Trickster

Episode 13

A month has passed since the Le Waqua incident. Twenty Faces has been "arrested", Nakamura is busy spending time neglecting the mess and meeting her "boyfriend" whose identity is going to be a huge twist, and Akechi is off doing who knows what to prepare for whatever is "finally beginning" according to a very-much-not-arrested Twenty Faces. If only he were right and something actually would begin to happen, now that we're in the second cour. Sadly, inspiration in this show seems to be exhausted from switching the OP and ED songs around. With most of the adults busy or absent, it's up to the remaining boy detectives to solve the case-of-the-week, involving an invisible stalker duo taking pictures of idols, politicians, and Kobayashi in unfortunate or incriminating moments.

This case involves the use of some cool near-future tech the likes of which Trickster has employed before, creating so many fun new pastimes for cyber-attention-deficit wannabe criminals. The show's gadgets and setting have always been among its stronger elements, even though using silhouettes to portray invisibility is not exactly a move oozing with creative vision. Hanasaki, on the other hand, is bursting with insane creativity, coming up with a plan that involves setting Kobayashi on fire by having him smash a car to trigger sprinklers filled with florescent paint to unmask the invisible perp. Wow. If only the show would spend the same amount of energy on character building.

There's not much more to say about the Lynch Shot case, which really only serves as the backdrop for Hanasaki to get back into the game (but not the gang) and show that the wounds of betrayal take more time and effort to heal. While he's returned to school (now attending more frequently) and is even going to some sort of counseling, his attempts at searching for emotional stability aren't enough to calm his nerves or his guilt. Twitchy and on guard, he clings to his communicator, waiting to be called upon by his friends. The one who does call is his father, trying to reconnect after almost losing both of his sons. However, years of mutual estrangement can't be fixed in one shared (or un-cancelled) dinner. To make sure we get this, Trickster has Hanasaki leave two chairs empty at the dramatically big table. Did you miss how lonely and isolated he must feel? Let's put him in a crowd of people moving past him without batting an eye. The same thing happens when Inoue's lament of Akechi's absence blows away the leaves behind the windowpane. Summer has ended, and everything is falling apart. Literally. The props department must have run out of flower pots to break.

With Ohtomo and Katsuda's help (plus Noro's usual contribution of owl assistance and butt shots), Inoue's now running the agency by himself, resulting in this top student missing school, much to his fangirls' sorrow. He might have mellowed a bit toward his new main enforcer, Kobayashi, but while Kobayashi can quickly rekindle his non-friendship with Hanasaki, Inoue cannot. Of course, it's their relationship that needs mending the most. The stick up Inoue's bottom doesn't bend so easily, even if (or especially because) Hanasaki's betrayal was more toward their mentor than Inoue himself.

There's good dramatic potential in this constellation – or there would be, if Trickster had succeeded at turning any of these boys into likable or relatable characters. Or if the show managed to make problems like angst, stress, and pain feel like real emotions a human being would experience in a similar way. The way things are, I kinda want to hit forward to the next Akechi + Twenty Faces flashback. At least they're both very pleasant to look at in the ED illustrations.

But if I see Twenty Faces dramatically removing his mask to Gregorian chants promising the beginning of something fun that never comes just one more time, I'm going to start rooting for Ohtomo and Yamane to form their own club of wacky detective inventions gone wrong. There would be more entertainment value in that.

Rating: C-

Trickster is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.