Just like Ousama Game, Doreiku anime is another anime I watched ages ago.

And yes, like Ousama Game, it was also the anime I watched till the end.

The fact that I watched the anime till the end must mean that the anime is worth watching, right?

Sad to say, I actually lump this anime in the same camp as Ousama Game.

Like Ousama Game, this anime may have been the anime that is worth watching if you don’t take the premise way too seriously as I am.

But as someone already familiar with the subject that becomes the focal point in the anime, it’s hard for me not to be way too judgmental about the concept.

Despite my disdain for the anime, I admit it was the SCM concept that got me to watch the anime in the first place.

What makes the SCM concept in the Doreiku anime an intriguing one?

Okay, what makes the SCM concept an intriguing one despite the anime being only meh in my book?

It doesn’t make sense to say how intriguing the anime was when I wasn’t that into the anime.

Well, it’s hard not to get drawn to such a concept when the two books in my Trigger Locked series, The Mind Control Assassins and A Silent Killer have a similar concept with Doreiku.

But what sets my book and Doreiku apart is that the SCM concept will never work in real life no matter how hard you try.

Sure, you can argue that we all shouldn’t worry so much about the inner workings of the SCM since it’s only a work of fiction.

Who cares if they’re not real, right?

That was the purpose of entertainment – it doesn’t need to be realistic to a T.

Yes, you’re not wrong about that.

If anything, I should be the one who needs to take the chill pill and enjoy the story for what it is.

But it’s hard to take the SCM concept with a grain of salt when the anime gets it flat-out wrong about how the mind control works.

The inner workings of SCM

What in the world is SCM, anyway?

For those who don’t watch the Doreiku anime, it stands for Slave Control Method. That’s SCM for short.

It’s a device that consists of two parts in which each person will place one of the devices on the upper part of their mouth.

Once each of them places the device in their mouth, they will begin with engaging with one another through a game.

Of course, placing the device in their mouth won’t cause them to engage with one another right away.

The SCM device will do its thing once the other person agrees to take part in the game.

If either of them loses in the game, the loser will have to become a slave to the person who wins the game.

Well, just take that damn thing off from the mouth and the contract between the master and the slave will become null, right?

Sad to say, removing the device from the mouth won’t cut it.

The slave contract will remain in effect even if they already remove the device from their mouth.

So, the only way for them to break free from the contract is to get their masters to set them free.

Knowing the trajectory of the story, we all know it won’t be a walk in the park to get the masters to set the slaves free.

That leads us to another SCM key feature – it can also detect another master within the same vicinity.

That makes it harder for anyone with the device to avoid engaging with another master when it can ping your current location.

It’s never going to work in real life

So what is it that makes the SCM concept a flawed one when the story seems to cover every ground about the SCM device?

Does it have anything to do with the technological limitation that causes it to remain a sci-fi pipedream?

Sad to say, what makes the SCM concept a total dud has little to do with the technological limitation.

With how rapid the technological advancement is, I bet it won’t be far off for us to see the same kind of device in the not-so-distant future.

But why would somebody create such a device is beyond me when nothing good will ever come out when you rob the free will out of people.

If technological limitation isn’t the case, then what is it that makes the SCM concept impossible to implement in real life?

The answer to that boils down to its mind control component.

Like it or not, the only way for mind control to manifest itself is through extreme torture and abuse and satanic rituals.

It’s never possible to control someone else’s free will with technology alone.

What most people get it wrong about mind control

When you think of people who are under the mind control effect, you probably think the only thing they can’t do is go against someone else’s order.

That seems to be the case in Doreiku where those who become slaves are still aware of who they are and their behavior.

This is where most people get it wrong about mind control – it’s not just about somebody losing control over their free will.

The mind control process revolves around creating a different personality while burying the existing personality through dissociation.

As a result, you now have more than one personality inside your body. And this other personality can take over you at any time without you being aware of it.

You have no say about it since you have no control over your mind and behavior.

That seems to be the case for Candy Jones, an American fashion model who was unaware of her other personality who worked for the CIA during the Cold War.

The actual mind control is nothing like what has been portrayed in the media.

And it certainly doesn’t resemble what we see in Doreiku at all.

If anything, it’s something similar to Candy Jones where she has more than one personality residing within her.

It might be a fun anime to watch

If you don’t care so much about the SCM’s bogus claim about mind control and you’re there for the SCM drama, then Doreiku can be a fun anime to watch.

Is there any anime that is way better than Doreiku, you ask?

Well, you can give Subete ga F ni Naru or Occultic;Nine a try if you’d like.

Yes, they don’t come close to Doreiku as far as the theme is concerned.

But if you want a story that got you thinking instead of getting sucked into a boring drama, then those two anime don’t seem so bad after all.

P.S. If you want a realistic portrayal of mind control instead of the fluffy one in Doreiku, then I highly recommend you have a look at the first book of the Trigger Locked series, The Mind Control Assassins.

Even better? You can get the book 25% off when you buy the book on my Payhip store. Use the coupon code SEKINAMAYUBLOG to be eligible for a discount.

Trigger Locked Book 1: The Mind Control Assassins