Raise your hand if you thought the ID Invaded anime is an adaptation from the original source, whatever the original source is.

As you can see, not all anime is adapted from manga, light novels, and sometimes video games.

There are also a few of them that get adapted from unusual sources such as stage play.

One of them is Mars Red where the anime is an adaptation of a stage play with the same name.

But in the case of ID Invaded anime, I was wrong about it all this time.

I thought it was an anime adapted from the manga considering that I saw the Japanese version of the manga on Amazon.

Little that I know the manga that I saw at that time was the sequel to the story in the anime.

It follows the same footsteps as the Girlish Number anime

If you read my post about Girlish Number, then you already know that the story in the anime is a continuation of the story in the manga and light novel.

I can’t say for sure the reason behind wanting to continue the story in a different medium instead of the usual anime adaptation route.

But my guess is they’re trying to get those who already read the manga and light novels to watch the anime.

If the story in the anime is the same as the one in manga and light novels, then there’s no reason for you to watch the anime, right?

And if you’re a fan of the series, it will also get you to buy the DVD or Blu-ray considering that it’s a new story exclusively for the anime version.

Does it mean that the ID Invaded anime follows the same reasoning as the Girlish Number’s multimedia approach?

Well, I would say the reason behind ID Invaded’s multimedia approach is different from the Girlish Number anime.

Rather than trying to bring awareness to the anime, the manga sequel seems to be more for those who want more of Sakaido’s adventure.

In other words, the manga sequel is for serving the existing audience, not so much for the new audience.

Of course, people who discover the manga for the first time will give the anime a try as well if they like the story enough.

But judging from the way the story flows in the manga, it looks to me that the story seems to pander more to the existing audience rather than to the new audience.

The same approach for the ID Invaded Anime

So, how does the multimedia approach in ID Invaded stack up against the similar approach to the Girlish Number anime?

Does the story transition flow well from one format to another?

If there’s one thing I would expect from the manga version of ID Invaded, it would be the in-depth explanation of the Mizuhanome system.

Sure, you may already know what the Mizuhanome system can do from the anime description alone.

But the funny thing is you don’t see the same explanation of the inner workings of the Mizuhanome system within the story itself.

It makes sense why they would have to omit the in-depth explanation of the system to the bare minimum due to time and episode constraints.

But I don’t see anything wrong with going to town to explain how this system works in the manga version.

As far as I can tell, there’s no limit on how you can flesh out the story in the manga form.

Heck, they can go to the light novel route if they have a hard time trying to fit the system explanation into the manga plot.

That seems to be the case with the Girlish Number light novel where you can only understand the inner workings of the seiyuu industry from Gojo’s perspective.

It’s hard to portray his perspective in the manga without making the story in the manga all over the place.

That leaves them no choice but to omit his perspective in the manga version.

The fact that lack of a brief explanation of the Mizuhanome system in the manga makes it clear that the manga is meant for the existing audience, not so much for the new audience.

It’s a total failure

With the way they go about the multimedia approach for ID Invaded, does it mean it’s a total failure then?

Well, I won’t go as far as saying that the multimedia approach for the ID Invaded is a total dud.

This kind of multimedia approach works if you read the manga not long after the anime ended. And the purpose of the manga is only to serve those who want more of Sakaido in action.

If that’s their end goal for the manga, then yes, the manga does serve its purpose.

People who want more of Sakaido will get to see more of him in the manga format.

But if the purpose of the manga is to attract a new audience to the series, I doubt it works as intended.

For one, a lack of an in-depth explanation of what the Mizuhanome system can do.

Sure, there is a brief explanation of what Wakumusubi does when Hondoumachi has to explain the inner workings of the device to Fukusen.

But that’s just about it. There’s no explanation of how the other parts of the system work whatsoever after that.

If the manga is your first encounter with ID Invaded, it’s understandable why you feel like you’re missing out a lot.

It feels like you’re diving into the story midway despite knowing that you’re reading the first volume of the manga.

It’s not as bad as it seems

Yes, the multimedia approach for ID Invaded doesn’t seem to work as seamlessly as the one you’ve seen in Girlish Number.

But hey, at least it’s not as bad as the multimedia approach for Final Fantasy XV.

Sure, it’s appalling how much they missed the opportunity to explain the Mizuhanome system even further in the manga.

But despite all that, I still recommend everyone to give ID Invaded a try if murder mystery mixed with the futuristic way of solving murder cases is your thing.

And if you’re curious about the manga, you can read more about it right here.

P.S. If you’re into the murder mystery blends with the sci-fi element, then you may enjoy reading my thriller novel series, Trigger Locked.

Intrigued by the novel? You can take a look at the first book of the series on my Payhip store. Use the coupon code SEKINAMAYUBLOG to get 25% off on your purchase:

Trigger Locked Book 1: The Mind Control Assassins