Chaos; HEAd

Synopsis:

Takumi Nishijo hates the real world, or... the 3D world as he calls it. He spends all his free time in a metal container that he's actually turned into a make-shift hideaway where he can sit on his computer all day, playing online roll-playing games and holding conversations with his delusional girlfriend, Seira. The only time he ventures outside is to go to school to fulfill the minimum requirements to graduate. While in a game chat-room with his friend Grim who is trying to bring Takumi up to date with the world around him, Takumi couldn't care less. That is, until Shogun enters the chatroom and starts displaying images of a murder that he explains... hasn't happened yet. As Takumi realizes that he knows where the murder is taking place and decides to investigate but by the time he arrives at the supposed scene of the crime he finds a body that has been staked to the wall with metal spikes and a pink-haired girl covered in blood wearing a Suimei Academy school uniform, which is the same school Takumi attends. Stricken with fear Takumi flees the scene of the murder only to find that when he goes to school the next day the deadly pink-haired girl is in the same class as him and reminds him that her name is Rimi and she has been his friend since childhood. Unable to recall anything from his past Takumi decides to unwillingly play along to find out what has been happening in the 3D world he has been disregarding for so long.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 12


Review:

Chaos;HEAd is the perfect example of a show that starts out in an almost flawless manor giving the audience a psychological horror and mystery combined that grabs you instantly but then quickly loses it's appeal. Unfortunately, as the series progresses it loosens it's grip on the viewer with it's repetitive storyline that keeps resurfacing showing no sign of resolution of Takumi trying to ascertain what is going on and keeps hitting dead ends or far too cryptic outcomes that he doesn't understand usually resulting in Takumi whining to himself insurmountable times bordering on just plain annoying. However, with Chaos;HEAd's short run it starts to feel like the show really doesn't have time to be messing around with dead end outcomes but rather should get to the point and explain things as the show progresses. But, this doesn't happen and instead the show literally tries to throw everything at the viewer during the last episode making for an extremely rushed presentation that while may end in a satisfactory manner it is poorly presented almost making it feel like the directors just decided to say... "Well, here you go." Leaving you confused but forced to accept what you just watched.

The animation is fantastic, the story had so much potential, but the presentation was an extreme let down with it's rushed plot devices and a main protagonist that bordered on the brink of annoying with his constant whining. Chaos;HEAd is still a good show just not one you should sink yourself into as by the time it's over you practically feel, you were given what you wanted to see which in most cases is a good thing, but here... just didn't work out all that well.


Chaos; HEAd (opening)


Recommendation: |Below Average|