Just came across this in one of the recommendations 🤔 Japan really knows how to pull off this kind of series. I’m wondering why this wasn’t more popular back then, even though the plot is definitely up there.

It came out more than 10 years ago, but with shows like Alice in Borderland gaining traction, I’m curious—why didn’t this one blow up the same way? Was it just ahead of its time, or did it miss something that could’ve made it bigger?

Rtconnect:

It came out more than 10 years ago, but with shows like Alice in Borderland gaining traction, I’m curious—why didn’t this one blow up the same way? Was it just ahead of its time, or did it miss something that could’ve made it bigger?

Alice has Yamaken in the cast list and people will watch for him regardless of the plot.

SPEC however, was also popular back then (as far as I can recall) and featuring on demand actors like Toda Erika and Kase Ryo. Otherwise it wouldn't have gotten so many sequels, prequels, spin offs, as well as newer seasons (web only). It is just that, Japan wasn't opened for world wide distribution yet and international fans only relied on fansubbers for the English Sub.