This picture is far too happy; That worries me.
Ric: For all those wondering why this is probably so late a review, t’is because I had no idea what the series was called until Minmin told me (I spent weeks being told it was something called “Blue Lit”.), so I spent ages looking for a series with a name that didn’t exist!
So yeah, blame Minmin for the lateness this time~!
Anyway, the episode begins with a very surreal sort of narration from the protagonist, speaking as if the events of this episode had already happened while appearing as what can only be described as Mr. Game and Watch if he was made out of jelly.
"I need no background to be creepy!"
After the reverse-exposition, we’re treated to a nice little jazz track (which is really, really nice as an opener) as a woman rushes to her job at a bar, being late after having searched for her husband.
The narrator introduces her as Tsuneko, and then tells us that he will one day be called the murderer of this woman. He then leaves her behind, now talking about how he joined the “anti-social movement”.
This seems strangely familiar...
This of course, leads us to finally meeting our protagonist, as he proves himself to be a pretty good actor/recruiter, pulling out a sob story faster than you can say “Wah”, recruiting a room of people to his movement.
Of course, this is all a scam, as bowl-cut and Light-a-like reveal to us while on a toilet break.
Modern-day Robin Hoods, they aren't.
Of course, this being anime, Light-a-like can’t be just some random con-artist. Noooo, he’s actually the disowned (Due to wanting to be an artist?) son of a congressman.
Law and Order: Bathroom Inspectors Unit.
Of course, being a con-man, he can’t escape the (ridiculously well-timed) arm of the law, who burst in, forcing Light-a-like and partner to run the hell away.
Light-a-like soon ends up getting ditched by his partner, still being followed by the cops. He comes to an alleyway, bringing exposition along with him in the form of his father’s forcing of “You’re going to Tokyo University!” onto him.
As if to illustrate how horribly things are going for him, we get a visit from the Light laugh.
I call shenanigans on this one. (Yes I know the same guy who made Death Note also worked on this, shush. >:C)
Anyway, Light-a-like realises he’s being followed and runs off, eventually arriving at…
Full circle?
Yep, he arrives at the bar, Mayumi , the woman he’s supposedly going to kill if we are to believe the narrator being nearby.
Mayumi spots Light-a-like, using him as an excuse to get away from one of her more irritating clients.
This won't end well.
This leads of course, to the detective from before popping in and Light-a-like ending up hiding inside Mayumi’s skirt (Lucky bastard.). This works surprisingly well actually, the detective leaving immediately after “discovering” that Light-a-like isn’t there.
Mayumi and Light-a-like then leave, L-a-L asking Mayumi why she helped him. Seems that Mr. Detective is quite the asshole (What a surprise…) and she just didn’t like him.
Of course, sod’s law leaves noone alone and the detective just happens to reappear, Mayumi holding him back while L-a-L runs away, giving us another “My life was pitiful” flashback in the process.
He eventually comes back to Mayumi, finding her beaten up in the same place he left her.
...Wha?
…Aaaanyway, Mayumi seems happy that L-a-L (I’ll remember his name eventually, I promise.) came back to her, resulting in one of the most spontaneous sex-scenes I’ve ever seen in a well-written animated format. (These guys work fast, I guess.)
Light-a-like and Mayumi talk to one another about their past after this, L-a-L revealing that he wanted to be an artist, while having no talent and Mayumi revealing that she’s looking for her husband, but has decided to give up.
She decides she’s sick of everything, then asks L-a-L why he doesn’t join “the movement”, L-a-L replying by saying that it’s pointless, just a showoff method that he has no real interest in. (Where he got the cigar though is anyone’s guess.)
He then tries to compare it to art, but well; Mayumi sums up what I was thinking during that scene in one sentence.
Exactly.
Mayumi then analyses L-a-L, saying that she can see that he also sees that the world is fundamentally flawed (OSHI- NOT AGAIN!) causing L-a-L to start musing about women and how they “can’t seem to accept reality”.
H-hey! A little over the top there, dont'cha think?!
As soon as he thinks (/narrates?) this, he tells Mayumi that there’s “No way to live, as I’ve been cut off from my allowance by my parents”.
We then get a flashback of L-a-L’s childhood, specifically showing how scared he was of angering his father (Who seems to be an asshat anyway).
Also, we now know that L-a-L’s name is “Youzou” now. Hooray!
Youzo and Mayumi angst a little more over their lives, Youzou eventually raising the idea of the two of them dying together, with the show giving us this delightful image to stare at.
Such a lovely image.
After a short montage, we rejoin our protagonists at a cliff-side, the two of them planning to double-suicide by jumping to their deaths.
Mayumi at first seems a little afraid, asking Youzou to push her. Before he does, Mayumi says this.
“If I can be reborn, I wish to live more like a human.“
And then Youzou pushes her to her death.
Noooooooooo! D=
After he pushes her, Youzou immediately has a “WHAT HAVE I DONE?!” moment, before jumpng off the cliff himself.
"Dr. Frankenstein, IIIIII've found another one. 
"
Anyway, Youzou is found alive by some fishermen, leaving us with a little bit more backstory on his character via his flashbacks before waking up in a hospital bed, listening to a discussion from outside, blaming him for Mayumi’s murder.
And then he leaves us with a smile, cementing him in my mind as “Light-a-like” until proven otherwise.
Overall, this was a very good first episode in terms of setting the tone for the series, and as much as I may have poked fun at it so far, I actually really enjoyed it. Hopefully, they’ll clear up Youzou’s backstory a bit more in episodes to come though, as it’s…confusing right now, to say the very least.
Also, DAMN I loved the music on this one!
Ric’s Overall Rating for Episode 01: 9/10
Ric’s Antici-po-meter: 10/10
As always; Goodnight, and may your God go with you.
-The Lean, Green Tangerine
