English Dub Review: Special 7: Special Crime Investigation Unit “The Eight-Foot Escape Route”

 

 

Overview (Spoilers Below)

With NINE continuing to lie low until their upcoming trial, the gang is relegated to doing traditional police work. For example, after lining his stomach full of Pho, Nanatsuki chases after a purse snatcher. When he’s unable to retrieve the stolen handbag, the woman who lost it gets angry at the rookie even though he put his life on the line for her possessions. Well, that’s gratitude for you.

Special 7 would’ve continued on with their boring days, but after buying the world’s most expensive drone, Bellemer goes and gets herself kidnapped. That’s right, we’re victim shaming, here. Luckily, the kidnappers don’t know Belle is a ninja so they don’t notice when she leaves her cellphone behind and set it to red alert. They also don’t realize Boss can see through the eyes of the soft dragon drone the girl carries everywhere.

Belle’s tech helps the team track her down within a fifteen-minute walking radius. Not really that helpful, but she gave them a far smaller circumference than that of the entire city or even beyond. If only the little homunculus knew what the inside of a shipping container looks like, the Special 7 could’ve made it to the only port in the area within seconds.

Instead, the four-member strike team runs through more than thirty buildings that have rooms similar in size to this particular shipping crate. Time is of the essence too, if they are to believe the information Gramps got from dangling a member of Section 4 out a thirty-story window. Section 4 is in charge of—and making very little leeway into—the disappearance of many homunculi in the past few weeks. Gramp’s intel reveals that buyers overseas are requesting homunculus hearts. Injecting their hearts is rumored to give you immortality and eternal youth. It’s complete rubbish, but the traffickers don’t care so long as they’re getting paid top dollar.

Before the team has the shipping container realization, the traffickers bust in on Bellemer and attempt to end her life. The person in charge is the woman who lost her purse and blamed Nanatsuki earlier in the episode—weird and almost unnecessary, right? Anyway, with help from Boss’s dragon, Bellemer takes out the men with their own weapons but has her leg pretty badly sliced up by that evil woman.

Fortunately, before the lady can saw into Belle’s head, Nanatsuki barges in and starts pummeling the woman until she surrenders. Yeah, he’s a brute, but it’s not like anybody should feel bad for murdering traffickers.

Everyone is happy Belle is safe, but wish she’d take a little time off to recuperate. But she’s the only one who knows computers enough to get intel on NINE before the trial. And, yep, she finds some.

 

Our Take

The past two episodes—both of which premiered their English dubs on the same day—have felt a little off without the inclusion of the primary imposing threat. From the very first scene, in the very first episode, Special 7 has put all its stock into NINE, crowning them the villainous force that propels this story. Living without them for more than an episode makes the series feel a little too ordinary. And yes, I’m aware this episode involved a freezer full of homunculus hearts in jars.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind these episodes, but it’s an odd choice to lower the stakes this much after focusing on nothing but NINE for six consecutive weeks. Most shows, particularly anime, start out with the lesser plots and build their way up to a climax. This “calm before the storm” scenario might pay off in spades, but it’s a little off-putting in the interim—particularly since next week’s show is labeled as an “extra” or “side story.”

I know a lot of you were probably waiting for a Belle-centric episode. That being said, you probably also wanted a little bit more. Coming into this “very special kidnapping awareness episode” we already knew Belle was a slick computer whiz with an optimistic outlook on life. When they gave us a few Nijo episodes we got a deeper look into his character and motivation. Here, even though we spent more time with Bellemer than usual, we didn’t delve much deeper than the surface level. It’s good to know she’s against trafficking and the slaughter of her people, but we could’ve figured that out given the information already provided.

If anything, we got more background on Ichinose and Luka in a short scene featuring the owner of the Asian restaurant. Ichinose has a kinder heart than he typically gets credit for, and he misses his ex-partner something awful. And wouldn’t you know it, Nanatsuki finally discovered Luka was the one who saved his life nine years ago, despite all the evidence that has been waved right under his nose for weeks. Oh well, they don’t call him Rookie for anything.