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In/spectre was destined to be a seasonal great show, only to be set back by poor execution, most prominently the pacing. It features a young-looking girl who is definitely not underage acting as an “inspector” of the supernatural world (pun intended in the title), investigating and resolving incidents for the spectres living in the wild. The anime focuses on a spirit who wanders at night assaulting people with a construction steel beam.

What impresses me the most is the author’s unique approach to detective stories. Though claiming to be a detective story, In/Spectre is not your typical Sherlock Holmes finding clues and stuff show. Instead of finding out the truth like what detectives do, our female protagonist focuses on finding the most plausible explanation of a certain scenario. This interesting premise is mixed with a hint of Japanese folklore and multiverse, placing In/spectre in a league of its own. What is more impressive is even with such a unique approach, the author manages to keep it intriguing enough to keep the audience on board—at least the story itself.

That brings me to the matter on the execution of the plot. The pacing is dreadfully slow, mainly because of its novelistic origins. When you have the literature standard of a novel in an anime, that certainly is an added bonus. However, the show becomes a boring atrocity when you bring along the sluggish pacing as well. It took the animators 4 episodes to finish off the first “snake” arc, as what I would call an introductory arc. An introduction that took 4 episodes to finish! What follows is a dragging plotline, where time is mostly spent on explaining trivial details rather than progressing on the plot, and the anime adopters are to blame.

Undoubtedly, In/Spectre has many edges. Its state-of-the-art themes and settings sure are refreshing to see in current seasonal charts; its animation is decent; its characters are intriguing, and its eminent writing is only seen in a piece of literature. Overall speaking, In/Spectre had a really bright start, but its poor execution had proven to be its greatest downfall. It could have been an 8 or 9 in my list, but some episodes are just plain boring, with too much exposition in place. With the poor execution in mind, I give this show a 7, with a remark as “the most disappointing show of this season”.

There’s a reason why there are little to no “In/Spectre-like” anime out there. While its unique premise stands out in the nowadays flooded seasonal charts, it’s also harder to execute than most. Writing mysteries with a brilliant “inspector” (pun intended) as the protagonist is difficult because not only do you have to portray them as such, but you also have to clear the high bars set by the nature of the story.

Luckily, In/Spectre does deliver on its promises. The latter part of the second arc is, without a better word to describe it, exceptional. Its setups are ambiguous yet easy to see once laid out. We get explanations strategy by strategy, but it never touches anything under the surface level. It leaves us, the viewers, a chance to try and piece together the puzzle. And the conclusion, the “eureka!” moment in episode 11, honestly surpassed my expectations.

But In/Spectre’s story isn’t perfect, far from it. The better half of this show is exposition dumps, from the cliche coffee shop talk scenes but on a bench to literally in the middle of a fight. Though I’d say they are smartly placed and much more bearable than most out there, it still sucks to have characters feeding you information just for the sake of establishing characters. Not to mention the first “arc” is basically just an intro to the series. The pacing is painfully slow, I almost dropped it because of that. 

In/Spectre’s characters are another mixed bag for me. Through the expositions we get to learn the main duo’s background. One an immortal being who can dictate the future, the other a spirit-human diplomat with incredible intelligence. Their identities are not only just excuses for their capabilities, but also reasons for their personalities. They’re bright, their interactions natural, and dialogue engaging. The dynamic of the main duo is especially outstanding.

But the supporting characters is where the show gains its clout. Because so much time is focused on our main duo, most other characters are either plot tools or thinking cardboard cutouts that help the viewer explain what’s going on on-screen. And if not for the policewoman’s occasional retorts, I would have a hard time finding personality in the supporting cast. Well, I guess you can also see that just by counting the whooping 3 characters in the list of supporting characters.

In/Spectre had a lot of potential. Its unique premise has caught a lot of eyes, not to mention the beautifully designed characters and its banging OP, ED and OST. The ad-transitions gets me fired up every time I hear them. But the pacing of the show so poor and the cast so lacking made it struggle to score high points. Given enough run time then I’m sure In/Spectre can sort its problems out, but 12 episodes are certainly not enough.