'No.6'

I hate stories that both succeed and fail. Or maybe this does neither. I honestly have no clue anymore.

The premise touches upon a theme that you usually like, and you assume it'd be an easy ride. Then you realize ten minutes in that it focuses on another theme that sets off every alarm bell in your mind. Despite your discomfort, you press on because the cast endears you enough to give them and their story a chance. Then about halfway through the journey as you make friends with the passengers, the main plot train breaks are busted. The narrative steamrolls towards a huge crash after it climbs a steep hill. Impact is immanent, but you hang on anyway because, as your life flashes before your eyes, you realize the main characters and the secondary theme that initially terrified you are the only reasons you're still on the damn ride in the first place. Finally, the train derails. But by some divine miracle the passengers you grew to love are safe and unharmed. You share tearful farewells as everyone is taken to the hospital. And as you look back at the burning remains of the plot, you wonder if the memory of this strange, avoidable catastrophe is even worth remembering.

That was my time with the anime and manga adaptations, as well as the original light novels, of No.6.

Spoilers, cursing, rage, and feels aplenty.

Perhaps it's a bit excessive to call an obscure series with a wikia less detailed than Forbidden Siren's a train wreck. That paints the picture of a world-ending disaster with no survivors that no one will ever stop talking about, which is not the case. No.6 contains enough narrative and structural problems to give the critic in me a head-splitting migraine, but it's flaws are neither infamous nor profound to inspire academic discussion. Furthermore, Sentai Filmworks has licensed and dubbed the anime, the light novels and manga have scored very well on anime listing sites, and No.6 has a dedicated fanbase that has ensured any version of the story that hasn't been officially released can be experienced in English. As it's loved by some and ignored by many, why did I use the train metaphor?

Because No.6 could have been so much better than what it turned out to be.

Despite it's initially bland setting and premise, No.6 puts all of its efforts in making a beautiful easter egg among plain hard boiled eggs sitting in a moldy, broken basket. No matter what my feelings are, which are somewhat positive, I cannot fail to address the good, the bland, and the ugly in No.6.

On the one hand, No.6 is entertaining. It has enough energy and life for me to devour the entire anime in one day, the manga in two days, and the light novels in five days without making friends with boredom. My eyes were constantly glued to the ever-changing moments and the sharp banter. I cannot stress enough how much of that is due to how much I grew to love Shion and Nezumi as characters. Those two could be the only characters in any story and they would never have a dull moment. It also helps that they, Rikiga, and Inukashi all have great chemistry as they learn from each other, survive in the West Block slums, and unravel the mysteries of the city of No. 6.

The theme of valuing someone while not knowing
everything about them is well conveyed in Inukashi's
unknown gender.

On the other hand, Shion and Nezumi are so compelling and rich in depth that they do feel like the only worthwhile things Atsuko Asano wrote. Sometimes Rikiga and Inukashi feel like afterthoughts, especially in the anime adaptation, but they end up okay in the end by their association with the boys. Shion and Nezumi are otherwise powerful hurricanes that dominate the plot and destroy everything else -- the pacing, tone, setting, world-building, narrative progression, etc. -- around them that gives a story its shape, body, and integrity. Oftentimes I do wonder how different they would be individually and together as characters if they were placed in another story that can afford to give them the necessities to thrive without having to sacrifice everything else.

Before I address the rainbow-colored elephant in the room, I must explain why no matter which version of this story you experience -- light novel, anime, or manga -- No.6's plot is an irreparable mess.

First of all, No.6 is incredibly bottom-heavy when it reveals answers to the dozens of questions it asks about the world and story. One benefit the anime has over the light novels and manga is the fact it condenses the infiltration of the Correctional Facility -- which takes up about five out of nine volumes, a good 60% of the narrative -- into three out of eleven episodes, or about 30% of the plot. Of course, the anime still has the usual adaptation problem of removing or changing too many plot points that half of the major storylines die without resolution or end in a whimper. But the anime does remove the bloated, repetitive, and digressive scenes that are acceptable in novels, are barely tolerable in manga, and are cancerous in animation. What makes this arc worse in the manga and novel versions is that while the main plot can take its time to blossom and grow, the secondary plot has already reached maturity and is biting its nails waiting for its bigger, more important cousin to play catch up. Once the arc begins, the main plot is still at the end of Act 1 and the secondary plot exploring Shion and Nezumi's relationship is already preparing for the final stretch of Act 3'c climax. At least the anime weaves its plot threads more evenly for much of the story, allowing a well-paced intriguing beginning with three episodes, a slow burn middle with five episodes, and the action-packed final three episodes.

That said, many of the fundamental problems with No.6 are prevalent in all three versions. Whether or not the anime has better pacing or the manga has better presentation or the light novel has better world building, this story claims to accomplish a mission that hardly anyone who knows about it gives a shit about.

"Good morning. Pledge your unflagging loyalty to the city."

It's supposed to be a dystopian story with some mystery and intrigue around No. 6, one of six cities built upon the remains of a desolate Earth ravaged by nuclear warfare and overconsumption of natural resources. This story has a bizarre parasitic epidemic, political revolution, ethnic cleansing, the elimination of human rights and freedoms, reprehensible scientific experiments, extreme wealth inequality, and state-controlled propaganda to juggle. While the premise of an utopian city built upon a mountain of heretics who dare challenge the authoritarian surveillance state is not original to anyone who is familiar with the genre, I still expected No.6 to be decently written. I hoped maybe this anime will convert me to the genre when all four The Hunger Games movies killed my interest in the womb. The absence of Jennifer Lawrence gave No.6 an immediate advantage at the very least.

Somehow, for reasons I cannot comprehend, despite having the cheat sheet to pass the exam on its desk, No.6 still ended up failing to deliver a competent story. Rather than fill out the bubbles in the scantron sheet, it drew a still life picture on the back of the test booklet. A+ for effort, No.6, but you gave your all in the wrong class.

For better and for worse, the romance completely dominated the literal in-universe narrative and No.6's real world reputation. But I'm not ready to talk about that yet.

As for characters... hoo boy.

I will never look at knitting needles the same again.

The anime bastardizes much of the cast to the point some people are almost unrecognizable. Youming may be the best example; a sympathetic widower-turned revolutionary, he dies in the climax of the anime along with his plan to start a revolt in the city when the parasitic infestation claims nearly 1/4 of the population in one day. He gets his revolution in the books, and he takes advantage of the chaos by lying about there being a vaccine, leads a mob outside of city hall, and nearly stops Shion and Nezumi from peacefully confronting the last pillars of the militarized totalitarian nightmare that is No. 6. Even then, he doesn't die in the books and never properly gets his just deserts for being a mildly sympathetic but psychopathic dick. If only his anime death by wasp was canon in the novels...

Shion's mother, Karan, is the one of the greatest missed opportunities in the entire story. She has a history with several scientists, journalists, and politicians who have shaped No. 6 from the idyllic, illness-free utopia to the two-faced prison it is during Shion's lifetime. But we never learn what her occupation was prior to having Shion, and the story doesn't explain well how ignorant she was to the immoral underbelly of the city before Shion is falsely accused of a murder the city wanted to cover up. I still cared about her as she tries to continue living as a baker, however. She befriends a little girl named Riri and her family (and thus Youming) and secretly exchanges notes with Nezumi until the day she and Shion can reunite. (And yes, the anime screws up the reunion too.)

Some old fashioned no-homo filler brought to you by
Ms. "I want your sperm" Safu.

As for Safu, Shion's childhood friend, the anime changes her character to the point Studio Bones created a plot hole in an idea the novels have that I've never been a big fan of. Originally she's just a typical sixteen year old girl who was captured, tortured, and killed before ever having the chance to see Shion again. The anime "expands" her role by implying that she is connected to an ancient goddess that commands bees and indiscriminately kills the people of No. 6 as revenge for their illegal military claiming a forested territory and massacring every native there except for Nezumi, who by the way is also connected to the goddess because it turns out the Forest People had a select few people called "Singers" that only --

*WARNING: The episode limit has been reached. Please read the light novels and manga for more! ありがとうございます！  ( ^ o ^) / *

This is why I tend to be picky with what anime adaptations I will and will not watch. It spares me from the stress and heartache.

Time to add Elyurias to the shit list occupied by
Erebus and Izanami.

I've played enough Megami Tensei games to acknowledge that some writers have an inexplicable boner for the giant space fleas invading from nowhere trope with little to no foreshadowing. I'll never understand it, and who knows, there may be a story that does it right. But for No.6 to add a morality tale about humans vs Mother Gaia in the final stretch to a story that used to dish paragraph after paragraph on parasitic insect species, how to treat gun wounds, neurological responses, and decomposition... let me take off my critic hat and just call it contrived bullshit. Because it's forced, contrived bullshit at best in the books and a dues ex machina to undo a problematic cliche at worst in the anime.

Honestly, No.6 bites off more than it can chew. And half of what it's eating hasn't been thoroughly cooked yet, let alone prepared. If No.6 slowed down and resolved the plot threads gradually at a good pace, I would not be so harsh on it. From memory, I can recall many good ideas in this story:

• Nezumi learning to let himself be weak and love another person;
• Shion preserving his ideals in a world that threatens to destroy it;
• Shion and Nezumi's turbulent but tender romance;
• Inukashi and Rikiga allowing themselves to look beyond their self-interests and help change the world;
• The bloody history, lies, corruption, and self-isolation of No. 6;
• The parasitic wasps targeting No. 6's citizens and ultimately the scientists who tried to control the plague for their own ends;
• The themes of technology vs nature and humanity vs mother earth;
• History repeating itself (see technology vs nature and scientists manipulating the plague);
• Karan confronting the reality of the world she lives in without suffering her son's and Safu's fates;
• Political revolutions to restore freedoms and rights stripped from the brainwashed, ignorant people;
• Learning to accept and love a person whose personality you may not always completely know and whose protection you might never ensure;
• Questioning the duplicity of those ignorant of the atrocities and injustices committed against others in the past.

It's a damn shame we only get eleven anime episodes and nine manga tankouban and light novel volumes to tackle these ideas among several others I may have missed. Worse, some get the closure it needed, others received none at all, and others didn't deserve them due to neglect in the adaptation process or Asano's storytelling.

So if I have to pick the most accessible and least stressful version of No.6, it has to be the manga. Unlike the light novels, it's been officially translated into English, and every chapter has been scanned and translated for those of us without money. (1) It uses the incredible character and environment designs from the anime while incorporating enough of the light novels' narrative nuances and original plot without slowing the pace too much. Or at the least, it was the version I had the least issues with.

Which finally brings me to the romance, the plot's inoperable malignant tumor.

Remove it and much of No.6's most developed strengths as a story in every incarnation practically vanishes. Something tells me this story would disappear into the ether, completely lost to time, without the temperamental maelstrom that is Shion and Nezumi falling in love. I have to wonder if Asano wanted to write a romance but had to hide it in a generic dystopian plot to avoid having her baby thrown into the marketing and financial dumpster fire that even the most respectable shonen-ai and yaoi stories can never seem to escape from. (2) Or did she want to create a dystopian story but got carried away because Shion and Nezumi grew minds of their own and hijacked the plot? (3) I'm sure I will never know the answer.

No.6 places all of its most lucrative bets on a romance that sucks all of the creativity, passion, and depth that the plot should have had in the first place. I hate it when romances steal the creator's time and energy so much that the rest of the story never has the chance to actually explore its core ideas and themes. It sucks because then the plot summary becomes absolutely useless for the new initiates who do not frequent dedicated forums and websites. It especially sucks when those who have no interest in the romance have to suffer a story that is 75% romance despite the plot summary and genre labels claiming otherwise. And that's before the LGBT-related topics are introduced into the mix.

Even worse, No.6 often tries to make up for its narrative deficiencies and storytelling mistakes by cranking up the melodrama to a thousand.

And this is the least fucked up version.

This story luxuriates in emotional manipulation to excessive degrees with needlepoint accuracy I have not witnessed since Elfen Lied, Clannad: After Story, and Corpse Party. The lengths this story goes to dislocate the audience's jaws and yank out an emotional reaction with a meathook is so disturbing that it's borderline assault. It's one thing for a bully to kick your dog while he's down; it's another for the bully to force you to behead your beloved animal companion with a razorblade. Even worse when that bully is the innocent pollyanna of the story.

At least Elfen Lied basked in its bottom-of-the-barrel trash, porn, and gore by erratically swinging a bloody rusted axe at everyone and everything in its way. At least Clannad: After Story conveyed the many complicated struggles of a pair of high school sweethearts maturing into adulthood that most stories barely cover due to incompetence or lack of imagination. At least Corpse Party's precise and selective uses of brutal sadism interweave naturally with the horror, atmosphere, and mystery to make  the video game comparable to a schlocky summer blockbuster film transported from the 80s or 90s. No.6 takes melodrama and crosses the line of decency to the point of parodying a parody of a parody until it somehow manages to be moving rightward after making three left turns. It's nauseating. It's absurd. It's disturbingly hilarious. It's like No.6 is a sleazy sexless shonen-ai pulp fiction disguised as a serious sci-fi dystopian thriller!

Worst of all, above all else, I have no idea why not a single neuron in my brain fired electricity to the part of my brain that translates what I saw as melodramatic sophomoric drivel that emos would laugh at... because I was played like a damn fiddle.

I fell for every single. Stupid. Solitary. Repetitive. Obnoxious. Overdramatic. Heartbreaking. Moment.

After four volumes of watching the walls between Shion and Nezumi crumble to dust, the last five volumes bring out every possible obstacle to challenge the strength and depth of their bond. The entire Correctional Facility infiltration arc plays up Shion and Nezumi constantly getting sucker punched by whatever god(s) hate(s) them so much that it makes October 4th in Persona 3 -- the most traumatizing thing I have ever seen in fiction which I still have nightmares of five years later -- look like an episode of Dora the Explorer. I was so unhinged that I was laughing while going through millions of tissues to dry the gallons of water and snot erupting from my face.

And then the anime has Shion shot and killed before Nezumi's eyes before he could take his hand and Nezumi lays next to Shion's corpse ready for the burning building to crush them -- WHY THE FUCK WHAT IS LIFE WHY AM I HERE WHYDIDIWATCHANDREADTHISSHITTHREETIMES--

I need to move on before I become enraged and/or depressed. And maybe drink myself into oblivion. Why am I such a slave to tragic romances.

Short version: Yes, I liked Shion and Nezumi's romance. It's not perfect, given how obnoxious of an indecisive, insecure tsundere Shakespearian drama queen Nezumi is, but it kept me holding on when the plot shot itself in the foot. Last I checked I'm still neither a fujoshi nor a yaoi fangirl. Besides, I'm more curious about how Studio Bones got away with two explicit kisses back in 2011 while Studio MAPPA had to hide a single kiss in 2016 than what are the hottest gay ships on Tumblr. (4)

Anywho, onto a lighter topic.

The adorable Dr. Shion and his scared-of-needles rat patient.

There are some things the anime adaptation introduces that compels me to vouch for the black sheep of the family before closing this post.

Visually the world of No.6 shines beautifully in the anime, and I am thankful the manga retains the anime's setting and character designs. The use of wristbands instead of ID cards, the colorful and adorable redesign of the robots, and the brief appearance of locations only mentioned in passing in the novels were nice treats. Shion and Nezumi's dance was well shot and directed as one of the most intimate moments in the show. The soundtrack and the Japanese cast are absolutely fantastic. The dub is passable, but the sub spoiled me real good this time; hearing Yoshimasa Hosoya's voice acting and singing made me an instant fan of his. Considering there are about five instances of Nezumi singing in the books, it's such a shame he only does it twice in the anime.

"Get thee to a nunnery, rat!"

Similarly, there are plenty of times the story tells us that Nezumi makes money on the side as an actor in the West Block, but only the anime ever shows it (some versions of the light novels have a bonus chapter or two that don't relate back to the main story). The books also imply that the kind of acting he does is barely more respectable than prostitution. That, along with the fact Nezumi is often described as being androgynous and attractive enough to seduce men and women, may provide a possible explanation as to why he insists Shion should not know more about his side job. Not only do we see Nezumi perform in Hamlet on stage, Shion is spellbound by his performance. In fact Nezumi is so convincing that when he spots Shion in the audience and doubles over from shock and shame, no one seems to notice that he momentarily slipped out of character. While Nezumi's thoughts and inner struggles aren't explained clearly in the anime, this moment does highlight his fear of falling for Shion and of his failure in keeping Shion out of his heart. In fact that is my favorite scene in all incarnations of No.6, and it's a damn shame the manga didn't implement it in some way, even as a bonus gag skit at the end of a tankoban volume.

Another great addition was giving Safu's grandmother some time in the spotlight because of two key items that make multiple appearances through the anime. She makes a knitted sweater for Shion that he gives to Nezumi, who then outgrows it and gives the sweater to a young girl in the impoverished region of the West Block. Yet another hint that Nezumi has harbored more affection for Shion over the years than he's willing to admit out loud or to himself. And then there's the missing sewing needle. I cannot stress enough how impressed I was to see the animators reveal where the missing needle from episode six ended up by hiding it in plain sight in the second most fucked up moment in the entire story. I wish such subtle visual storytelling was used more often.

I would pay to see the story behind this...
If only to see Shion and Nezumi together one more time.

While I did have fun and I consider myself a fan in spite of the roller coaster of insanity, I can't help but wonder if No.6 will meet the same fate as ef ~ a tale of memories. I did enjoy it in the moment, but I became less and less charitable with my praise the more I thought of it after the final episode. Time will tell, I guess, but it's probably too cruel of me to deny every moment something made me happy for a little while.

Even though I have no reliable metric to properly rate No.6, I'll just go with my intuition and make a similar call when I reviewed Elfen Lied. Gut-wrenching melancholy and pathos can be beautiful, but the fundamental logic and maintenance of the story cannot be abandoned to the point of collapse. In an attempt to combine a dystopian thriller with a queer romance No.6 is a train wreck with enough survivors with excellent memory recollection to share the tale to the few who will ever be blessed to hear it.

That said, I must thank the No.6 fandom for protesting the narrative that the overrated Fall 2016 internet juggernaut was the "first groundbreaking gay romance in anime". I would have never heard of this overlooked and underrated story otherwise. It's a mess, but it was a charming mess that gave me a unique experience to keep close to my battered and bruised heart.

Rank:

2.8 out of 5

With everything said and done, I suggest you go with your instincts on this one. No.6 is not for everyone. But if anyone is feeling mildly curious and adventurous, go for it. The manga is the best choice for the uninitiated, although the anime is serviceable up to the last few episodes so proceed with caution.

Fuck, shit, damnit. I'm crying again.

Well, I'll still take this story over The Notebook and Titanic any day.

Thanks, No.6. Now leave me be so I can cry myself to sleep before finding a happy story to dry my eyes tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~Notes:~~~~~~~~

(1) - How did I read the light novels? Hmmm...

(2) - As stated in my previous post, the anime community -- hell, some cultures in general -- still have a long way to go when it comes to get past some double standards in regards to fanservice and romantic subtext. Especially when the demographic, financial, and critical divide between what constitutes as good straight and queer couples in fiction is massive enough that queer romances have to strive to be exploitative Oscarbait masterpieces to get any recognition. I'll do my part by treating stories like No.6 as no different from any other sci-fi story with a romance. Because here, no one in-universe gives a shit about the sex and gender identities of two teenage boys who fall in love with each other.

(3) - I can speak from some experience that stories, papers, and ideas writers create can organically diverge from the pre-determined paths mapped in the brainstorm and planning stages. This is why I hate creating thought clouds and outlines. I end up pouring too much time in planning big ideas and small details that either never manifest due to time constraints or become irrelevant and forgotten by better ideas. Then I lose all energy to actually write because I spent too much time and energy into planning.

(4) - It's likely air scheduling times on Japanese TV are the main reason for difference approaches to the kisses in No.6 and Yuri!!! on Ice. Rules, standards, and regulations regarding what content can air at what time and what constitutes as being too mature for primetime airwaves can be interesting. Also, as I consider myself a fan of both series, I have no interest in participating in fandom wars.