Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori ep.02

October 14, 2006 | 25 Comments

OP Theme: 「NightmaRe」by SNoW
Download: AVI format (NEW - 24.2MB) | PSP format (13MB)

Episode like this makes me slightly frustrated because I can see the potential but it's not fully realised because the writers refuse to change its focus from the victim of the week into something more intesting. Having said that, this is not a bad episode at all and I like the opening theme by SNoW. I think the song is a lot better than the 1st season OP theme, Sakasama no Chou. There is a lot more variation in its tone and less repetition in the lyric. The episode also features some hilarious scenes on Ai's expense. I think you should see the episode just to see the ball and the dog scene. Anyway, I've updated the screencaps with the high-res version. This time around, I included a shot of the girl in Ren's flashback since I didn't see that scene the first time I took the screencaps. Thank you to those who told me about it.

Kurakichi Yayoi and her parents are handing out leaflet to passer-by, hoping that someone has seen their missing daughter/sister called Sumire. After seeing the leaflet, a horny jerk asks Yayoi if he can call her using the number listed on it. When Yayoi hears this, she gets a hallucination involving water bubbles. Because she ignores the guy's question, however, the guy drops the leaflet and steps on it. Yayoi is discouraged by this but when she sees her parents doing their best, she also tries to do the same. However, she's distracted again when the flashes of water bubbles appears in her mind again. That night, Yayoi hears the same water bubbles coming from her sister's room but she can't find the source of the noise when she investigate the room. Much to her surprise, however, her sister's laptop suddenly starts up on its own when the clock hits 12 midnight and the sound of water bubbles can be heard louder than ever.

In Ai's scarlet world, Ai is trying to regain her ball, which is now floating in the lake and is outside her reach. She eventually loses her balance and falls into the lake. Ai is embarassed about this especially when Ichimoku Ren suddenly appears and tells her that work is coming. She wants to know if he saw it but much to her relief, Ren doesn't seem to understand what she's talking about. Ai then appears inside Sumire's room, asking Yayoi if she called her, pointing at her sister's laptop. Yayoi is surprised to hear this and tells Ai that the computer was starting up on its own and she started getting hallucinations and then....Yayoi turns around but Ai is not behind her anymore. Ai is now seen outside the house, greeted by her associates who are confused since nothing happened. Hone-onna wonders if Yayoi changed her mind but Ai tells her that Yayoi wasn't the one who called her. Wanyuudo thinks that maybe Sumire was the one who submitted her grudge.

Ichimoku Ren, who seems to have a personal interest in this case, decides to spy on Yayoi. Yayoi herself is in the middle of checking her sister's browsing history and finds out that the name of the website is Jigoku Tsuushin. The next day, Yayoi finds out from her friend that if one access the site at 12 midnight, Jigoku Shoujo will come and clear your grudge. If you put the name of the person into the site, then that person will be taken to Hell. Unknown to Yayoi, Ichimoku Ren has been watching over her from a distance as she speaks to her friend. When Yayoi's friend has to answer his mobile, a waitress arrive to fill in Yayoi's glass with water. When she hears the sound of the water, Yayoi hears Sumire telling her that it's cold and dark in 'this place'. That evening, Yayoi continues helping her parents handing out the leaflets even though it rains heavily. Not far from Yayoi, Ichimoku Ren is busted by Wanyuudo and Hone-Onna for observing her on his own.

Meanwhile, Yayoi's parents asks her to rest at home since she looks tired. Yayoi decides to do this and Ren ends up following her. Wanyuudo and Hone-Onna decide to ask for one of the leaflets from Yayoi's parents and they go off to investigate the place where Sumire disappeared. Yayoi herself is now seen in front of the police station, thinking to herself that even if she tells the police that Sumire was murdered, she has nothing to prove this. When a police asks her if there is anything wrong, she tells him that it's nothing. At the same time, Wanyuudo manages to capture a dog and through Ai's help, they are able to see what happened that day when Sumire disappeared. They find out that before Sumire disappeared, she and Yayoi had a fight about whether or not they should use taxi to go home. Yayoi was against it and decided to walk home, leaving Sumire on her own. A man then knocked Sumire out and put her into the trunk of his car.

In the present time, Yayoi regrets the fact that she had a fight with Sumire. She thinks that if that didn't happen, Sumire would have been by her side and wouldn't have disappeared. This is the reason why Yayoi blames herself for what happened to Sumire. After this, Yayoi tries to access Jigoku Tsuushin but the site won't appear even though it's already 12 midnight. At the same time, Wanyuudo and Hone-Onna tells Ren that thanks to Ai, they saw everything. Ren thinks that they should let Yayoi access Jigoku Tsuushin on her own. Hone-onna wonders what would happen if Yayoi can't connect to the site but Ren doesn't have the answer for this. The next day, Yayoi and her parents continue to distribute the leaflet to people on the street. Yayoi starts to get hallucination again but her mother ask her to give it her best. Because she's frustrated, Yayoi points out the impossibility of looking for Sumire to her mother.

Her mother can't accept this and starts to cry so her father asks Yayoi to believe that Sumire is still alive. He believes that if Sumire's own family doesn't believe this then no one else would believe it either. Because of this, he asks Sumire not to give up because doing so will mean that they've lost. Yayoi apologises to her parents and that day, she also apologises to Sumire for not being able to do anything. Meanwhile, Ai's associates wonder which one would make Yayoi happier, if she clears her grudge or if she forgets about it. At the same time, Yayoi continues to experience hallucinations and becomes frustrated by this. She wonders why she's the only one who gets to hear voices and see the hallucination. Yayoi decides to run away and ends up in front of a fountain. As if possessed, she lays inside the fountain. For some reason, doing this allows her to experience what her sister experienced once she got abducted by the man.

As it turns out, after raping and killing Sumire, the man puts the girl's body inside a suitcase and dumps it into a river. Yayoi who finally understands what happened is now filled with hatred for Sumire's killer and manages to access Jigoku Tsuushin on her own. Wanyuudo is then seen informing Ren that Yayoi has asked for their presence. Ai then appears in front of Yayoi with Ren and asks him to become the jackstraw doll. She then offers Ren to Yayoi and gives her the usual explanations. If Yayoi really wants to clear her grudge, she can pull the red string. However, if she does so, her own soul will go to hell after she passed away. Yayoi understands why Sumire gave the vision to her and pulls the string without any hesitation. Ren can then be heard telling Yayoi that her grudge has been accepted. In the middle of a night, a young girl is seen walking on her own. The same sleazy bastard who abducted Sumire now tries to pick this girl as well.

As it turns out, the girl is none other than Ai. She, however, ignores the guy, pissing him off in the process. In his anger, the guy tries to hit Ai with his car but he suddenly finds himself drowning inside the lake. Hone-Onna then appears on the backside, scaring the guy. The guy is then gets dragged into a water mill by Sumire's clothes. When being judged by Ren (Noh-style) for his sin, the guy pretends that he does not recognise Sumire's clothes. He also points out that Ren has no proof of his sin. All of a sudden, the figure standing next to Ren drops her Noh mask and reveals herself as Ai. She then proceeds to "Ippen Shinde Miru" the killer, Noh-style. When the guy regains his consciousness, he is on the boat but his body is leaking and looks like one giant balloon. In the aftermath of the incident, Yayoi and her parents still continue to distribute the leaflet. But Ren notices that at least Yayoi has a smile in her face now.

Impression:

I am quite ambivalent about this episode. I think it had the potential to be really good but in the end, it becomes mediocre because it introduces too many elements into the story. First of all, this is basically similar to the case from season one. The one that involves a doll which submitted a grudge. In this one, however, the restless soul of Sumire basically nudges Yayoi to submit her grudge on Jigoku Tsuushin. I really don't like this part of the story. Mostly because it underscores the pathetic relationship between the two sisters. What kind of a sister would want to condemn her own sister to Hell just so she can get her revenge? It's true that Yayoi was partially responsible for Sumire's death but the fight was also Sumire's fault. It's hard not to feel sorry for Yayoi as she gets increasingly disturbed by the frequent hallucinations of water bubbles and pressured by her parents to continue distributing the leaflet.

The sad fact about the leaflet-handing scene is that most people don't care about it. In Japan, there are many people who try to give you something on the street. This ranges from free tissue to free paper fan (during summer). Occasionally, you'll get people looking for missing person like Yayoi and her parents. The thing is, most people tend to avoid them unless the person has some good stuff to hand out. Anyway, it's sad to see the family continue distributing the leaflet even at the end of the story. Admittedly Yayoi looks a bit happier because at least she is aware of the situation now. However, it's frustrating to see the parents still in denial about the death of their daughter. Before I forget, this episode confirms that a person needs to have a grudge in order to access the site. Having said that, how the hell did Sumire figure out the killer's name? I guess I can assume that she's done her own investigation but it still feels like a plot hole.

Anyway, the part that interest me the most is actually Ichimoku Ren's part of the story. Unfortunately, there was not enough detail on this story. It appears that he has some interest in Yayoi but it's never fully revealed whether he is in love with her or if it has to do with the woman that appears in his flashback. I think this episode would have been better if the writers had focused on exploring his character instead of Yayoi herself. It will be nice to see some of Ai's associates getting conflicted or concerned about the people that they are dealing with. Overall, this was not a bad episode but it could have been a much better one if the writers can change the focus from the victims to Ai's helpers. As a side note, I like the Noh-styled execution shown in this episode. Although I have to admit that I don't get how or in what way does that relate to the entire storyline. Last but not least, I like how the ending theme blends in with the last few minutes of the story.

On next week's episode: It's Hone-onna's turn to feel sorry for someone.

© memento 2003