ACCA: 13 Territory Inspection Dept, Episode 1: Trust and Suspicion

It’s easy to trust people to a certain extent. We trust our friends to treat us with kindness and respect because of the time we’ve shared together. It is so difficult to work when we can’t trust our colleagues, but usually we can assume they’ll do their job, or else face the consequences. Whatever the reason, it would be maddening, even terrifying, to go through life without trusting anyone.

They’re all very nonchalant about losing their jobs. I suppose they’re in a good economy?

In ACCA: 13 Territory Inspection Dept. (Which I will call ACCA for the rest of my episodic reviews), Jean Otus is introduced as a quiet, serious man who is readily suspicious of all his colleagues, as his job is to help the government uproot any instability. They live in a seeming utopia with very little crime, and so the department he works for, which inspects different districts and jurisdictions, has become effectively useless. The five higher ups decide (although not unanimously) that in this case, the inspection department should be closed. This gives me the impression that they probably don’t know much about history, although I supposed based on the amount of cakes the inspection department seems to be eating, perhaps their time would be better spent in other positions.

So did they find an island shaped exactly like a bird, or did they craft it somehow?

Jean goes to a distant district and discovers that, surprise, there’s corruption. The higher ups immediately change their mind, much to Jean’s disappointment. However, they now secretly view him with suspicion, and envious members of other departments plot to take him down. I wonder if Jean wanted his job to end because he’s become rather tired of this cycle of mistrust. It’s hard to tell, though, because he uses few words and shows fewer emotions, though perhaps he developed this very attitude from people who would regard him as suspicious. Could it be that he himself doesn’t trust the government of his society, and is afraid they’ll see him as rebellious? I look forward to seeing how it all plays out.

I hope that the story will continue to explore this theme of trust. In Christianity, we often talk about trust in our relationship with God. However, this episode got me thinking about how we should place trust in our fellow human beings. As we live in a fallen world, it follows that we often lose each other’s trust through out own broken nature. But God compels us to love each other, and we can’t do out without some kind of trust.

This show is a little different than the other ones I’ve reviewed, and I’m really excited to see where the story goes. I haven’t read the manga, so I can only guess as to what lies ahead. So far it feels like a very slowly paced crime show. As long as the plot keeps rolling, I think it will remain interesting, despite being a little relaxed. My only worry is that the characters’ relationships will be under-explored in favor of a more episodic take, but I don’t think that will be the case.

Murasaki Lynna

4 thoughts on “ACCA: 13 Territory Inspection Dept, Episode 1: Trust and Suspicion

  1. I’m very curious about how this series will go. The uniforms reminiscent of the Waffen SS and shortage of something we find so easy to obtain (tobacco) remind me of Orwell’s 1984. I predict that the plot will involve trust becoming harder to obtain than cigarettes and a strong man appearing to take power.

    But, yeah, civilization can’t stand without trust. Law and order are much more important than technological innovation or a powerful military in building a strong and stable country.

    1. Same. I’m kind of suspicious of their supposedly wonderful government. Having an organization to inspect everyone sounds kind of controlling and suspicious.

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