Feelings of wanting to destroy society to reconstruct its ideologies have been at the forefront of terrorist actions. Since the beginning of the 21st Century, lately has cropped up numerous terrorist acts across the globe. So, what better way of showcasing these horrific acts of violence than to make an anime where the terrorists are the protagonists? With Cowboy Bebop director Shinichiro Watanabe at the helm of production in Terror in Resonance, this was sure to be a fiery sensation like many of his previous works. Yet, despite the hype, it turns out to be a prime example of how not every show with a talented director will be a great project.
However, saying this is an abject failure would be stretching it too far. It can be construed as a pretty good thriller compared to most recent anime thrillers that have come out. Watanabe knows what to do in his direction to create an impending tone for the viewer. Whether it's comical like in his earlier works or serious like in Kids on the Slope and Terror in Resonance, we feel an intense, unsettling atmosphere directed by the three protagonists that we're following with the latter. Cold and calculated, they know how to create chaos in a just society, and we can feel that anguish and thought process quite clearly and with great direction.
Music speaks with radiance and greatness, accomplished by the always talented Yoko Kanno once again. Blending various styles of electronic music composition and dark string instruments, Kanno helps add so much layered atmosphere to the show. This and Watanabe's unclear direction create an excellent mixer that feels very cohesive to the structure of the environments we see in many scenes throughout Terror in Resonance.
You don't often see artwork on character designs to look more human than in typical anime. Terror in Resonance's artwork consists of beautifully drawn backgrounds with a nice coat of colors that give a dreary focal point to the setting. Washed-out colors with dark blue overtones are paved, even in scenes where there is daylight. Sometimes, in a minor nitpick, I'll admit, the darkness can be a little too much, to the point where it is difficult to see. Especially in the scenes where we visit the apartment rooms, there is hardly any light, and I can barely see the characters in front of the camera's view.
What Terror in Resonance marvels is in technicality. Other than those aspects, Terror in Resonance lacks the elements of a story and character development. The vast majority of the characters in the show feel very bland in terms of their characterization and personality. The only exception is Lisa Mishma because of her internal struggles that feel genuine and relatable in her anxieties and psychological issues. Outside of her character, the two people she brought herself into, Nine and Twelve, aren't as strong as her. Nine especially is inexcusably dull from what his goals are, to begin with, which I'll get to later on, and his overall arc. Twelve is at least a bit more enthralling because of his charming charisma, but considering how the show wants to be a dark psychological thriller, it feels a little out of place in some areas.
Besides our three main leads, other characters come off as just decent, but nothing more memorable than that. Though I will say, Five is a contender for the villain of 2014 because of how they successfully make her into a significant considerable threat. The police terrorism division head, Kenjirou Shibazaki, is a nice throwback to old-school crime detectives who are the main driving force in stopping the opposition. However, they aren't the slightest bit memorable of the lack of any unique identity, other than the fact that they are just there to stop the protagonists' bombings.
Now we get to the story portion of the critique. This can easily be summed up in a few main crutches that make it suitable: Lack of a coherent structure and poor development. All of this can be pointed to the backstory of Nine, Twelve, and Five, which feels uninspired. Yes, it's your typical "kids escape from a facility of a brainwashed government facility and go their separate ways" plot. That isn't to say that it can't ever be done well, but Terror in Resonance lacked a unique pull for me to be interested in this type of plot again. Uninspired is the perfect word to describe the story. With Watanabe on board on a project like this, you'd expect something more ambitious than this.
With all that said, was this a great thrill ride despite all that is said about the plot issues? Absolutely. The tension I get whenever the police try to find the bombs that Nine and Twelve put out in the city are some of the most intense sequences I've experienced yet. Again, with Watanabe's superb direction, the atmosphere helps make this work tremendously. Kanno's extravagant music makes for a perfect amalgamation of all these elements neatly wrapped into a triumph for a suspenseful thriller.
Some aspects disappointed me in some regard, considering this is Watanabe's first directed show in nearly five years. That aside, I can still see this as worthwhile to watch. This anime will likely be his least popular work, considering how everyone typically looks at Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. But trying to best out his other works would be an impossible feat to take over, probably even for Watanabe himself.
Grade: B-