Jigoku Shoujo ep.19

February 14, 2006 | 10 Comments

Well, this episode seems to be tailor-made for those who like Rozen Maiden Traumend and Enju's antics. Having said that, it's still not as good as episode 17. Just like the episode that comes before it, this one suffers from an over-the-top villain. Or maybe I just refuse to believe that all doll makers are as insane as those who have been shown thus far in anime. This episode, however, shows that sending people to Hell most often than not, does not solve the problem at hand. In a way, this story is a mild variation of the stories that have been told in other episodes. The good thing about this episode is that the setting of the doll maker house is very well drawn. In fact, in general the animation looks quite good. There are, however, instances where few characters' face, most notably Hajime and Tsugumi are poorly drawn.

The episode begins with a wedding ceremony whereby an old woman makes a comment how the bride, Ujiie Inori, almost looks like a doll. The old woman is quickly revealed to be Inori's mother-in-law, one that is obsessed with making Inori looking like a doll. For example, when Inori is about to take a bath, her mother-in-law thinks that Inori has gained some weight. Inori tries to deny this but the psycho insists that Inori is getting fat. Because of this, she drags Inori to the bathroom to presumably punish her using hot water. Meanwhile, Ai is seen in her Sunset world playing with flower while her grandma tells her that it looks like the wind is coming soon. Ai makes a comment about the fact that the upcoming wind is a rather bad one. In such night, people usually cry. At the same time, Inori is seen sobbing her eyes inside the bathroom before returning to her husband, Yukio. Her husband seems to sympathise with her situation but he tells her that his mother doesn't hate her.

Yukio believes that his mother simply wants Inori to stay beautiful. While Yukio explains this, the scene shows that Yukio's mother is a doll sculptor who's obsessed with perfectionism. Back to Inori, she tries to offer her husband a massage but it seems he's more interested in sleeping. He claims that she doesn't have to do such things because she's his precious bride. When Inori claims that she never gets to do anything in the house, her husband tells her that she can make him a breakfast tomorrow morning. Inori looks happy upon hearing this so the next morning she wakes up early to cook some food for her husband. Much to her disappointment, however, she finds out that her husband already eats breakfast provided by his mother. To add insult to the injury, her mother-in-law tells her that she has to eat different kind of foods because she thinks Inori is getting fat. She just wants Inori to sit silently like a beautiful doll.

Later on Inori is seen sobbing to her husband again, telling him that she's afraid of his mother and can no longer bear her antics. Unfortunately, Inori's words are overheard by her mother-in-law and as a punishment, Inori is seperated away from her husband. Meanwhile, a bunch of doll-making students are seen asking Inori's mother-in-law if the doll in front of her is up to her standard. Inori's mother-in-law, however, tells them that the doll's eyes is not dead enough. She wants to see the look of sadness and longing in the doll's eyes. Cut to Ai's world, where her grandma tells her that a request has just come in. It seems Inori has submitted her request for vengeance into the website. She then starts talking about how she wants to see everyone again, revealing that she used to live in an orphanage and formed surrogate family with its members. At the same time inside Tsubata's household, Tsugumi gets her Ai-vision.

At the same time, Ai appears in front of Inori and invites her to the Sunset world. Inori, however, is freaked out when Ai says 'doll' and realises that all of these times, her mother-in-law has been observing her while she was in the orphanage. Inori starts to cry and tells Ai that she's not a doll so Ai gives her uh, the straw doll and spells out the drill. Strangely, Ai looks sad after she gives the doll to Inori. Meanwhile, Hajime and Tsugumi manage to find the dollmaker's house and the two have arguments again about Hajime's obsession with this. Tsugumi argues that it is Inori's desire to do this but Hajime replies that as an adult, he has the responsibility to stop this. Tsugumi claims that she's not an adult so she doesn't understand what Hajime is talking about but as she steps away from her father, she identifies Inori standing near a window. Inori, who sees Hajime and Tsugumi decide to have a talk with the two.

On Tsugumi's suggestion, the three decide to talk elsewhere so Inori takes them to the Orphanage where she used to live. She explains to Hajime that she can't run away because the Orphanage's livelihood depends on the donation given by the dollmaker. Because of this, she believes that she has no other choice but to make a contract with Ai. As the three return to the dollmaker's house, Hajime promises Inori that they'll try to help her. Inori seems to be happy to hear this but then 3 servants are coming to take Inori back into the house. She decides to lie and tells her mother-in-law that she just took a walk. Her mother-in-law, however, turns creepy and tells Inori that it is better if Inori's legs does not work just like doll's legs. She then ties Inori's hand and punish her in the hot bathtub again. Ai then appears inside Inori's room and asks her if she's going to pull the string. Inori claims that her mother-in-law is a bad person for treating her like a doll.

Her loud voice, however, is heard by her husband, who asks her if she's talking to someone else inside the room. He also claims that he is worried about her. Upon hearing this, Inori suddenly finds the resolve to pull the string. Her mother-in-law suddenly finds her body parts slowly turning into a doll's body parts everytime she tries to abuse/hit something. After this, she finds herself inside a boat that Ai rows. Despite this, her desire to make doll still presents. She even wants to make an Ai doll! Back in the real world, Inori thinks that she finally will get the happiness that she wished for now she's all alone with her husband. However, when Inori tells him that she'll devote her body and soul to him, her husband tell her that there is no need for soul. He just wants her to look at him like a doll. Outside the house, Hone-Onna and Ichimoku Ren are making remarks how in the end, Inori still lives like a doll. Ai seems to be concerned upon hearing this and her expression turns sad.

Impression:

It looks like insanity runs in the family. It's hard not to feel sorry for Inori because in the end, she is still treated like a doll. Although on the upside, so far her husband never abused her. This incident, however, serves as some kind of emotional pressure on Ai. It is obvious now that she is completely disinterested in this case to begin with. And halfway through the case, it looks as if she almost try to stop Inori herself but was unable to say something to that extent. Once the revenge is carried out, however, Ai looks really sad upon finding out the result. This episode supports Hajime's argument that a person's problem must not be solved by sending another person to Hell. Unfortunately, Inori really did get stuck in between rock and the hard place. She can't just leave the dollmaker's house because her Orphanage relies on their donation. Anyway, next week's episode seems to be quite interesting because apparently Ai is going to meet a Hell Boy. I wonder if there'll be cute romance or if they'll try to fry each other's hair with fire.

© memento 2003