RE: The Anime of the Year?
I know it's too soon to call it "anime of the year", as there is always a good chance there will be something better later on. I put a question mark in the title to reflect this- I don't consider this "anime of the year" as the year isn't up yet.
As far as the rapper bros go, my problem is the fact that they, as recurring side characters, were never given a reason or motivation to change sides. They just changed sides for the convenience of the plot and "shock value". There was little to no warning, and they weren't developed enough as characters to deserve such random changes in motivation...up till that point, they seemed somewhat on Miki's side, relatively calm, and ready to help out. Then, BOOM, one of them tips off the local mob, and another joins them with a manic grin and proceeds to kill all his former friends with zero hesitation.
Kind of unrealistic and out of the blue, don't you think?
It was demonstrated that two of them had misgivings before they turned sides. That’s not shock value because there’s already a reason they would turn. They saw their friends as traitors for aiding demons.
Are you talking about that one scene where two of them aimed guns at both Miki and Akiro? That was the only time I saw any sign of dissent, and that was right after the TV broadcast that stated Akiro was a demon. Even then, however, the two that pointed their guns at them lowered them and acted as though they would help. If they really wanted to kill them, they could have done so then.
Instead, to try and shock the audience, they are made to try and act nice, and then suddenly pull a "gotcha" moment right when the mob arrives. It was stated they arrived due to a tipoff, but none of them were shown on their phones or trying to contact anyone, so it could have been literally anyone that called in the mob.
My problem is that, on the first viewing, unless the typical viewer paid VERY close attention and kept track of the conventions set forth in the series, they wouldn't even suspect the betrayal, especially since the only misgiving they showed was when Akiro was revealed to be a demon. If they tried shooting at them AND THEN joined the mob, I would have no problem with it, but the sudden betrayal after you think everything is fine, although effective otherwise, fell rather flat here due to the fast-paced nature of the show and lack of side-character development.
There was no way for them to get out of a direct encounter alive. They knew that.
There was enough context and hints that two rappers would turn cloaks that I don't see how it can be a problem. The delivery could be an issue, but not the core events.