Subculture Anime Blog

Fumika, you meanie head! My final impression is included.

Summary:

After spending quite a bit of time with Nojima, Fumi walks home with Kaname and Natsuka. Natsuka wonders about her sudden discussion, suggesting that Fumi has changed. Fumi states that she must change, or rather, that she is already changing. Now attending school again, Fumi introduces herself to the class. When she looks up, however, she is horrified by the looks the students give her. In his own class, Kaname discovers that mails about Fumi have been circulating throughout the school and the internet. When Fumi meets Kaname after classes, she dishonestly tells him that she is enjoying herself greatly. Kanaka has difficulty with her new partner in the Shigo world, and learns from Matoma that Chiaki is also troubled about Fumika’s disappearance. As news about Fumi and her father spread throughout the media, Fumi is unable to remain calm inside Natsuka’s house. In her own room, Natsuka looks through the pictures she has of Fumika. In other places, Haruno and Kirameki are forced to keep their profiles low.

Whlie waiting for Fumi on another day, Natsuka wonders why Kaname will not talk about Fumi’s situation. However, he believes it is probably for the same reason as Natsuka’s. Natsuka finally guesses that the one that the one Kaname fell in love with was actually Mika, wondering if he is only kind to Fumi for that reason. Kaname does not believe this is of any concern to Natsuka, but she states that it is. As Natsuka confesses her love to Kaname, Fumi walks away after listening in. Natsuka meets Fumi when she reaches home, wondering why she left before her. While passing her, Natsuka wonders about the time she saw Fumi at the shrine. Fumi confirms that what Natsuka believed she saw was her imagination, causing Natsuka to run past her in difficulty. Fumi almost calls to her other self, but she decides that she must do things on her own this time. Elsewhere in the home, Fumi overhears the troubles of Natsuka’s parents. In the Shigo world, Matoma meets Chiaki to comfort her in his own way.

At the airport on another day, Fumi meets her mother Isawa Kirei. Kirei believes her daughter is doing very well, but she surprises her and Nojima by claiming that she does not want the responsibilities of a mother. When Fumi wonders then why she married her father, Kirei replies that she simply wanted to experience a woman’s happiness. Kirei quickly leaves to a man named Lorenzo, leaving Fumi to panic at the sounds of camera shutters. Losing Fumi, Nojima calls Kaname in order for him to help search for her. Elsewhere, Haruno starts conflict with the rest of her colleagues. Kaname finds that Fumi is not at Natsuka’s house, but Natsuka again brings up that Fumi is not Mika. Fumi ends up returning to Kirameki’s household, despairing that she returned to her hated place in the end. She points her gun to her head, but is quickly interrupted by Fumika’s entrance.

Fumika expresses that Fumi was unable to change in the end, as she approaches her. In front of the shrine previously, Fumika was actually forced to help Fumi pull the trigger because of her fear. Fumi wonders why Fumika left her alone when they were finally able to be together again, so Fumika expresses her belief that she needed to change. As she continues to approach her, Fumika suddenly knocks Fumi down. Kaname finally leaves Natsuka to go to the Kirameki mansion, stating that it is no longer about loving or hating. Fumika states that Fumi cannot win against her, but Fumi surprises Fumika by actually throwing the gun to her. Fumi believes that Fumika should shoot her, expressing that Fumika was the one who actually wanted to live and make friends. As Fumi claims that Fumika just did not want to disappear, Fumika is put in shock.

Natsuka is still troubled about Fumika’s disappearance, but Kanaka appears to state that Fumika certainly does exist. As the conversation is relayed through Matoma, Chiaki also hears this. Natsuka quickly rushes to the Kirameki mansion with Kanaka in hand, recalling the given memories she had with Fumika. In reality, she came to like both Fumi and Fumika. At the mansion, Fumika confirms that she really did want to make friends and enjoy life. Countering her, Fumi states that she wanted to have fun as well. As the two go head to head, the argument actually ends in Fumika’s smile. Fumika was wrong about the Shigofumi she held, even though she believed she would have to disappear. Fumika thanks Fumi, resulting in the both of them falling into tears. When Fumika and Fumi’s friends arrive, they are surprised yet relieved at the situation before them.

ED: As the credits roll by, we are shown how all of the previous characters are doing in life. As Fumi passes Fumika in the crowds, she states that she will not allow Mika to return to her body no matter what.

Impression:

Boku punch indeed. Fumika and Fumi were so cute! Honestly, this was probably one of the weirdest and most forced endings I have ever seen. It already seemed kind of out of pace when the climax started coming with the last episode, but I guess that’s what happens when you have so much material shoved into a 12 episode series. While watching Fumi struggle with her life in this episode, I was again impressed with the importance placed in the media in this series. The snapshots of Fumi were a nice touch, and even I started getting annoyed by them. Kirei did end up being Fumika’s glittering mother, which came to no surprise, but she actually played a very small role in the episode. The bgm that played when Fumi reached the mansion was totally groovy, and I definitely shouted for joy when my boku goddess showed up. I didn’t believe she was gone for a second! Anyways, I guess it’s all up to the final impression to relay the rest of my thoughts…

Final Impression:

Shigofumi was one of those hit or miss shows before the season started, but after I saw the first episode, I was convinced and hooked. Although many were impressed by the shock factor presented early on, I saw even more potential. A story about life, death, and humanity, Shigofumi became a work of brilliant storytelling that I would connect with on many levels. The series was fairly well received throughout the community in the beginning, hyped up with announcements of censoring and pre-licensing, but many started turning away after seeing what they believed to be a typical episodic type show. Those who stuck with the show probably realized that this wasn’t the case, and I continued to love discussing my appreciation of the show throughout the season. Complete with great animation and a stunning soundtrack, there were more than just a few things to appreciate about Shigofumi.

I liked to joke about my love for Fumika on a regular basis, but in all seriousness, that just proves how easily fans were able to connect to the characters. With a strong cast including talents such as Ueda Kana and Chiba Saeko, the most fans could complain about was a talking staff. Some may have claimed that it was hard to become attached to characters who only lasted for an episode or two, but I found that this wasn’t the case at all. Each episode did enough to flesh out every character with their own unique story, creating memories that I will never forget. Further more, the stories make us wonder how the characters went on after their tragedies. With a perfect mix of reality and fantasy, the tales presented allowed viewers to relate the stories with their own lives. I felt a wonderful connection with every episode, and I’ll never forget some of the themes that were displayed. Shigofumi now has its place in my heart as one of my favorite anime of all time, even though this was already the case after episode one. Live on!