English Dub Review: In/Spectre “The Rumors of the Steel Lady”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Kotoko finishes up with the swamp serpent by concocting a story about why Aoi Tanio dumped the dead body into the swamp that fits in with what the Guardian overheard and what aligns most closely with the known facts.

We jump ahead two years to Makurazaka City, where random acts of violence have been occuring. The suspect seems to be the ghost of the former idol named Nanase Karin, and Kotoko is determined to put a stop to her. But seemingly through chance, Kuro’s ex-girlfriend Saki Yumihara also becomes involved in the ghost hunt. And Kotoko isn’t thrilled about it!

Our Take:

Whew, we finally made it past all that nonsense with the Guardian serpent. While that whole storyline may have worked for some people, I find it incredibly dull and monotonous to sit through. Sure, it showed off Kotoko’s excellent skills with deception and storytelling, but we kind of already knew she possessed those thanks to her speeches to Kuro so far. Now, we move on to something far more interesting: the ghost of a deceased idol who’s rampaging around the city.

The start of this arc is kind of neat – we get to follow Yumihara’s point of view for a few scenes. She may be Kuro’s ex, but she’s a main character in her own right, working for the police force and trying to put her past behind her. I especially enjoyed seeing more glimpses into the situation leading to her breaking off her engagement with Kuro. The unsettling sights she saw have stayed with her to the point where she can’t even eat without getting sick. She’s lost weight and is depressed. It’s just cool to see the effects that a main character has on those he influences. I’m not totally sure about the time jump. They can work when there’s a clear reason for why it’s necessary, but at this point I’m a little unclear as to why we’re skipping ahead two years when only two episodes have passed.

Her run-in with Kotoko is pretty great. The two of them are a lot alike in the fact that they’re both willing to leap into fist-to-fist contact with a faceless spectre with a steel beam for a weapon. I feel like if they didn’t have Kuro to drive a wedge between them, they might get along pretty well, actually. It isn’t until afterwards that Kotoko learns her true identity: “I never would’ve saved you if I knew you were you!”

The fight sequences are short, but effective here. Kotoko delivering a kick to the face even after losing her leg was awesome, and Yumihara’s dodging around while trying to punch the ghost was fun to watch. This week’s dub was good. Lauren Landa does a fine, if not particularly memorable, job channeling Yumihara’s amazement at the predicament she finds herself in: “I don’t know what’s going on – she just kicked a ghost.” 

The third episode of In/Spectre rushes us into a new arc that promises to deliver plenty of action and thrills – as well as some personal drama between Kotoko, Kuro, and Yumihara.