Mouryou no Hako

ilmaestro

ilmaestro

State Alchemist
I happened to read through the "Autumn 2008 anime" thread just now whilst searching for something else, and noticed that only RetroRainbow (much missed, even if I wasn't here for very long before she left) seemed to mention this show.

The reason this seemed odd to me is that this is one of the best anime series of all time.

Has anyone else actually seen it?
 
It starts with two schoolgirls becoming close friends, after which one of the them is pushed in front of a train whilst waiting at the station. While a detective who was on the train is investigating this, various complications come up, such as a string of dismembered girls' body parts showing up in different places, contained in bespoke boxes. And the sister of the girl who was pushed is a famous actress of a sort, who the detective loves.

It's essentially a murder mystery, but it has tones of Paranoia Agent in that the A plot is often overshadowed by the stranger aspects of the show (although not completely discarded as in PA). Also in that it explores somewhat the relativity of truth and perception, and the way that the facts of the case come together from that angle.

The "mouryou" of the title is a Japanese spirit demon type thing that the mother of one of the main characters believes resides in her daughter, and exploration of the concept of mouryou provides some of the other content, a very stark contrast to the main detective story.

There's an excellent discussion of the author (it's based on a novel) here:

http://www.iwanihana.info/2009/09/13/bo ... ou-series/
 
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