Id:Invaded is one of Winter 2020's most debatable anime. The reason? Id:Invaded is not the typical police anime. It's a fascinating, thrilling and poetic mysterious journey. I'm calling it a journey because it feels like one; even if it's a fast-paced one cour anime. This surprisingly integrated show throws the watcher deep into the abyss of ingenious writer Otarou Maijou's thoughts. What made me personally distinguish this anime is that every episode was full; so full, that it felt like 35-40 minutes long. And trust me, it never got boring! This is all due to the famous director Ei Aoki and Studio NAZ, who made it possible to expose such a huge pile of thoughts in just 13 episodes.

The story is about a fictional world, where criminals' minds connect in a unique way. The Mizuhanome system, only launched when used by a person who has killed at least once in his life, makes it possible for this detective to dive into an enigmatic world, created by another criminal's subconscious. While observing the detective's trip, the police staff finds clues, making the case's solution easier to reach. One of the strongest parts of the anime is the psychological one. Mainly emphasizing in emotionally traumatized people's points of view, or even psychopaths, Otarou Maijou presents the - sometimes small - gap between righteousness and sinfulness, right and wrong, success and failure. He creates an emotional rollercoaster, mostly led by the main protagonist, Narihisago, but other characters too, like the famous Kaeru-chan (no spoilers for her true identity).

This rollercoaster is so successful because the character development is on point, as it should be. For example, we get to meet Narihisago as time goes by, as he enters other criminals' wells, as he encounters reality's hardships. Is Narihisago really a criminal? Does he want to save people, or does he hate humanity? Many questions like these pop up in the watcher's minds since the beginning of the series. Episodes 9 and 10 are the climax of his character development and he shows all of his true colours.
Aside from the main character, a good development is seen in most of the "main" side characters, so if the watcher understands what messages the author wants to pass, they will definitely be satisfied with what they're watching. But like I mentioned before, mr. Maijou's thoughts are deep, poetic and sometimes hard to comprehend; as a result, they act like a double-edged sword. Many may like his concept, while many will dislike Id:Invaded - it's up to you whether you'll keep up!

As many years have passed since I first came across the Japanese culture, I've never stopped getting impressed by how well they can use their sources of influence; it does not always work, but this time it surely did. Many pieces of work that made an impact on the story can be detected. Yasutaka Tsutsui's sci-fi thriller novel "Paprika", with the addition of some details only found in Christopher Nolan's famous movie "Inception", "Drill hole in my brain", which is actually Maijo's fiction, TV series "Bones" and probably more which I can't identify. Some people claim that Id:Invaded is similar to Psycho-Pass, but I disagree. Psycho-Pass author Gen Urobuchi's ideas and execution differ a lot from Maijo's, while I agree that the psychological and sci-fi sides show similarities and apply to a similar audience.

Last but not least, the artistic side of this unusual anime has to be mentioned, especially the OST. If you're a fan of the famous guitarist and singer Miyavi and still haven't watched Id:Invaded, the first thing you should do is go for it. The studio chose wisely to feature the - as far as I'm concerned - best songs from his 2019 album, "No sleep till Tokyo". The ending song ("Other Side") fits perfectly to leave a dynamic and emotional vibe after an episode is done, while the songs "Samurai 45" and "Butterfly" are once inserted in a clever way to hype up the audience. Aside from Miyavi, a tearjerker insert song titled "Memories of love" by Hiroshi Suenami was the perfect fit to the specific scene it was played in, so I congratulate Studio NAZ and Ei Aoki for their perfect selections of music.

A summary is not needed, since I expressed everything I had to share with all of you reading right now. It's my first review ever, so feel free to text me what you didn't like about it (from the aspect of writing, not my opinions). Likewise, I'm willing to privately discuss anything that would be a spoiler with those who have watched the anime and disagree with me.

Thank you for reading!