Netflix has been having an eventful year with numerous good releases and lots more scheduled. One such series has been stirring up a storm in the anime world, and that’s the High-Rise Invasion. The horror series, which follows a high school student trapped in an abandoned building has been held up by critics and viewers alike. Created by Zero-G studios, and Masahiro Takata, the series is based on a Japanese Manga series. Released on 25th February 2021, the fans of the series are already expecting a season 2, based on the open ending of the first season.
What are the little nods towards Silent Hill?
Although original in its own right, gamers from the 90s can’t help but notice some striking resemblances to the Silent Hill game series from 1999. While in High-Rise Invasion, the lead protagonist finds herself in an unknown world which is referred to as “abnormal space”, this was portrayed by the Silent Hill franchise in the form of the “Otherworld”. The player is haunted by monsters specific to their own worst fears. Similarly, in High-Rise Invasion, masked monsters too play psychological tricks on people to drive them out of their mind and kill themselves. Not only that, but it is also the theme of the protagonist’s survival against all odds, against monsters in an alternate reality, feels all too familiar.
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Only one season and twelve episodes in, and we already want more!
Although watching the anime series does remind us of a very video game-style world, that does not take away from the merits of the series. It does justice to its psychological horror theme, just as much, if not more than some feature films. The series pulls no punches with its pacing, as the very first moments of the series begin with a healthy serving of gore. Twelve episodes long, the story does grip us well enough to remember all the characters they introduce, and yes, there are quite a few. The series is available with Japanese and English audio, and we cannot help but hope that we are treated with a second season as soon as possible.
