Quick Summary
In In/Spectre episode 5, “A Monster of the Imagination,” Saki Yumihara and Kotoko Iwanaga watched as Kurou Sakuragawa fought Steel Lady Nanase. Saki was beside herself: all of the fears and anxieties that forced her to leave Kurou seemed to come at her all at once. It didn’t help that the monster kept almost striking Kurou with her steel beam. Nor did it help that Kotoko seemed so calm because she was absolutely confident that Kurou knew what he was doing. But with each swing of her beam, Nanase came closer and closer to striking Kurou. Finally, as he retreated from her, his heel came down on an aluminum can. He crashed backwards into a sign. The steel beam came up for the killing blow. Can Kurou survive the impact? If he can’t, will he come back to life as Kotoko seems to think he can? And even with her police training, can Saki just stand there and watch her ex-boyfriend get murdered?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Best Moment in the Show
“Is this the first time you’ve seen Kuro-senpai die?” How do you even answer that? Saki was completely out of her element! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
The big news in this episode — and I have to say that it took me by surprise — is that not only does Kotoko think she’s dating Kurou. But Kurou thinks they’re dating, too!
I know! Shocking!
But that wasn’t my favorite moment, though it was in the running — along with a half dozen other great little moments. My favorite moment was a quick scene that showed just how right Kotoko is for Kurou — and sadly, how wrong Saki is.
Kurou had been fighting Steel Lady Nanase (wouldn’t something like I-Beam Idol Nanase be better?). More specifically, he had been dodging as she swung the enormous steel beam at him. Saki arrived on the scene after Kotoko, and as soon as she saw what was happening, despite her fear, she moved to help him. But Kotoko stopped her, saying “I’m sure he’s prepared to have his head smashed in at least once” (01:08). The sheer absurdity of what Kotoko said froze Saki in her tracks.
Kotoko’s words bordered on cruel at times, though I don’t blame her. The world she inhabits isn’t exactly the most kind and gentle place. But even Saki’s police training couldn’t prepare her for the level of brutality she witnessed. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Saki soon figured out what Kotoko meant, and she didn’t like it at all. As Kurou backed away from another of Nanase’s attacks, he tripped on a discarded soda can (I wonder if that was a joke — Japanese streets are supposed to be practically spotless!) and fell into a sign. He couldn’t evade the next attack. Nanase’s next swing connected and brutally obliterated his skull.
Saki was horrified, but Kotoko was completely calm. Almost sweetly, she asked (04:00), “Is this the first time you’ve seen Kuro-senpai die?”
Kotoko had an ulterior motive here. She wasn’t just trying to reassure Saki that Kurou was fine. After all, she’d been telling the police officer all episode that a little thing like death wouldn’t stop him! She was also hammering home the idea that she and Kurou operated in a world that was nothing like Saki’s, a world where this kind of thing was routine. A world that Saki had no place there.
Truth be told? I think Kotoko makes an excellent point!
What did you think of the banter between the three in this episode? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!
Other Posts about This Series
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Kyokou Suiri – Episode 5 discussion
- Believe in Geek: IN/SPECTRE // KYOKO SUIRI : A MONSTER OF THE IMAGINATION
- 100 Word Anime: In/Spectre Episode 5 Review
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- In/Spectre Episode 1: One Eye, One Leg
- In/Spectre Episode 2: What the Guardian Serpent Heard
- In/Spectre Episode 3: The Rumors of the Steel Lady
- In/Spectre Episode 4: Idol Dies by Steel Beam
- In/Spectre Episode 5: A Monster of the Imagination
- In/Spectre Episode 6: Logical Fiction
- In/Spectre Episode 7: Preparing to Conquer the Steel Lady
- In/Spectre Episode 8: She Who Spins Fiction
- In/Spectre Episode 9: The Committee to Conquer Steel Lady Nanase
- In/Spectre Episode 10: Dueling Factions
- In/Spectre Episode 11: The Ultimate Fiction
- In/Spectre Episode 12: She Who Defends Order
It was a shocker! I really want to know how this relationship came to be
I’m really curious, too! Has he come to the realization she’s the only one for him? Did she just wear him down? I hope he doesn’t break her heart…
It looked more like the latter
That’s what I’m afraid of.