Terror in Resonance
2014
Original language: Japanese
- animation
- drama
- mystery
- crime
The story
In an alternate version of the present, Tokyo has been decimated by a shocking terrorist attack, and the only hint to the identity of the culprit is a bizarre video uploaded to the internet. The police, baffled by this cryptic clue, are powerless to stop the paranoia spreading across the population. While the world searches for a criminal mastermind to blame for this tragedy, two mysterious children - children who shouldn't even exist - masterfully carry out their heinous plan. Cursed to walk through this world with the names Nine and Twelve, the two combine to form "Sphinx," a clandestine entity determine to wake the people from their slumber - and pull the trigger on this world.
What it’s like
Cool, desaturated Tokyo in overcast daylight, with grey concrete, rain-slick streets, and the hard white of police fluorescents, all rendered in crisp, glossy digital animation. Camera work is controlled and clinical: measured wide shots of empty intersections give way to tight, jittery close-ups during interrogations and surveillance-room scenes. The score leans on sparse electronic pulses and long stretches of quiet, so the silences do much of the unnerving work. The mood is paranoid and sombre, a slow-burning cold dread shot through with bursts of sharp, brief violence and some distressing aftermath imagery of a devastated city. Episodes move in tense, puzzle-like steps, with dense conversations and sudden reversals that keep the viewer off balance. Tragedy and moral ambiguity run through the whole thing. It suits late-night, lights-off viewing and anyone who enjoys dark crime thrillers, detective puzzles, and stories about young people pulled into adult systems. It is not gentle, and it is not for anyone wanting comfort or soft escapism.
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