comment. There’s a lot to think about but I doubt I’ll get to a conclusion with the clues we have and I’ll just have to wait to find out.

So, will they crack the code in time? Will Onigasaki actually be in the room when they get there? Will Oshigiri be reunited with his sister? And, is there actually a ghost mermaid in the water?

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Karandi James

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Images from: Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Dir. S Oonuma. Silver Link. 2019.

Hot Springs… Meh

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] Episode 9

This was kind of a nothing episode. I mean, stuff happened, I’m just not sure any of it mattered until the very end. Which is possibly what they were aiming for with lulling s into a false sense of fanservice outdoor bath shenanigans before dropping an actual bombshell, but in honesty between being exhausted in general from work this week and then feeling nearly lulled to sleep in the early stages of this episode, by the time we got to the ‘dramatic’ ending I was largely indifferent and kind of just thought, ‘oh’.

Anyway, the characters are recovering from the game of hide and seek and Pakka suggests they take advantage of the bath. Before that happens though Roro and Onigasaki are deep in conversation that seems serious but turns out to be an utter red herring. And yet, Onigasaki has the information on each of the characters taken from Roro’s room during hide and seek so maybe there was something important first.

Affiliate Link – Game

The guys then go to the bath and find that Pakka is already in the bath, llama head and suit still on. Iride is more or less unphased and jumps in anyway but after a little bit of silliness, Pakka is kicked out by the others and then he swaps the signs around. When the girls arrive, they enter the same bath as the boys and well exactly what you would expect to happen does.

Still, that information from earlier turns out to be important as Onigasaki reads his own information and then goes with his sword higher up the tower. Then we find out it’s the next morning and he’s gone missing before we find out he’s been placed in the white room.

This probably would have worked better if I hadn’t watched it while exhausted. I really can’t even process whether any of this matters or not. I guess we’ll find out next week if being in the white room is a problem or whether there are any stakes here.

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Images from: Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Dir. S Oonuma. Silver Link. 2019.

Suspense Leading To…

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] Episode 7

The Ones Within has a small problem in that seven episodes of tough talking llama administrator aside nothing truly horrendous has happened to these characters (though Iride did come close to being killed by a demon). However it is a definitely truth that suspense and tension only lasts so long if there is never any follow through and you end up with a feeling that nothing irreversibly bad will ever happen to the cast. Which makes episode 7 of The Ones Within interesting as the characters themselves note that this might be the most dangerous game yet and they come fairly close to both irreversible consequences and to failing the game.

But then they don’t follow through again and ultimately we finish with the cast just fine. It should be noted that the anime itself has apparently understood that this lack of follow through will eventually lead the audience to conclude that the suspense is all just smoke and mirrors and so the episode ends with the promise that somehow the stakes are about to be raised and that’s after an episode where they seem to be hinting quite strongly that one or more of these characters are about to have something drastic happen to them.

Possibly it is just more smoke amounting to nothing, and in honesty I’d probably prefer the characters to reach the end of the game without engaging in a blood bath or being needlessly massacred for the sake of edginess. However, this week we had the opportunity for one of more characters to have their eyeballs gouged out and the story essentially made it clear they wouldn’t follow through. Even allowing the blindness of at least one character to be permanent (maybe even in one eye) would have been some kind of follow through that would be enough to make the danger of the games feel very real.

Affiliate Link – Game

I also kind of expected more from the hide and seek game when they said all the rooms would be unlocked. I kind of wanted more discoveries to come to light about these characters, though it will be interesting to see what was found out from the papers in Roro’s room.

I really am enjoying this series but it is all just a delaying game at this point and if we don’t land on some concrete point before the end it will all feel rather empty. Still, points for a story that decides to go for a darker tone and doesn’t feel the need for mass slaughter from episode one to achieve it.

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Images from: Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Dir. S Oonuma. Silver Link. 2019.

Would I Lie To You?

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] Episode 6

Iride is forced to sit out a game this week, even volunteering won’t help him, and so we see some actual flow on from his injuries last week as well as some suspicions from some of the other characters in The One’s Within. On that note though, it is Anya and Himiko chosen to navigate a dungeon where they cannot lie and wasn’t Anya just the worst choice ever for that kind of challenge.

As usual there’s so many weird scenes and visuals within the episode it is difficult to know where to start. Paka threatening Anya if he does anything to Himiko is pretty amusing, as is Paka’s acts as he sits sipping drinks with the girls or polishing glasses behind the bar when Oshigiri attempts to confront him. There’s so much simmering beneath the surface of each of these characters it is difficult to know what to pay attention to as almost anything they say might be important later.

That said, I found my suspicions being turned to Makino even as Onigasaki began to suspect Iride. Honestly, Makino has stayed the lowest key out of all the characters and we still know practically nothing about him, but he always seems to turn up at key moments and play a pivotal role in the scenes he is. I’ll be a little upset if it turns out he really is just background  when it seems like there must be something more to his character.

Affiliate Link – Game

Honestly though, there’s really something about this anime. There’s a scene toward the end of the dungeon crawl where for utterly contrived reasons Anya has to list five things he appreciates about Iride and we get a really nice song and a slow pan out from the two showing us the darkened room with its pillars. This pan goes on and on and the music continues. In most other anime I’d probably suspect they ran out of money or were cutting corners, but here, given the other visual elements, this actually had me chuckling as the length of time it took Anya to just spit out the answer was played to absurd levels. Within the context of the show and the episode it worked even if it isn’t exactly the kind of thing that I normally enjoy.

There’s definitely something fun about The One’s Within and I’m really wanting to know a bit more about what is going on now. From a fairly shaky start this one has managed to grow on me and now I’m at least interested in each of the characters and wondering what they are really up to. Looking forward to the next episode.

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Karandi James

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Images from: Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Dir. S Oonuma. Silver Link. 2019.

Defining Boundaries

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] Episode 5

The satisfying viewing experience continues with this weird anime as we get more information about various characters and their motives as well a small insight into the nature of the game itself. The One’s Within is most definitely odd and at times seem random but there feels like there’s a method to the madness and that there is actually an end-game that we are heading towards.

The RPG continued with Karin and Iride having been kidnapped by the ogres last week and now Oshigiri and Onigasaki are using Roromori’s tracker to find them. The other characters get a brief amount of screen time but aren’t overly significant as this episode very much focuses on expanding on Oshigiri’s back-story and his quest to find his missing sister, filling in Onigasaki’s back-story and his relationship with his family, and Iride’s general weirdness even trying to befriend Paka, the llama guy, who is more or less orchestrating the situation they are in.

That’s a lot going on but it all kind of fits together and nothing feels overly rushed. Nor do we linger overly long on various back stories. We get the information we need and move on. It is very nicely done and while the overall tone of this anime is a bit odd (I don’t know that I’d actually describe it as a comedy so much as just a little bit surreal), I certainly feel it is doing better than its current MAL score would indicate.

Affiliate Link – Game

Though, I will point out that Karin remains the least developed character and it makes it hard to really care whether they rescue her or not. Given she’s been in the story for the same length of time as Iride it seems a shame she’s so one-dimensional and an uninteresting character but they’ve really not given her anything to work with.

On the other hand, we also got a bit of a reveal from Paka this week. When Iride was about to be killed by the ogre, Paka intervened. Given the threat of death for not participating in the first place (though I guess he technically only threatened to lock them up until the rest of the kids cleared the game – if they ever did) it kind of seems weird that now Paka is putting limitations on the games. Still, it adds an extra element to the whole mix and one that I’m considering the implications of.

That and Paka’s declaration that he’d ‘employ a reset’.  Part of me wonders what that entails and why it seemed so threatening. Curiosity has definitely got the better of me at this stage.

The One’s Within isn’t great but it is that quiet story churning along with enough interesting elements to keep me coming back and unlike a lot of shows on my watch list this season, this one keeps me thinking once the episode is done. Hopefully they do have a plan for all the intrigue because without it this could end up a lot of build up for little reward.

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Images from: Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Dir. S Oonuma. Silver Link. 2019.

Playfully Malicious

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] Episode 4

We move into another dark game, this time set up like an RPG and involving all of the characters. However, unlike previous episodes of The One’s Within, this episode doesn’t wrap up the current challenge by the end leaving us hanging and waiting for next week to see how they overcome this monster of a challenge.

The story is pretty straight forward; protect the village girls from ogres. Yet, as with everything else in this anime, there’s a twist coming. The fact that you see it coming a mile away doesn’t really undermine the general feeling of playful maliciousness going on in the plot here. I honestly think this anime must have been written by a committee of cats with how it likes to play with its ideas and characters.

But what really caught my attention this week were the visuals. All the way through, The One’s Within has used fairy rough looking visuals with distinct enough character designs but plenty of reaction shots and images that are nearly static with only one or two parts actually animated. Episode two’s panda girl gave us a unique character design but hardly one that was detailed or looking to be realistic.

Affiliate Link – Game

This week we have so many different styles going on all packed together. It was almost as though they were trying to make up for the fairly lacklustre animation by overwhelming us visually. And it isn’t as though it is terrible to watch. More that with so many images competing for your attention it becomes difficult for any of them to truly stand out. Also, with the various styles visual cohesion isn’t really happening with this series though given the disjointed nature of the story as we jump from challenge to challenge I doubt that’s really a problem.

I don’t dislike The One’s Within. It is quirky for the sake of being quirky, the characters are walking tropes, and there’s very little truly unique or original, yet it doesn’t feel pandering or lazy. While certainly each element has been seen elsewhere and possibly done better, the combination of all the different elements works here and makes for a satisfying enough viewing experience even if it isn’t a must watch.

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Images from: Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Dir. S Oonuma. Silver Link. 2019.

Stalker Girl Saves The Day

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] Episode 3

Rare that the stalker girl turns out to actually be the most useful and yet here we have a girl who is clearly a long way gone in terms of being possessive who manages to save the day this week in The One’s Within.

I’m going to acknowledge that this series is managing to be far more coherent than the first episode led me to believe it would be. While I’m not marvelling over smooth transitions between sections or internal logic, events in prior episodes do in fact have an impact on where the story develops in the next. The game this week and the conflict entirely grew from decisions made by the players who didn’t participate last week as in their down time a couple of them decided to try and take a peek at the hidden workings of the situation they have found themselves in.

While that might be a small detail it gives the whole story a sense that it is moving along together rather than moving as disparate activities that may or may not eventually serve some kind of purpose.

Affiliate Link – Soundtrack

However, anime can’t get a pass just for not being as bad as it might have been. Where The One’s Within also grabs my interest is in the development of these characters. They are all staying true to their one note introductions but we are gradually seeing them as whole people rather than tropes. While it may be slow progress, it is progress and overall I don’t mind this particular group.

Of course, all of this hinges on the wondering of whether or not there is a reason for the seemingly unkillable guy wearing a llama mask, the numbers on their arms, and the game set up. If they haven’t thought it through and they either don’t give us an answer or the answer falls flat it is going to make most of this feel pointless. Still, I’m a lot more optimistic about this one three episodes in than I was after episode 1.

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Images from: Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Dir. S Oonuma. Silver Link. 2019.

Mashing Genres For No Apparent Purpose

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] Episode 2

While episode 2 of The One’s Within doesn’t really get us any closer to knowing the who, what or why of the situation, I do like that at least some of the players are open to testing how the mechanics of the game they find themselves in work. It makes sense that views come from more than just participating in the games and finding ways to use that to their advantage as well as finding other potential loop-holes may very well be what keeps this anime afloat.

That they demonstrated this while sending two of the girls to an outdoor hot spring is the kind of fan-service that makes sense. It serves a narrative purpose while providing the audience of the anime with those lingering shots of girls in a hot spring without actually showing anything thanks to the miracle of non-transparent water and unmoving hair that must be duct taped to conveniently cover breasts. Of course they’ll get more views if they are bathing, though we still don’t know who is watching these gamers in the first place.

They also gave us a bit of time to get to know the group dynamic that is forming before four players nominate to take part in the next game. I do like that not all of them are required to be helpful or involved in every situation. Asking the whole group to cooperate on every challenge would be overkill and difficult to make interesting and so narrowing the focus down seems an efficient way of dealing with each situation.

Of course, that’s more or less where the positives for The One’s Within end as to be honest this is fairly disorganised sequences with a cast of characters who seem to be determined to stick to their trope regardless of the situation. The angry boy threatening to kill everyone is already getting old two episodes in and really all of the characters are kind of suffering from being incredibly one note so far.

Affiliate Link – Figure

The game itself, raising a girl and then getting her together with the most popular guy in school, is not inherently interesting, though they are pulling out all the stops to be zany and weird for the sake of it. Like the llama headed guy giving the instructions. Seemingly purposeless weirdness so they can point out how random and cool this all is.

Well, panda school girl baking cup-cakes doesn’t make the scenario any more interesting and the fact that she was crushing on one of the team members but they didn’t ultimately pursue that plot line at all just smacked of a wasted opportunity. This seems like it will remain watchable and there’s a potentially really interesting story here is they ever do anything with it, but so far it is sending up a lot of red flags for being a mess and probably not even a hot one by the time the season is over.

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Images from: Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]. Dir. S Oonuma. Silver Link. 2019.