A Certain Dark Item

Episode 5

This episode is all about getting to know Choubi. Up until this point, she has seemed to be the most normal of the group—in that she actually gets scared of the crazy illegal stuff the group is doing and is worried about the possible consequences. That said, from the start, there was already something off about her. The fact that she bypassed ITEMs security as a matter of course to make sure she wouldn't arrive late or when she covered herself in blood to ambush Mitori.

This episode shows us just how far her talents go—and all she has done to herself to support them. Choubi is a master of disguise. But more than that, she has turned her body into a blank canvas to paint upon. She has no actual body hair—none on the top of her head, nor any eyebrows or eyelashes. The girl we have seen so far is a costume—one less complex than the insurance company executive she pretends to be, but a costume nonetheless. Beyond that, despite her habit of constant, near-panic complaining, this episode shows us once again that she is quick-thinking under pressure—and can change her identity on a whim if needed.

This begs the question: How trustworthy is Choubi? Is the timid-yet-competent girl the real her or just a character she is putting on to make herself seem less threatening? Is she actually an infiltrator trying to get something out of ITEM that only the group can procure? She does ask Frenda for something dangerous and hard to get a hold of in this episode, after all.

As for the progression of the actual plot involving the underground fighting ring, ITEM breaks into their own client's servers, steals the data on those who are likely to be fighters in said fighting ring, and then waits around for a likely candidate to make their way to the still unknown venue. I'm interested to see what Mugino's actual plan is to make a profit, given that there is no way they're getting anything from their client after all they've done. It's been mentioned that she plans to rip off the fighting ring even as she and ITEM take it down, but I still have no idea what exactly that entails. Hopefully things will start to come together next week.

Rating:

A Certain Dark Item is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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