Episode Guide
Optical Illusion is a 3.5/5 review, The Wheel Comes Full Circle is a 3.5/5 review, and The End of the Line is a 3/5 review.
Housing Complex C is a mini-series that aired on Adult Swim in October of 2017. The show is set in a housing complex that’s been abandoned for years and has been used as a dumping ground for the city’s trash. The residents of the complex have all died, leaving behind their families and pets. One by one, the residents are killed by something that lives in the shadows: something that looks like a human, but is actually an alien. The show starts with one of the residents, named Alice, who has to deal with her family’s death and her own fear of the alien. She starts to see things in the dark and eventually realizes that she’s not alone in this place. She must find someone to help her before it’s too late.
This show has 4 episodes, with Yūji Nara directing the project and Studio Akatsuki handling its animation. Maki Terashima-Furuta had a producing role in this project and will go on to produce the long-awaited anime adaptation of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki. Each episode in this series has a run-time of 25 minutes.
Kurosaki, a seaside town in Japan, is experiencing strange occurrences. Foreigners and business consultants have moved in, and the townspeople are starting to notice strange things happening. Fish are dying in large numbers, and ancient artifacts have been appearing around the town. To solve the mystery, our protagonist Kimi must work with her friends to investigate Housing Complex C. ..
Kurosaki’s people are struggling to make sense of a new community that has moved in next to them. The characters are trying to keep the peace, but they’re constantly faced with new challenges. The series has its good points, but it also has some troubling aspects.
The show’s storyline is decent and has some horrific visuals and suspense that will keep you invested. There are many subtle details that fans will pick up on upon re-watching the show. Some characters receive enough screen time to evoke fans’ compassion and worriment about their survival by the season’s finale.
The show’s first episode had a strong opening, but the subsequent episodes were hampered by a lack of horror and mystery. The third episode finally delivered on the promise of the show, and it should have done so from the beginning. ..
Housing Complex C’s story issues don’t end there. The series fell into trouble with its slow pacing and abundance of information-heavy dialogue. This series would have benefited greatly from having a 12-episode run. Like Serial Experiments Lain and Monster, this show could have gradually dropped information at timed intervals. This way, the anime can maintain everyone’s attention, not just Lovecraft or horror fans. ..
This anime had a stigma that didn’t appeal to me. There were many scenes in this series where it would’ve been better to show Housing Complex C residents investigating the area rather than have characters like Koba inform audiences about their attempts. These scenes could’ve helped viewers grow more attached to our cast, making their future outcomes feel more impactful.
The show features nods to some of Lovecraft’s favorite worlds and creatures, with its characters encountering many obstacles that force them to put their happy lives on hold. While the story wasn’t the best, it provides enough clues and details worth revisiting and identifying.
The Housing Complex C didn’t deliver a strong narrative, and its characters suffer a similar fate. Due to the series having 4-episodes, many of its cast didn’t get proper development, which affected some of the story’s plot twists and flow.
Kimi and Taka were the notable characters of the bunch, with Kan following behind them. We spend a lot of time with these characters, learning how they act, think, and react to select scenarios. This helped those sad situations with them hold impact and carry weight. While some may argue against Kimi’s character, these three were the best of this cast because of how they affected the plot moving forward.
Despite the mixed feelings some residents had about Housing Complex C, the animation and artwork looked decent and sometimes horrific – in a good way. While some of Kurosaki’s residents didn’t have stand-out designs, some cast members had recognizable features. Kimi and Kan were two characters whose designs stood out the most. From Kimi’s black cat-themed shirt to Kan’s “deep one” looking appearance, those two had designs that fit with the show’s spooky atmosphere.
The visuals in this show were great. Kan lurking at Taka and friends from afar and the dog’s head in the fruit sauce were subtle yet effective. There’s even a scene of a character hanging themselves in this series, eliciting themes of suicide and worriment. These instances should’ve been more present in the anime. It would’ve helped the show maintain a sense of dread and angst.
This show didn’t do a stellar job of featuring deaths. There were very few deaths in this series, which made me fearful. Other deaths are handled off-screen, and this was a missed opportunity. We’ve seen killers perform murders in conniving ways in other media, so it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to see these horrid acts take place here. It would make the murderers feel more threatening. ..
Housing Complex C is a great show with a great voice acting. The Japanese dubbing of the series hasn’t aired yet, so I watched it with its English dubbing. While some may not enjoy English dubs, fans should not downplay Housing Complex C’s English dub cast. Everyone performed fabulously, from Xanthe Huynh as Kimi to Kaili Mills as Yuri.
The show’s opening and ending themes songs were incredible and matched the series’ mysterious and horrific tone. While there were some instances where animal noises interfered with the dialogue, the background music, and sound effects were excellent.
Overall, Housing Complex C is an interesting anime that didn’t quite meet my expectations. However, the show offers some details and moments that will leave you unsettled. You can really tell that everyone involved wanted to deliver an original work that would stand toe to toe with other horror classics. While it isn’t perfect, Housing Complex C offers a decent amount of optical illusions, mismatched buttons, and horror to give viewers a fun time.
