A supernatural boys’ love drama, The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window features Kosuke Mikado, a bookstore clerk with the ability to see spirits, especially when he removes his glasses as living people will become blurry while ghosts become clearer. Unfortunately, he is also very afraid of ghosts and only uses his ability in order to better avoid them.
While The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window has some unique draws like the innovative supernatural abilities of the protagonists and the terrifying ghosts they encounter, some fans might be bored by the plain art style and put off by the main characters’ lack of chemistry. We have watched the first three episodes of this anime, and we are ready to share with you our thoughts!
Plot
While working, Kosuke has a chance encounter with Rihito Hiyakawa, an exorcist who lacks social boundaries. Upon seeing Kosuke, Rihito immediately announces that meeting Kosuke is destiny. Without warning, he then touches Kosuke to make contact with his soul, remarking how compatible their two souls are. After sensing Kosuke’s innate ability, Rihito ends up hiring him as an assistant despite Kosuke’s fear of the supernatural. Together, they investigate supernatural cases such as hauntings and mysterious deaths.
The Good
The plot is intriguing and contains a bit of mystery. While Kousuke and Rihito start out just investigating supernatural occurrences for individual clients, they start realizing that these occurrences may be connected to a shady character named Erika Hiura, who has the ability to cast curses. Additionally, as the protagonists investigate together, Kosuke finds out that Rihito may be hiding a secret. The plot is certainly enough to keep anyone at the edge of their seat!
Another positive is that the protagonists’ method of upping their latent supernatural abilities, connecting souls, is a unique idea not seen in a lot of other series. While they are touching, both spiritually and physically, Rihito is better able to see spirits in order to “clobber” them as a form of exorcism. Meanwhile, Kosuke is able to hear details of crimes that happened in the past as if they were happening in the present. Finally, the ghosts and other supernatural entities they encounter can be downright terrifying, and watching the protagonists use their original skills to take them down can be fulfilling!
The Bad
In regard to the production quality, the art and animation are plain and reminiscent of older anime. Similarly, The colors seem to be a bit muted and the backgrounds are quite simple. This could be excused if the character designs of the protagonists were still interesting and memorable enough, but we believe the character designs do not stand out much at all. In regard to the supernatural entities, occasionally their animation and general appearance do not fit with the rest of the scene, leading to a budgeted look.
Considering that the dialog can be a bit spicy and the method through which Rihito exorcises spirits involves entering Kosuke’s body and combining their senses, which Rihito admits “feels good,” this anime might not be for sensitive fans. More importantly, we believe Kosuke and Rihito just lack enough chemistry at this point in the anime. Their relationship can feel a bit one-sided as it is Rihito who approaches Kosuke, proposes that Kosuke becomes his assistant, and is the clear lead in their relationship. Meanwhile, Kosuke is often hesitant in both their exorcist and assistant relationship and their budding romantic relationship. Not all fans will enjoy this relationship dynamic, and in a boys’ love anime series, it is important that the main relationship be a joy to watch.
Final Thoughts
While the supernatural investigations and the mysterious plot are entertaining, we believe this boys’ love anime series could become more enjoyable if the protagonists had more chemistry and the production quality was a bit better. Still, if you are looking for a paranormal series, it isn’t a bad idea to check this one out. Thanks for reading the article! Do you think you will watch it?