Kado: The Right Answer (Blu Ray Set/Series Review)

By: Mithrandiel

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

The Spring 2018 series is certainly off to a strong start. With plenty of unique series, it's easy to forget shows from last season, let alone a full year ago. And yet, when we received our most recent shipment of review copies from our friends at Funimation, I was reminded of a series that really stuck out to me this time last year: Kado: The Right Answer. Early in the Spring 2017 season I wrote an opinion piece about the importance of communication in the series, spotlighting some of the protagonists early interactions with the alien visitor known as Yaha-kui zaShunina. At the time I was impressed with the series to that point, and eager to see where it would lead.For those unfamiliar, a brief primer: master negotiator Shindo Kojiro is preparing to take some well-earned time off when the plane that he and 251 other passengers are on is enveloped by a huge, 2 kilometer cube that appears to manifest out of thin air. Concerned that the plane was crushed, and everyone on-board had perished, we find that they are actually all alive and suspended within an alien and surreal space inside of the cube. An unfamiliar being appears, and after some uncomfortable attempts to communicate, it shifts into a humanoid shape and begins to speak in Japanese. It introduces itself as Yaha-kui zaShunina. Its first conversation is with Shindo, and what follows is an attempt to introduce mankind to technologies far beyond their comprehension. Infinite, clean energy. Time manipulation. No longer requiring sleep. Governments from all over the world are unsure what to make of this alien being, and the series opening half largely catalogs the real implications of humanity suddenly being gifted these immense, other-worldly boons.This is Kado at its best. Philosophical questions surrounding whether mankind should readily accept these gifts, or progress at their own pace, are rampant throughout the series. I feel as though Kado does a good job of accurately depicting the reactions of major world governments, trying to balance a defensive stance with the understanding that zaShunina's technology renders every method of offense that we have useless. Shindo's budding relationship with fellow negotiator Saraka Tsukai also works, as they have their own debates regarding the significance of zaShunina's arrival and what mankind should do next.As the weeks went on, however, Kado took an unfortunate turn in the latter half of the series. While there was a persistent sense of dread waiting for the "other shoe to drop", the ultimate reveal ended up being fairly predictable: zaShunina wanted to try and transport mankind out of their own little pocket-universe and into the world in which he and the other ascended beings, which are called "anisotoron", lived. The minor hiccup being that hardly anyone would survive making the transition, essentially resulting in the death of billions to sate zaShunina's curiosity. In a soap-opera twist, it's revealed that Saraka Tsukai is actually an anisotoron as well, charged with defending and managing the universe like it's her own personal science project. zaShunina is higher on the food chain, however, having more command over the various abilities that allow him to manipulate space and time.When it got to this point in the show, I realized just how far it had fallen. It had opened with such promise - and I would have gladly spent the rest of the season watching Shindo and the rest of humanity wrestle with the gifts that zaShunina had brought from the "world outside space". Yet, it was not meant to be. Instead, given the direction the latter episodes go, by the time you arrive at the Matrix Revelations style clash between Shindo and zaShunina, you're rubbing your forehead murmuring "Of course this is how it ends."Outside of the disconcerting story direction, the characters also suffered from a staleness as the series progressed. Shindo became more and more alien, often among the first to adapt and utilize the gifts that zaShunina was bringing. Saraka was vehemently against mankind's unnatural progress, which made more sense following the reveal, but still made it difficult to really buy-in to any of her emotionally charged rants. Even zaShunina became the stereotypical sociopathic villain in time.I will say that when it comes to the animation, the depiction of zaShunina's "Boundary Vehicle", the massive cube known as "Kado", is wonderful to see. In recent years we've seen experimental animation styles go awry, but Kado thankfully depicts the other side of the spectrum. Outside of the central cube, character design and landscape work is thoroughly impressive as well.Overall, Kado's early episodes are probably among some of my favorite in recent memory. With striking animation and a strong start, it sets a high bar - one that it promptly looks up at, shakes its head and walks away from.The blu-ray release doesn't add to much to the series - your usual fare of textless openings and endings, as well as the recap episode 6.5: Ekwari.If you're interested in checking out the series, you can find it on Crunchyroll. If you think I'm out of my mind and love the series, then you can find the blu-ray set on Funimation's website.Note - We received a review copy of this set from Funimation in exchange for an honest and fair review.