ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka: Season 1/ Episode 1 "Jean the Cigarette-Peddler" [Series Premiere] – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

With a drab art style, a lead who seems disinterested in anything besides smoking, paired with subordinates who are annoying jokey and someone who is envious of our lead and wants to take him down a peg… I feel so tricked by the preview.

The Introduction

Jean works in the ACCA inspection department and is charged with doing audits within the 13 territories. There is nothing exciting about his work, it is treated as boring of an ordeal as real auditing work is. Making for his department being dismantled, due to the assumption of there being no peace and corruption, welcomed news for him. He has, after all, been trying to get transferred for ages. Alas, when one of the agricultural territories are discovered to have corrupt officials it seems his prayers become dismissed and he finds himself stuck once more. Though with the king of the territories turning 99, and the 5 Chief Officers speaking on some of them don’t see eye to eye, it seems like we are introduced to the calm before the storm.

Things To Note

I should add, it seems arson is becoming a bigger and bigger issue.

Collected Quote(s)

Rumors about people you don’t like are easy to come by.

—           “Jean the Cigarette-Peddler.” ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka

Highlights

It May Have Some Inkling Of Potential

With the discovery of corruption and political figures who seemingly have strong personalities, on top of 13 territories who likely work together out of necessity vs. a desire to be one nation, something could happen of interest. However, for the reasons noted below, the show has made it so you have to have patience and faith that it’ll get better.

Low Points

Name and Position Overload

Like Youjo Senki (Saga of Tanya The Evil), there are a parade of names and titles given. ACCA 13 at least gives them some personality and different physical characteristics but, again, you get a tad bit overloaded with names. Making it where unless you are taking notes, I can imagine someone just watching for the sake of entertainment at least getting Jean’s name down, but everyone else, except maybe Mauve since she is one of the few high-ranking women, you may quickly forget.

No One To Latch Onto

After seeing the movie Loving, I’m trying to learn how to enjoy characters who seem dull as dirt, but it’s hard. For this show especially for Jean seems so disconnected, unhappy yet in a daze about it, and has the persona of an Abercrombie model who is just nonchalant about everything. But it isn’t just him. As much as the 5 Chief Officers seem like they are up to something, there aren’t any teases, anything worth rewinding, or some type of whispering which makes you wonder what they have planned. They seem to enjoy their jobs more than Jean but are as you’d expect government officials to be.

Then when it comes to the people beneath Jean’s rank, they are almost annoyingly comical. The people in his department obsesses over sweets, are shocked when they learn one of their peer’s wife walked out on him, and while I feel like their silliness could be seen as a counterbalance to the seriousness of everyone else, at the same time it makes for an erratic tone.

Though what really got on my nerves, and may yours as well, is this one dude who hates Jean just because he sees him as the upper crust. His hate isn’t something to take serious but, again, comical. For he is the epitome of a hater and Jean not only doesn’t pay him any mind, but I don’t think he actually knows him at all.

Art & Tone

Building off that topic, the art style is kind of strange. At first, I wanted to compare it to Lupin the Third yet, while Lupin isn’t the most gorgeous of anime, it does have style. This anime, on the other hand, has its art match its character and not presented anything to really grab hold of you. If anything, it sort of repulses you.

Leading to the tone. Now, maybe it is my fault for not checking into additional previews, but what sold me was this sort of noir vibe from the preview linked above. That, combined with the description, led me to think of espionage, femme fatal, government corruption and more. That is, as opposed to what is given which doesn’t set a vibe which you can easily click with.

Overall: Mixed (Stick Around)

Originally I labeled this as being something to skip, but I want to believe that it could get better with time. It lost me with how the characters are either dull as collected dirt under your bed or zany and seemingly meant to be comical. Though, with a possible uprising on the horizon, maybe that may shake up the complacency of everyone and get some excitement going. Then again, I could be just optimistic.