Your Forma

Episode 13

Your Forma ends in much the same fashion as it maintained through the rest of its abysmal first (and probably only) season: with as much entertainment value as a wet fart. Now, much of this is no doubt related to my oft-repeated ad nauseam complaint about the frankly indefensible and idiotic decision to skip adapting the all-important first novel volume. A dark shadow of impenetrability (for anime-only viewers) and frustration (for novel readers) has hung over the entire series as a result. Characters we should have been rooting for instead inspire only apathy or disinterest, and fascinating concepts are squandered. In terms of ill-advised story choices, though, this episode takes the cake, and I don't think that's entirely the fault of the anime's production team.

For the past few episodes, we've been following Harold's increasingly unhinged search for the killer of his “big brother,” Sozon, an apparent victim of “The Nightmare of St. Petersburg” serial killer. Despite being an Amicus android, we learned from his creator, Lexie, way near the beginning of the season that he isn't subject to the Three Laws of Respect that govern the actions of other Amicus. Despite my incorrect recollections to the contrary a couple of weeks ago, Echika was also told this by Lexie, but has been hiding from Harold the fact that she knows about his true nature. That's why Echika's been so wary about Harold's quest to uncover Sozon's killer's identity.

So, first we had a Nightmare copycat in the form of Abaev, the guy who picked up Sozon's digital memory clone using Sozon's mother's Power of Attorney. Although he dismembered an Amicus, he wasn't the original killer. Then we had Forensics Officer Shubin, who we thought was the killer. It turns out that he's only the killer's apprentice. Right. Ok. So then we turn our focus to Detective Inspector Napolov, who is the real Nightmare, honest. Except… he wasn't the one who killed Sozon, but instead he was killed by a nameless copycat who is still on the loose.

What?

The number of potential serial killers and copycats is getting ridiculous now, and I'm struggling to believe this plot point was planned in advance. I suspect it was only used as a way to extend the light novel storyline into further volumes. As a culmination of a thirteen-episode anime, however, this is perhaps one of the worst plot resolutions I've ever had the misfortune to experience. Harold is back to square one, and I'd say the chances of this story getting an animated continuation are close to nil. It's bizarre that much of the latter part of the episode is spent presumably setting up a story arc we'll never see.

At least Echika and Harold's tense standoff as he threatens to introduce an unconscious Napolov to the business end of an electric saw is fairly compelling. They both finally come clean about Harold's nature and his lack of programmed “limiters”. Harold's unprecedented bout of tears when he admits his feelings of guilt and shame over his inability to protect Sozon is admittedly emotionally affecting. There are a couple of cool directorial flourishes when Echika shoots him, too, with the slow-mo bullet trailing a multicolored helix of energy behind it.

Sadly, it's almost entirely downhill after that initial dramatic scene. An interaction between Harold and the lady CEO's Amicus husband is a further example of the show squandering its fascinating premise. Apparently, Amicus aren't meant to interact with one another when humans aren't watching? I feel that's important information we should have known about earlier. That the husband Amicus acts unusually reveals he's had his programming altered by the creator of the Tosti program, but that's nothing but foreshadowing for the future. The question of whether the husband Amicus can truly love his wife is left hanging, while we know for sure now that the more advanced Harold can feel exactly the same emotions as humans.

Your Forma ends on an extremely unsatisfying note. While I understand the director likely wanted to reach the end of this particular plot (the conclusion of novel four), sacrificing the first novel to achieve this within the allotted episode count was absolutely not the correct choice. In addition, the baffling choice of streaming services (a Samsung streaming service in the US no one even knows exists, and YouTube streaming in the UK, where each episode is only available for seven days) massively limited the number of potential viewers. It's probably for the best, though. This show was a disappointment for all concerned, from start to finish, and is probably best erased from the memory banks of those who suffered through it.

Rating:

Your Forma is currently streaming on Samsung TV+ in the U.S., YouTube, and other services worldwide on Wednesdays.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.