'Housing Complex C' Mild Spoiler Review
Image Source: Head Topics
Housing Complex C, the latest collaboration between Production I.G. and Adult Swim for its Toonami block, has recently finished its four-episode run on television. It is an intense horror anime that deals with several heavy themes including cultural relations, family, and the cyclical nature of human history.
Even from the first episode, you can tell that there's something more to this tale about an apartment complex mostly populated by the elderly.
**Warning, this review contains minor spoilers for Housing Complex C episodes 1 -4**
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The series revolves around a seemingly ordinary apartment complex, Housing Complex C, in the Kurosaki village. But even from the start, something seems off. For one, it is mostly populated by elderly people, aside from one family with an adult child and a girl named Kimi, whose parents we never see.
In fact, not much at all is known about Kimi, yet the residents feel obligated to care for her and adore her. They mostly seem to go with whatever she suggests, such as making shaved ice to cool down. The Kurosaki village also has its own set of traditions based on the mysterious Kurokado people. A huge interest of the community’s resident scholar, Taka, is exploring the ruins of these people in the underground tunnels
Image Source: The Mix
Things become stranger about the community once the Koshide family arrives at the complex, bringing along with them workers from the Middle East. There daughter, Yuri, is shown playing on a smart device, despite this anime supposedly taking place in the year 2000. Already, something is amiss about Kurosaki, like they are frozen in time. This is evident by Kimi, once befriending Yuri, being fascinated by Yuri’s phone. However, this is only the beginning of the strange occurrences in Kurosaki.
In addition to a culture clash between the residents and the workers, there have been mysterious happenings ever since they arrived. Dead fish and other carcasses are piled in front of Kimi’s door. Kan, one of the workers who befriends Kimi, often moves these carcasses so that Kimi would not see them, causing him to be accused of killing these animals. A dead dog appears in the shaved ice during a get-together between the residents of the village and the foreign workers, causing tensions to rise between the two groups. Furthermore, people have a tendency to disappear mysteriously, leaving only moss behind.
The way this story is constructed is full of suspense and leads the viewer on a rollercoaster full of twists and turns. When relations between the two groups seem to be getting better, something occurs that draws a wedge between them. The only downside is that due to its short length, the pacing can feel rushed at times, especially toward the end when the warring cults are revealed. However, even with the short length, clues can already be seen as to the true nature of the village even in early episodes, particularly with the character of Kimi and the mysteries that surround her. Watching this series live as it unfolded and later after seeing everything were two completely different experiences, so if you want to get the full experience of the story and catch everything, I definitely recommend repeat viewings. Overall, the story is strong and keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, but it often raises more questions than answers.
The animation for this series is beautiful. Each frame is able to convey the mood of each scene extremely well, while also hinting that something else may be going on in this quaint village. The blood and gore are also beautifully conveyed as well. It is not gratuitous, but there is enough when needed. When the series gets into more cerebral territory in the last episode, the scene where characters are covered in blood may seem like a bit much, but it’s actually done in a way that conveys the power of the mysterious entity in the village that has been there for quite some time. In fact, it is only in this episode that death is clearly shown on screen. Sure, we saw a dog corpse in episode 1 and a dog’s severed head in episode 2 in addition to blood splatter throughout several episodes, but it is only in this episode that these mysterious disappearances are clearly shown as murders. One thing that needs to be commended especially is the detail shown in the faces. Each face is incredibly detailed, especially with strange characters such as Kan or the shut-in Hideo. Overall, the animation is a sight to behold with plenty of detail.
Image Source: Adult Swim
At this time, there is no way that I can find to watch Housing Complex C in Japanese, so I was only able to see the English dub. However, this dub is certainly no slouch. Each actor clearly puts their all into their role. Some highlights include Xanthe Huyin as Kimi, Sean Chiplock as Seichi Koshide, Bob Carter as Kanchan Mia (Kan), and Ryan Colt Levy as Rubel Hossen. Chiplock and Huyin do especially well conveying the other sides of their characters which can be seen in the last episode. It is clear that the voice actors poured their souls into these performances and do just as much to create the eerie atmosphere as the story and animation they accompany.
Overall, Housing Complex C, while short, is a perfect anime to watch as the spooky season wraps up. It is filled with mysterious happenings, Lovecraftian horror vibes, and commentary on the culture wars that persist even today. I definitely recommend watching this at least once, but multiple viewings are ideal to truly capture the essence of the story. It might have benefited from more episodes, but I think its short nature may add to the suspense of the show. Housing Complex C should 100% be on your watchlist!
8.5/10
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