The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife

Episode 11

This was, on several levels, a phenomenal episode. Not only did it give me more insight into Tounome's upbringing, but there are so many thematic layers of interpersonality and individuality here that I think most people can find very relatable. This is something that I think the show truly excels at, using the different individual struggles that all of these mythical races go through to create the sense of longing. Everybody in the show, at points, feels disconnected from everybody, and even when they end up finding significant others or people who claim to understand them, there's still this underlying fear that understanding will only go so far. The reason why Tounome and Yakou's relationship works so well is that every time one of them thinks they are going to hit some kind of impasse due to their specific idiosyncrasies, the other ends up defying their expectations. This episode showcases that in very subtle ways by having Yakou just feel very casual and right at home in the village of the invisible people.

She had already lived her life not being able to see anything so being in a town where everyone feels more comfortable not being seen and not having any articles of clothing to define who they are or where they are feels absurdly natural for her, which is consistent with how she ended up falling in love with Tounome anyway because she was always able to “find” him. I love how the episode even tied the awkward meeting of the parents for their blessing with that disconnect of an outsider visiting the land. Most invisible people don't seem to really display a lot of emotions in their tone or body language, but they were still trying to be accommodating to Yakou by wearing masks and clothes. It ended up being a moot point anyway because Yakou couldn't even see them at all to tell the difference. This is the kind of thing that I wish last week's episode had played around with, but in the reverse way. However, the crew knew that the real meat of this series was going to be in exploring the mythical sides of its world.

But that's only the first half of the episode, the second half delving more into the backstory of a character whom I genuinely thought that I would never get to see in person was the cherry on top. Tounome mentioned that someone had inspired him to use fashion as a way of expressing his individuality because Tounome had craved being noticed by people after his trauma. This episode not only introduces the person who inspired him as a proper character, but seeing that character's backstory and how he came to the idea of putting the tattoos on his invisible body to distinguish himself as a fashion model was truly beautiful. It showcases that being seen or perceived can be a matter of perspective, but there are also legitimate creative outlets that can be used to physically and metaphysically express that individuality. I love the little audio of the talent scout constantly asking, “What makes you so special?” Because the gimmick of using an invisible person to express fashion can be a fun idea, but it doesn't really speak to the individual invisible person, just their race. So Masashi needed to go out of his way to express himself in a way that no one else had thought before. That creates a thematic parallel with Tounome because even though he is an invisible person whom most people can't read, Yakou was able to, and the irony is that she fell in love with him without even being able to see the suits or fashion that he uses to stand out. There are so many brilliant layers of irony here, and it just puts a big smile on my face.

I'm not a big fan of the skit that the episode ends on because it feels so disconnected from the rest of the episode. If the episode ended with the cut to black while our two leads were leaving the village, it would have been perfect, but that's only because the directing and presentation made that feel so conclusive. Just a few minutes into the episode, and I could tell that there had to have been a different episode director or storyboard artist here because almost everything about the presentation was different. Apparently, this was Chafik's debut as an episode director. He and the crew put such a phenomenal foot forward. The character animation was a lot more expressive, especially when it came to Yakou. The way that the color palette was just a little bit muted in order to make the invisible village feel a little bit more uncanny compared to the city setting that I was used to was a brilliant touch of getting me into that headspace of visiting a different world. Plus, the way that the animation and sound design just felt so claustrophobic to really build up the tension that Yakou was feeling when sitting in front of the parents was perfect.

The episode truly excelled during the second half, where it started going into Masashi's backstory. The way that the whole flashback sequence was directed like a stage play was brilliant. It only made me think that this show and setup could actually work as a stage play, the way that it dramatized the internal struggle of trying to find yourself in a world that mocks you or doesn't understand you. The contrasting colors, the different looming faces, and the way the audio would chime in different statements just made me feel uncomfortable in the best way. Even the whole drink sequence was animated with a level of staging and fluidity that made it feel like a segment right out of Disney's FANTASIA. I almost wish most of the show was directed like this, but I could also understand why it wasn't, because this is a type of presentation that could only work with this type of story. The rest of the show is far more lighthearted, so presenting it entirely with just this style might've been too overstimulating. Perfect episode!

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The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.