xxxHOLiC Manga Chapter 191 Review

xxxHOLiC Manga Chapter 191

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis: The blind woman feels the bachi and is able to determine that its color is black and that it has a butterfly motif on it. The woman says that the shamisen had been strummed by this bachi years before by a person who had played the instrument then. When Watanuki asks about this person, the blind woman simply states that they cannot meet again, implying the person is dead. She asks how long the bachi has been in the shop but Watanuki cannot answer as it came from before he started working at the shop.

The woman takes the bachi and strikes one of the shamisen's strings, resulting in Watanuki having a vision of the shamisen as the cat-eyed woman. Before the cat-eyed woman is a butterfly which turns into a man and that man embraces her from behind, leaving her with a happy smile on her face.

The vision ends and Watanuki sees that the bachi has shattered. The blind woman apologizes, stating that her instrument knew that if it was strummed by that bachi, it would die. As such, it stopped making music in order that its last note sounded might be from the bachi belonging to the man it loved. She further tells Watanuki that a woman wants to be the last woman of the one she loves.

The blind woman continues by discussing the fact that the shamisen was made from a cat's belly skin. The woman acknowledges that Watanuki likely had trouble with this fact and that his words about the cat having been a pretty one was to spare her feelings. Watanuki says that the woman overestimates him.

Thoughts/Review: So, case solved but we haven't had a payment for the wish yet. As such, we've still to see if Watanuki is charging and if so, how much.

I had thought that the bachi may have been Yuuko's since it had the butterfly emblem on it. However, that did not turn out to be the case, though I do wonder how the original owner of the bachi ended up using Yuuko-san's shop to have a wish granted. Of course, that's not an important item to the story (at least, not yet) and so I doubt we'll see any further backstory.

I do wonder about the blind woman's words to Watanuki concerning a woman wanting to be the last woman of the one she loves. For some reason, I couldn't help but think of Yuuko-san and how she loved Watanuki, not in a romantic way, but in an almost motherly way. On the flip side, Watanuki loved Yuuko-san, which is why he waits for her return (considering she's dead and the whole apparent purpose of the Tsubasa story is that the dead cannot be returned). I don't say his love for Yuuko-san is romantic either but I'd love to see Himawari-chan show up and see how Watanuki behaves around her.

So an odd story is coming to an end. Thankfully it was not long nor tedious like the cooking woman's story. *_*

The Quest for a Thanksgiving Meal in Tokyo

Tokyocooney has uploaded his humorous video blog post about being an American living in Tokyo during Thanksgiving.



I hadn't paid much attention to it, but he's right about the lack of ovens in Japan. I don't use mine so much for meats, but there are several dishes, including Cheese Casserole, that I need a big oven for. I'd miss that if I were to live in Japan again.

Yotsuba&! Manga Volume 4 Review

Yotsuba&!, Manga Vol. 4 <--BUY FROM AMAZON!

Ah, Yotsuba. ^_^

Things start out with the fun Yotsuba's father has with her by changing the rules of the game they are playing so that he always gets the win. I had to laugh because I remember how my Dad did similar things to us when we were young. *lol* Parent's don't lose. Things continue to be fun when Jumbo comes over and the two grownups act like kids over a badminton game.

The next story is fun as Jumbo and Koiwai take Yotsuba, Miura, and Ena on their first fishing trip. It made me remember my first fishing trip with my grandfather when I was five. Of course, I didn't have the easy time that the girls have in the manga as we fished in a regular, large pond. I've never heard or using farm-raised fish and putting them into a segregated section of a large stream so that they can easily be caught. It is a nifty idea though to take kids to a place to where they can easily catch fish though.

The trip to go shopping is my favorite of the manga because Koiwai forgets his wallet after they get there. Yotsuba mistakes the look on her father's face to be that he either needs to take a dump or has had a little accident in his pants. *LOL* Then Kotsuba does what only a kid can do -- ask a complete stranger to borrow money. *lol*

With the next story, Fuuka has heartbreak which gives Yotsuba something new to learn about. It also gives Fuuka's older sister Asagi a chance to have some fun with the moment by using Yotsuba's innocence to make Fuuka feel worse. Older siblings are evil like that at times. ^_^

The next story having Ena and Yotsuba go to an exercise class before Yotsuba has breakfast at the Ayase household. The aftermath of Fuuka's heartbreak comes to light here when Yotsuba decides to make a newspaper to report the truth.

The final story has Yotsuba wanting to end summer by being her interpretation of Tsukutsuku Boushi (a bug in Japan but which Yotsuba envisions as a summer fairy).

While this volume may not have been as funny, the charm of the manga is such that even as I wrote this review, I found myself just rereading the stories multiple times and enjoying myself immensely. Azuma-sensei is so gifted at both capturing the joys and wonders of being a child but also the fun of adults with children. As such, I always end up smiling a great deal even if the laughs weren't there. That's why I recommend this manga greatly.

Ah! My Goddess Ch. 251 Manga Review

Ah! My Goddess Manga/Oh My Goddess! Manga
ああっ女神さまっVolume 40 Chapter 251

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis: As Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and Keiichi (on board Hild's broom Glühen Desherzen) fly through the Niflheim corridor, Keiichi asks how much further they have to go. Belldandy doesn't know but Urd senses that Keiichi is in pain in his groin area and decides to have some fun. Neither Belldandy nor Skuld catch this and Belldandy is wanting Keiichi to show it to her so she can heal it. As such, he has Glühen Desherzen accelerate so that he ends up leaving the others in his wake.

Eventually, they come to the end of the line where a large door sits in their path with a sign welcoming Keiichi and company. Urd suspects a trap and keeps Skuld from ringing the doorbell with its ominous warning sign, but Belldandy rings it just the same, figuring this is the best way to go about things. The door open and a young mazoku girl answers, inviting them to follow her. They follow the path through what appears to be a cathedral, though the path they walk is over a maw with no apparent bottom. Urd warns Keiichi not to look down, so he does anyway and faints, forcing Belldandy to catch him.

The young mazoku girl asks why they brought a human like Keiichi here as he will not likely be able to pass the tests to get to Hagal. The girl decides that Keiichi is a "chicken oaf" which causes Keiichi to try to stumble forward on this elevated path. Glühen Desherzen has had enough and prods Keiichi repeatedly to make him hurry down the path, almost causing the little girl to fall off. As she picks herself up, she is astonished that Hild would lend Glühen Desherzen to Keiichi, causing her to wonder what kind of "chicken" he is.

Thoughts/Review: It seems like it has been a very long time since we've seen this playful side of Urd. I'm not talking about her tweaking Skuld but her seeing an issue with Keiichi and deciding to have some fun with it. Urd knew full well what would happened once she pointed out that Keiichi was in discomfort from riding Glühen Desherzen and Belldandy's predictable reaction was funny to me just the same. I didn't expect Skuld to show some concern as well though.

It seems that the young mazoku girl is a supporter of Hild if I've interpreted her reaction to seeing Glühen Desherzen right. I don't think she's one of the people that was with Hagal when the rebellion started. I could be wrong as Hagal is obviously well aware of Keiichi and company being within Niflheim. As such, this young girl may be nothing more than Hagal's welcoming committee. However, I think that because the girl is curious about why Hild sent Glühen Desherzen with Keiichi combined with certain other things, I get the feeling that she's obeying Hagal but will end up aiding Keiichi's party.

So, a nice chapter with a bit of humor and some advancement of the story to the next level. Its too bad that Ah! My Goddess is a monthly publication because this story looks like it is going to go on for several more chapters, at least through the end of next year. At least Fujishima-sensei has a pretty interesting story to tell so if he needs 14 more chapters, sobeit.

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE Manga -- Final Thoughts

NOTE: This review goes to the end of the Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE manga, so if you are only reading the Del Rey releases, there are spoilers here!

I first heard the announcement on some anime board of some kind or other that CLAMP were doing a new manga and that said manga would feature a teenaged Sakura and Syaoran from Cardcaptor Sakura. I had not read the Cardcaptor Sakura manga at that point, but I had seen the anime and loved it. So the idea of a sequel featuring the two as teens appealed to me. Then came word that it REALLY wasn't the same Sakura and Syaoran, but rather alternate universe versions of them and that Sakura spent most of her time in the manga asleep. I was a little disappointed but when Del Rey licensed the manga, I decided to buy it just the same. Talk about a roller coaster and not all good.

CLAMP starts things off with Syaoran and Sakura who live in what is known as Clow Country and who have known each other since childhood. One day, Sakura is drawn to some nearby ruins and sprouts wings who's feathers molt and disappear, leaving Sakura unconscious. After the series villain Fei Wong Reed sends an attack on Clow Country, the mage-priest of the land sends Sakura and Syaoran to the dimension where the so called Time-Space Witch, Yuuko-san, resides where she will give them help.

Elsewhere, the mage Fay seals his king and leaves to have his wish to travel granted by Yuuko-san. In Nihon Country, the ninja-samurai Kurogane is seen to be too bloodthirsty and so his master, the powerful miko-princess Tomoyo, sends him to Yuuko-san's place after placing a curse on him to teach him to not be so bloodthirsty. As a result, all four travelers arrive at roughly the same time. For Sakura and Syaoran, the goal is to travel to other worlds and gather Sakura's lost feathers which contain her memories. For Fay, the goal is to stay on the run since his king will eventually break free. For Kurogane, his goal is to eventually return to Nihon and to Princess Tomoyo's side.

The first nine and a half volumes are dedicated to these light adventure tales with a bit of mystery, romance, and comedy on the side. Each world they visit ends up with Sakura obtaining a new feather and more of her memories. They aren't a bad read, but it isn't anything too special either. For CLAMP fans, the biggest fun from this part of the manga comes from seeing various characters from other CLAMP titles show up in different worlds. These characters aren't identical to the originals, just as Syaoran and Sakura are not the same Sakura and Syaoran from Cardcaptor Sakura. So it is fun seeing old characters in new roles.

Basically, the manga at this point is enjoyable for what it is -- light adventure tales with a side of comedy.

In volume 10, CLAMP starts the Piffle World arc and things slow down tremendously. Two and a half volumes are dedicated to Sakura winning a flying vehicle race and it gets rather tedious. If I remember correctly, one of the members of CLAMP had suffered an injury which is why the manga drug out here. Regardless, the pacing of the Piffle World arc is so slow so that by the time volume 12 is over, I was ready to drop the manga completely. After all, if the rest of the manga was going to be this uninteresting, then there would be no point in continuing.

While reading the linked manga, xxxHOLiC, it was revealed that interesting things were happening again in Tsubasa, so I started reading Tsubasa again. Sure enough, volume 13 has the manga turn dark, violent, and bloody but also very interesting as CLAMP explores Kurogane's past. Also, CLAMP ramps up the mystery behind the two Syaoran's which comes to a head in volume 16, where CLAMP pulls a big plot twist. It is here that CLAMP changes Sakura's personality from bright and cheerful to dark but determined. CLAMP continues to keep things dark and heavy as they eventually explore Fay's tragic past.

By the time CLAMP gets the group back to Nihon Country in volume 22, they go for a second major plot twist. From here to the end of the manga series (volume 28), CLAMP takes the audience on a roller coaster ride that becomes more and more of a confusing jumbled mess. One gets the feeling that CLAMP simply grew tired of Tsubasa and decided to just wrap things up and in doing so, caused all this mass confusion.

That's where the manga ultimately fails for me. Even as CLAMP attempts to provide answers to Watanuki's (xxxHOLiC) connection with Syaoran and Sakura as well as Yuuko-san's and Fei Wong Reed's connections with everything, they end up muddying the waters so badly that it is frustrating. Folks should not have to reread things just to try to get a handle on what all is happening and still not be satisfied by what you are reading. I don't like reading a manga who's ending leaves me unsatisfied.

Speaking of unsatisfied, the character of Xing Huo, the female at Fei Wong Reed's side during the first half of the manga, turns out to be a complete waste of space beyond freeing a Syaoran. I wanted to know more about her but instead, CLAMP kills her off. I guess they didn't know what to do with her other than the one thing she did at the end of her time in the manga. Well, CLAMP did use her as a sounding board early on, but that role was taken over by others.

The epilogue in volume 28 has a Syaoran, Kurogane, Fei, and White Mokona continuing their travels with the implication that they'll now return often to Clow Country (and Sakura) as well as Yuuko-san's shop, now run by Watanuki. I rather doubt that CLAMP attempts to do more stories because there would only be a "been there, done that" aspect, but considering that CLAMP did not end xxxHOLiC, who knows what will happen.

Speaking of xxxHOLiC, the crossover aspects of the two manga titles is kept to a minimum. As such, for most of the Tsubasa manga, one does not need to have read xxxHOLiC. However, as the series nears its end, it gets harder and harder to not follow both titles as there are details in xxxHOLiC that may make things a bit less confusing for the reader.

In the end, Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE is an example of how CLAMP can and do go all over the place when it comes to their manga. They start as a standard shounen comedy-adventure series, then turn dark and violent enough to just about qualify Tsubasa as a seinen title before throwing in a plot twists and enough confusion in attempting to resolve plot threads that frankly left me getting ready to sell off my entire Tsubasa manga collection.

Negima! Chapter 272 SPOILER Images

Negima! 272 SPOILER Images
魔法先生 ネギま！Chapter 272 (Images)

Here's what I know many of you have been waiting for -- the original-sized, sneak-peek images for Mahou Sensei Negima! Chapter 272 SPOILER Images as brought to you buy anonymous Japanese fans (click pic to make bigger, y'all).


The Japanese were very busy while we were sleeping off Thanksgiving. ^_^

Negima! Manga Volume 24

For detailed chapter summaries of this volume with review, those can be found here.

• Chapter 214
• Chapter 215
• Chapter 216
• Chapter 217
• Chapter 218
• Chapter 219
• Chapter 220
• Chapter 221
• Chapter 222
  

Negima!: Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 24 <-- BUY FROM AMAZON!

We could call this volume "Negima! The Gathering" seeing as how most of the members of Ala Alba and the five tag-alongs came together, leaving only Yue (who was accounted for in the manga but not according to Ala Alba) and Anya to be gathered. We get to see the reunion of the folks and Akamatsu-sensei gives us a further tease of Asuna's memories coming to the surface for a brief time.

The highlights of this manga are two-fold. The first comes at the end of the volume with Fate and Negi having a little confab that a determined Setsuna and Asuna invite themselves to. That was a very cool moment and makes Fate blowing past their defensive stand show that they still aren't in the same league. ^_^; Negi and Fate having a conversation about tea seems almost odd, yet clearly is a way of conveying messages to the other without coming right out and saying something. I know you guys who aren't current with the manga are going to be eager to see how things turn out since the volume ends on a cliff hanger.

The other highlight of the manga is actually my favorite. This time, we get to see Nodoka with the group of Hellas treasure hunters get attacked by the bounty hunter group Canis Niger. While Nodoka doesn't come off awesome like Yue did last volume, Nodoka does show growth and increased courage in how she handled herself during the fight. She's not a fighter, but a supporting member of Ala Alba, designed to provide the others with intel on their opponents thoughts. With the four Hellas adults down for the count, Nodoka's being calm and using her new magic artifacts to work in conjunction with her pactio artifact to try to assist her is something I liked seeing.

Having shown us how powerful Canis Niger are after they trap Setsuna and Kaede, Akamatsu-sensei gives Negi a chance to show off what he's learned by coming to Nodoka's rescue. Further, Asuna gets her coolest moment of the manga to date by also showing up to pull Setsuna's and Kaede's butts out of the fire with her Magic Cancel ability while Negi schools four powerful bounty hunters. There's never a doubt about the outcome of the fight as it is clear what Akamatsu-sensei's intentions are. However, Akamatsu-sensei makes sure that even though you know the destination, the journey is still a fun one. ^_^

The remaining parts of the manga showing people getting back together, Yue and her team arriving at Ostia, and Jack's words to Negi about Asuna are all fine and certainly not a negative. There's some table setting in all that and as you guys know, I love how Akamatsu-sensei sets up his stories, often years in advance.

As before, the Limited Edition color artwork is not included with the Del Rey release. Either Del Rey is being cheap by not licensing it or the Japanese refuse to license the artwork because it is only for the Negima! otaku who paid big money to buy the LE manga with OAD disc. If you want to see what the LE art looks like (NOT SAFE FOR WORK), here you go (courtesy of Shiro Hane, aka: Shirobane).


As you see, Nodoka gets to sacrifice her clothing for the excited otaku.

A word on the name spelling of "Fate's Girls." Alethea and Athena went for the Latin spelling rather than what has been commonly accepted as the proper spelling of their names and that caused a bit of a stir in some places. Since Fate was performing a summoning, I think the twins went for the Latin spelling to indicate that he was still performing the summoning. I suspect that when the girls come into play down the road, their proper names will be used. I should check with Alethea and Athena about this though.

Update: I talked with Alethea and Athena and they will be using the normal Romaji spelling of Fate's girl's names during normal conversations. They used the Latin versions for Fate's summoning.

So, a good volume that sets the stage for Negi and Kotaro to finish the tournament, assuming Negi survives his encounter with Fate. ^_~

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone in the U.S. a "Happy Thanksgiving!" ^_^ I rather imagine much of the following images will be going on today. *lol*


Followed by some football and no doubt, some napping. ^_~


I hope you all have a fun and good day. ^_^

Urusei Yatsura - 125

うる星やつら episode 125 (TV anime)
Urusei Yatsura ep. 125 review


SPOILER Summary/Synopsis

Shuutaro has invited Lum and Shinobu to his large Mendou Marine Park and is not happy that somehow Ataru and Ten-chan got to come as well. Ten-chan is hiding from Lum since Lum is keen to teach him how to swim and her methods include the use of weights and piranha. When Lum shows up, Ataru happily gives up Ten-chan but as Lum attempts to attach a swimming fish device to Ten-chan, it gets stuck to Ataru instead. To his dismay, he finds he can't leave the pool until he's completed 200-meters, at which point the device will come off. To make it more interesting, Ataru attempts to use girls as his goal but it still takes a long time before he completes the 200-meters since the device works against him.

This is observed by Pool Youkai, who's taken up residence in the aquarium that looks out at the large pool. When Shuutaro gives Lum, Shinobu, and Ataru a private tour, they discover Pool Youkai, who is glad to see them but he has a problem. When Lum enters the water to sit at Pool Youkai's table, Shuutaro, Ataru, and Shinobu follow. Somehow, Lum is having no problems being underwater but Ataru and Shuutaro do because Pool Youkai holds them down to listen to his story.

Lum reveals she has a special oxygen candy and after everyone takes one, Pool Youkai reveals he's in love with Mimiko-san, the aquarium's resident blow fish. However, a large shark (Jaws the 3rd) has taken Mimiko-san for himself and bullies Pool Youkai. Lum decides to help and with Shinobu's help, they dress as mermaids. Ataru grabs Mimiko-san and brings the fish to Pool Youkai, who somehow confirms the feeling between them is mutual. Jaws the 3rd battles Shuutaro and Ataru as the kid that Pool Youkai had been staying with returns to take him and Mimiko-san home. Ataru is ticked, but as Lum and Shinobu cheer on, he and Shuutaro continue to battle Jaws the 3rd.

 

Thoughts/Review:

*lol* I'm not sure why the series has suddenly taken a strong interest in youkai, but I laughed as soon as I heard Lum say the first part of the episode title, "Pool Youkai!"

I don't remember the Pool Youkai but considering the others seemed to know him, I'm guessing I just forgot. That's not surprising considering the fact that I've been watching Urusei Yatsura off and on for a few years now. I'm bound to forget quite a bit.

As to the story itself, the first part with Lum wanting to teach Ten-chan to swim was only mildly amusing. It was pretty predictable that Lum would attach her swimming training device to Ataru and that it wouldn't come off. However, I was ready to just move on with things because I was pretty bored.

When the story hits Pool Youkai, there were a bit more amusing moments, but the story stayed just as boring. I did laugh at Ataru's and Shuutaro's attempts to get to the surface for air (which Shinobu had been allowed to do). However, that was about the only laugh for me. One would think that a great white shark battling a couple of high school kids might be funny, but it wasn't. Nor did I find the "I love a blow fish" aspect funny either.

Oh well. One never knows what quite to expect when it comes to Urusei Yatsura. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of the good episodes as far as I'm concerned.

White Album - 20 (Insane in the Membrane)

ホワイトアルバム Episode 20
White Album Ep. 20 review

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Menou pays a visit to Touya's apartment so when Touya goes out to buy beers for the two of them, he contacts her manager to get her out of the apartment. Ogata-san shows Yuki his collection of paintings of the same girl, only they aren't the same painting nor the same girl. Ogata has a brief mental breakdown and kicks everyone out of his private gallery. Yayoi returns and the two have a long talk in which Ogata orders her to strip naked and lick his shoes. At the end of their conversation, she begins to strip but Ogata stops her, having recovered some of his sanity.

Touya spends the afternoon with Rina as she practices after which he stops by the college and has a brief chat with Haruka. At the Student Affairs Office, he sees Yamamoto, who'd given him the job of tutoring Hana. Yamamoto asks him on a date in the student center and they are seen by Akira and Misaki. Touya and Yamamoto go to a French restaurant where Touya learns that Hana's mother is in fact President Kanzaki. When Yayoi shows up, Touya abandons Yamamoto with a bathroom excuse and leaves with Yayoi, who asks him not to see other women.

 

Thoughts/Review:

This episode above all others goes to show what a complete and utter dirt bag Touya is. Good grief. What he's done to Yuki and other girls is already unforgivable, but his treatment of Yamamoto by ditching her (and thus leaving her the bill) at an expensive French restaurant is just icing on the cake. I guess if Yayoi hadn't shown up, Touya would have banged Yamamoto. *_*

I'm stunned that Touya didn't try to bang Menou. Heck, it was pretty clear that she was game to give it up for him but instead, he summons her manager. Maybe he did that because he's working for Rina and thus indirectly for Kanzaki. As such, banging Menou might not be the smartest move on his part, though that's not stopped him before. Of course, he may be holding out for a night with Rina.

The weirdness of the series continues with no explanation of what happened between Arika and Misaki last week during their one cameo scene. This week had another scene of Akira yelling at Frankie, the Master of Echos but since we don't know why he was so angry, the moment makes no sense. Regardless, I can understand Akira's anger at Touya when he saw him with yet another girl. One wonders why they were friends at all since Touya's wandering eyes bothers Akira so much. Also, I found Misaki's asking about which girls Touya might be with would bother him interesting, especially after she coyly added herself into the mix and Akira didn't like that idea. I still think she carries a torch for Touya, though who knows why.

Ogata's basically being insane certainly came out of the blue. Until now, his obsession over a single painting didn't smack of pure insanity but just strong obsession. There are a lot of people like that but then now that I think of it, it is just a short step from obsession over a person or thing before slipping into total insanity. So maybe it shouldn't have been that unexpected that Ogata had lost it but was maintaining a facade all this time.

Its weird how Yayoi, despite knowing Ogata's fragile grip on reality, was willing to strip naked and lick his shoes as ordered. I knew she was willing to do whatever it took when it came to her job, as witnessed when she started banging Touya to keep him from Yuki. This seemed a bit much though, as did much that happened in this episode.

This anime continues to be strange and frankly impresses me less and less. The soap opera aspects of the series are getting somewhat tedious to me but I'll push this one through to the end.

Urusei Yatsura - 124

うる星やつら episode 124 (TV anime)
Urusei Yatsura ep. 124 review


SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Ataru tells Lum and Ten-chan the story of (Kaidan) Botan Dōrō, in which HAGIWARA Shinzaburo (Ataru) begins a love affair with a beautiful woman named Otsuyu (Ryoko). Otsuyu visits Shinzaburo nightly in secret (to avoid scandal) with her maid but as Shinzaburo's health deteriorates, a concerned neighbor discovers that Otsuyu is actually a skeleton. To keep Shinzaburo from dying, his house is covered with ofuda to keep the undead woman and her undead maid out, which must happen for thirty days. However, on the final night, Shinzaburo is tricked into thinking it is morning and opening the door, lets Otsuyu in, thus sealing his fate.

The story has Ten-chan scared and Ataru laughing as he goes outside to the neighborhood vending machine to get a Pepsi. However, he hears the sounds of wooden clogs, as he described Otsuyu making when she visited Shinzaburo and sees the peony lantern that Otsuyu carried. When Ataru doesn't return, Lum becomes concerned and arriving at the vending machine, she finds a dropped Pepsi can and Ataru's sandal. She hunts for him all night without success but returning in the morning, she finds Ataru has returned but is exhausted.

Ataru begins to eat less and less and each night, the sound of wooden clogs are heard and the light of the peony lantern seen, but nothing Lum, Ten, or Cherry attempt to do can keep Ataru from being taken away. Shuutaro gets involved after seeing that Ataru somehow is even eluding his spy satellite, thinking that Ataru's "paradise" is a place full of girls. He, Lum, Ten, and Cherry tail Ataru to Ryoko's school dorm where each one is knocked out and captured. Ataru is acting like a dog before Ryoko and her female classmates and reveals she's been hypnotizing Ataru. When her methods fail to work on Shuutaro, Cherry points out that she forgot an ingredient in her hypnotism dust, meaning Ataru has been pretending the whole time in order to be around so many girls. As a result, Lum lets loose on everyone, destroying the dorm in the process.

 

Thoughts/Review:

Well, another "youkai" episode, only this time the youkai is actually a ghost, or rather Ryoko playing the story. This is one of those stories that once the explanations for things come into play, as a viewer, I'm thinking, "OK, whatever." That started immediately with the floating lantern suddenly being revealed to actually be attached to the end of a long poll that's part of a small construction vehicle, driven by one of Ryoko's bodyguards. Considering that no one ever saw the vehicle nor the poll whenever Ataru was abducted, nor could anyone apparently follow Ataru until the very end (to include tracking satellites), the explanations ended up sort of ruining things to a degree.

Fortunately, the hypnosis angle combined with the revelation that Ataru was faking being hypnotized so that he could be around Ryoko and all her girlfriends made up for the weak "reality" explanations of the supernatural events. Lum's snapping at the end worked well since she got Ataru, the girls, and destroyed their dorm in the process.

I did some research and the Kaidan Botan Dōrō ghost story (sometimes known as The Peony Lantern) is a classic one in Japan, going back to the 1600's. There are apparently two versions of the story and this episode took bits from both (or so it appeared to me). So that was an interesting bit of Japanese cultural learning for me.

Overall, this was a mildly amusing story, though it had a decent entertainment factor until the Earthly explanations of the supernatural events.