'18if' Episode 3: Will Haruto Continue Down the Path of Darkness?
Haruto Tsukishiro was faced with the question of morality and ended up taking a Witch's side. Will he continue to plunge into the darkness of his own being in the next episode of the dark fantasy anime series "18if?"
The series chronicles the adventures and misadventures of one otherwise normal boy named Haruto, after he mysteriously woke up in the Dream World. In that dimension, powerful and often vicious entities known as Witches roam and are more than just figments of the unconscious.
While it is not yet clear what exactly brought Haruto to this place and why he remains trapped in it, the first episode has already made his goal clear: to face off with the various Witches plaguing the dreamscape and help them finish their dreams.
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Apparently, these Witches are actually the souls of young women who have, in one way or another, rejected reality and have since been afflicted with the Sleeping Beauty Syndrome. Nobody has ever been able to wake someone suffering from this condition — that is, until Haruto came along.
According to a glossary released for the anime, the Dream World is a place located between a very narrow space between consciousness and unconsciousness. Every person's appearance in that world differs from how they really look in the real world. A good example of this is the scientist Katsumi Kanzaki, who takes on the form of an anthropomorphic cat whenever he goes to see Haruto.
In episode 2, it was revealed that Kanzaki's younger sister, Yurina, suffers from the aforementioned syndrome. He hopes to get Haruto's help to bring his sister back. But Haruto seemed to have decided to take matters into his own hands after he killed a man in order to protect a Witch.
Someone has brought Haruto into this world. His companion, Lily, and Kanzaki do not know who or what it is. But is Haruto's choice to navigate the Dream World on his own the best one he can make? On the contrary, will the upcoming third episode see him and Kanzaki reconcile their differences to solve the case of yet another young woman's soul trapped in the world of dreams?
"18if" is part of "The Art of 18" media franchise that also currently includes a smartphone game published by Mobcast for Android and iOS.
The anime series airs on Fridays at 10 p.m. JST on Tokyo MX. Episodes will also be available to stream on Crunchyroll.
