3 out of 5

Director: Takashi Miike

And it wraps up here, sort of midway between the extreme surreality of disc 1 and the focus of disc 2. MPD Psycho III wraps the Miike take on the manga about a detective with multiple-personality disorder and the killer he chases – a killer capable of swapping bodies, and when jumping into a body thats been genetically coded a certain way, the root personality has its own killing instincts unleashed. The plot wraps around and around on itself (sensibly, in its own world, just confusingly), and in the box set of this collection you get a nice extras disc with cast interviews where almost everyone proclaims at least some level of bafflement with whats going on. But – and typical of Miike to attempt to create a set mood or style – it is agreed that the best way to experience this is to just let it happen. Its apparent in the forced weirdness of the first collection and then in various themes throughout the show as well. Episodes 5 and 6 deal with, thankfully, resolutions – how the killer can be captured, and why some of these things are happening – and its nice that a conclusion is matched to the films. 3 stars because the experience is still somewhat polarizing… split up as such, with the varying feelings per episode, its hard to sink into it, and these explain it all conclusion episodes (ep 5 more than 6, actually) are a little story heavy. But worth experiencing as a Miike fan or perhaps those seeking a Twin Peaksy foreign offshoot.