Cop Craft is an anime adapted from the Light Novel, Cop Craft: Dragnet Mirage Reloaded. Written by Shoji Gatoh and illustrated by Range Murata, the series takes place fifteen years after a hyperspace gate opened in the middle of the ocean. Within the gate is the “realm of faeries and monsters.” The story takes place in the city of San-Teresa that has a population of 2 million from the realm. In episode 1, Sergeant Kei Matoba and his partner Rick engage in a undercover sting. The sting goes badly when on of the criminals turns out to be an “alien.” He snaps the neck of Rick and escapes with the fairy.
After, Matoba informs Rick’s wife he returns home and is told that he will be meeting with a “VIP from the Farbani Kingdom.” The next morning he retrieves this noble from the gate. Her name is Tilarna Barsh Mirvor Imsedalya Lyeh Tebreina Devol Nelano Seiya Nel Exedilica or Tilarna Exedilica. She was sent to recover the fairy and is partnered with Matoba. Being unfamiliar with the world, Tilarna is a “fish out of water,” unaware how the elevators and cars work and what a Mexican is. She also has a hard time understanding the human concept of “justice,” as Matoba was working with an informant. While in the elevator Tilarna smells “latena.”
She explains that this means that “someone controlled by an evil wizard was present.” She utters an incantation of some sort, “Shield of law, protection of the war god.” Her costume changes into a warrior’s garb and she races down the hallway. They are attacked by someone with a machine gun. I rarely into anime cop drama’s. The dynamic between Matoba and Tilarna are typical in the veteran/rookie cop genre. Cop Craft seems to balance it’s cop show elements with it’s fantasy elements. While none of these dynamics are new they’re done very well in this series. Some may suggest that this series is has to many tropes but I think this episode is a promising start.
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