REIRIE Release their Debut Song and MV @REIRIEofficial
REIRIE, the most highly anticipated, and surprising, new unit of 2023 dropped their debut MV yesterday. REIRIE marks the reunion of two of the most highly revered talents in chika idol, Rei Kuromiya and Rie Kaneko, who first endeared themselves to the world with LADYBABY. The re-assembly of this well-loved duo was announced on New Years Day, which makes the title of their first single entirely…
So first things first yes this is one of the many CG animated anime that’s been popping up a lot lately, no its not good. Yes the occasional segments of 2D is much better.
With that out of the way.
This has a neat premise. Essentially at some point in the near future humans begin to suffer from a sudden onset illness that turns them into giant man eating bugs.
These people refereed to as Cagasters take 20 minutes to fully turn into bugs, during that time they can be killed but must be beheaded because the neck remains the weakest point of the body.
Interesting right? But that's all we get because this story isn't about bugs, or fighting the bugs or surviving against the bugs as much as the first few episodes with their episodic type story lines would lead you to believe.
The story focuses on 14 year old Ilie, a young girl who survives a bug attack witnessed by a merchant and his friend our exterminator protagonist 17 year old Kidow. Let me point out never in the show is his age stated I learned that from the wiki.
Why is this important? Because in one scene in Kidows back story he's sexually taken advantage of by an older woman while grieving the death of a father figure, then a little later (in the show not in his history) he proceeds to try and force himself on Ilie to cope with his grief. It's more then uncomfortable especially when you go in thinking he's gotta be in his early twenties like I did.
Anyway Ilie loses consciousness but is protected by her father who suffers a mortal wound. He begs Kidow to take Ilie to her mother Tanya.
Ilie wakes up as they prepare to leave and in horror and desperation to save her father tries to run back to the truck only for Kidow to smack her.
What a hero...
This show would have been in no way effected if Ilie had been 16, or better 18. It would have made their relationship a lot less uncomfortable.
The story goes for a few light hearted episodes (Well as light hearted as you can be with grisly murders happening.) With vague hints to a deeper plot. By episode six the show jumps the shark into WTFville
Ilie is a Cagaster Queen. Ilies mom Tanya was born from a woman who had a 'Cagaster outbreak' while pregnant making her a queen, Tanya was also in a desperate one sided incestuous relationship with her (not blood related) brother. Ilies father (Tanyas adopted brother) is a sociopath who believes he died in place of his father and his body was possessed by his fathers soul, he uses Tanyas love for him to achieve his goals but does have a distorted affection he doesn't understand. Ilies mother Tanya had been used to try and make more 'Queens' resulting in the creation of asset 8 her cloned 'twin' considered a failure because he was boy. His half bug breeding is manifested in literally having a half bug half human body.
There’s a general who wants to rid the world of bugs by using the Queens to see who has Cagaster potential and kill them hoping to eventually wipe them all out a plan that causes the destruction of two major human settlements.
That's not even all of it. Cagaster outbreaks are never explained, all we know is a queen can see it and trigger it if she wants. Anyone under 15 also will never suffer an outbreak though its never said why. We don't know what else triggers it because obviously there aren't a bunch of Queens walking around.
Ilie and Kidows relationship is weird and a little out of left feild especially after she gets her memory back and goes full on tsundere on him. The fact it's a major case of hero worship and that she's 14 makes it sqicky i know Kidows 17 so its only a 3 year age gap but what 17 year old gets the hots for a 14 year old, the mental maturity alone is hugely different.
A lot of things are left unexplained about the bugs, we gets hints that they are the next step in human evolution... Riiiight
The climax of the show lasts 5 episodes... in a 12 episode show, that’s bad.
That being said there are some good things
The bug concept was neat and the idea of a human queen that can sense and control it is cool to.
There are some complex character relationships and the scenes with Ilie growing up with the man she thinks is her father are adorable.
Mario is awesome, moar Mario, a prequel about Mario, something.
The setting is never actually stated but judging by fashions and terms its its likely its someplace in the middle east which is cool.
Final thoughts?
This show held my attention till the end, but, it's flaws make it one I'll probably not watch again. It's not terrible and I am sure some people will really like it, there where parts I really liked but unfortunately the problems and the very very slow ending that felt akin to a DBZ or Naruto fight mean it hasn't got a lot of rewatch value.
See it once but I doubt you'll want to watch it again.
