Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae – 04
Um…….what?
Summary:
While Yuzuki’s class is performing their usual activities, they notice a boy named Yukawa Takeru simply walk past their antics. Yuzuki in particular, seems to recall something particular about him. In the meantime, the Jigoku Tsushin makes preparations for an event they will be involved with the next day. Takeru was once a boy who was easily bullied by a certain group of students. This group of kids would abuse him in several ways, such as by taking his money or physically injuring him. The school nurse noticed what was going on with Takeru when he made a visit to the office, but he requested that she keep everything secret. If she did not, he would stop coming to school. Yuzuki had noticed something wrong with Takeru, especially when the nurse inquired things about him from Tange-sensei.
Takeru was one day saved by an older individual named Nishida, an upperclassman involved with the kendo club. As the two got closer, Nishida even suggested that Takeru join the club with him. Takeru denied his ability to be involved with such things, but he did follow Nishida while watching him attend competitions and matches. One day while Nishida was questioning his abilities in the locker rooms, Takeru suggested the several good traits he had. Among these was looks, though Nishida guessed that Takeru would be higher in this aspect. Takeru suggested the awkwardness of this comment, as he was a boy, but this only brought Nishida to eventually suggest that he come with him during one of his practice sessions during the break.
After training with Nishida later, Takeru laid on the ground with him in joy. After Takeru expressed that he had sweat in his eyes, Nishida got extremely close to his face to remove it. Takeru seemed to change when he spent time with his family later, as he expressed how great of a person Nishida was to them. This brought him to the present time, as most of the school seems to notice how much he has changed in looks. After Yuzuki makes a visit to the nurse for a check up, she is asked about Takeru’s situation. When the nurse learns that Takeru has taken up kendo and seems well, she seems very relieved. When the Jigoku Tsushin sees Takeru later, they realize that he is the person they are to involve themselves with.
Riding on the bus with Nishida, Takeru questions how he is doing with his studies. Nishida expresses how difficult the examinations are for becoming a prosecutor, but Takeru assures him that he can do it. The boys’ attention is soon directed towards the front of the bus, however, as a man seems to threaten several people with a knife. As the bus travels further, Takeru is shocked to see that Nishida is extremely frightened. Most of the bus passengers are relieved when the threatening man finally gets off at a stop, but Takeru cannot help but think that something could have been done about him earlier. Takeru tries to keep his opinions from Nishida hidden when the two of them get off the bus, but Nishida reveals that it was because Takeru was there that he could not take action. As Nishida nervously parts with his disappointed friend, Takeru simply gives a word of goodbye to him.
Takeru visits Ai, and soon after learning of the consequences for his revenge, he pulls the red string off of his straw doll. With this, Nishida is sent to hell in wonder why he was the only one to receive punishment. In the aftermath, Takeru continues to be bullied as he was before. When the nurse wonders why he has done things like quit kendo, he implies that only so many things can change even if he tried. When Takeru leaves the office, he only displays a disturbing smile as he laughs about his situation.
Preview: Kikuri sets a new world record in tricycle racing.
Impression:
Who wrote this crap? Not only was Takeru’s situation extremely cliched and unappealing, but his reasons for bringing revenge upon Nishida didn’t even make any sense. No, this is not a case where I do not have enough insight to see what the character was thinking about. The entire story was just irrational, unrealistic, and forced. And as much as I’d like to have an open mind about things, the undertones (overtones?) of homosexuality in this episode really didn’t help me appreciate the episode either; especially since this seemed to serve no purpose other than to add another disturbing factor to the arc. The bus scene did make me wonder about the passive society that Japan is as a whole seems to be though. In most countries, a bus driver probably wouldn’t simply keep driving while ignoring a passenger being abused to obviously. I suppose that the moral of this story was that people should take action if they have the power to do so. There is also the possible representation of human negativity in thought with Takeru, but again, this was so forced that I could not take it seriously.
On a more positive note, I was told by an earlier watcher that a certain character from a previous season appears in this episode as the nurse. I have yet to confirm this, but this definitely brings an interesting twist to the season.
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The lilt of the voice was what tipped me off (I had avoided spoiling myself with last week’s comments, somehow). The seiyuu may be able to change her voice more than I expected when I first heard her way back when, but she has a certain inflection she uses at the end of questions that I can recognize just about anywhere.
MEEEEEEEEEEEN!
Joking aside, yeah what a waste of an episode. The yaoi aspect didn’t bother me. In fact that was probably the highlight. Cliched as it may be, Takeru seemed to be an improved person because of that relationship, so it just made no sense why he would want to throw that away. I was pretty much sobbing along with Nishida as he was being ferried, why him and not that mugger?
Oh well, other than the return of an earlier character, I’m pretty sure I heard Tange-sensei’s name being mentioned, and not in a way that suggests that he’s still missing. Show ▼
The characters actually went to speak with Tange as well, but it was because this was all during a flashback. Notice how they see Takeru in the beginning, show him how he looked before changing, then return to his new look.
i don´t understand this anime
so nishida got punished for being a huge hypocrite? yikes, that’s pretty harsh. just goes to show how gritty expectations are for certain occupations -especially for those with more traditional and romanticized roots. didn’t something like this happen in the first season? this episode made me feel super nostalgic for it.
also, the sending-to-hell sequences are getting a lot shorter. i hope that changes with other episodes since that horror element in those is what kinda hooked me on the first two seasons.
I suspect that the grudge sucked on purpose. All the grudges this season have been pretty much undeserved, which makes me think it’s actually a plot element …
Bullshit. That’s all I can say about Takeru.
I wonder if the nurse is Megumi? I remember she was always sad that the one nurse got send to hell maybe that made her want to become one? Idk lol Sounds very interesting now Im going to keep wondering who the nurse was lol. Dumb reason for sending someone to hell in this episode but I guess you know they are probably people in the world who do make decisions as rashly as he did so who knows lol.
ok they are literally TRYING to kill the series, they want to give it a rest I guess. Worst… episode… EVER! Lolz send him to hell lol what a retard, nice job damning yourself for eternity because someone was a hypocrite lol oh lawd what a lump of poo.
I really didn’t understand this episode, till now almost all episodes of Jigoku Shoujo (from previous seasons and this new one) had a good reason for sending someone to hell. I was like “what the hell?!” when Takeru sent his boyfriend to hell just because he chickened when that mugger appeared. I really don’t get it.. what’s up with the writers for these episodes? Are they drunk or something? If nobody would have written the morale for this episode I really wouldn’t have understood a thing, heh.
Also, what’s up with the next episode? I can’t figure out who is going to hell, the old man?
They better start writing better episodes, this anime is gonna lose it’s popularity if they continue making crappy episodes like this one.
I believe, this episode was ummm, like the bottom of irrational behavior, is like he wasnt human? so he looks at him as a hero (who is in love with), and cant forgive it.
BUT! one interesting NOTE that everyone has it missing, was that the Little Girl (Spider God or something like that) that is now inside a Toy, was the one who caused the mess, but making the BUS STOP rashly.
This Season, is indeed very interesting. full of undeserved revenges
Not sure if the nurse was really Tsugumi, but she was definitely voiced by Mizuki Nana. LOL I just marathoned all four episode for this guest appearance.
I thought episode 3’s revenge was terrible, but this is way worse, especially after showing the yaoi love.
This episode is one of the weirdest I’ve ever seen.
Sending someone to hell just because he failed to meet your expectations is just a totally horible childish excuse. But with the last scene, I think Takeru has been bullied to an extent that he’s no longer thinking rationally. He’s happy about sending his friend to hell.
But on the other hand, on the yaoi aspect, Nishida would go to hell first and Takeru would follow him later after his death anyway. So in short, they may be together.
i am like so crazy about everything about Jigoku shoujo!!!
but i dont know whats wrong with this season :S :S the revenge scenes are becoming more funny than scary !!! i mean what the hell is the 1st episodes revenge !! X_X being captured by a big #2 O_________O AAAAAAH he so deserves it lol XD !! all in all,the revenge scenes HAVE to be a whole lot better next especially better than this episodes scene…i mean come on playing a japanese drum is sure one hell of a punishment !!! X___X
i totally LOVE jigoku shoujo but i hope that things get more interesting than this
PS: me too i think the nurse is a character from a previous season…i just got the feeling that she is lol !!
I didn’t like this episode, and I hate to say it, but I’m not enjoying this 3rd season so far. I hope it gets more interesting very soon too.
Well… I was going for the yaoi a bit. But… Takeru is young, but hen again Nishida looks alot like a middle aged man even though he’s only an upperclassman. Weird! But there really wasn’t any reason for Nishida to go to hell; after all, everybody else stood around and did nothing on the bus, too.
This episode really sucked as Nishida can’t really be called a hypocrite as he said he didn’t want to endanger Takeru….and the bad guy was a member of the Yakuza (I assume from a part where he said about family). Such society exist everywhere in the world these days…Most bus drivers would be driving away if another passenger is being assaulted…as they don’t think their pay is enough the hassle…sometimes…the passenger’s just watch an innocent bus driver got harrased…