16 year old Yuri Honjo finds herself trapped in a world of high rise buildings connected via suspensions bridges with no access to the ground and hunted by sinister characters called Masks. Yuri must now try to survive this world by gathering allies, finding her brother, and unraveling the secrets behind this world.
The latest in Netflix's stable of original anime productions, High-Rise Invasion is an adaptation of the Manga series of the same name published from 2013-2019. I'm pleased to say the end result is an engrossing horror thriller with a rich hook that keeps viewer engagement throughout its run.
As the show begins we're very much in the same position as Yuri Honjo. We're trapped along side her in these tall skyscrapers that seem to serve no practical purpose with no idea where we are or why. It isn't long before Yuri is unfortunate enough to meet the denizens of this world consisting of not only people like her who are as confused and scared as she is, but also the "Masks" whose purpose isn't to kill people in this world but drive them to a mental and physical state where their targets want to kill themselves. It's a horrifying idea and makes the stakes feel as high as the altitude of the titular high rises. Along side the Masks, Yuri also comes into contact with people who were once normal but have embraced the savagery and brutality of this world leading to interesting moral dilemmas Yuri is put into where she must determine what she'll do to survive. Tying all these points together is a solid mystery where questions are answered every episode, but the answers often lead to even more questions. My one gripe was what I felt was a bit too much "fan service", but aside from that small point I enjoyed everything else.
High-Rise Invasion is a solid horror/mystery series where the brutal and savage violence is complemented by rich characters, a solid mystery, and interesting explorations on the price of survival. Highly recommended.
