Babylon

Let's talk about what's right and what's wrong. This anime series is an adaptation of the Japanese novel series written by Mado Nozaki, who, among other things, wrote the screenplay for the anime series Kado: The Right Answer, and this anime series is of the highest standard, just as interesting and full of philosophical insights. It starts off quite pleasantly and unobtrusively and then comes in the heavy atmosphere and suspense, the femme fatale who is portrayed in a way that sends chills down your spine, and the dramatic moments (in at least one scene) that almost make your blood run cold. The initial crime mystery narrative unfolds into a complex ethical and philosophical dilemma explored in-depth over two whole episodes, and it is all straightened out in a way that will leave a lot of you feeling like, what the hell did I just watch and is this really the end? In the end, I found it all makes quite a lot of sense, including the after-credits scene, which is a nice bonus, when I consider what the main male protagonist was like. I am quite surprised that maybe in my twisted brain I get why Zen did what he did, or maybe I just want it to make sense when it does not. Even so, I do still think there is some logic to it. It is hard to write about Babylon too much without any spoilers, so I am going to dispense with that and just state that I am actually quite comfortable with it that way. The moral overtones and intensity reminded me a bit of the movie Se7en, and it is definitely impossible not to mention the anime series Monster. What I did find irritating, however, was the fact that it got too philosophical towards the end and was too exhaustive and intense, so I had a bit of a problem keeping up with that stream of consciousness and all those ideas. At times there were holes in its logic and some situations were a bit exaggerated, so I did not find it very believable. Despite all that, in the end I was quite satisfied, in general, and thought it was a very well-executed drama even though I know a lot of people are not going to see it that way. 9/10. (27.01.2020)

Babylon is an unprecedented piece in anime history for its political/legal/psychological approach. While most of the time we're treated to intimate detective work from the perspective of special investigator and die-hard fighter Zen Seizaki, the series is pretty much a reflection on the controversially shaky subject of euthanasia. The intentions may be as pure as the proverbial lily, but Babylon is more concerned with the most catastrophic scenarios on a global scale, as the protagonist is literally pitted against a demon from the deepest hell. The direction of the first 7 episodes relentlessly whips the thriller genre into a frenzy, and the last of these episodes is an absolute treat in my eyes on an emotional level that had me absolutely shattered. The constant use of dark colors of dirty grey dealt hope one blow after another and it was beautifully pessimistic to have any hint of a win in sight. For me, unfortunately, after episode 7, the series downgrades from a furious five to a lethargic two and bites of a philosophical mouthful that it couldn't swallow in 24 episodes. Incomprehensibly, we are introduced to a plethora of new and fairly uninteresting characters who open up the script from the last few episodes of NGE and childishly ponder what is good and evil. The anime began to bore me madly, and I found myself stumbling desperately towards yet another adrenaline-fueled conclusion that admittedly closed a few doors, but left a lot of them open for nothing. The mild electric shock stings, but the unsympathetic discarding of any effort to resolve the bigger issues combined with the uninspired second half left me slightly deflated. Overall, though, I consider Babylon to be an unusually sweet attempt at political drama and a narrative about truths that are damn uncomfortable. Too bad about the slight derailment at the end, but I'll give it the weakest possible 4 stars. (09.01.2021)