Subculture Anime Blog

I want to be Jigoku Shoujo when I grow up!

Summary:

The students in class all start to think about their future goals, but when Yuzuki is asked about hers, she can only despair about her duty to fulfill as the next Jigoku Shoujo. Watching her friends and other students greet their mothers outside the school, Yuzuki collapses after seeing a vision of a large sakura tree. Waking in the infirmary, Yuzuki asks Tsugumi what she should do. Tsugumi cannot believe that she has never felt relieved when one has been sent to hell though, and after Yuzuki leaves, Tsugumi expresses to the Jigoku Tsushin that only Yuzuki could find the answer for herself. Yuzuki meets a woman named Sumika after school, who is burning some garbage. Yuzuki learns that Sumika attended her school in the past, before seeing an image of her younger self and twin sister being used as garbage to burn.The sister, Yuika, is currently a model. However, she quickly puts her cheerful appearance away when she meets with her boyfriend Masato after work. As the two separate with a kiss that night, Sumika observes them from afar. That night, Yuzuki senses her grudging feelings.

Yuzuki mistakes Yuika for Sumika when she goes to the sisters’ house the next day. Before Yuika leaves with him, Masato seems to show that he is on good terms with Sumika. Inside the house with Sumika afterwards, Yuzuki learns that she had actually taken her sister’s entrance exams for her in the past. She also learns the one difference between the girls’ appearances: a mark on Sumika’s lower body. Sumika asks Yuzuki if she had any dreams or goals during her childhood, but upon hearing this question, the only thing she can recall are small requests for savior from a small child. Yuika meanwhile gets drunk while in town with Masato, getting in the path of a car in the process. As she would be unable to go to work because of injuries, Yuika suggests that her twin sister should take her place. This has Sumika put into Yuika’s image, as she even goes to work for her the next day. When she sees her sister getting a bit too close to Masato though, Yuika starts to feel a grudge as well.

Sumika starts to outperform Yuika during work, and one day, even deceives Masato into sleeping with her. This causes Yuika to remove her bandages, confronting Sumika in belief that she is only her shadow. This brings Yuika to the Jigoku Tsushin’s website, allowing her to receive a doll from Ai. The two sisters part the next morning from their house, and after Yuika breaks up with Masato, she sends her sister to hell. With Sumika suffering only because she pursued her desires, Yuika is put back into the spotlight.

Preview: Shota abuse or something.

Impression:

Following an all too familiar pattern, this episode of Jigoku Shoujo ended up being unintentionally hilarious. As if the twins story wasn’t overly dramatic enough, there was even a terrible soap opera scene in the episode. (You know, those ones you see early in the morning when you skip school…..the really bad ones.) After that, this whole episode became a giant parody in my head. I mean, taking injury to sleep with your sister’s boyfriend? …Really? I’m also surprised no one but Yuzuki figured out the twins’ secret. I thought the paparazzi would usually be all over this story!! Seeing Ai eating pocky during a supposedly moody scene was great as well. Who says Hell Girl can’t have worldly desires?

Tsugumi’s short amount of time in this episode was a nice touch though, as she sort of brought up the parallel she shares with Yuzuki. There were also some hints of Yuzuki’s past, with the begging child’s voice and the shot of the cherry tree during her collapsing. (Actually, I’m not sure if these deal with her past or future.) Either way, it should be interesting to see how this all plays out with four episodes left.