There’s plenty of material in this new episode that builds upon the opening, yet there are other factors that take things in unique directions.
Tensions and Theming
If the first episode of Housing Complex C were devoted to introducing the characters and setting, it would be fair to describe the second episode as expanding upon the atmosphere and themes. One of the main themes given greater importance in this episode is the role of the new tenants who are from outside of Japan, and their own adjusting to the reclusive environment of the complex as outsiders is one of the most interesting, character-driven aspects of the series thus far.
Likewise, certain aspects of the horror are explained in connection to old customs relating to the site that take on an almost folk-horror dimension. These aspects are explained, of course, in a very anime-esque crayon drawing fashion of Kimi singing the cryptic verses of a song to Yuri, but they set up an interesting thematic dynamic. While some of the complex’s residents are getting used to the modern mannerisms of the cloistered community, there seems to be more and more tension about things even more ancient lurking in the shadows.
Building Suspense
Like certain moments in the first episode, there can be a bit of a tendency for the music and voice work to guide the scene’s tone more heavily than the objective plot would imply. For example, one scene of the old men of the complex eating live shrimp together is scored and edited in a way to create a sense of unease from the different characters’ observations, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that the exact same scenario would be played for laughs if lifted a little further down the block to an episode of One Piece.
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Some moments synergize much better with creating a sense of unease, such as the carcass of an animal being found dropped into the syrup of a party made with shaved ice that’s both more naturally unsettling and a better callback to the motif of scattered animal remains found throughout the second episode and, more generally, in the image of the dead mummified dog unveiled in the first episode.
Questions and Answers
Some main motifs from the first episode are present in the second episode, but different aspects of the explicit supernatural and horror side can feel under examined in light of what we’ve seen from the first episode. The strange, Lovecraft-esque scribbles left by the complex’s unsettling shut-in aren’t really returned to in the second episode, and the decrepit basement that Kimi and Yuri find them in is barely thought of despite the first episode seeming to hype it up as the main source for the show’s horror. The monster that is seen in the corner of characters’ eyes is hardly referenced again, and the sense of unease that could have been devoted towards that is instead edited towards…old men eating seafood.
These plot points being referenced or not is perhaps the best indicator of the differences between a feature film and a miniseries that has about the same runtime as a feature film; a miniseries taking its time to establish things feels more noticeable because of the immediate, segmented quality of something designed for a weekly television block. There’s a lot to be interested in with this story and this episode, and the horror, while at times feeling like it’s being pulled in different directions, is good at keeping interest high. Of course, Housing Complex C is just as much a mystery as it is a horror, and what is the point of a mystery that doesn’t know how to raise questions in more than one way? All this in mind, with half of the four-episode miniseries now complete, the last two episodes will need to effectively use their time to advance the plot and stick the landing.
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