ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.

Episode 4

As we accompany Jean on yet another inspection, it's finally time for the much-discussed coup d'état to rear its head in the form of a local, small-scale uprising in the district of Suitsu. Between rural Fāmasu, supersized Jumōku, royal Dōwā, and the administrative center of Bādō, we've already seen quite a bit of variety in this so-called federation. Suitsu is different, and not just because everything and everyone in it seems to be named after food and beverages. Time stands still in this isolated country without cars or mobile phones, where every interaction with outsiders gets strictly monitored, and ACCA branch personnel wear late 18th-century bicorne hats and small swords as part of their attire. The imbalance in power between nobles and commoners works as it used to in pre-WWI Europe here, and peace is just a fiction with a price tag attached, so that nobles and wannabes can continue to feel privileged. It's an eye-opening experience for Jean, who has been here before but never got to interact with the locals. Being as composed as he is perceptive, Jean might not pick up the pitchfork and join the revolution, yet I can't help but think that sending him out here wasn't just to get him out of Bādō, but to help prepare him for whatever role he's meant to take on according to Nino's real boss.

So who is Nino reporting to, and what's their agenda? Your guess is as good as mine. Judging by the way Nino talks to last week's mystery caller, our shameless spy seems to be on rather familiar terms with his true employer, hinting at a long-term relationship. If we consider his remark about how he has watched Jean his entire life (only befriending him to make his job easier, as he can – and does – come and go as he pleases in both Jean and Lotta's lives), and the fact that he saves his target from being pitchforked by an angry mob, Nino is looking more and more like a secret bodyguard tasked with nudging Jean into whatever his boss considers the right track.

Maybe Jean really did submit his transfer requests, but someone out there couldn't allow that to happen. Perhaps Jean and Lotta's family tree is more interesting than we've been led to believe. Someone's clearly grooming Jean to play a part in a bigger scheme, but the real question (between all the sealed letters and cigarette gifts) is how much does he know already? Is the king's refusal to abdicate part of the same plan? The new mystery surrounding the owner of the building that Jean, Lotta, and apparently a bunch of influential business people happen to live in might turn out to be the missing link. In the gorgeous OP, even the ACCA bird drops the nation's symbol-turned-leaf in Jean's inverted reflection (mere seconds after another liquid drop turns into something very crown-shaped). Mr. Inspector is clearly meant to become the key that everyone around him already assumes he must be.

ACCA continues to be a well-written, tightly constructed affair, elevated by Ryō Takahashi's excellent soundtrack. The piano underscoring Warbler's speech about the fictitious nature of peace in Dōwā was a particular highlight, as the melody went from subliminal threat to melancholic lament with a notion of reconciliation when Jean joined in. The screen time dedicated to peripheral settings and occurrences (such as the introduction of Lilium's influential family members) is just enough to maintain and nurture the show's intricate web of relations without distracting from the main plot, continuing to make ACCA's world feel real and tangible.

Rating: B+

ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.