The Perfect Insider Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack
Released By: Animatsu
Rating:15
Running Time: 840 Mins
Audio: English DD 5.1 Japanese DD 2.0
Release Date: 19/12/2016
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes
Professor Saikawa and Nishi want to meet Shiki Magata, a programmer and genius who has isolated herself from everyone else at a research facility on an island - the rumour is she could be a murderer, but they want to be convinced. At the start we get to see two men in a room, one from the past and the other from the present, a man writing in a diary, while the other works at home on his computer and this is where it gets complicated.
Professor Saikama and his friend, Nishi talk about life and how he feels so much different now he's got a bit older. The Saikama tends to be deep, asking several questions and trying to get Nishi to think about who she really is inside, but Nishi is the more optimistic of the two. Nishi has a fancy for the prof, but he doesn't return her affections or take her out to cake shops like she wants to. He is more interested in his work and finding out her father's killer. Nishi helps out by interviewing suspects for clues as to who it might be.
The story is about a man in a locked room being killed and they have to find out how it was done when no one could possibly come in or go out. You would think the story would be about a strange, unexplained murder but it spends a lot of time with the prof philosophizing on what it means to be human than anything else. He chain-smokes through his days at the computer, asking himself too many questions about life, the universe and everything else. Saikama obviously cares for Nishi and his work gets in the way of his having a relationship. Plus, he looks a fair bit older than her, she's still interested in being his girlfriend. Nishi is considered a child prodigy who is envious of any girl who takes an interest in him, she's intelligent, I can imagine in a Mensa kind of way, though unlike other girls her age, despite her high intelligence, she can retain her sense of fun and playfulness.
The story tends to drag a little due to this and I've taken a quote as examples of him doing this a lot most of the way through the series:
3 questions to ask yourself: Who am I, where did I come from and where am I going?
I spent most of the time wondering when they would solve the murder, but was caught up in the prof asking more questions about his life and where he was going. It could get tedious, but if a standard murder mystery isn't what you would normally watch, this could be a good one that has more to offer.
Bonus Material: Clean Opening Animation, Clean Closing Animation, Also Available from Sentai Filmworks.
Summary: This is a thinking person's murder mystery with lots to discuss.
