Terror of Resonance was in terror at Anime Expo

The world premiere of Terror of Resonance, days before the Japanese home viewing audience, took place in two screenings at Anime Expo last Saturday. Attendees had to wait it the hot sun to catch the first episode of  Shinichirō Watanabe's latest-darker the Dandy-anime.

Fans were already buzzed about being the first to see the new episode when the worst disaster happened on screen, not a terrorist attack, a corrupted data file error. Fans screamed in unison as the world premier was cut short by the PS3, maybe next year a PS4, stopped playing the first episode right after a thrilling chase from a nuclear power plant.

Attempts were made to repair the damage. Deleting the data on screen the audience wailed. It was then copied over again and again, multiple attempts failed. After more than three attempts the episode finally past the marker of the theme song and American audiences were introduced to a new mystery anime, with questions begging to be answered.

Next door, in the other screening, everything went fine. To which the audience was ever so unhappy about.

Terror in Resonance features three protagonists that agonize Tokyo. Two boys who carry out terrorists attacks, where, so far in the series no one dies. They go by the names Nine and Twelve around each other. When in school they are Shin Kokonoe (Nine) and Fuyuji Kumi (Twelve). Nine lacks personality and has a calm demeanor where as Twelve is the exact opposite, acting childish and drawing attention to himself.

They encounter Risa Mishima in school in a plot to take a field trip to an attack point. After a series of events which connect her to the boys they ask her-with penalty of death if she says no-to become an accomplice to their attacks. She is a nervous and hounded girl with a mother being over-protective after her father left them both.

Twelve and Nine carry out outlandish terroists attacks and so far of the episodes screened Risa is learning and coming along for the ride. Why the brothers are blowing up Tokyo, who they really are and weird dreams they have are all asked throughout the first two episodes. The series will have to answer them over time

The boys have to contend with a former detective turned record keeper, who comes to conclusions about their attacks only too late by the second episode.

A special part of the world premiere was the showing of the second episode before anywhere else. Funimation's PR noted Watanabe rushed out the episode to make sure they could be screened early for AX.
The series carries Watanabe's style of great animation. Drama bits are mixed in with a sense of humor to lighten the mood. Explosives for an attack are stuffed into cute fluffy dolls and Nine concocts a soda bomb out of: Coke, green tea and Mentos to play around with Risa.

Funimation owns the North American license and plans to simulcast.