English Dub Review: Chaos;Child “School Festival”

Episode may induce vomiting.

Spoilers Below

After the shit that went down in episode 2, you are probably wondering what the fuck happened to Nono after her unexpected shanking from behind? Thankfully, we find out that Nono not only survived but is out of the hospital from her injuries. Takuru is understandably grief-stricken after hearing the news but Nono assures to him that she made the choice herself to take down the camera. In all fairness, I thought that stab looked extremely fatal. Still amazed how she didn’t bleed to death until help arrived considering that in the end of episode 2 she was face-down in a pool of her own blood.

Nono then proceeds to discourage Takuru from pursuing this further which is followed by a verbal guilt trip that delves into a long & forced backstory/info-dump for the audience about how he only moved out “six months ago” because Nono and their foster dad withheld info about how Takuru’s parents really died. But Takuru is also full of regret due for previously telling Nono that he doesn’t acknowledge her as family which is a call-back to episode 1.

It all seems innocent enough, but It feels like she’s withholding important info. The most interesting aspects of the attack footage captured from the end of episode 2 so far seem to be that the attacker had a man’s voice who screamed something before the shanking and screams that the stickers are some sort of “Barrier”. Is that foreshadowing I smell?

While she’s out on commission, the journalism club out of obligation fills in with helping to organize the school festival. Essentially, it’s shut down during this time which is understandable when you consider a majority of the club’s recent actions bordering on illegal activities. It also turns out that according to the police report, The cloaked dude who shanked Nono had nothing to do with the murders which only raises further questions.

In their attempt to take a small break away from the case, the journalism club can’t seem to catch a break. This leads to an intensely squeamish scene where a reporter they were supposed to interview named Watabe mid-interview bleeds his eyes out, projectile-vomits sumo stickers, falls face-down and fucking dies immediately! (Damn!) This sudden murder consequently leads to Takuru and the rest of the journalist club members being interviewed by the detectives again but this time with the Scientist Girl Mio/Kei from Episode 2 also questioning them.

As they try to clarify the series of recent events were a series of coincidences, Mio thinks it’s all bullshit and believe they’re all involved in some way since they all seem to be happening around this small circle of people but the detective is impressed by the journalism club’s map and efforts as well but ends up leaving to check out Watabe’s autopsy.

But before they leave, Mio asks if they encountered a “white light” during the “Shibuya Earthquake” years ago with Takuru revealing that he saw it. Apparently, so did a number of other people when the shit went down but before Takuru can ask more questions, Mio just silently leaves. After their interrogation, more questions arise when Serika reveals that she overheard their entire whispered convo about the murders while looking at their map.

So far from what Serika could gather, the odd series of events have some supernatural connection because Mio & the detective from episode 2 (who’s named is revealed to be “Shindou”) both theorized in whispers that the victims were psychics who had predictions to the future and also a random occurrence where concert-goers were in a strange trance. Takuru thanks Serika and a teacher appears saying he’s going to be their “chaperone” to the police station to share what they know.

While this is going on, we then cut back to Mio & Shindou who are at the morgue to see the results of the autopsy. It turns out Watabe apparently had stickers in his stomach when they cut him open, and pretty much his entire digestive system and some potentially in his throat.

We cut back to Takuru who is now equipped with this knowledge about these “psychics” he attained from the duration of this episode, but what’s his first course of action? He excitedly shares his new theory with Nono that it feels like the very case they’re investigating maybe stopping them from trying to figure things out,

The episode ends with Nono only further discouraging from investigating out of concern. I sincerely doubt that’s going to fucking happen otherwise this would be a much shorter series.

Overview

At this point, Nono is starting to get on my fucking nerves with her consistent discouragement towards Takuru’s goals. Would you tell Sherlock Holmes to give up on a legitimately hot lead in a case, or historians to give up finding Noah’s Ark or The Holy Grail? Fuck No!

During Nono’s “info-dump”, there’s a scene that stuck-out with me when Takuru mentions how the room he once stayed in is untouched from how the way left it. At first he presumes he’s been forgotten about and just left to the wayside, but when he wipes a table, he starts breaking down into tears.

From a storytelling standpoint, it’s an excellent example of “show don’t tell” because when he touches his table, he realizes there’s absolutely no dust on it at all. Not because they wanted to forget about him, but because they never stopped waiting for him to come home. It’s a small & effective scene that really stuck with me.

This episode, of course wasn’t perfect because I was left heavily puzzled due to 3 plot-holes:

1. If I watched a different anime, usually outsiders who aren’t students themselves would come to festival events like this yet only students were there? I don’t know if this is the fault of the producers or an actual plot-point.

2. The fact that someone fucking died in front of them and they are not shocked in any way, I mean I know they’re investigating said murders, but they did not seem the least bit shocked or horrified? Death Note had death scenes that were effectively shocking but simple while still keeping the gore toned down compared to something elaborately ridiculous & gory like the Final Destination franchise.

And lastly 3. Serika overhearing the Shindou & Mio’s whispering conversation… How the fuck is that possible? Everyone was within her vicinity yet how the actual fuck was she the only one able to overhear the two? Does she have super-hearing? She wasn’t even the closest one to them, in fact, she was the farthest distance-wise.

Despite episode 3’s plot-holes, part of me still wants to keep watching just to find out what happens next, as long as they keep the vomit-inducing scenes to a tasteful minimum.