The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window – Anime Review

Mikado is a bookstore clerk with the supernatural ability to see ghosts and spiritual apparitions in the living world. He was born with this secret gift since birth. However, he hates his powers and has tried his best to ignore the paranormal activities around him.

One day, Mikado encounters a mysterious stranger in the bookstore. Hiyakawa also has paranormal abilities and seems intrigued to meet someone with similar powers. Hiyakawa works as a freelance exorcist, investigating supernatural phenomena and helping others get rid of unruly spirits. He recruits Mikado to work for him in a business that describes itself as "cleaning" and "property appraisal".

Enticed by the high salary, Mikado reluctantly starts working with Hiyakawa on various cases. Mikado is often creeped out by the strangeness in his surroundings. However, Hiyakawa seems unfazed and oddly comfortable even when confronted with the most inexplicable abnormalities. Hiyakawa promises to protect Mikado, using a spiritual contract to bind them together.

Mikado and Hiyakawa often get their work from Hanzawa, a police detective who firmly disbelieves supernatural occurrences. Nonetheless, Hanzawa can't deny that his acquaintances generate results from their investigations. They also keep in touch with Mukae, a chatty and cheeky fortune teller with similar abilities.

Mukae leads them to a dangerous teenage girl called Erika. Lately, she has placed many eerie curses on innocent individuals. As Mikado and Hiyakawa investigate, they discover Erika is part of a sinister crime syndication, operating with despicable intentions. When Erika becomes aware of the pair, they cross paths in a tense and unpredictable showdown.

On paper, The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window has an exciting plot. This high-concept anime is packed with supernatural mystery and psychological intrigue. However, some elements in the story are executed unclearly. The series can confuse newcomers, failing to explain vague concepts or skipping over crucial context. There are missing gaps in the narrative that reduce my enjoyment of The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window anime.

I know it can be tricky condensing a long-running manga into twelve half-hour episodes. This anime doesn't have that much time to cover an intensely plot-heavy series. As a result, it sacrifices some clarity while cutting corners on character development. Instead of telling the story in sequence like ABCDE, it leaps from A to C to E and hopes viewers wouldn't notice. Yet, it's obvious when The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window skimps on the plot or rushes through relationship dynamics.

Despite feeling lost at times, I still liked The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window more than expected. The first few episodes didn't make the best impression, but the series slowly became tolerable. I got used to the storytelling style, grew fond of the characters, and felt engaged by the dark psychological themes. I haven't read the manga, but I did watch the crappy live-action movie remake. The film never stimulated my interest in The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window. In contrast, the anime was fascinating enough to make me curious about the source material.

The BL content is minimal in The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window anime. Don't expect a full-fledged romance because it never happens on-screen. Occasionally, a few casual jokes or remarks about Mikado and Hiyakawa's close bond are made. There are also several intimate encounters with vaguely erotic undertones. I'm not sure what to make of the ~touching your soul~ aspect or whatever Hiyakawa was supposed to be doing to Mikado. Are these scenes supposed to be BL? If so, they might be too abstract for me to appreciate.

I'm fond of the art style in The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window. The character designs look clean, mature, and easy on the eyes. I also enjoy the brooding atmosphere that the anime achieves visually, capturing a melancholic mood through faded colours. With this being a horror story, it includes some abnormal imagery that depicts the strangeness of the paranormal world. However, nothing strikes me as exceedingly gory or brutal to watch. The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window feels grim and disturbing, but it's moderate in terms of scariness.

Ultimately, the narrative shortcomings in The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window hold this anime back from greatness. I don't believe the story is told cohesively, making the emotional arcs less impactful than intended. While the main characters have complex backstories, they don't seem three-dimensional. Also, their relationship dynamic isn't explored meaningfully, leaving a lot to desire. The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window is acceptable in its current state, but this anime series isn't elevated enough to resonate powerfully.

Summary