A brief spoiler-free review of the 12-episode winter 2017 anime “Chaos;Child,” stylized as “ChäoS;Child,” as well as the prequel recap “Episode 0” and the OVA “Silent Sky” (episodes 13 and 14), animated by Silver Link., directed by Masato Jinbo, and based on visual novel of the same name by MAGES and 5pb. The anime is a sequel to “ChaoS;HEAd.”

Return of the New Generation Madness

Six years ago, a massive earthquake rocked Shibuya to its core, leveling the ward to utter ruin under the cloak of a strange white sky. Such was the climax to ChaoS;HEAd and the mass hysteria that lead to Shibuya’s destruction caused by a series of gruesome murders dubbed the “New Gen Madness.”

Now, in a present day and newly rebuilt Shibuya, the mysterious chain of grisly murders that once shocked the world have started up again. It’d only be a matter of time before occult-interested third-year student and newspaper club president Takuru Miyashiro discovers a startling connection: the dates of the recent murders match those of the previous New Gen incidents. Risking the warning signs dished out by his foster sister, Nono Kurusu, Takuru and his friends of the club decide to entrench themselves deeper into the mystery, only to find that merely knowing about the crime scene is enough to put them all in danger against the bizarre and the unknown. Bleeding eyes? Sumo face stickers? What’s the connection?! The further Takuru persists, the worse his own case of delusions tries to consume him.

With this sequel, several shocking twists are littered throughout the story to maintain an immense level of thrill—an almost nauseating number at that. I couldn’t count one episode that didn’t include a world-changing discovery, and the need for the series to constantly one-up itself makes for a bumpy ride. Are half of these sickening twists just written for shock value? Maybe a few of them were. That’s not to say it’s unexciting, however; if anything, it’s the perfect watch for fans of the thriller genre! Just know that the gore train doesn’t stop once it gets going, and that it’s also not for the faint of heart.

Takuru and the Unusual Family Dynamic

“Family” is a theme that, beyond ChaoS;HEAd, the Science Adventure Series rarely tackles. And yet, I think it fits quite well. Growing up in a foster home, Takuru constantly isolates himself from friends and family that clearly love him for fear of what unintentionally losing them will do to himself in return. In a show all about murder, deceit, and delusion, I would say that Takuru’s playing it smart—which is undoubtedly confirmed by Mio Kunosato, a certain young scientist affiliated with the government who purposefully acts like a dick to him. But the reality is that, without family, it can be harder to realize who you are, and what you might want to do with your life. His blind refutation of others’ compassion, particularly Nono’s (bless her heart), feels frustrating—and his actions will have grave consequences—but in the end, all the emotional justices and injustices balance out well enough.

For spoiler’s sake, I can’t detail much more other than that Serika Onoe, Takuru’s newspaper club friend, doubles as the game’s other possible romantic interest. Like all Science Adventure heroines, however, there’s always something hidden under that lab coat, silly pose, or precious smile. Although Alex Moore’s Nono doesn’t quite fit the imagined vocal register, English dub fans will be pleased with Ricco Fajardo’s Takuru and especially Felecia Angelle’s Serika.

Revisiting Shibuya: Lights and Sounds

Animation studio Silver Link. brings an oddly soft and pastel glow to a world that is otherwise nothing but blood and guts strung all over Shibuya. Much like their work on other slice-of-life series, ChaoS;Child takes on many shades of cool blues and violets, but the pulsating red shimmers of cute character blushing, street lights, or, at its worst, blood, give an off-putting vibe befitting the supernatural undertones. Much like with ChaoS;HEAd, a grainy or fuzzy layer of film is added to Takuru’s delusion scenes, of which can spike the heartbeat with wicked intensity. Although the character movements are fairly stationary, they’re still pretty to look at against the sparkling, sprawling cityscapes and dark, grungy alleyways of a Shibuya we’ve explored all too thoroughly.

(I know these images are from the game, but the art style is nearly identical.)

Thankfully, Kanako Itou returns to the Science Adventure Series as a leading part of the music with a new OP, “Uncontrollable,” and though it’s much less memorable than “Hacking to the Gate” or even “F.D.D.,” she’s become an iconic part of this massive franchise that deserves shoutout. Takeshi Abo provides amazing suspense and fright with the soundtrack, but his work shines best with his gorgeous piano soliloquies to match the series’s bittersweet moments, or even his nice orchestral work for Takuru’s more heroic scenes. Overall, the tone is a great improvement from ChaoS;HEAd‘s unstable insanity.

The Adaptation Conquest Continues . . . 

“Not all is as it seems” with these Science Adventure Series games. While I enjoyed ChaoS;HEAd enough to merit it worth the buy, I was never truly satisfied with how its ending was executed (or how many of its grim stunts were pulled off). For the most part, ChaoS;Child is better in charge of its numerous plot twists, but that sense that some questions weren’t quite answered still lingers. This is largely due to the game’s many meticulous routes being cut and pasted to create the most coherent story (which explains why one of the newspaper club members doesn’t even speak a peep). Of course, the rushed urgency that comes with such a time crunch doesn’t help much either. To obtain the most complete experience, do watch the 50-min “Silent Sky” OVA (that is included AND dubbed on Funimation’s release!), as it adapts the game’s true ending and brings the story to more fulfilling, albeit beautifully tragic, ending.

ChaoS;Child offers a decently strong follow-up to a series that frankly needed one desparately. Still, the plot lacks proper explanations to make its story truly solid writing. Essentially, while it’s not a must-watch (as I can’t force anyone in their right mind to sit through the headache that ChaoS;HEAd can be), the more you know about the case at large, the more enjoyable the entire experience is. The revelations made in ChaoS;Child build upon your previous knowledge of the New Gen crimes and a few of their deadly constituents, and making such fatal connections is half the fun—if not half the madness.

Although it moves too fast for its own characters’ backgrounds to shine and feels like a bit of a mixed bag for the sci-fi genre, murder mystery and thriller fans will surely get their fill of the grotesque and the paranormal that unmistakably belong to the weirder side of the this beloved franchise.

There was so much that they didn’t give me. I was trying to find those things in her, I think. — Takuru Miyashiro

Afterword

Call it my unashamed love for the entire Science Adventure Series, but despite its rushed pacing and shaky character motives, I’ll still award ChaoS;Child worth the watch with a “Coffee” rating. At the very least, its high tension and dramatic twists made for a very interesting narrative, and it is visually appealing. Not that I’d place it on the top of my thriller anime favorites list (of which no such thing exists), but it would be on there for sure.

But what did you think of ChaoS;Child? It was pretty cool to see Takumi and the old ChaoS;HEAd gang reanimated in the 2017 art style in that “Episode 0” prequel recap! I know the Chaos side of the franchise gets a lot of flack for things I’ve said over and over again now: rushed pacing, poor explanations, and weak character backgrounds. Even then, did you enjoy it as much as I did? Do let me know, for I fear that my own passion for this series could be a delusion in itself! Haha, thanks for reading, and until next time, this has been

– Takuto, your host