The next pandemic is much more colorful than our current one, or so it seems.

The Randolph Syndrome comes from this new underground realm at the South Pole called Asylum. And if you get infected, you will probably turn into a giant speedster monster and kill the members of your unit. In the experimental city of Cross of the South, Australia, the Sleepers, an international elite unit in charge of exploring Asylum, are laughing about an inaccurate recruit commercial for them, featuring a Captain America/Superman character and an anime girl. Little do they know that our protagonist has been inspired by it, and just signed up because he wants to become a hero, even if the mortality rate is extremely high (a fact that every character insists on). Only, a little hazing by a teammate makes his heart stop beating and he stops breathing too. So he misses his training and simulator experience and has to go to Asylum in his first mission without a clear notion of what he shall do. But there is a pep talk where the captain of his unit tells him five rules for survival. Roughly, a) there is no hope here, so abandon all hope, b) every man for himself, c) if you have a death wish, carry it elsewhere, because it’s a bother, and d) he who hesitates is lost. He will be told Survival Rule E if he survives. Take that. Everyone insists that most recruits wind up dead. And, when he finally descends to this vaguely autumnal and creepy world, the most computerized CGI monster ever shows up…

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Yeah, my thoughts exactly. The title says it all, I guess. The conversations don’t make any sense, the monsters just sit and wait there, even if they can move at extraordinary speed, while our heroes explain their nature and talk about what they should do. Then suddenly the monsters are fast again. Apparently, talking during the missions is forbidden, but sitting and texting is A-OK. People in the streets have masks, soldiers look like astronauts or Chernobyl personnel, yet our heroes apparently prefer to come down to Asylum and face the monsters without such burdensome equipment. This is supposedly a deadly underworld in which only an elite team may enter, but if you happen to miss the training and the simulations because you are unconscious, sure, go down anyway. You may ask, well, what should we be doing? And, well, your teammates will hush you. The leader doesn’t want the unit to be too formal though, and says that talking is cool. He also appears to float up in the air without explanation, with a laser sword of sorts, attacking the monster when the explaining is done and battle time comes. Rule E tells you not to accept death: everyone alive, it seems, has made that simple choice. Don’t you forget it, kid. The Sleepers need to reinforce their Sanity Anchors much much more before I dare to venture again into the Asylum. But hey, at least I had a fun time.

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Deep Insanity: The Lost Child can be streamed on Funimation.

Fall 2021 Anime First Impressions