MPD - Psycho Series 1 - Parts 5 And 6 - Coronation Of Cursed King / Ascension Of Spirits

The MDP psycho series is essential viewing for any fan of Takashi Miike, or fan of David Lynch.

The story of souls leaping between bodies of people with barcodes in their eyes is almost indecipherable, but the journey to the final explanation is worthwhile.

My favourite pieces are the police chief's daily briefings which go from being slightly ill-presented to a musical number.

Yousuke Kobayashi, a homicide detective, sees his wife killed by a serial killer, Shinji Nishizono. From the shock of her death, he suffers MPD(Multiple Personality Disorder) and becomes Kazuhiko Amamiya. Eventually he manages to hunt down and kill the murderer of his wife. Now though, a new series of murders have occurred, and the suspects claim to be Shinji Nishizono himself! MPD Psycho is Takashi Miike’s attempt at a TV mini-series. If you have seen any of Takashi Miike’s films, then you will know what to expect from anything he has written or directed. While not as strange as The Happiness of the Katakuris, as violent and bloody as Ichi The Killer, as slow to build to a climax as Audition, or as shocking as Visitor Q(all four of which were directed by Takashi Miike), MPD Psycho is still strange, violent, bloody, and pretty shocking at times(just not as much as the aforementioned films)! If you have never seen a Takashi Miike film before, then this might be a good place to start, as it is not as heavy on violence, blood, or as confusing as some of his films are. If you have seen films Takashi Miike has done before, then this is just as good and really worth checking out. Other Takashi Miike films worth renting: Ichi The Killer, Gozu, Audition, Dead of Alive(all three films), and The Happiness of the Katakuris.

I've watched 1-6 of this series and I must admit I kind of wish I hadnt bothered... some of the images in the series were kind of arresting but its just so discombobulated that I have lost interest in it all. I think the director probably got a bit bored of this Manga TV series too and just lost the plot. Thats what it feels like.

If you dont have much of a social life then you should probably check it out, but to be honest, hanging out in the park with your mates is a lot more fun than watching this.

Up to now MPD Psycho has been both watchable and frustrating, episodes five and six continue to enthral and yet baffle in equal measures. Part five is the worst episode so far. Watchable of course, but events appear to go nowhere and random acts of Takashi Miike brilliance are few and far between. Episode six. Atlast. Answering many of the qusetions that have come before it, bringing us up to date and moving at a more entertaining pace than the previous episode.

The only problem is, I've waited so long between each disc that I'm still not convinced that the whole thing makes that much sense. It's an interesting series for sure, but perhaps only because it excites and frustrates in equal measures, not because it's perfect television.