Posted 1 month ago by lynlynsays3 Comments Anime Reviews

Inside A Criminal’s Mind: Thoughts on ID: INVADED

ID: Invaded (イド：インヴェイデッド)

(Anime 2020)

Studio: NAZ

My sister recommended me this anime, Id: Invaded because it has elements of Psycho-Pass, which is a series that my sister and I enjoyed watching together.

Id: Invaded is a 2020 original animated series by the studio NAZ. The story focuses on former investigator but now criminal, Akihito Narihisago, who voluntarily enters into the unconscious minds of serial killers to figure out who they are so that the investigators can easily catch these criminals in the real world.

What impressed me the most about this series is the technology that they used. It is similar to Psycho-Pass where they have the Dominator that determines if a person is a threat to society based on their crime coefficient. In Id: Invaded, the equipment that these investigators use is the “Wakamusubi” which is a handheld radar gun that detects and collects “cognition particles,” revealing a person’s intention to kill. The particles are used to create serial killers’ “ID wells.” In these “ID wells,” detectives enter them in hopes to extract information on the serial killer and solve the mystery of “who killed the person” so that investigators can arrest them. The detectives that enter these “ID wells” are individuals who have already killed someone in real life; hence, highly classified criminals are considered perfect candidates for these missions. You can view this opportunity as an act of service to law enforcement or a way to punish criminals because every time an investigator enters a criminal’s “ID well,” their mental health slowly deteriorates.

To be honest, I think the “Wakamusubi” is an ingenious piece of anime technology that I wish existed in the real world. It would be a valuable tool for investigators when they need to prosecute a person: “the intention to kill” could be seen as the ultimate piece of evidence in a case. However, every piece of anime technology has its pros and cons.

Aside from my admiration for the technology in this series, I felt a bit of remorse toward the character, Kiki Asukai, also known as Kaeru. Kaeru is always the victim in the “ID well” whose death is what the investigator is trying to solve. However, it is later revealed that Kiki Asukai was kidnapped by John Walker to power up the Mizuhanome system because she’s telepathic and has the power to project her dreams, memories, and thoughts into the minds of other people. As a result, Kiki Asukai constantly relives the nightmares of getting murdered. After confessing the amount of pain she is put through to Akihito Narihisago, I couldn’t help but wonder if this is how victims feel after experiencing a traumatic event such as domestic violence. They have to relive the pain over and over through their thoughts and dreams. I feel like Kiki Asukai represents all those victims and that as viewers, we should recognize the pain and suffering that domestic violence survivors go through daily; in which they attempt (but sometimes fail) to mentally overcome the trauma.

I still prefer Pyscho-Pass, but I do highly recommend you check out Id: Invaded. What makes this series unique is that viewers take a look inside the minds of serial killers and you get to see the world in their eyes.

You can watch this series on Hulu.

4.5/5