Dead Account 1×01 Review: “He’s a Flamebaiter”

The premiere episode of Dead Account, titled ‘He’s a Flamebaiter’, did a good job of introducing viewers to a world where ghostly possessions occurred in a digital medium.

The trailer for Dead Account caught my eye because it reminded me of the enjoyable Digimon Ghost Game anime. While that iteration of the Digimon IP featured the Digimon messing with people and appearing to them as ghosts, Dead Account took a different approach by featuring actual spirits in the narrative. And yeah, I have to say I liked how the storytelling explained why the paranormal would be drawn to digital devices.

Depending on what you believe, ghost lore does mention them staying around in the physical plane because they find themselves attached to something. It used to be an old object or a location that held deep emotional significance for the ghosts. However, times have changed, with almost everyone being glued to their phones. Not only are phones used to communicate with others, but they also serve as storage for memories via pictures, video clips, and even your digital footprint. But what happens to the social media accounts once the person passes away?

Well, according to Dead Account, those “dead” social media accounts can get possessed by the late owner’s ghost due to the emotional connection. Basically, your digital footprint is a reflection of your soul in a far more layered manner than your favorite place to visit or a particular physical object could be.

Possessed digital media accounts are dangerous in such a fictional world, and to exorcise said spirits, we have students from the Miden Academy who are trained to use Cyber-kinesis to fight the outworldly coming out of the digital plane.

It’s an interesting premise. That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing how the creative team will continue to flesh out the narrative. I want to know if dead accounts can be taken over by a ghost other than the spirit of the owner. Also, who decided to form the Miden Academy? There’s also a mystery about the lead character (named Soji) and how his Cyber-kinesis manifested as blue flames.

Speaking of Soji, he’s shown uploading ragebait videos online to earn the money required to pay for his sister’s surgery in the USA. His videos are quite violent, showing Soji jumping people and forcing them into streetfights. And though he isn’t proud of what he does, Soji couldn’t figure out another way to save up a whole lot of cash in a short period. His sister Akari’s not doing so well, and apparantly, the surgery is supposed to be in a month.

I knew Akari wasn’t going to make it. However, what I wasn’t expecting was how the creatives decided to deal with Soji’s pain. Soji not wanting to let go of his only relative and being in denial over her death felt real. I was surprised to see this level of emotional depth in such a show. I mean, I was aware it had action and horror elements, but Soji’s grief is what won me over.

The way he continued to converse with his dead sister’s phone, deliberately ignoring that she was gone. My heart.

Again, the premise is quite intriguing to me. Many people out there refuse to throw away the phones of their dead loved ones, continuing to access the devices to revisit the photo gallery, texts, and voice messages.

From my understanding, Soji’s unwillingness to accept reality is what prevented Akari’s spirit from drifting off to the other side. And of course, once ghosts stick around (regardless of them being forced or not to stay in the physical plane), they start becoming corrupted. It was only a matter of time before Akari’s ghost seeped out of the device, wanting to take Soji with her to the spirit realm so they wouldn’t be alone anymore.

Luckily for Soji, Kukuru Kasubata had been sent on a mission to destroy Akari’s phone before things grew worse. I liked Kasubata as a character. He’s not rude or anything, but he’s quick to curse and then apologize for doing so. His Cyber-kinesis allowed him to summon a giant hammer from his digital device. One of his special attacks involved a barrage of hammers to harm spirits. Kasubata seemed skilled enough, but it was clear he was going to get hurt or something for Soji to be forced to face Akari on his own.

Finally accepting that Akari was dead and how he should be glad about her spirit not having to endure the pain from her medical condition or worry about Soji anymore is what helped him tap into his Cyber-kinesis.

A single attack from Soji’s blue flames was enough for Akari’s monster-like ghost to calm down, transform into Akari’s original human-like form, and then finally bid Soji goodbye.

Apparantly, there’s something up with Soji’s blue flames. He was also able to see Kasubata’s giant hammer, hinting at Soji’s potent spiritual pressure, even though he’s not a student at the Miden Academy. With an unconscious Soji being taken to the Miden Academy, I’m curious to learn more about the rules surrounding the paranormal activity in such a world.

Did you watch Dead Account season one episode one ‘He’s a Flamebaiter’? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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