Forum - View topicACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. (TV).
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Stark700
 Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. (TV) Genres: Police, Drama Themes: Crime Plot Summary: The kingdom of Dowa, which is subdivided into 13 states, is celebrating its monarch's 99th birthday. These 13 states have many agencies that are controlled by the giant organization known as ACCA. Within ACCA, Jean Otis is the second-in-command of the inspection agency. His agency has ten people placed in each of the 13 states, with a central office in the capital city. They keep track of all the activities of ACCA across the kingdom, and keep data on each state's ACCA office flowing toward the central office. Jean also often has business trips from the capital to the other districts to check on the situation and personnel there. |
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Stark700
Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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Episode 1:
Pretty good episode, this was one of the shows that I anticipated the most this season. Jean Otus has a lot of potential for characterization and I find his mysterious presence to be interesting already. The world building has a lot of potential with the districts and we got a diverse cast of characters introduced. Madhouse's visual style fits well on most parts imo for the show. Good soundtrack as well. I can't wait for more. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23762 |
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I liked it, too. Seems like there will be lots of juicy bureaucratic infighting going on. But Jean - smoking's bad for you and you should quit.
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15457 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Episode 1
I did not like it. The exposition was super clunky and long winded, that it made me totally bored and made my brain almost turn off, and exposition does not tend to bother me as much as others. The setting is that their little society is so perfect that they are considering to abolish their department which audits the other parts, and my response to that is “bullshit”. I don’t know how this show expects me to think that there is some aspect of this country that makes them conflict free, and if they wanted me to believe it they could have spent their time explaining how they eliminated conflict with policies rather than painting the lead as some ‘cool cat’ that people are jelly of. It just feels so artificial with all these bishies and having me believe that these guys found the answer to peace somehow. The episode brought up that cigarettes are a luxury, and the whole thing feels like it is making an ad to sell death sticks, that it really feels uncomfortable. It brought up black market of cigarettes, but you would think that the market would be strong if it was such a status icon that people on the street are in awe. Apparently there are grievances level of luxuries about these different departments and their pay, but why is the idea of corruption so far out? They would apparently let go government employees if the closure went through, so what is their unemployment rate like? It feels like it wants to be bureaucratic but it has its head up its own ass in trying to look adult and cool. Reading the preview guide I found out that this is written by the same person as House of Five Leaves, which maybe explains it. I hate that show, I hate how it acts like it is being so cool and special, and I hate the way it looks, and I am kind of thinking the same thing about this show. It feels like it is trying too hard and just irks me. But I am guessing I am going to be pretty alone with this, few shared my opinion with Five Leaves, and somehow people like this. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23762 |
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@ DuskyPredator - you are supposed to think that the idea the Inspection Dvision is being disbanded because everything is so peaceful is bullshit. It's pretty clear that a certain faction wants the auditing process eliminated for nefarious reasons.
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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Yeah, it's the type of BS that government workers who want less oversight try to do all the time. My question is, shouldn't the protagonist know better? Why does he think his job is unnecessary (besides being bored with it)?
I'm quoting my post from the Winter Preview thread here:
I'm willing to give this show a chance based on the manga-ka's reputation, but I haven't seen The House of Five Leaves and the only manga I've read of hers, her debut "not simple", wasn't that great, so I'm not sure what to expect. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15457 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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It might help me believe that if it did not spend so much time saying there is no conflict, like nothing to be found. Are there no police? Again I might have found it more believable if they said that they had a particularly scary police that would intimidate anyone from making ruining the utopia. But we are just expected to believe in and love this setting because it is a utopia but not too different from what we are all used to with the adult jobs of internal auditing. With the handsome main character with the adult habit of smoking, where he looks super aloof but is also super perceptive. And then it is going to go through the storyline that underneath the utopia appearance there will be crazy people because they are so deep with characters, and probably corruption at the top because there are always agendas of the people at the top trying to push others down. It feels manipulative in a way I just don't like. It is like that one anime, the one where mech suits with a Homebase on a train, it had a second season but I did not watch it because I was done with it after the cyber terrorism in the first season with attempts to look profound. It is not like I am only interested in "childish" or rowdy shows, but there is something about these certain ones that I don't get. |
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Stark700
Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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Episode 2:
Ah more info dump about the world that the series takes place in... I think it's worth it though considering how important the social structure is with its complex society. Groshular is starting to intrigue me as a character, he just seems pretty interesting so far with his role in the show. Pretty chill episode. Jean's role as an inspector feels pretty chill like an everyman. The atmospheric setting of this show is still pretty appealing to me so far. |
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Agent355
Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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Some best friend Jean has. I suspect Nino is a double agent, actively working towards overthrowing the government while making sure he frames his "friend" Jean for it by being the undercover agent watching him...unless Jean really is a rabble rouser and the show simply hasn't shown us that yet.
Mushroom haircut guy is stalking Jean's sister, which is creepy. Hope Jean finds out and punches him in the nose (or outs his illegal dealings to his bosses. That'd work, too). |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23762 |
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I wonder if "Crow" really is a double agent or just appears to be. It was also interesting that Jean thinks he has only known Nino for 15 years, but Nino's internal thoughts revealed he's been aware of Jean for 30. I have a feeling this show is gonna be kind of twist and turny.
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Agent355
Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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I didn't catch that! Is there some memory manipulation going on, or has Nino been observing Jean since...the flashback showed them in high school together, so since elementary school? I'm guessing it's the former. Did anyone else watch the jumbo food portions in the restaurant scene and think "is this what Japanese tourists think when they visit an American fast food joint?" Wonder if they have GMOs in the ACCA world, because that strawberry was huge! |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15457 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Episode 6
Just want to give an update of opinions on the show. The whole political intrigue thing was kind of done in observing Jean as kind of terrible, during the party scene to be specific kind of went full circle of pretty much making Jean a criminal. During the party Jean gets thanked by a group of businessmen who talk about how they have managed to sell a bunch of merchandise to some of the districts, the implication being it was from Jean giving out the fliers and other information he keeps in his briefcase. The show has tried to put this as harmless, but it is actually very dirty. Jean has implied in the past that these are the people that give him cigarettes, the expensive product that feeds a habit that would cost a lot of money, and it seems to be that they are paying him in cigarettes to have him use his influence to encourage places to buy their products. Jean is under a huge conflict of interest as he is using the power of his job as an auditor, which would be expected to have honesty no bias, to then sell people on products that he is paid on. Even more, I think they implied in the episode that these people actually live in the building that he and his sister run, that he has further incentive to try and make these people richer, so he in turn might get more out of rent. In truth, Jean is the one who should be audited. It was just coming to mind in thinking how Jean seems to often be given special privileges by those he is auditing, like how he was being given an expensive dinner personally by the person in charge of the island district in this episode, or had his hotel room suddenly upgraded. We keep being told Jean is a good auditor, but if anything he is really good of at least allowing situations which could bring into question his professionalism. And I barely want to touch on some weird moments the show maybe decides it does not want to focus on the fact that Jean suddenly decides that he wants to smoke at a restaurant, where various other people may be eating their own meals to suddenly get second hand smoke. And maybe something that means nothing, but this show in general has had a sort of weird thing with female characters and food, half the time it seems to be what any female character is talking about, or at least in almost every scene food is involved with them. But I will acknowledge an exception where at least in this episode, the big boss lady seemed to have a scene that did not involve food at all after only a small run in at the bakery to talk. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23762 |
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Ooooo, you would make a good ethics watchdog, DP - I didn't even put together what Jean was doing on behalf of the business people, but you are right, that is very much a conflict of interest.
I'm getting into this show more. As was pointed out somewhere else, the country of Dowa seems to have more distinctive environments than any other country in history and it's kind of fun seeing them on Jean's audit travels. The DG is clearly not impressed with his information gathering skills, so he may have to give up on his (theoretical) plans to get num-nums from her. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15457 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Would love such a job. Well, my studies took me through classes of the subject of auditing, and such questions of ethics in kind of this is the sort of thing you are supposed to look into. It is kind of ironic. Also, the question of ethics and conflict of interest is kind of politically charged right now. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23762 |
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Episode 9
Lamest. Assassins. Evar. Hey, we're on a top secret mission to kill the princess. Let's wear suspicious black overcoats and be sure to wear our distinctive neck-ties that identify us as the servants of the First Princess. And naturally, when a lone wimpy looking dude leans in the open window of our get away car, let's immediately give up. Oi. |
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