Babylon

SPOILER FREE REVIEW Story: Psychological thriller anime are so few and far between, that if you like the genre it is possible you have seen most of them to date. Babylon provides a twisted, dark, yet philosophical story that easily sucks its watcher in deeper with each passing episode. I can't recall ever seeing an anime quite like this one. The pacing for episodes 1-7 is flawless, but 8-12 can feel slow at times if you are only in it for suspense. Personally, I didn't mind the slower episodes since I found the topics of discussion interesting. The storyline's clarity (especially the ending)was what I struggled most with, since at points it's was very vague. Of course, I think it's highly possible that the level of uncertainty was intended by the writers, but it can leave viewers disappointed. Still, there is a lot of merit in the way they left the ending, especially if you enjoy shows without a concrete wrap-up (like 91 Days). Story: 9/10 Art:. The animation for Babylon was absolutely incredible, and it always created the desired atmosphere. It reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock movies like Rear Window or Vertigo. Darkness with oozing from every scene in the first half of the show, and when things took a change around episode 10, so did the art. It lightened up a bit, which was a bit of a bummer, but it still looked gorgeous. The character designs were awfully pretty too. Especially that of the MC and the main antagonist. Art: 9/10 The voice acting was superb and background music was really atmospheric. There isn't much else to say, since I have nothing but praise for both of these areas. Other sounds like rain, cars, guns - all were exceptional as well. Sound: 9/10 Characters are the make it/break it feature of many shows, and Babylon is no exception. The way these characters acted was probably the best I've seen in any psychological thriller anime. The MC shows that each dark thing that happens is having an effect on him; while the main antagonist could perhaps be my top anime villain of 2019. Only a few of the side characters felt a bit weak (the US President and the MCs Assistant), but the main ones more than make up for that. Characters: 9/10 My enjoyment for Babylon is considerably higher than other psychological thriller like Erased, since it also brings into question important philosophical problems that still plague the mind of ethicists today. As someone who studies Ethics/Philosophy in University, I think the topics were discussed well; however, I know they aren't for everyone. There is plenty of suspense (at least in the first half) for people just seeking thrills, but if you are looking for a brooding, dark rollercoaster that makes you question good/evil, look no further than Babylon. Enjoyment/Overall: 9/10

Throughout my high school years, I struggled with an illness in my mind I couldn't put into words. The way I thought of it was a roller coaster that I could never get off. My whole life has been a series of peaks and valleys. For weeks, the roller coaster would be at a peak. I would have an endless supply of energy. I was able to make friends and enjoy every day to the fullest. Then everything would crash down and suddenly the roller coaster was stuck in a valley. For weeks, I would be exhausted and depressed. Making friends was the easy part, butkeeping them was hard. During a valley, trying to talk to anyone was as painful as getting a tooth ripped out of your mouth. I had to avoid my friends altogether so I wouldn’t have an angry outburst and ruin our friendship. Growing up, I didn’t have many people in my life because I learned all of this the hard way. Even my family tried subtly avoiding me because they were afraid of sudden mood swings. There were times when the roller coaster was so low I couldn't tell if it'd ever go back up. Babylon is like that roller coaster. It entices you with an interesting premise, it begins at the bottom of the coaster, and gradually rises. It has bursts of greatness, then it suddenly shoots downwards leaving you frustrated and trapped in the headspace of the demonic antagonist. She beckons everyone in the series, including you, to consider suicide as the answer to life-long suffering. Along the way, it touches upon—or rather, beats with a baseball bat—themes of suicide, depression, and morality. It puts a unique spin on the conventional cat & mouse murder mystery, while also tackling politics and the central theme of whether or not suicide should be legalized. Much of the screen time is dedicated to intellectual politicians debating the show’s themes. To the untrained eye, these arguments may seem intelligent, enlightening, and enthralling. Anyone who has ever taken an intro-level philosophy course can tell this entire show is pseudo-philosophical bullshit laden with logical fallacies. It asks questions such as: Is suicide wrong? Should suicide be legal? What if someone could coerce you into killing yourself within seconds? What is it she can say to change your mind? And if you figure it out would you be convinced to join her victims? It begs you to understand these questions. If you don’t get IT, you’re the minority, if you don’t get IT you are not intelligent enough. Politicians, citizens of Japan, and entire countries vote to support the suicide law. But you simply don’t understand why because you are a normal human being. You know what's right from wrong, and you can tell that everything that occurs within the world of Babylon is illogical. Rather than asking questions rooted in modern-day society (such as the legality of euthanasia), the writer discusses the suicide law, an argument no one in the real world would benefit from pondering. No one acts like a real human being in this show. They are all cardboard cutouts existing to preach philosophy from the insidious mind of an uninformed writer. There is no reality in which suicide will be legalized as a law. If someone is determined to take their own life, they will not stop to consider what the government has to say about it. People still have morals and know right from wrong, no decent human being would stand aside and watch a person commit suicide when they have the power to save their life. Meanwhile in the ass-backward world of Babylon... Hundreds of people commit mass suicide and the police do not investigate anything because they “want to avoid a scandal.” What the fuck. This is Japan not fucking North Korea. I find it impossible to believe the police wouldn’t care about a string of violent deaths at the same time in the same place. Babylon imagines a nightmarish perversion of reality where suicide is morally acceptable, encouraged, and the solution to depression. The sun emits a hellish hue of orange, water is colored blood-red, and the many deaths are shown in gruesome detail for shallow shock factor. The deaths also exist to get under your skin, desensitizing you to suicide at a record-breaking speed. If I had to live in a world where suicide is legal, enforced, and considered unimportant to the justice system, I wouldn’t want to live in it either. Suicide is glorified in a way that only someone who has felt suicidal can contextualize. Like an angel of death, the Whore of Babylon whispers sweet nothings into someone’s ear and they commit suicide. Victims become crazed, there’s nothing that can stop them from the uncontrollable urge to die. This is what it is like to struggle against the overwhelming need to release yourself from the pain of life. One victim compares suicide to sex, and the end of his life is the orgasm. At the end of his monologue, he puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger, blood squirting, but for a brief moment, it appears completely white to finish the sex metaphor. This sort of disgusting self-masturbatory directing is used throughout the show. I cannot fathom how people find this kind of unsubtle imagery remotely good. Babylon targets a large subset of the anime community who seek out mature seinen and psychological-thrillers, I consider myself part of this audience. If an anime has dark themes, dramatic music, and adult characters speaking very seriously, this subset of the community will flock to the anime. Babylon has it all, everything except the execution. I have no ill will towards anyone who likes this anime, after all, it coerces you into believing you are watching a revolutionary work of art. For me, this is one of, if not the worst, anime I have ever watched. None of the philosophical anime I have seen come close to being as pretentious as this one. This show may have redeeming qualities: the music adds suspense, the animation is mostly acceptable, and it has an intriguing premise, but every positive aspect is doused in an impenetrable layer of poison. Babylon is an abyss with nothing at the bottom but despair and hopelessness. It gaslit me into believing its ponderings on suicide were of substance and worth reading into. Perhaps it is because I am in a valley as I write this, but analyzing Babylon made me contemplate suicide as a valid cure to a life of struggling against that roller coaster. I’m sorry this is not like my other reviews, but someone needed to warn people about this vile sack of shit. It’s about time I put this out of my mind for good. I think I’ll go outside today and enjoy the wonderful and beautiful things the world has to offer. Maybe later I will watch a comedy or a relaxing slice-of-life. NOTE: If you have Depression, Bipolar Disorder, experienced suicidal thoughts, or a history of self-harm, please do not watch Babylon. If you are currently having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

I want to address three points with this review. If you should watch the show; defending the show; criticizing the show. Should you watch the show? Pretty simple: Yes. This is the best psychological anime I've seen since Psychopass. I think it's even good outside of the realm of just comparing it to anime, but it certainly does things in a way that only anime can. But, the show is graphic. It deals with a lot about suicide. If suicide upsets you in any way, do not watch the show. Otherwise, please go in blind. The rest of this review will contain minor spoilers, butnot in a describing the things that happened kind of way, however it's worth noting that even the premise of the show could be perceived as a spoiler to some degree. Unlike some other anime , it's not a genre bait and switch but an unraveling mystery that causes the spoilers. I'll start by addressing the current top review on this site. No, this show is not pro-suicide. I can see why someone would think that way, but the entire conflict is between characters who are attempting to stop the mainstreaming of suicide and antagonists who have nefarious plans. The very end of the show itself is the rejection of suicide as an option. There are some criticisms people have about the show ignoring the mental health component, and I think that's fair. I would counter that the mental health component may be overstated by some people, and that it is somewhat addressed. You have to remember that this is a Japanese show, and it addressed concerns in Japan and with a Japanese understanding. In Asia (and in the rest of the world too) the reason people commit suicide is not always mental health. Monks in Tibet light themselves on fire and burn to death to protest China. In 'ancient' Japan, Samurai would kill themselves and engage in duels to the death purely for honor. In Japan there is the infamous "Suicide Forest". One aspect of how it got its name, is that the elderly people who were unable to care for themselves care for themselves and believed themselves to be a burden to their families would go there to die. Some would cite that last example as depression. I can agree that depression may play into a decision like that, however this is a topic that has been examined in western media as well. In Star Trek: TNG there is an episode called Half Life. It deals with a planet in which the culture of the society is that those over a certain age will kill themselves in a public ceremony, which is considered good and even virtuous. In the film Midsommar there is a cult where the elderly kill themselves, and this cult is not necessarily framed as entirely evil. I don't like Star Trek or Midsommar and how you feel about them isn't that important either. I'm just saying that the concept of killing yourself due to being incapable of contributing to society and to stop old age is not some radical, new, Japanese fringe idea. Many people have experiences in which they state they would rather die than continue on with life, such as dementia. The anime does also bring up a number of other points in which someone might, without the aid of mental illness, kill themselves. One example I felt was pretty compelling was father donating his organs to his dying son. Is that really even his son? Is his son dying? You could argue we don't actually know but it's something of a mute point. The actual argument itself is very adequate regardless of the showmanship around it. Mental Health is brought up when they reference "running away". That is the mental health take on suicide, and I do believe that is the common societal view on it in the west as well. However, I don't think that suicide is ALWAYS a matter of running away. That is almost the definition of a controversial take, but we can look to countries in which assisted suicide is being discussed or implemented. There are conditions in which some do consider ending your suffering to be a reasonable conclusion to some issues. I also believe there is some element of satire to some of the anti suicide arguments that were brought up. Discussing the GDP of your nation and the effect of suicide on the economy may technically be a valid argument, however it's obviously as abhorrent to some people as the idea of being pro-suicide. In general the conversation skewed towards a very Japanese view on things. For example, giving your life for war isn't brought up because modern, current day Japan says war is bad. I think that you have to center your criticism a little bit when you're remembering this is a Japanese work aimed at Japanese people from a Japanese point of view. It doesn't mean you can't leverage criticism at it, but you should keep in mind why something is occurring in the first place. There's a more general criticism by people that the entire premise of the anime is stupid because you can't criminalize killing yourself. Well I'm sorry to tell you, you're wrong if you believe that. In some countries suicide is literally illegal, and you can be punished if you live. Even putting that aside, some would say that locking people up and controlling their right to bodily autonomy is akin to a punishment as well, we just call it treatment or rehabilitation. And if you do believe that suicide is someone's right, then it is in fact a punishment. We also often call prisons and parole "rehabilitation". So for all intents and purpose to someone who wants to commit suicide, it is illegal. That's before you even get into the case of assisted suicide. The Suicide Law in the anime is about more than just rather or not it's illegal however. It's about government support. Itsuki says it several times and he is very clear about it. He wants the government to create pills which facilitate a painless, clean suicide. He wants there to be facilities which assist people with their choice to end their lives. He wants a social acceptance of suicide, which will promote the ability for people to publicly discuss rather it's the right choice for them without fear of reprisal. Itsuki would like the entire institution and our thoughts on suicide to be changed. Once again, we've entered a Japanese perspective that some westerners are not familiar with. In America at least, we have a very individualistic view towards things. We don't like to think about how the state, or law, or elders influence us. However, we do often look to the law as a sign of morality. Many people consider morality and obeying the law to either be the same thing or morally linked. People say things like "I'm not breaking any laws am I?" Beyond that, people look to others for their cue on what is socially acceptable and how to behave. Japan is a society that values how you contribute to it and gel with it possibly more than how you feel as an individual. From a Japanese perspective, doing right by your family and society is more important than your individual thoughts. This is reflected in many anime in which the main character breaks free of those shackles and does whatever he wants. This is reflected in this anime by characters doing the exact opposite of the typical shounen protagonist. Sekuro is just one embodiment of this. She is like the main character. she does not want to be involved in an unlawful conspiracy that goes against her INDIVIDUAL sense of justice. In spite of this, she is pressured by society and her family relations to work for the main character. She does not want to do this but she must. It is both literally and metaphorically her job. The anime is full of people playing their roles, and doing what they believe is right by society in an attempt to find what is right for them. It is most thoroughly reflected in the young girl who commits suicide on the train tracks though. (To address another criticism, this is an actual kind of bridge that exists, not just crazy anime design). Gay rights are brought up a lot in this anime as an example and a counter example. I do not think this is a dig at LGBT people. If you listen to the arguments made for and against suicide in the anime, several of them are arguments previously applied to gay rights. IN AMERICA no less. "If you legalize or decriminalize homosexuality, then everyone will be free to do it and people will think it's okay." Crazy! "You might even encourage children to do it on accident," "Children will be confused," "If children see their idols doing it they will want to imitate it," "It's not our place to decide what people do with their bodies," "Times change". I realize a lot of modern anime viewers are not very old, so some things in this anime don't really hit home with them. I'm 30, I lived through these conversations. In my lifetime you could literally be prosecuted, or treated to electroshock therapy for being gay or transgender. In my life time, I have seen politicians do things similar to what they have done in this anime, to address another criticism of the series. Characters behaving in a way that isn't the way you would behave, or a way that you don't think is realistic, is not unrealistic or a plot hole. It is a thing that happens in real life. What's important in my opinion is that the characters actions are internally congruent and not completely out of place, so let me address some plot specific points (which will contain minor spoilers). There was no security camera in that interrogation room. That is why they had to write everything down, that is why they could not check the security footage to see what Ai did. The reason the main character tolerates the antagonist sending threatening stuff to his house is because he literally has to. At that point not only is he a broken man, he has no authority to go after her. The police and government are covering everything up, and she's on the side of the ruling power in the city which even the nation of Japan does not want to go against. This is not a battle shounen, the main character cannot rise up and fight the authority, or overthrow it. Anime of this genre often deal with the system being too powerful to fight against or escape (Ghost in the Shell, Psychopass). There are several points in the show I don't care for. While the show is not sexist, it does partake in somewhat sexist writing. The female characters are generally wives or exist to be murdered or flaunting their sexuality. the show does not do any favors to pretty much any female character in it, which is really just frustrating to see. It falls into a lot of bad tropes that plague fiction in all countries and really suck if you're a female viewer, or just if you happen to like any of the female characters in the show. The show did skip over some aspects in which I think would have aided its points. It presents the stereotypical ethics questions that plague everything that discusses ethics now (trolley problem, organ transplant lottery), and it handles them fairly well. But, It does not bring up the fact that we celebrate people giving their life every day. If a fire fighter willingly runs into a burning building and gives their life to save a child, would we stop that person from doing it. No man, it's not worth it. What about on larger scale issues? In 9-11 and Australian bush fires, fire fighters and first responders literally did give their lives. Regardless of how Japan feels about war, I'm pretty sure they still have fires and other natural disasters. in a famous Russian nuclear disaster, a diver gave his life on a mission in which he would receive so much radiation poisoning he wouldn't survive after to stop the reactor from causing an even more widespread problem. The change to philosophical discussion in the last few episodes is kind of a jarring, potentially even unwelcome change. It really does change the pacing of the show in general. While I felt the debate segment was riveting, I didn't really feel that way about the president's philosophical musings. Overall though, I think the show handles philosophical questions better than MOST other anime that try. It blows something like Madoka's flimsy handling of many topics out of the water. In addition to that, the pacing for most of the show is excellent. It's very hard for me to watch TV series these days, and this made me want to binge. I understand the extreme that delays between episodes during its run were incredibly agonizing. The art direction gets very playful at times, and I really found it enjoyable to see a show both with interesting art and substance. I loved the VHS effects during the interrogations, and the way the episodes play with transitions. The use of music was probably better than the music itself, it really punctuated and heightened a lot of moments. The character designs are somewhat bland, I think that really contributes to the normalcy of the world. For much of the anime you wonder rather this is paranormal or not, I think that helps greatly. The characters were all very compelling, which is rare. I even found the antagonists to be people I wanted to know more about. I thought I would hate Nomura and Itsuki, but I didn't. While I don't care for Ai, I don't wish she wasn't in the anime (unlike someone such as Fllay in Gundam SEED). This show has a particularly hilarious portrayal of Americans that I think is underappreciated. I can't say how well it nailed other countries, but I'm guessing the people involved have actually been to America. The way the American characters conduct themselves and the conversations they have, even the historical misunderstandings are very... Relatable. Yes, we do eat Pizza on the bed. When the president asked the mayor why he enacted a law, the mayor's response killed me. A long diatribe about how Christopher Columbus founded America and the spirit of pioneerism... Then the president just says "Ah...". Perfect. The political systems themselves are a little questionable, but if we're being real, they aren't more questionable than when American films portray any non US government body. The aspect I'm most ambivalent on is the ambiguity present throughout the series. It's used very well to disguise who characters are and what's going to come. I almost never knew what was happening next. At the same time, we never learn a lot about the antagonists. A question I saw pop up a lot was "When if ever is Ai controlling the main character?" We don't even know if she's controlling Itsuki. We don't know if they're equal partners, if someone even can be truly equal to Ai. We don't know if that is his son, or if anything Itsuki said is true. We don't truly know Ai's motives either. That's a lot to think about. This ambiguity is reflected even in the ending. Still, I do think you can piece together the ending. Ending things on an ambiguous note is something common in anime and games. Lain, FF7, and Gantz all have very obtuse endings which seem to make little to no sense at first. Each one does have an explanation for it though, which you can either understand by inspecting the series, or the source material. I do believe there is something of a concrete explanation for the ending hidden within the series, but to explain it here would be spoiling it. Several people do have some very good takes though. All in all, this is probably one of the best anime I've seen in a long time. I highly encourage people to watch it, because even if you disagree with things presented in it or don't care for the pacing of the last few episodes, you've still seen one of the best thriller/psychological/mystery anime in years. If this were a movie it'd appear on click-baity top 10 lists for its genre for decades to come.

Review contains some spoilers: This is going to be a short review/rant about Babylon. I remember when the first 3 episodes came out everyone was impressed since this show had amazing cinematography and direction, a dark and thrilling atmosphere and the story was executed seemingly very well. It continued to be quite good until the 7th episode, then it had a long break and everything went to shit. Babylon would have been great if if was just a political thriller with mystery elements. But the suicide law going worldwide and the law in general ruined the show. It is just very unrealistic that people would react to thislaw in such a way (similar laws already exist), the politicians are portrayed very poorly and every decision made in the 2nd half of the show just makes no sense. The discussion that occured in the summit was portrayed as "deep" although it really wasn't, politicians should leave philosophy for actual famous and talented philosophers. Magase is obviously the actual danger, that can bring doom to humanity, but she became just a subplot for most of the 2nd half. The main aspect of this show - the suicide law just fails as a plot point, since it really doesn't matter because Magase Ai can just persuade literally anyone to kill themselves. All in all, at the start this show seemed quite profound and well-executed, but really it was pretentious, extremely unrealistic and absurd. My and many people's expectations were shattered by this show, but I'd still recommend watching the first 7 episodes. One or two eps were pretty exceptional, therefore I'm giving Babylon the rating of 3/10 - overall it's a really bad show, but has a few remarkable moments.

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