What the hell girl? My final impression is included.

Summary:

In an ironic turn of events, Mayama Azusa turns out to be Yuzuki’s first target. This brings her to meet Akie’s father, who had desperately searched for his missing daughter until learning about the Jigoku Tsushin. In other places, Ren and Hone learn that Tsugumi is leaving the town. They suspect that she had come to the town in order to stop Yuzuki, but she claims not only that she did not have the power to do so, but that it was too late at this point. Kikuri also starts to feel strange while with Yamawaro, releasing the Spider that had been using her as a container. After being presented with a doll, Mr. Takasugi travels to Azusa’s house to see her disappear with his own eyes. After peering into her window, however, he decides that he is unable to do it. This disappoints Yuzuki greatly, and afterwards, she declares that she would send Azusa to hell herself. Ai appears to express that this is against the rules, but Yuzuki sends an attack her way before moving on to her enemy.

Yuzuki prepares to send Azusa to hell, but to her shock, Akie appears in her place. She is then send to the Spider’s territory, as he prepares to punish her. Despite having the upper hand against her, and using the image of Akie to do this, Yuzuki is soon saved by the Jigoku Tsushin. Yuzuki wonders why Ai had done this for her afterwards, so Ai shows Yuzuki an image of her younger self. Ai describes that Yuzuki was all alone, before shedding tears for her. Ai describes that people are weak, and that they would always try to save themselves when desperate. The Spider catches up to Ai and Yuzuki, but Ai proposes to take the punishment for Yuzuki. This would cause her to serve for eternity, with no second chances. Yuzuki starts to disappear before Ai later, but Ai embraces her with a kiss to comfort her. Upon their lips touching, Yuzuki sees images of Ai’s past. Of course, the two were the same in the end. With her final parting with Yuzuki, Ai continues her job with the Jigoku Tsushin as always.

Impression:

Really? We had to sit through 26 episodes just to see Yuzuki’s emo angst fest get solved by some awesome yuri action from Ai? Happy endings for everyone? OKAY. What exactly did we accomplish here? So much for plot or direction, with the finale being almost exactly like the first season’s. Shibata Hidekatsu even showed back up as the Spider, in a well animated, yet really anticlimactic final battle. Tsugumi’s simply leaving the town after giving up left me with a blank stare too, as it basically confirmed that Deen was simply looking for an excuse to give her a cameo in the show. The returning plot dealing with Azusa and Akie was all around poorly written, and sadly, I have to say that I’ve seen better from earlier episodes. I did like a lot of the visuals in the final episode though, and I can probably guarantee that every Jigoku Shoujo fan had a smile on their face when Yuzuki said the classic, “Want to try dying once?” line. So, any word of Hell Girl 4?

Final Impression:

I can’t really say much was gained from this season of Jigoku Shoujo. Deen seemed to throw out the storytelling that the first two seasons had in favor of fanservice early on, and it showed. Most of the revenge stories didn’t end up amounting to anything, and some were even comedic. Yuzuki started off as an interesting protagonist, but after awhile, her character simply wasn’t carried out to its full potential. Instead of only being a Tsugumi clone, I guess we got a little bit of Ai in her as well. Great. In a show as slowly progressing as this one, I guess that’s somewhat of an accomplishment.

I will say that I probably enjoyed this season of Hell Girl about as much as the first two (for different reasons), but that’s really not saying much. In all honesty, I’m not even sure what it was that brought me to want to blog this show in the first place. Perhaps it was that cheeky dark side of me, or my secret wish to follow my hero Garten’s footsteps. I will say that watching an episode each week did make things more entertaining though, as Jigoku Shoujo is simply not a show that should be viewed in one sitting. So, while this show was totally in left field for my usual blogging schedule, covering it did end up making me like the series more. At least it’s over?

My……my bread is….!

Summary:

After seeing the skeleton remains in the run down apartment complex, Yuzuki starts to believe that Ai is simply playing another trick on her. She leaves with this in mind, but before she can escape, Ai begins to show her familiar visions of the past. This brings Yuzuki back to scenes of her younger life, as her father returned one day to give her an early birthday present. The Mikage family was of course happy, but a few days later, Yuzuki’s father passed away due to a bus accident. During a later press conference, it was decided that the blame would be put on the driver. This was despite the fact that the bus breaks were faulty. This caused several people to hate the Mikage family, as Yuzuki’s mother Sayako fell to severe stress.

Despite being offered a job by her childhood friend Satoshi, Sayako and Yuzuki still suffered from the opinions of those in the town. Satoshi even advanced on Sayako as she started to become sick, causing her to leave even this small hint of salvation. Unable to find hospitals to take her in, Sayako eventually left with Yuzuki to take shelter in a shrine. She prepared to kill her daughter here, but was unable to as two cheerful girls appeared to make a prayer. Sayako died shortly after, however, leaving a feeling of revenge in Yuzuki’s heart. As Yuzuki recalls, she herself had died shortly after. With this, Yuzuki agrees to take Ai’s role as the Jigoku Shoujo.

Preview: Quote the Raven, “Nevermore!”

Impression:

Cliched, predictable, but somehow effective! There’s something about Japan and their way of displaying unrealistically sad situations. From Yuzuki’s coincidentally losing her mother’s keychain to a lethal step attack, to the never ending sight of broken down homes, angry posts, and distasteful looks, I couldn’t help but think that I’ve seen this all before. Still, seeing a loli Yuzuki’s revengeful eyes in dark red was absolutely delicious. I genuinely felt angry at the townspeople for their irrational treatment of the Mikages as well, finally giving me something of a real attachment to Yuzuki’s character. I’m curious to see how things will go with the seemingly soul-less Akie and Wanyuudou next week, but with only one episode left, I suspect there will be one more dramatic change before Yuzuki can truly take Ai’s crown.

What Ai needs is a big hug.

Summary:

Recalling her recent conversation with Ai, Yuzuki again declares that she will not become the next Jigoku Shoujo. When she looks out of her window, she seems to catch a glimpse of Akie just before her disappearing soon after. While Yuzuki checks to see the results of her entrance examinations, she is relieved to see her number on the boards. She overhears an energetic child mention the same number to her mother though, and when she looks at the student’s card, it certainly contains the number that should have been hers. Yuzuki runs home and throughout the school in search for her now missing card, but as she does, she realizes that it has started to appear as if she is disappearing from existence. Yuzuki sights Akie again, but when she reaches her this time, Akie can only wonder why Yuzuki did not save her. Yuzuki finally realizes that this is the work of Ai, and after screaming her complaints to the Jigoku Tsushin to hear, she is met by Tsugumi.

Yuzuki finds that Tsugumi is the only person that can recognize her, as she wonders why the current world is so strange. Yuzuki continues to ask Tsugumi what she should do, but Tsugumi finally reveals that she did not previously have the same fate as Yuzuki. All she could do in the past was watch. In her house later, Tsugumi continues to recall her father Hajime’s multiple attempts to stop Jigoku Shoujo. He had finally given up though, expressing that people become exhausted. Tsugumi had become tired as well, and had given up. Tsugumi believes that the Jigoku Shoujo may have simply wanted her to see all of the terrible things in the world, and that it would have been better if she let it be. There were actually people she saw who were saved by the Jigoku Tsushin, though these were not the people directly involved with the correspondence website. Yuzuki believes that Tsugumi has not actually given up though, which would explain her being in the town among other things. Tsugumi agrees that she may have had some form of hope left in her, and with this, she finally tells Yuzuki something shocking.

Before instructing Yuzuki, Tsugumi reminds her to not go past the shrine archway no matter what. Tsugumi implies that Yuzuki should accept what is happening to her, as she had disappeared from the current world long ago. Her current life was just an illusion. Yuzuki cannot accept this, but as she runs home to the now revealed to be crumbling building, she sees a small child’s skeleton clinging to her stuffed bear. When Ai finally reappears before Yuzuki with the Jigoku Tsushin, she confirms that this is truly Yuzuki.

Preview: Yuzuki loli days.

Impression:

Uh oh! Life inside the matrix is always so much more comforting isn’t it? Despite the hints we’ve been getting recently (Yuzuki’s unable to contact her parents, and the constant past visions of sakura petals), I didn’t see this coming at all. Yuzuki’s being something otherworldly may explain Ai’s being able to interact with her so easily, but it’s not like she was extremely different from Tsugumi before this. That said, I’m still digging Tsugumi’s constant involvement in the season recently. There’s something about lolis and their growing up! A lot of people have been bringing up theories about Hajime as well, which I can’t throw completely out the window. They haven’t technically explained how he passed away, after all. At this point, I’m kind of expecting that Yuzuki may really become the next Hell Girl. The overall theme of this show has always been to show how messed up the world is, and I just don’t see the Jigoku Tsushin suddenly dissolving after so long. Still, that would make me wonder what would happen to Ai.

Contains a cute cow loli.

Summary:

In class, several students try to ignore a group of bullies tormenting a boy named Mizuhara Fumio. Even Yuzuki attempts to ignore the situation, though she seems to struggle. In the infirmary later, Yuzuki declares that she will not become the next Jigoku Shoujo. As she discusses her plans of studying and properly finding what she wishes to do though, Tsugumi appears to ignore her. Fumio is further forced to give the bullies money during the school day later. When he meets his teacher afterwards though, he is delighted at the news that he has been accepted into the high school he has been aiming for. Before he leaves, the teacher mentions to Fumio that he should not bring the watch he is wearing to school. This was something he received from his father.

Fumio receives a camcorder from his father that night as a gift, but while he tries it outside later, it is taken by the usual group of bullies. Fumio offers the camera to the group in exchange for them to leave him alone, but despite this, the leader of the group declares that Fumio will not escape even if he moves cities and schools. Fumio contacts the Jigoku Shoujo that night, and as he receives his doll, Yuzuki struggles to stay calm after seeing the vision.

When the leader of the bullies returns home, he is greeted by his energetic younger sister Suzumi. While she takes care of the dishes for him, she goes on to discuss her brother Tomohide’s goals as a baseball player. Despite her claiming that she will take care of the housework while their widowed mother works, Tomohide claims that he will work. Suzumi asks about the father that left the siblings before going to bed, and though Tomohide agrees that he was a nice person, he cannot help but feel guilty about something. Unkown to Suzumi, her brother holds a certain mark on his chest.

Even when Hone approaches Yuzuki and her friends at a restaurant, Yuzuki is determined to ignore the Jigoku Tsushin members. Hone easily sees that this is because she doesn’t want to accept her fate, and though she wonders if Yuzuki would really become the next Jigoku Shoujo, Ren reminds her that Ai would not tell a lie. Kikuri approaches Yuzuki while claiming that she will not lose, but despite all of her friends’ reactions, Yuzuki continues to ignore the correspondence members.

After looking at a job location, Tomohide decides to return Fumio’s camera. When he reaches his wealthy family’s home though, Tomohide cannot help but become extremely annoyed by Fumio’s stating that high school was only a place to go before college. This causes him to further torment Fumio later, and when he sees that he has a straw doll, he laughs with the belief that he has not prepared for the consequences. Tomohide reminds Fumio that he would fall to hell afterwards, and that he would not be happy despite his choice, but Fumio pulls the string off of his doll in fear either way.

When the teacher mentions his not showing up in class on a later day, Tomohide’s two friends claim that Tomohide was sent to hell. They panic at the thought that others are thinking of grudges, and though most of the class starts discussion about the subject, Yuzuki remains determined all the same. Elsewhere, Fumio notices that there are still bullies at the high school he will be attending. While walking with her friends in the afternoon, Yuzuki notices several of the past grudge holders around her. When Ai appears, she attempts to escape from her. Since Ai had told her that true hell is in one’s heart, Yuzuki denies the need for the Jigoku Tsushin’s intervention. Ai states that Yuzuki currently holds a grudge on her though, and when she mentions her belief that Yuzuki wants to send her to hell, Yuzuki despairs.

Preview: Kagero.

Impression:

Hahahaha. Where’d your animation budget go, Deen? Can’t even animate bullies tormenting a rich boy without stills and speed lines anymore!? Ah, but despite that silliness, this episode wasn’t bad. It was actually interesting to have three different stories going on at once, and Tomohide’s being a previous grudge holder aided that. Obviously though, the main attraction is still Yuzuki. With only three episodes left, I suspect we’ll be spending the rest of the episodes looking into whether or not she will be able to avoid becoming the next Hell Girl. Since I’m covering this late, I was already getting hints about Ai’s claiming that Yuzuki “wants to send her to hell.” (I’ll be the only one giving spoilers around this blog, alright!?) It was funny to see Yuzuki actually believing that she could ignore the Jigoku Tsushin, but she just couldn’t run from all knowing Ai! Also, the second appearance of the sakura tree at the end of the episode confirms that it is foreshadowing events, rather than being something from Yuzuki’s past. The child’s cry is also part of this. Can anyone confirm if this cry is from Ai when she was being buried? Am I totally off base to be reminded of this?

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.

Ai no baka!

Summary:

Realizing that Tsugumi had escaped certain fate from Ai, Yuzuki believes that she herself could avoid becoming Jigoku Shoujo. She eventually comes across a young boy in the park, and as he collapses in front of her, she quickly takes him to her house. When the boy wakes, he explains the normal circumstances he has with his parents and introduces himself as Kaito. Before he goes home, Yuzuki takes the chance to exchange phone numbers with him. As Kaito leaves, Yuzuki recalls what she saw before he woke up. There were marks on Kaito’s body that clearly seemed like they came from another person, and because of her senses, she was able to tell that Kaito planned on contacting the Jigoku Tsushin.

Once Kaito reaches home at the Kikuchi residence, it is revealed that his mother Nanami is pregnant with a girl named Mao. Nanami begins reading a story to Mao after dinner, but when Kaito disturbs her by talking on the phone with Yuzuki downstairs, she quickly punishes him. Yuzuki meets Kaito at school the next day, as she was unable to contact him through phone. Kaito claims that he had simply dropped his phone, and also has to deny Yuzuki’s offer to play a certain game with him. The two do go grocery shopping with each other, but when Nanami finds that some of the eggs Kaito has brought home have cracked, she punishes him once again.

While soothing his wounds, Kaito recalls the first time he had met Nanami. She had presented a hat to him, which he took quite a liking to, before implying her intent to become his new mother. As the Jigoku Tsushin watch Kaito, they can only wonder why he does not bring up such things to his family. Yuzuki worries just as much at her home, but while she does, Kikuri appears to suggest that she simply contact Kaito’s family. Ai meets Kikuri soon after her meddling, then reaffirming that it would be impossible for her to become the next Jigoku Shoujo despite her actions.

Nanami eventually throws out Kaito’s beloved hat, claiming that it was because of talk from their neighbors that he has always been wearing it for the past three years. Kaito runs from the house in tears afterwards, and after finding his hat in the garbage, he finally contacts the Jigoku Tsushin. Yuzuki confronts Kaito about this on a following day, and though she clearly expresses her knowledge about his contacting the correspondence, Kaito claims only to want to return to the days he enjoyed with his happy family before. Of course, Nanami was once a much kinder person to him.

Yuzuki promises to help Kaito, later meeting his father. Though she attempts to convince him that Nanami has been using domestic violence on his son, Kaito’s father refuses to acknowledge any of it. The Jigoku Tsushin are not far away after this confrontation, so Hone makes Yuzuki realize that Kaito’s father has already known this information for quite some time. He simply did not have the confidence to do anything about it. Yuzuki continues to find ways to help Kaito, but time starts to run out as he and his father leave to visit the forest they are partial to.

Yuzuki calls out to the Jigoku Shoujo in a more desperate attempt to stop her, but when Ai appears, she claims that true hell exists in oneself. To prove this, she shows her exactly what is happening between Kaito and his father. As the two play frisbee, Kaito’s father purposely throws the disk into the nearby river. While Kaito fetches it, he confirms that his son loves his mother. He thinks the same of her, but as they would not be able to have happiness if things continued as they are, Kaito’s father almost kills his own son. Kaito pulls the string off of his doll, however, killing off Mao while she is still inside of Nanami. Stopping after seeing what he was about to do, Kaito’s father despairs as his son confirms that things would be alright from now on.

Kaito meets Nanami at the hospital later, expressing how disappointing it was for them to lose Mao, but reminding her that she still has his father and himself. The family spends their time happily together like they did in the past after this, which produces curiosity from both the Jigoku Tsushin and Yuzuki.

Preview: Models and doubles?

Impression:

Too bad, Kikuri. You are not worthy of becoming Jigoku Shoujo! This episode actually ended up being a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It was easy to tell that Kaito was going to send his unborn sister to hell, rather than his new mother, from the beginning though. That whole theme really had me wondering what would happen if this aired in the states with all of its abortion controversy. Was Mao a human being or not!? (HAHA. Oh man, I’m going to hell….you know, the one in myself.) The whole remarriage theme is something all too common around here too, so I guess it added to my ability to feel empathetic.

Yuzuki’s directly interacting with most all of the Jigoku Tsushin was really cool too, seemingly reflecting on her future position. I would say this is the first time Ai has directly used her powers on someone else, but it could also be said that this was only possible because of the fate Yuzuki holds. (I also think that this was just an excuse for Deen to come up with a bunch of cool shots to use.) The whole play on snow at the end was interesting, but too oddly placed to really be a strong line for me. More impacting was Yuzuki’s delusional smile. Is she cracking? Tsugumi seemed to act in a similar way in the last episode, so maybe it’s only a matter of time.

Notes:

• Yuzuki-oneechan!
• Yuzuki-Jigoku Shoujo!
• Dechu.
• NARU MOU.
• Yuzuki’s nice boat eyes are so win.
• Domestic violence???

SM Jesus Tsugumi, SSJ Ai, and headplanting Kikuri! What an episode.

Summary:

Yuzuki has a dream where she rushes to stop someone from pulling the string off of a straw doll, as she is passed by a young Tsugumi. To both of the girls’ dismay, they are unable to stop the person’s revenge. When Yuzuki wakes, she finds herself in Tsugumi-sensei’s office. She gets to the point by asking her about the last time they saw each other, and if she knows about the Jigoku Shoujo, but Tsugumi refuses to give Yuzuki a clear answer. The Jigoku Tsushin discuss the coincidence of Tsugumi’s being at their school outside, further wondering about Hajime, but this is interrupted by Ren’s informing them about their current job . Yamawaro and Kikuri approach a large mansion belonging to the client, but upon reaching its gates, they find that they are unable to enter because of an interference.

Yuzuki, Ai, and Tsugumi eventually sense something simultaneously, which turns out to be grudge intended for Tsugumi herself. This brings them, as well as the Jigoku Tsushin, to the large mansion that night. To Yuzuki’s surprise, Tsugumi and Ai greet each other as if they have known each other for quite some time. Upon entering the mansion, Ai quickly shows that her powers are greater than the machinery that prevented the other Jigoku Tsushin members from using their abilities. The group is then introduced to a man named Mizuragi Shogo, the man who held a grudge against Tsugumi.

Shogo’s background is revealed to be that of a researcher, having been an individual that caused many deaths that did not seem to concern him. He one day became extremely interested in hell and the Jigoku Shoujo, realizing why after recalling the day his father mysteriously disappeared from his home. It was his mother who grudged him, and she eventually disappeared as well. The Jigoku Tsushin wonder how Shogo was able to contact them despite not having a true grudge against Tsugumi, so he explains that these emotions were implanted with the assistance of technology.

To the surprise of the Jigoku Tsushin, Ai agrees to give a straw doll to Shogo. But with Tsugumi at the center of his next experiment, and his only half way having pulled the string off of his doll, it is revealed that his assistant Kikyo had put a grudge on him instead. This was done with the assistance of Yamawaro and Kikuri. Kikyo explains that he carried out the grudge that the several children in the lab had on Shogo, as they were used without any concern for them or their relationships. Shogo understands this, then only accepting his fading after leaving the children to Kikyo. While on the ferry to hell, Shogo can only wonder if he would now be able to see his mother.

Preview: A bit more of the usual before the eventual finale.

Impression:

I’d have to say that this episode honestly ended up being pretty anticlimactic after how big last week’s preview seemed to make it; especially with the client this week being a relatively unimportant character overall. Tsugumi’s involvement wasn’t exactly huge either, though it was a plus that we got to learn a lot about what she had been experiencing since her last encounter with Ai. I’m sure that it’s safe to assume that Hajime has passed on by now, with Tsugumi’s expressing how tired she is of living alone. That only leaves his research, which returned from the second season among other things in this episode… I found it funny how most of the exposition “Jigoku Hakase” gave out was essentially a recap of the major events in previous seasons.

There were some pretty aesthetic shots scattered throughout this episode though, and was that a hint of Ai grinning? Seeing the Jigoku Tsushin actually express a bit of opinion was a nice break from the usual. Either way, I’m hoping to see more Tsugumi before everything is all said and done. Her now cold nature is an interesting contrast to the effort Yuzuki is trying her best to pursue. I’m assuming that the two girls’ paths will ultimately end up being different as well, so the finale is at least something to look forward to.

NA-KA-MA.

Summary:

A woman named Nakiri Kaori is renown for her flower arrangements, but she herself does not believe she has been performing what she truly wishes to. Seeing her teachers cutting fresh flowers elsewhere, Yuzuki receives a bouquet from the Jigoku Tsushin. She runs into Kaori in town afterwards, who arranges the flowers in exchange for Yuzuki’s buying some yams for her. Kaori had wanted to do this for her because of the clothes she is currently wearing; an outfit usually worn for a funeral service. As the two sit together on the nearby shrine’s steps, Kaori tells Yuzuki about the family duties that she was suppose to inherit. She had left her family despite this, wanting to pursue her own goals. Yuzuki meets two of Kaori’s acquaintances after awhile, Kodakuri and Tsukio, then attending the service with them. To Yuzuki’s surprise, she sees who are supposedly her teachers from school there; the Jigoku Tsushin.

The Jigoku Tsushin worries about Yuzuki’s discovering their true identities, as Yamawaro explains their information gathering skills to Kikuri later. Ai expresses that Yuzuki’s awakening may be soon, suggesting that she would soon have to tell her about her duty. Kaori soon runs into trouble with a woman named Kurozaka Yukina, the supposed daughter of her father. With obviously impure motives, Yukina suggests her wish to fulfill her late mother’s wishes. This would go as far as her inheriting the family’s most valuable assets. Kaori expresses her worry to Tsukio that night, then asking if he has found a wife yet. Tsukio expresses that he would be happy if he could simply serve Kaori from now on, but when Kaori replies by advancing on him, he advices against it. Yuzuki gathers photos of the Jigoku Tsushin from her friends in the meantime, but is surprised when they disappear from her phone later. To Yuzuki’s predictions, Ai appears to reveal that the supposed school teachers are actually her comrades.

As Tsushin discovers more of Yukina’s plot, even involving her poisoning of Kaori, he quickly alerts Kodakuri. When Kaori is served with a drink later, Tsushin quickly drinks the concoction and collapses. Filled with hate, Kaori gains a straw doll from Ai. Kaori is soon told several things about her father, her true relationship with Tsushin, and even a hidden secret within the family. The family did not only own the Nakari-ryu, but another art known as the Hakki-ryu existed. This involved the planting of flowers within those of the deceased. Seeing this, Kaori realizes that this was what she was truly looking for. Starting her first project, Kaori sends Yukina to hell. At a dying Tsushin’s bedside, Kaori agrees to use his body for the first project. When Yuzuki meets Kaori afterwards, she is surprised to learn that she has inherited her family’s duties despite their earlier conversation. Yuzuki is further shocked from news from Ai, however, as she explains that her destiny would be to become Jigoku Shoujo herself.

Preview: Jigoku Hakase vs Jigoku Shoujo!

Impression:

UH OH. Guess all that imagery from the ED wasn’t just for show after all! I was initially feeling like this week’s story was trying too hard to be well written within a 20 minute timeframe (without succeeding), but the ending alone made it worthwhile. The theme of duty was played on fairly well, and the parallels dealing with flower symbolism were nice too. I loved watching the petal fall to Yuzuki’s side when she saw her vision. There were several pretty shots of Ai scattered throughout the episode, and it was great to see everyone using their classic skills during the torture sequence. Next week is the introduction of “Jigoku Hakase”, rather than Hell Boy who most people were expecting to return. Either way, it should be one of the more fun to watch.

Jigoku Shoujo, huh? Not sure if Yuzuki fits that role quite yet…

EDIT: Oh, almost forgot because of the sudden twists; Been listening to the OP single for awhile now, since it has been released. I’m actually liking it quite a bit, and despite my previous prejudice, Nana Kitade seems to be getting quite better since her early days. (I almost forgot that she did the ED to Persona as well, which I really liked.)

The truth behind terrible radio programs.

Summary:

While listening to a popular radio program hosted by Shijimi Jotaro, Yuzuki notices that a girl named Hamano Chiriko has constantly been having her letters read on air. The next day, Yuzuki and her other schoolmates are surprised to discover that Chiriko is actually in their class. This leads to Chiriko gaining a large amount of popularity within the following days. Jotaro suggests that good things have been happening, and that his listeners would be experiencing magic soon, which Chiriko takes as a message towards her that has become truth. Chiriko eventually meets a girl named Shirame Kaname, who is actually “Kairu Hime” that also has her letters read often on the radio program. The two quickly become friends, and Kaname eventually suggests to Chiriko that they meet Jotaro.

Kaname and Chiriko meet Jotaro’s cohost Kirichi Yume in the city, and when Kaname expresses her wish to pursue her line of work, Yume presents her with a script. She explains that this is how her line of work truly operates, writing lines that Jotaro would read every night. Kaname becomes extremely excited about this, but Chiriko despairs at the truth that has been revealed before her. In her belief, all of Jotaro’s words had come from his own heart. This leads Chiriko to contact the Jigoku Tsushin, and after confirming that Kaname has not told anyone about the script, she sends her to hell. Afterwards, Chiriko simply continues to spend her time alone with her radio and Jotaro’s voice.

Preview: Nakari Kaori.

Impression:

This is just getting silly. Whoever wrote this episode must have had a bad experience with radio programs, or may just dislike radio fangirls in general. There really wasn’t much to this story, unless I’m missing something major about the Jigoku Tsushin. Was their involvement in this episode suppose to be something more than comic relief? Is Ai trying to prove to Yuzuki that the grudges won’t be stopped…….no matter how dumb they are? I guess I’m just not feeling any attachment to this episode because of my inexperience with girly radio programs. Next week doesn’t look like it will be going anywhere extremely productive either, so I’m just going to assume that Mitsuganae is going to follow in its predecessors footsteps by throwing in the climax and final development three episodes before the end.

Attack of the naked shouta and mushrooms.

Summary:

• Yamawaro volunteers to accompany Ai in order to meet the Jigoku Tsushin’s current client. This happens to be someone who he once considered his mother.
• Yuzuki visits the client’s home after seeing a vision, but instead of finding the old woman she suspects to be there, she only finds a middle aged couple.
• When the Jigoku Tsushin investigates the client and her husband, they learn that the couple once had a son named Hikaru, However, he had died quite some time ago.
• When Kikuri visits Yamaro in the house, she hears about the past he had while still living in the house and nearby mountain.
• Coming from the mountain, Yamaro had visited the woman several years after her son had died. She quickly became attached to him, treating him as Hikaru.
• The woman’s husband had been developing a serum that would prevent aging in the meantime, and as he realized that Yamawaro wasn’t human, he used his body to perfect it. This concoction allowed he and his wife to return to their youthful appearances.
• The woman eventually realized what Yamawaro was going through, having him escape the house.
• Denying to take any more of the potion, the woman sent her husband to hell.
• As Yamawaro seeks to learn the fate of his old family, he watches as the woman falls in the collapsing house while embracing a young boy.

Preview: Hamano Chiriko and Chotaro, in Special Radio.

Impression:

I would say I don’t have enough time to properly blog this episode because of the other pile of shows I have to cover this week (as well as the real work I have to do), but that would only be half true. I was honestly thoroughly confused after watching this episode the first time around. With flashbacks, aging serums that made present scenes appear to be flashbacks, and nonsensical science exposition, this episode ended up being really hard to follow with a single watch. It doesn’t help that Jigoku Shoujo isn’t one of those shows that I typically view with a lot of priority, and that I was only half paying attention most of the time. Still, for what it’s worth, this episode did give Yamawaro a proper backstory. Most of the other Jigoku Tsushin members had their moments in the second season.

Yamawaro’s mountain story reflected directly with the origin and concept of his character from Gazu Hyakki Yako, who shares the same name. (Yes, I use Wikipedia for reference. In high school, they say it isn’t a valid source. In college, they say it’s a good place to start!) Without that background in lore, I probably would have been confused for quite some time. Still, I’m not sure if I liked the whole eternal youth theme. I know this is a show about a group from hell carrying out tortures, but it has at least had an overall sense of reality for the most part. I never thought I would say this, but I’m looking forward to going back to the usual next week.