Cube×Cursed×Curious, which can be shortened to C Cube or C3, is a Light Novel series written by Minase Hazuki and illustrated by Sasorigatame, which was published under the Dengeki Bunko imprint from 2007 to 2013 for 17 volumes. It has since been adapted into a manga by Akina Tsukako (which was serialized in Dengeki Daioh from 2011 to 2013) and an anime by SILVER LINK. which aired in the Fall 2011 anime season.
Haruaki Yachi is yet another Ordinary High-School Student, noteworthy only for being highly resistant to curses. Because of this ability, his Walking the Earth father frequently sends him cursed tools and items he finds during his travels to be purified, as their home is built on sacred ground that erodes negative energy, and Haruaki is able to safely keep watch over these troublesome items.
One day, he receives a strange metallic cube, which he decides would be better left alone. That night, he wakes up to find a naked girl eating rice crackers in his house. The girl's name is Fear, and she is, in fact, the cube itself, an Artifact of Doom that brings painful death to her bearer and all those close to him. Having gained a human form and human emotions, she wishes to be freed from her curse. Haruaki agrees to help her, and she begins living with him and Konoha, another sentient cursed artifact, but none of them realize the true extent of the problems Fear's curse presents, both directly and indirectly.
If you're going to check out this anime, keep in mind that it has a highly Non-Indicative First Episode, and thus you won't get a good impression of what the show's about until the plot picks up in the second half of Episode 2. Try to watch it at least up to that point before deciding whether or not this is a show for you. But, unfortunately, since 2013, it still only has one season.
Not related to another anime shortened to [C].
Provides examples of:
- A-Cup Angst: Fear's two biggest problems with Konoha, whom she declares to be "the enemy of the flat-chested".
- Adaptation Dye-Job: According to the light novels, Fear's hair is supposed to be silver. Although the cover of the first light novel certainly looks like she has blue hair.
- Affably Evil: Pakuaki Yamimagari. He's generally polite, friendly, and extremely talkative with anyone. No matter how much his younger sister, Kirika, constantly shows her utter disgust of him when he's around, he brushes off with a "your words wound me" while still smiling, and continues offering discussion. He never seems to get angry, and is well composed all of the time. A peculiar, but polite gentleman. However that won't stop him from starting a game where if the heroes fail, a bomb blows up somewhere in the school (or rather he just makes them think that),
make everyone dance in the palm of his hands, and go through great amount of roundabout and preparations in order to learn more about the "unknown". His motive for doing these acts isn't wrong, but the means by which he does them. - Afraid of Blood: Konoha. This is because she's fighting her nature as a sword cursed with bloodthirst. In volume 10, it's revealed this is due to self-hypnotism she placed on herself, as a measure to suppress her bloodthirsty nature, because her curse hasn't lessened at all.
- Anti-Magic: Haruaki is a mild version, being resistant to curses.
- Art Shift: When we see a flashback of Peavey's life, well, let's just say it wouldn't look out of place in a witch's barrier.
- Awful Truth: Once all indulgence disks are inside Fear, her curse will be lifted. Why is this listed under this trope then? It goes backs to Fear's origins. She was created by melting the metal of other cursed tools. She lives off the power of curses. Once the last indulgence disk is installed, what acts as her heart will stop, and she'll cease to do any activity. Yes, in order to lift her curse, she has to lose her sentience and human form, and become a mere object. As if Fear hasn't suffered enough.
- Ax-Crazy: Peavey has.... issues, to say the least. The woman needs a whole lot of serious therapy.
- Back from the Dead: Mummy Maker made a reappearance and was shown alive in Volume 10 of light novel. Himura actually saved her from fatal condition. Although in the first volume she was shown drowning in her own blood as well as Peavey's announcement of her death to the gang, it turns out that Himura was hiding in the same building where Mummy Maker was supposed to be killed using a stealth-function curse tool. After Peavey soaked Dance Time (the cursed axe) to activate the curse, she left the building. After that, Himura uses that opportunity to rescue Mummy Maker. Peavey didn't confirm Mummy Maker's death, that's why when she confronted the main characters, she said that Mummy Maker is already dead.
- Badass Adorable: Konoha and Fear, although for the latter the "adorable" part is questionable, to say the least.
- Back for the Finale: Aiko and Kokoro
- Bad Powers, Good People: Neither Fear nor Konoha want to hurt anyone, they just want to live out their lives peacefully, but the nature of their powers makes that rather difficult.
- Batman Gambit: Fear pulls off a pretty good one in episode 8. Shiraho doesn't want Sovereignty's curse to be broken because she doesn't want to know if her feelings for Sovereignty are fake or not. However, if things keep going the way they are, either Sovereignty will kill Shiraho, or they'll be unable to be together, forever. So she works out a plan to get rid of the blades hidden in Sovereignty's body, PLUS cracking Shiraho's defenses. Not bad for a self-proclaimed idiot.
- The plan was based around understanding how people react to torture or watching their loved ones get tortured. If there's one field that Fear would be an expert in, it's that.
- Berserk Button: Don't harm Haruaki, unless you want to incur the wrath of a cube full of torture instruments, and a demon blade. Elsie Hinai learned this the hard way.
- Big Damn Heroes: Final volume. Haruaki, Fear, Konoha, Kotetsu, Kirika, and Kuroe are facing crisis dealing with a powerful wathe known as Wittelsback Knights. On the verge of defeat, many people they encountered, friends and former enemies, appear and take to battle on their side. They include Aiko, Pakuaki Yamimagari and the Lab Chief's nation, and Kokoro. Also, comrades who were at the school, but elsewhere at the time also come to help, such as Un Izoey and Sovereignty. The six get a desperately needed morale boost and reinforcements.
- Big "WHAT?!": Maximilian Pendragon, the Draconian Commander wants to make Kuroe his after witnessing her abilities, and he is constantly after her since declaring that. However, after talking with her in one encounter, he ponders over what he truly wants. Next encounter, Fear and co. are fighting Satsuko and Fourteen, and are losing. Fourteen fires giant pillar, and everyone has little to no space to dodge it. They're saved by Maximilian, who then walks over to Kuroe. Everyone is of course wary, wanting to protect Kuroe. However, this time he kneels, pulls out a rose, and declares his love for her. Naturally, everyone else besides Kuroe freaks out.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: Inverted: Fear as a cube doesn't look remotely human, but certain parts of her cube form directly correspond to certain parts of her human form.
- Blood Knight: Anyone from the Draconions fits this, as they are a bunch of fanatics using cursed tools for the purpose of becoming stronger, but Kokoro in particular stands out.
- Blush Sticker: Kuroe seems to have a permanent version.
- Book Ends: The story begins and ends with Haruaki seeing Fear naked, covering her chest with her arms while holding rice crackers in both hands, and shouting out her Catchphrase.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: The principal, who wears a gas mask and has a very occult-looking office.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: Konoha has a well-endowed figure, much to Fear's irritation.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Fear gives an epic one to her 'father', Trinac Agana, that inside her is not just tools of torture and execution, but good things as well she accumulated throughout her stay in the Yachi home. Read for youself:Fear: "Inside me—Yes, for example... I know how to solve a Rubik's cube. Did you design that? There's lots more. Such as feelings of liking rice crackers, feelings of liking furry animal, or content from the lessons in school that are stored in my mind. I've gained so much knowledge. I can also perform the dance I learned for the sports festival. Learning part-time jobs was also a piece of cake, like being a waitress or a salesperson. Also—oh right, knowing how to make chocolate. I can make very~ tasty chocolate, you know? Of course, including everyone in school, everyone in the shopping street, everyone in town... Along with Haruaki... Haruaki and the others, my feelings of love for them all. Haha, so let me ask again. Did you design these feelings for me by using that prided mouth of yours? The matter-of-fact error, me, that you created in the beginning... has already been diluted by other things. Because I am shaped like a box, of course there will be many things stuffed inside, even to the point that the original contents no longer matter. Every space that used to remain empty all the time in the past has been filled up, even overflowing. Even if my birth is an error, the fact of my being here, coming here, and meeting everyone—all these things are absolutely not errors. This is the only point I can be certain of! You have no right to deny all this!
- Catchphrase
- Fear's "I'll curse you!"
- Kirika has "Absolutely Ridiculous!"
- Peavey's "Bitch!"
- Kukuri's "Freaking incompetent"
- Kokoro's "I don't want to sweat the small stuff".
- Isuzu's "Please allow me to say in fear and trepidation..."
- Caught with Your Pants Down: At the end of the OVA the gang catches Shiraho wiggling on top of Sovereignty's sleeping bag and breathing in her scent. Shiraho doesn't take it well.]]
- Cerebus Rollercoaster: After Peavey was dealt with, the anime returns momentarily into a lighthearted Slice of Life... then the next villains are respectively Shiraho and Alice. The OVA is entirely a fanservice/comedic hijink.
- Cerebus Syndrome/Mood Whiplash: The anime coaxes you into believing that this show is a normal lighthearted Slice of Life series with fantasy elements. This lasts until about halfway through episode 2, when Peavey shows up.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Konoha does not take well to seeing Fear on top of Haruaki.
- Cluster F-Bomb/Refuge in Audacity: After Peavy's weapon is destroyed she goes crazy letting out bitch.
- Cool Sword:
- Konoha's alternate form. It's her name.
- Kotetsu
- Dainsleif
- Cuteness Proximity
- The entire class, Kana especially.
- The Principals assistant, Zenon, has a weakness for cute things.
- Dark Secret:You know how in the beginning Konoha said her curse was almost lifted? That's a lie. In volume 10, it's revealed her curse is nowhere near being lifted. In fact, it hasn't lessened at all. She merely put herself under self-hypnosis to fear blood to suppress her blood-thirst as a sword.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: Yukari Tamura (Fear) sings the first opening, "Endless Story", and the second ending, "Sympathy of Love", while Eri Kitamura (Kirika) sings the first ending, "Hana" ("Flower"), and the second opening, "Shirushi" ("Sign").
- Does This Remind You of Anything?
- Sovereignty covered in white sticky stuff in episode 8.
- Driven to Suicide: Fear . TWICE. The first is after she lost control of herself during the first encounter with Peavey, and planned to drown herself in the ocean. The second comes after Konoha reawakens as Murasama and taken by Nurashaaki, driving Harauki into a Heroic BSoD. Then, in his single-minded desire to get back Konoha, he's working with someone from the Knight's Dominion, training to inflict Nurashaaki with a poisoned blade cursed tool (from what they're told) that could lead to him killing her. Everyone else just seems to accept this, but Fear has misgivings about the whole partnership, risking Harauki's life and his purity. Dealing with all the mental turmoil proved too much to bear that she confronts Nurashaaki, along with Konoha and another cursed sword Kotetsu, bears a Curb-Stomp Battle, and has resigned with Konoha taking her life. She would have died if not for Kuroe's Big Damn Heroes.
- Epic Flail: Due to all of Fear's weapons being connected to her via a Variable-Length Chain, she can turn them into these.
- Expressive Hair: Konoha's hair changes shape with her mood, a la Bakemonogatari.
- Eye Scream: Peavey gets hit with a rather large shard from her broken weapon smack dab in the eye. Ouch.
- Fantastic Racism: Peavey and her colleagues believe that cursed items like Fear and Konoha don't have a right to exist.
- Freudian Excuse: It's hinted and then confirmed that Peavey had a brutal experience with a cursed tool in the past. Having your father go crazy and attack both you and your mother would explain her extreme hatred.
- Just notice the word cursed in cursed tools. It's not like they're a different species, but tools that gained human qualities after absorbing a great amount of negative feelings. Owners(other than Haruaki) have to satisfy the curse of a specific tool that ranges from hurting yourself or others, can't take it off ever again, becoming a part of your body, etc. The effects vary but all remain negative influences, a curse. The main reason tools like Fear and Aiko angst so much is because their original owners used them for horrible things, got cursed by their victims, and unfortunately gained human sentience to now feel turmoil over what they were used to do. It's only because we follow Fear and other cursed tools with a conscious, and Haruaki, who's immune to the negative affects of curses, that it comes off as Fantastic Racism. If this went in another direction, Peavey and the Knights Dominion would easily be the heroes of this story.
- From Roommates to Romance: Fear lives in Haruaki's house, Konoha lives in an adjoined home next door.
- Gender Bender:
- Sovereignty has two different forms.
- Later, Honatsu Yachi, Haruaki's father
- Gory Discretion Shot: Peavey slices Kirika open in episode 5. The audience just sees a dark sceen the splits in the middle to reveal Peavey. Fortunately, Kirika got better.
- Gratuitous English
- "Curse Calling"
- Also, the entire incantation read by Sovereinty the real Shiraho in order to animate the other dolls in the room in episode 6.
- Green-Eyed Monster:
- Konoha. She puts on a good facade most of the time, but once she thinks that Harauki is in danger if being "taken" from her, it easily comes off to show how possessive she really is.
- Shiraho is even worse in that she will drag Sovereignty away from having fun or even talking to her/his friends, because of her selfishness.
- Hope Spot:After cooperation with all their friends, being steadfast, a lot luck and coincidence, Harauki, Fear, Konoha, Kotetsu, Kirika, and Kuroe finally reach the Dominion Lord and the spear, that threatens to overwrite the purification grounds of the Yachi house with a land that rejects curses, is right in view. Only Dansleif and the Dominion Lord, who is elderly and in a wheelchair, are in front. Sounds easy, right? Wrong, the Dominion Lord has an incredible powerful Wathe known as Wittelsbach Knights, 16 sets of cursed armor that obey him. They overwhelm the small group of six. Because the suits of armor are knights under the Dominion as well, they also receive the blessings of the land currently under "Dominionization", making them extremely durable. Even Konoha can't cut through them.
- Humanity Ensues: An unusual variant, in that these are inanimate objects gaining human form. Haruaki claims that such cases are not unheard of.
- Hyperspace Arsenal:
- Fear's 32 torture instruments. She's shown at least two BFS so far. Though they aren't really all THAT big, they're still around her height. This later becomes a plot point as Pakuaki discusses with Fear that her transformation mechanism shouldn't be able to operate under normal science and physics. The reason it's possible? She was made using other cursed tools as material.
- Fourteen, who is a cursed house, can summon anything a part of her body, such as bricks, dishes, and giant pillars as projectiles and brooms as weapons. These objects also increase in durability once released.
- Hypocrite:After Fear went out of control during the first fight with Peavey, Konoha goes as far to take Fear outside at night behind Haruaki's back and give her a Breaking Speech about how dangerous she is. Konoha did this out of concern for Haruaki's safety, despite her methods. However, after volume 10, it's revealed she's been lying about how her curse was almost lifted, and that her fear of blood is only self-hypnotism to keep her bloodthirsty curse in check. After Elsie injured Haruaki, she willingly broke that mental restraint to combat her. This has lasting consequences though as it took years for the hypnotic suggestion to be powerful as it was, but now that it's broken, the bloodlust of her curse that's been held back reacts more strongly, and threatens to consume her. Konoha herself recognizes as she is now, she's just as dangerous as Fear was in the beginning, but she keeps quiet, and continues to participate in fights while knowing it will draw out her bloodthirst, and threaten Haruaki's safety should it take over.
- Idiot Ball:
- In volume 12, Pakauki Yamimagari appears again during the School excursion to Nara and Kyoto at the Toei Studio. The group naturally goes on guard, but it turns out the reason he's there is because Un Izoey forgot something, and he took the errand on himself to give it to her. Naturally, they don't believe him, even though it turns out to be true. He later departs, but later, they run into him again, and are still suspicious of him of him being up to something, to the point of what could be considered for them holding him at gunpoint, until he leaves again. Now, they encounter him again late at night when meeting up with Alice Bivario and Kukuri, to meet with a supplier who has an indulgence disk. After they get into a scuffle with another katana cursed tool, the indulgence disk being fought over ends up in his hands. He precedes to use it to start another game in which the winner gets the box he "seemingly" put the indulgence disk into. At this, they believe him readily, not questioning if he actually put it in there. When they do manage to open the box, they are actually shocked to not find it in there. After showing such distrust in him before, they believed him, when it actually mattered to be distrustful!
- Sure, Haruaki. It was okay for you to trust the former Knight's Dominion Lilyhowell, because your goals align. It's not like you didn't see how she became a total Combat Pragmatist, willing to use everyone and everything to to achieve her goal, with her sending those group of thugs to be slaughtered or purposefully terrifying a young couple to power one of her cursed tool. Also, you didn't bother to double check the history of the cursed tool she plans for you use in the next plan, but believe her at her word. Unaware, her real plan required for you to die at the hands of Nurashaaki. Good thing you're the MC, and have plot armor.
- The important spear that's use is unknown but hyped to be very dangerous, manages to get separated from the villain after being blown away by one attack, and falls down a cliff. Satsuko and Fourteen go down first to find it. However, the protagonists can't let anyone else get their hands on it so they go down to search too. Also, the Lad Chief's nation also go down to look. However, surprise, surprise no one can apparently find it. To wrap up the search they conclude it drifted deep and far in the ocean. Naturally, you don't suspect the pair who went to look first, especially when one is a cursed house that can hide away things in herself, and are just lying about not finding it. No, you hope for the best. In Kururi's words: "freaking incompetent"!
- Idiot Hair:
- Konoha. Her actual level of academic prowess has yet to be seen.
- Shiraho Sovereignty has an even bigger piece of Idiot Hair. It's so big, it loops.
- Informed Ability:
- Haruaki's supposed "immunity" to curses has yet to be seen in action.
- Subverted as of episode 7.
- Instant Fan Club: The entire class must have a Cuteness Proximity, to fawn over Fear like that.
- Knight of Cerebus: Peavey shows up halfway through Episode 2 and completely uproots every expectation the first episode and a half set up.
- Kick the Dog:
- Konoha does this towards Fear after the first encounter with Peavey, and Harauki stopping her from committing suicide. You could argue that she did it to make sure Fear would stay away from battles, but the way she did was cruel and pointless. Before this, Haruaki was having Fear start out helping with little tasks to slowly raise her self-esteem, but that little bit of self-esteem is tossed into the mud, once Konoha delivers her Breaking Speech that she is too dangerous, and risks Harauki's life just by being near him. Konoha also never offers any help or alternatives. No, she just puts Fear down, while saying, she'll be the one to protect Haruaki. All she tells Fear is basically "don't cause trouble".
- This happens again between the same characters in volume 16. Previous volume, Fear relied on her Superpowered Evil Side to face the Draconian Commander, who was dominating them and was about to kill Harauki. She manages to repel him, but also injures Haruaki while in that state. Konoha of course having a deep attachment to Harauki, hates Fear for this. Despite the fact, if she did nothing, Haruaki would have died instead of losing a few fingers, and Kuroe would have been taken away. After learning the situation at the school, Haruaki and the others prepare to set out, but Konoha says she needs to so something first. Then, she kicks Fear very hard onto the veranda. At this time, Fear is suffering from a Heroic BSoD from hurting Haruaki and has repressed herself in cube form. Not that it makes any difference, because as situations when Harauki was inserting Indulgence disk show, she still retains a sense of touch, so that kick must have hurt. However Konoha doesn't stop there and continues kicking Fear until she talks. Then, she precedes to tell her that she won't allow Fear to come with them, and states in no unclear terms that she would have killed Fear if Harauki died because of her. Konoha precedes to berate and mock Fear with verbal and physical abuse (she still keeps kicking Fear while she talks), saying she hasn't made any progress at all since Peavey. Konoha knows full well what a Hypocrite she's being because of the Nurashaaki incident. What makes it worse is that no one is stopping her. Harauki tries pathetically once, but immediately shuts up when Fear stops him by saying "it's okay". If those knights had not shown up when they did, Konoha may have locked Fear in the storeroom or buried her in the garden. It shows Konoha still views Fear the same way since the beginning "a nuisance".
- Love Makes You Evil:Himura, and how! So much he planned the entire volume 10's events, just so Kirika would love him. When the plan failed, he ordered Elsie, who follows his orders due to being Brainwashed and Crazy, to kill Haruaki to send Kirika into shock in order to make her susceptible to the brainwashing cursed tool the Knight's Dominion used on Elsie and Himura intercepted, to force Kirika to fall in love with him.
- Love Triangle: Right off the bat, there's a blatant setup for a Konoha/Haruaki/Fear triangle.
- Add Kirika and it's a full blown harem.
- Mask of Power: The principal wears a gas mask.In volume 8, it's revealed he uses the mask to hide the "Dragon's eye" tattoo on his face.
- Me's a Crowd: The cursed tool Suicidal Beautification Reflector can do this for it's owner.
- Also, Isusu, who has 14 other selves that can exist simultaneously
- Mayfly–December Romance: Maybe. Konoha indicates that cursed items don't grow or age, but whether that remains the case when they're completely cured hasn't been confirmed. If Kuroe's any indication, they don't.
- McGuffin: The Indulgence Disks, items that weaken Fear's powers, and thus weaken her curse.
- Meaningful Name:
- Konoha MURAMASA
- Also Sovereignty. She's a doll with sovereignty over other dolls.
- KUROe NINGYOhara. Kuro means black, Ningyo means doll. She's a black-haired doll. It also helps that she named herself. It looks more of a very dark green in the anime, however.
- Fear Kubrick; if you've ever seen one of that director's movies, (for example Full Metal Jacket) then you know it was done entirely on purpose.
- Isuzu. "Suzu" meaning bell and" "I" meaning five. However, her name doesn't mean five bells, rather she's bell #5 out of fifteen
- Meido: Sovereignty is forced to dress like one after the events in episode 8
- Missing Mom: Haruaki's mother is never mentioned. Until volume 9 in the LN, where it's revealed she divorced from Haruaki's father before Haruaki gained self-awareness.
- Mood Whiplash: The easiest way to see this coming is the shift in Fear's voice.
- Multiple-Choice Past: The principal has told everyone a different reason for why he wears his gas mask. Some of these many reasons include for religious reasons, because he has a scar on his face, and because of a respiratory problem breathing in the air without it.
- Naked First Impression: Justified. Fear's a cube, and cubes don't wear clothes.
- Named After Somebody Famous: "My name is Fear Kubrick. I am in no way related to the movie director."
- Punny Name: The Japanese pronunciation makes it sound like "Cube-brick". She is a cube. Her name also sounds like Rubik, and she carries/is a cube. Rubik's Cube.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: After the Bivirio family retreats after Alice loses her cursed tools and Fear inflicted serious injury, Kirika lies that Fear is part of the Lab Chief's Nation like her, and if they continue to go after her, they will be going to war with the entire organization. A bluff meant to deter the enemy from action. However, Kirika underestimated how abnormal these people were. They not only take the bluff seriously, but willingly go on the attack by sending suicide bombers to attack the Lab Nation's branches. Also, once they got their hands on Aiko, a cursed pot whose ability can exponentially increase their numbers by utilizing her curse (killing living creatures, turn their corpses into mercury drones, and stored until needed), they decide to make full use of her to build up their strength. The target: the school.
- The Nicknamer: Kuroe pretty much calls every characters in the series with nicknames, and Fear, to some extent.
- Haruaki: Haru(ハル) by Kuroe. Harenchi Kozou(ハレンチ小僧) by Fear
- Fear: Ficchi(ふぃっちー)
- Konoha: Kono-san(このさん) by Kuroe. Cow-tits(ウシチチ) by Fear.
- Kirika: Kiririn(きりりん)
- Sovereignty: Save-chan (Sovereignty's name is pronounced as Saverenti in this series; サヴェちゃん)
- Setsuko: Secchi (Volume 6+)
- Izoei
: Countryside Girl(イナカ女) by Fear (Volume 8+) - Shameless Girl Number One and Two: Chihaya and Isuzu respectively by Fear. (Volume 9+)
- Kaidou Imi: Scottie (Yes, a pun of that tissue brand. Haruaki even mentioned it to his tsukkomi). Why Kuroe called her Scottie is because Kaidou always carry a shovel around and she is a teacher. Take the first two kanas of Scoop/Shovel (スコップ) + Teacher (ティーチャー) = Scottie (スコッティ) (Volume 6+)
- Nigh-Invulnerable: Kirika is the Healing Factor type due to a cursed tool.
- Non-Indicative First Episode: Episode 1 made this look like a pretty lighthearted show. Cue Episode 2.
- Not What It Looks Like:
- Of course, Konoha would walk in a second after Fear falls over and lands on Haruaki.
- The end of episode 3 takes this up to eleven.
- The end of episode 5 manages Serial Escalation.
- Pet the Dog: Peavey tells her backup to take off the bandages she's wearing (since Peavey hates cursed tools), and the girl is reluctant, saying that she feels her body is ugly, but does so. Peavey tells her that she's nothing of the sort, and that cursed tools are for more ugly then she'd ever be.
- Kick the Dog: Then Peavey kills her because Amanda set up a plan that wasn't bloody enough for her.
- There's more to it than that, when under a favor from Kirika, Himura set up discord by taking the piece of paper Mummy Maker gave Haruaki, and placing it back in Peavey's hotel room with added false information, such as asking the Dominion for back-up, that Mummy Maker did think of, but decided not to do. Overall, it was a case of Gone Horribly Right.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Averted. Peavey is indeed blond, but her eyes are green rather than the stereotypical blue.
- Please Put Some Clothes On: Haruaki's reaction to his Naked First Impression of Fear.
- Power Incontinence: The only thing preventing living artifacts from living peacefully.
- Prehensile Hair: As a cursed Japanese doll, Kuroe can grow and control her hair.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Haruaki's hobbies and skills are mostly domestic in nature.
- Really 700 Years Old: Cursed artifacts are ageless.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning:
- Fear is both a straight example and a subversion. No doubt she's cute, but episode 3, HOLY CRAP!
- Also Kirika and Shiraho aka female Sovereignty
- Refuge in Audacity: Peavey. None of her lines were censored, so when she goes Cluster Bitch-Bomb, a potential censor in an English dub would have lasted for two minutes straight on a specific time, and about five minutes for a combined total.
- "Reason You Suck" Speech: Fear has given one to plenty of her opponents:Alice and Abyss, Kokoro, and Himura.
- Rei Ayanami Expy: Mummy Maker/Amanda bears some of these traits, as well as, oddly enough, Fear herself.
- Sequel Hook: Episode twelve is a very blatant sequel hook.
- Serious Business: To Kirika, lunch is serious business.
- Shout-Out:
- Episode 8 features a familiar Art Shift when Fear runs her Batman Gambit, almost as if she is channeling Furude Rika.
- Kuroe once teases how she may be like a certain warrior race that comes back stronger after being on the brink of death, while noting her powers have gotten stronger, after recovering from exhausting them.
- Fear does a Giga Drill Break on the Dominion Lord and Dansleif.
- Peavey has a quote from the Marquis when first we meet her. This tells loads about her personality.
- Slasher Smile:
- Selective Obliviousness: Haruaki. It's not that he doesn't see the girls' displays of affection toward him. He just doesn't believe they could mean it in "that" way. This becomes a problem in volume 15, where Kirika suffers a Heroic BSoD, because of him continuing to not respond to her confession, and overhearing him offhandedly say he prefers things to remain as they are. She would have avoided a lot of suffering in that volume, if Harauki was more considerate of her feelings.
- Slice of Life: Starts off along these lines, but this is a trick the writers are playing on the viewers, see Cerebus Syndrome.
- Status Quo Is God:Lampshaded by Haruaki offhandedly in Volume 15, but Kirika overhears it. While in a Heroic BSoD, she accepts an offer with her brother (something she wouldn't usually do), and gets captured by Dainsleif, prompting the others to rescue her when they hear about it, and Haruaki going through a It's All My Fault. It seems the trope will be subverted when the group rescue her, because he finally responds to her confession back in Volume 12 that he may love her back, and to move into his house, but still, nothing further comes from it afterwards besides the move itself. By the end of the series, there's No Romantic Resolution, playing the trope straight in the end.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Haruaki thought he was going to see Konoha as a naked human in eps 6, but then didn't get to.
- This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: Half of Peavy's lines would have her say Bitch.
- Tiny Tyrannical Girl: Fear is one a tiny Tsundere with long hair, an A-Cup Angst who is a Love Interest to Haruaki (although her personality points are only on the surface: she's still quite full of herself, but beneath that she's actually just a naive and endearing girl). Interestingly, and possible in an unique case, she also has traits of a Rei Ayanami Expy, being an Artificial Human with blue/silver hair and red eyes who explores the world and her own humanity.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Fear's is rice crackers, Konoha's is meat.
- Tsundere:
- Fear, since everyone who got close to her up to this point has gone mad and died. It's only natural she'd instinctively push away anyone who gets too close.
- Peavey accuses Konoha of being one, but if she is she's Type B and even that is debatable.
- Chihaya, she's between this and Jerkass
- Villainous Breakdown:
- Peavey in episode 5. You might actually feel sorry for her.
- In volume 4, a glorious one is given to Alice Bivirio of the Bivirio family, after Fear destroys her Wathe, Abyss. Not only did she lose the thing that saved her from the abuse she suffered in her childhood, but its curse was suppressing her sense of guilt. After Abyss was destroyed, every immoral thing she did after Abyss saved her comes back to haunt her all at once that it nearly destroys her mind.
- Villain Ball:Taciturn Chatterbox, lead auxiliary, that directly serves the Dominion Lord gets hit with this hard! She was hyped up to be a perfectionist and Crazy-Prepared type character. She was able to use a hypnosis microphone cursed tool to it's full capabilities, to completely subjugate the students and faculty in the school, taking them as hostages without them noticing, while also making sure the parents wouldn't be so concerned that they make a sudden visit within the next 24 hours. Also, she's hidden herself away from the school grounds, meaning for a time the heroes don't even know where she is. Even though she's human, you expect her to give Haruaki and the others a hard time just through preparations and trickery, but no, when they encounter her, she suddenly becomes stupid. Taciturn didn't set up any traps where she was hiding; the heroes are able to just walk to the room where she is unhindered. She doesn't use the hostages she specifically took just for this exact kind of situation as leverage. She even goes out her way to break the silencer and microphone transmitting sounds to the P.A. system, so she can use it directly on them, when that makes no sense! She knows who's in their group and what powers or wathes they have, but when she makes her escape and Kirika blocks her path, she's surprised when Kirika turns out to have crushed her own ear drums to avoid hearing hypnotic suggestions, when that's something completely within possibilities with the one wearing Grimastore's Love. Kirika then incapacitates Chatterbox and takes the cursed tool easily.
- Villain Decay: Subverted with the Knights Dominion. Peavey set the tone of the series upon her introduction. She was a powerful opponent that drove Fear to unleash her Superpowered Evil Side, and even after losing one arm was still formidable. Throughout the most of the volumes, The Knight's Dominion disappear for most of the story, only appearing again in certain instances. During those times, they either don't have much impact in the end, or used to make the another villain look more formidable. This changes in volume 15 when another knight Sleif appears, and she goes around town attacking people in preparation for some grand plan with a cursed tool. Fear and the others can't do much as lay a finger on her. It took the Draconian's number one to beat her in a Curb-Stomp Battle. However, she completes her mission before being defeated, and at the end of the volume, the Dominion Lord appears at the school. In the next volume, a legion of knights are occupying the school. They have taken all the students and faculty hostage, and turned the school into a fortress. All part of their plan to build a Dominion base in Japan and make the town's land their own through the mentioned cursed tool that not only will power them up but also will overwrite the proprieties of the sacred ground under the Yachi home that helps lift curses being in it's area of effect. Also Sleif, who they have not been able beat; the lead Auxillery Taciturn Chatterbox; and the Dominion Lord himself are their opponents.
- Voluntary Shapeshifter: Cursed items like Fear and Kohoha can switch between their human and item forms at will.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: Peavey twice, once in episode 4 because of her dislike of cursed tools, even the one she has to now wield, and the second in episode 5 when Fear gives her a Shut Up, Hannibal!.
- Was It All a Lie?: In volume six, the new character, Satsuko gets asked this, after The Reveal that the entire incident was planned by her. She says while the Knight's Dominion being after her, the Wathe that was seeked out, and her background of being a student was all a lie, her wanting to deepen relations with everyone was genuine. That was the entire point behind the incident. Satsuko wanted to test her mental strength by making friends with Fear and the others, and later resolve herself to fight them seriously.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Haruaki is stated to be this, and he definitely acts more cool-headed than most shounen protagonists. This is more due to his habits that are more cultural than modern. His classmates note that instead of following up on what's new, he prefers to sit at home drinking tea by the veranda. It's why he has the nickname of "Old man" by his peers.
- What the Hell, Hero?:When Dainsleif tells Kirika the purpose behind her attacks, Kirika is overcome with shock that she immediately begs Dainsleif to kill her, because she absolutely doesn't want be a part of it. Dainsleif quickly calls her out because killing her for real means the knight has to attack innocent bystanders again, something she no longer had to do because of Kirika's immortality.
- Wham Episode:
- Volume 12. The whole volume shows glimpses of the second strongest Draconian making preparations to use a cursed tool that reverts a person to a previous state. At the end, the target was revealed to be Konoha in order to reawaken her as the Demon Blade Murasame. Also, Konoha just witnessed Kirika making a confession to Haruaki, making her vunerable. The volume ends with the Draconian succeeding and Konoha now as Muramasa leaving together with her.
- Volume 15. A new knight, Sleif appears making preparations for something big, and finishes before she's defeated by the Draconian Commander. Everyone considers they've done all they could do, and wraps up the incident, even though the all important spear that was key to the Dominion's plan is still missing. Next morning, Fear and co. receive a call from the Draconian commander who they were in alliance with during the incident informing them that he found the spear. They ask a favor of the superintendent to take them to Dragon Island, the Draconian's massive-sized ship. However, the commander lied in order to bring them there, because he wants Kuroe after witnessing her abilities in the fight against Sleif to add to his power. He's willing to fight them all to obtain her. Also, at this time, only one of Fear's mechanisms is still available making her extremely lacking in power. The Commander beats the crap out of the group, and is just about to kill Harauki. Seeing this, Fear relies on her Superpowered Evil Side to face the Commander on equal terms, and loses consciousness. Next time she wakes up the Draconian ship has been split down the middle and sinking, and they all managed to escape on the superintendent's boat. However, everyone is looking at her with fearful gazes, except Konoha who's exerting killing intent at her, while holding Haruaki who's unconscious. Fear realizes in her rampage she harmed Harauki, and cries. Next morning, a helicopter lands on the sports ground of the school. Exiting, a legion of knights come out, along with the Dominion Lord himself. Their purpose: to make a Knight's Dominion base in Japan.
- Wham Line:
- Zenon, the superintendent's assistant, gives one in volume 8:Zenon: "We (her and her sister) are members of the Draconians."
- The Dominion Lord has his fair share of shockers in volume 16:Dominion Lord: "It has been a long time, Fear-in-Cube. My Daughter of sin."
- Zenon, the superintendent's assistant, gives one in volume 8:
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: Moreso than merely implied. Fridge Logic from the apparent looks of Kirika's body armor with the inability to remove it, says it doubles as a chastity apparel — unless partial removal is allowed. It can be partially removed.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Fear freaks out at the sight of spiders.
- Word Salad Title: The word "Curious" in particular seems like it might have just been thrown in to round things off, but it still fits: Fear is a Cube that is Cursed, and she is Curious about normal human life. This becomes more evident as the show goes on.
- Yandere: Konoha is a mild form of this - meek until Harukai is threatened, then watch out!
- Years Too Early: Fear notes that she's hundreds of years more experienced than Peavey. She really means it.
- You Remind Me of X: Fear reminds Konoha of herself. In episode 10 it's revealed that Konoha Muramasa has a split personality identical to Fear's
