English Dub Review: In/Spectre “The Yuki-Onna’s Dilemma”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Eleven years ago, Muroi Masayuki’s life was saved by a Yuki-Onna up in the snowy mountains. Betrayed by his friends and his wife, he ended up anti-social and unable to trust anyone and eventually moved to the town at the base of the mountains, where he met the Yuki-Onna. As he was wandering around town, he coincidentally runs into a woman who looks just like the Yuki-Onna…?!

Our Take:  

The second season of In/Spectre got off to a strong start with a one-off mystery that works as a season one recap episode. More importantly, it was decent in introducing the show’s tone (a bleak supernatural detective thriller series) and character dynamics to newcomers unfamiliar with season one. So now we see if it can keep the spooky momentum going with Kotoko and Kuro’s second case of the season. Hopefully, it won’t take up the remaining season like season one did. 

The second episode takes the series in a different direction I didn’t expect it to do. Instead of focusing solely on Kotoko and Kuro, “The Yuki-Onna’s Dilemma” focuses on a new set of characters before their mystery reveals itself. One is Muroi Masayuki, a man pushed off the mountain by his friend due to jealousy. He is then saved by the Yuki-Onna, a cheery yet stubborn spirit with pale skin and black and white hair. Thanks to the folklore spirit, Masayuki survives and exposes his former friend for that heinous crime.

The episode’s second half consists of Masayuki hanging out with Yuki-Onna because she is the only one he can trust. This comes after he divorced his wife because she had a secret lover. Afterward, we finally get to the mystery part of the show, where the police arrive to tell Masayuki that his ex-wife was murdered. Unfortunately, the main suspect happens to be Masayuki, even though he was with Yuki-Onna during that time.

“The Yuki-Onna’s Dilemma” marks the first sign that the series is providing something different for season two. With its main focus being on Masayuki and Yuki-Onna, it gives the viewers more insight into the suspects before they’re drawn into a murder case. However, that doesn’t mean Kotoko and Kuro aren’t in the episode, as they make brief appearances towards the end. The result is a surprisingly decent change of pace for its seasonal narrative that could wind up being an improvement over the show’s first season. The chemistry between Masayuki and Yuki-Onna might not have the same impact as the one between Kotoko and Kuro. However, they’re enjoyable enough to distract me from the show’s main stars until next week’s episode.