As much as the Monogatari franchise is a circumvention of candid characterization and philosophy by youkai manifestation, Kubikiri Cycle is a see-saw of murder island/locked room mystery and self. Even as NISOISIN's debut piece, it's littered with his usual quirks. The segregation of characters and the world perhaps plays out the best here out of all of NISOISIN's adapted works thus far, in the extremity of secluded geniuses and the havoc of murder mystery. Although the gyro-scoping, glass-encased dining room was a bit too nauseatingly gratuitous to my liking, the mansion scenery nails this sense of isolation on the head with its shots of grandiose décor, alien white-blue palette in Kunagisa's room and the eerie anti-contamination room. At the same time, Yuji Kajiura composes fittingly otherworldly pieces, met with Kalafina's imposing vocals. Moreso than the genuine monstrosities symbolic of human character in Monogatari, Kubikiri's isolation of location and psyche felt much more foreign and incomprehensible.
The characters, however, usurp their swanky surroundings for a greater sense of enigma. Although, their queerness doesn't manifest in their own genius or personality quirks like Ultimates, but their meditations on geniuses and their interactions with Ii. From Yayoi's vulnerability in effort as a means of genius, Maki's decadence in spite of her supernatural prowess, Shinya's paralleling longue in the genius' shadow to the incompressibility of Akane and Kanami's switch-a-roo; the ceiling theme of genius isn't so much the division of genius and layman, moreso how this palette of perceptions reflects in Ii's eyes.
If the absurd amount of reverberating monologues hadn't made it obvious from the get-go, there's a clear case of Unreliable Narrator. If that's too harsh a prescription, then biased perception, as redundant as that sounds. As if to offset the stuffy verbal, the cuts, shot composition and some other editing details reflect Ii's perception of others, his thoughts from their conversations. The exchange between Ii and Kanami in the first episode particularly stands out in memory, with the mirror and panning wide shots bordering their conversation of Ii's opinion on Kanami's art piece to deliberations on the layman and genius, and ultimately an obvious chink in Ii's apathetic armor. Production, however, feels overzealous at times, with the occasional superfluous camera panning and lens flares. But hey, usual Shaftism, right?
This crack-in-armor gets exploited continuously as the series progresses. Scenes of Maki's on-the-mark criticisms riddles themselves with extreme close-up shots of Ii's mouth to avoid ocular emotion giving away his anger, conversely shots of his eyes turned away to avoid the truth, and abundant jump cuts of Maki as if she sees Ii from every angle. As apathetic Ii may make himself out to be, sentiment occasionally drips out. Unfortunately only the first of a series of volumes was adapted, the basis of Ii's character is scratched upon.
This lack of somewhat demerits the context of some important scenes. Teruko's biting remarks at Ii seem to suggest she and others know about his past, to the point where she's disgusted at his existence. While such scenes still manage to convey their weight, them hinging on Ii's past somewhat deters one from the grand scheme. Still, just like how the murderer's motives aren't fleshed out, Ii's character thrives under the murder mystery.
As enjoyable, perhaps a bit questionable, the corpse body double trick and other parts of the mystery were, they're superseded by Ii's vulnerability hinging on the matter. Ii as the stand-by sleuth until Aikawa's arrival situates him in an uncomfortable position. Casted out from Kunagisa's shadow and basked in the presences of other geniuses, Ii is forced to realize his defection in existing through Kunagisa. Maki points this out early-on, teasingly taunting Ii for his passiveness and sheep-herd psyche. Less blatantly, other characters dissect Ii through their own dissections, such as Shinya's mirrored subsistence through Kanami (Akane(?)) an uncomfortable realization for Ii. Ironically, though, Kunagisa seems to be the least characteristically fleshed out of the characters. Nothing much is explored between the two beyond their pseudo-sibling relationship, suggesting there's much more to be delved into beyond what was adapted.
Though, the last episode somewhat bridges this gap in context thanks to Aikawa. The car-ride is much like a father berating and softly nudging his son on the shoulder, although her analysis of the case reminded why Ockham's Razor exists. The ride wasn't so much a cliff-hanger on the mystery as it was Aikawa pushing Ii for self-identity, that he could've done better. Perhaps her words go in one ear, go out the other, as Ii winds with a particularly introspective monologue about returning back to Kunagisa. Perhaps they've planted a seed of change in him that actualize beyond the scope of this adaptation. Kubikiri leaves off on a cumbersome and incomplete note, nonetheless fruitful in displaying the potential for growth, both in narrative and Ii's character.
Complete adaptations are not the end all, be all. Teetering between classic locked-room mystery and frail self-identity among a cast of geniuses, Kubikiri Cycle is a bundle of postulations and deductions. Although it's NISOISIN's debut work, his iconic motifs and style is prominent throughout. The isolative world-building is all-the-moreso with the private island setting, supplemented by the nauseatingly grandiose mansion scenery, and ubiquitous conversations and seemingly superfluous tangents. As one would expect of Fuyashi Tou in their long wine-clinking with NISOISIN, they know how to draw out the best from his nuanced style of writing. Editing is considered from suggestive shot composition to palette choice, in realizing the narrator's perception of others and situations. Sound design follows through from Monogatari, the frequent monotonous-toned monologues patterned by reverberation as if the audience themselves are situated inside the narrator's mind. Marching to the beat of the opulent, disorientating world, Yuji Kajiura carries through with her usual excellent musical composition.
Narratively and thematically, the mystery subplot thrives. Applying critical thinking should lead one to most points, though some unexpected twists were met. Moreso, the mystery's the narrator's character vehicle. Although the lack of background context somewhat impedes important scenes, the many character interactions the product of his investigations build on his character. The lack of a basis leaves much to be answered, in good and bad. Potential shines in its final moments, trailing off on an ambiguous, somewhat fulfilling mark.
Bump he told his story at the next function.
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