Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori ep.07

November 19, 2006 | 16 Comments

This is basically similar to the story from episode 2 only this time around, one of the family members is the one that creates the problem. The thing is, I don't see this as a grudge worth sending yourself to Hell. However, if that had happened then there wouldn't be any tragic storyline to be told here. It's just that for once I'd like to see a client who uses his/her logic and chooses other option instead. As for the side story, I wonder what is Kikuri's real purpose in the story apart from being an annoying pain in Ai's life. I was hoping that there'll be more to her but seven episodes later, she's still acting like a brat with no power of her own. Speaking of Kikuri, the opening theme has now been modified slightly so that Kikuri's face is visible.

The episode begins with Ai giving out the straw doll to someone and tells the guy that what happens next is his decision. Cut to a boy speeding on the road with his motorbike during rainy day. A combination of the speed and the slippery road cause the motorbike to turn over, sending the boy falling into the road and hitting a stone statue. A few days later, a funeral is held for the boy. While the father thanks the visitor, the mother suddenly cries and blames her husband for buying their son the motorbike. The father is surprised to hear this since it was the mother who approved the purchase while he actually opposed it. Before the couple can argue further, their daugher Emi tells them to drop it. That night when Emi tries to invite her mother to dinner, she finds out that her mother is busy updating her website, which is titled "Why did my son die? - A diary of a mother who gazed at the death of her son in a bike accident". What a title.

Because the mother is busy updating the site, Emi has no choice but to only serve dinner to her father. Her father apologises that she has to be the one to make dinner but Emi thinks it can't be helped since her mother can't think of anything else apart from her brother.After dinner, however, her mother goes out to visit the area where her son died even though it's raining heavily. As it turns out, she's been doing this night after night. Emi has no choice but to go after her mother since she's worried that the old woman might get sick from rain. Later on after going back home, she opens a drawer and finds the straw doll inside her brother's desk drawer. Enma Ai suddenly appears behind her and Emi recognises her as Jigoku Shoujo. Ai gives Emi the drill and informs her that the contract is not yet fulfilled. Emi asks Ai who her brother could possibly want to send to Hell. Ai, however, thinks that Emi already understands that part.

The next day, Emi and her mother exit the City Hall and are promptly mobbed by reporters. It appears that she's blaming the city for creating unsafe road for her son, which just beyond nuts. Because of this insane statement, the reporters want to know if Emi shares similar thought but she refuses to antagonise her mother and give the reporter any satisfaction by answering them. At school, Emi temporarily gets her life back when she participates in the track and field activity. Once the activity is over, however, she's approached by Ichimoku Ren who is now masquerading as a Journalist called Ishimoto Ren. Emi, however, refuses to talk to the guy and tells him that if he's persistent, she'll call the police. She, however, comes to a halt when she hears her mother crying nearby. As it turns out, the sound comes from a television. Her mother is now pleading her case to the mass media, which is now talking about the dangerous road.

Apparently many accidents have happened repeatedly around the area, which is called "The Demon's Curve" and therefore mass media blames the city for it. At home, Emi's father is making a Kite because back then the entire family used to go out together to play Kite near the river. The mother then appears and asks her husband to make 300 copies of a leaflet. She, however, becomes unhappy when her husband is not in a hurry to do it and destroys the Kite that her husband has just made. When her husband points out that Tatsuya loves the Kite, she denies it like a madwoman. In her sunset world, Ai is sucking nectar out of a flower when Kikuri asks her if it's delicious. Kikuri grabs the flower and tastes it as well but she thinks the taste is bad. Ai, however, can't care less and is seen walking away from the brat. Back to Emi, her mother is happy when she received a call notifying her that the city would make announcement about fixing the road.

During the press conference, however, the city simply tells the mass media and Emi's mother that they're just going to go on with the usual reconstruction work. When a reporter asks the city representative about Katsuya's death, the rep refuses to acknowledge the city's responsibility and defers the case to the police. Emi's mother is angry by this decision and decides to redouble her efforts at the website. Downstairs, Emi's father try to tell her that this is an important thing for her mother. Emi snaps upon hearing this and asks her father what about them. She points out that her brother is already dead and it was due to an accident. Her father snaps at her in return and continues drinking beer to down his frustration. The next day, Emi's mother continues to pester the City Hall but they simply ignore her. After her mother goes inside, Emi is approached by Ren who knows that she has quit her track and field club.

He thinks that from now on, Emi must do her best and try to please her mother. Much to Ren's surprise, Emi has had enough. She thinks even if she does her best her mother won't be pleased. She always suspected that her mother only cares about her brother. For Emi's mother, the only family for her is her son. When her mother comes out of the City Hall and cries in frustration, however, Emi goes over and picks her up. That day, every part of the house is covered with pictures of Tatsuya. Emi also finds a big bundle on the table and upon opening it, she finds out that it's the beheaded statue that Tatsuya hit during the accident. Her mother then comes out looking insane and carrying a bag full of money. Apparently the visitors to the homepage lent her the money and now she plans on making a book about Tatsuya. The book will apparently be filled with many images of Tatsuya. She then starts to stroke the statue's head and asks Tatsuya to wait.

Emi goes upstairs and checks the doll. When she does this, Ai appears momentarily and tells her that the doll now belongs to her. The rest, is up to her decision. That night while Emi is cooking, her mother listen at the television loudly and doesn't turn it down because she's too busy rubbing her head with the statue's head. Emi tries to tell her father about the money that her mother borrowed, but he is too drunk to pay attention and no longer cares about what is going on in the household. He then starts to laugh and also calls after Tatsuya when her wife does so. When Emi drops the plate full of dish that she just cooked, she completely loses it. In despair, she thinks to herself how all of these times she's been doing her best so that her mother would notice her. However, she now realises that the effort is futile. She then remembers how her brother once complained that he's not his mother's doll and that the family would be better off without her.

Emi finally unable to contain her sadness and decides to pull the string. Upon doing this, Wanyuudou's voice tells her that her grudge has been accepted and Emi's mother suddenly disappears from the living room. The woman wakes up on the boat and becomes happy when she thinks she can see her son again. Ren thinks that probably won't happen but Emi's mother doesn't care and starts screaming around saying that she's going to see Tatsuya now. Good luck to Ai and Ren. Do you think they have mental hospital in Hell? In the aftermath of the incident, Emi finds a note on the dining table from her father, stating that he's gone out looking for her mother. Emi laughs and thinks it's strange because everyone is here on the dining table. Cut to a shot of Emi being surrounded by plates full of foods and pictures of her family around her. It looks like she's gone insane too after the incident. A close up of her chest reveals that she now has the Hell mark.

Impression:

This story is a major tragedy which could have been prevented if everyone stops pretending that they like the situation that they're in. If Emi didn't like what's going on, she should have stop herself before she feels that she's burdened with the responsibility. However, I think this story works in the context of Japanese society, where taking care your family is an important part of being a good children. I think this is still possible if Emi and her father realise that their mother/wife needs help and contacts the mental hospital. However, being in Japanese society probably prevents them from doing so. The reason that Hikikomori is prevalent in Japan is because the parents are often too ashamed to admit that their son is suffering from one. As a result, they continue to support their son's lifestyle. The same thing can be said about Emi's mother. Emi and her father probably think that they'll be embarassed if they have to send their mother/wife to a mental hospital.

There are actually few things that someone in Emi's position can do. She can move out of the house and cuts contact with her parents until they realise how important she is to them. This will also allow her to concentrate on her life. It'll be a hard life since it means she will have to support herself by working part-time but that's a small price to pay to get her sanity back. And if she does not want to do that then she should have rang the mental hospital by the time her mother starts to stroke the statue's head. It's likely that the neighbour is going to talk about it but again, that's a small price to pay if she can at least get the peace that she needs in the household. By using Ai, not only she condemns her own mother and herself to Hell, nothing seems to get resolved. Now her father is the one who becomes obsessed with finding her mother while Emi herself now believes that the photographs of her family are actually her family themselves.

Preview

On next week's episode: Fake Jigoku Tsuushin.

© memento 2003