Quick Review - When They Cry: Solutions (2007)

A solid showing after the competent-but-rushed season 1, which stumbles its way through 6 volumes of slow burn mystery in a single season of 22 minute episodes.

Season 2 takes its time to cover the remaining 2 volumes - and even starts with a bridging arc, the Disaster Awakening arc, which is unique to the anime and gives more screentime to Satoko.

The art is cute, the performances are solid and the humor lands. It's 2000s anime at its best. I just wish we'd get more background music from the visual novel itself.

Though the pacing is a lot better than season 1, it still finds itself struggling to contain all the information it needs to present, especially when the villain's tragic backstory is finally revealed. Some moments needed a little more time to breathe; for example, the villain is called about the death of a loved one - we cut to a funeral for a few seconds - and move right along. The story is less interested in the emotional beat and more in what this death means for the villain's plans. Like season 1, it feels "compressed," just less extremely. Characters that had less buildup in the VN suffer similarly in the anime but worse (Akasaka is a good example of this).

In spite of my gripes, I had a great time with the anime. It really makes the jokes, scares and drama land when it comes down to it. I'd definitely recommend looking into the VN first unless you're really allergic to the slow burn; I think this is best as a nice accompaniment to it. But even without, you're looking at a competent and multifaceted mystery horror anime with some unexpectedly cute characters and strong comedy.

Meep, nipah ✰ !