Natsume Yuujin-chou, Episode #12 – Five Day Mark

Use the Fly Honey, Ness!

Pretty dank contrast to the usual festivity of THAT's front page, wouldn't you say? Episode 12 is finally here (don't blame me, blame the subbers if you must), and for a penultimate episode, it most certainly doesn't disappoint. Perhaps the writers were very insightful, and realized that they had mixed in enough lightheartedness and sensitivity to warrant a few drops of bitter business to keep things interesting. Apparently, they had an ace of their sleeves.

We, the viewer-collective, finally get to experience another run-in with the dark side of youkai purported by Mr. Maerimashita and his cousin's appearances. A bloodthirsty demon casts "Doom" on (a.k.a. 'curses') Takashi-kun with a five-day countdown. So, of course, Takashi struggles to break free from the curse with the help of his youkai pals. There may or may not be a moral here, I'm not sure, but there are definitely some edge-of-your-seat moments that play to an entirely different set of tastes, strangely, without losing that gentle NYC touch. This episode is a very satisfying climactic point for the series and was definitely worth the wait. As usual, count on Nyanko for the lulz.

Impressions:

Ah, puberty.

It's very odd that we haven't been exposed much to Takashi's romantic inclinations, other than a few blushes here and there. Never has Takashi seemed more refined and adult-like in contrast to his pals. If not that, he's running behind a few years, or he's too "fabulous" for that sort of thing :-> More importantly though, I guess I should point out that this is another rinse-and-repeat intro with Takashi's two friends. The evils of a limited time slot have demoted them from significant side characters to background noise.

Can anyone figure out what's wrong with this picture?

Correct me if I'm wrong (no, really), but since when do frogs get caught in spiderwebs? Seems a fairly strong indication that something is amiss (more on this later). But Takashi, being the openhearted, unassuming person that he is, doesn't make a big deal out of it and releases the frog.

FEE FI FO FUM!

Yes, that is a youkai in its mouth. The boss of this week's dungeon is an inky blob of pure evil, so nefarious that whoever managed to seal it was in such a rush that s/he/it didn't even bother to enshrine it; the captor simply tied it to a tree and left... or so it would seem. Takashi knows instinctively not to right cross it, but to run like hell instead. (Good thing those fight-or-flight instincts are still working.) But the big question on my mind is -- where was Madara???

Very nice 'shot.'

This was a really nice shot. I love nicely composed scenes like this one, especially since NYC spends an inordinate amount of time showing close-ups of the characters' eyes. While they may not be at all central to the plot, such scenes are equally important. They require a fair amount of time to produce and as such are usually found only sparsely in an anime that doesn't have a gold mine budget on hand to satisfy its every whim. That's what I love about studios like Production IG, who (in my experience) are easily recognized by their attention to visual perspective.

You know what they say about curiosity and cats...

But back to the story, Takashi made the unfortunate mistake of gawking a split-second too long at the black blob's cannibalistic glee and allowed himself to be touched by one of its tendrils. The demon left a curse on Takashi that slowly whittles away at the victim's energy until weak enough to be devoured (allusions to a spider, perhaps?) As for Nyanko-sensei...

The mark of evil muahahahaha!

...Nyanko adds to the error by touching the curse, which instantly screws up his ability to control the size of his restrained form. If just touching the youkai's curse was enough to damage the great Madara, I dare say he has finally met his match. My advice: sit this one out and have someone else take care of it.

Tantalize us with backstory hints, will you!

If it was not clear before that Madara shared a fairly significant relationship with Reiko, this little line drives the point home. Madara recommends using the yuujin-chou to summon one of the youkai for protection and assistance, as he lounges lazily in a... fried squid ring? Dreading as I was episodes with big flashbacks, I really have to admit that I'm very curious about Reiko's life; too bad we probably won't get to explore her past, at least not before the first season is complete. Which reminds me -- for anyone who hasn't heard the news, a second season of NYC has been announced!

Youkai transmutation is forbidden by law!

Whoever is behind this little scene is seriously lacking in scruples or, much less credibly, has NEVER seen Hagaren! Not only do we get a transmutation circle, but it comes complete with a hand-clap and an equivalently-exchanged mirror/drop of blood! At least they left out Takashi's maroon cloak from the promo pic. That would have been a bit much.

Misuzu! I choose you!

It should come as no great surprise that Misuzu made it onto Nyanko's first draft. Don't get me wrong, I am completely in love with Nyanko, but I have to admit that aside from him, Misuzu is the COOLEST youkai in the series, not only for size, strength, and speed, but also his even temperament. Misuzu has the air of a very respectable and wise elder.

Tantalize us with tales of yuri long past, will ye!

Misuzu calls upon Hinoe, a buxom, passionate lady youkai that used to be in Reiko's... service (I'll leave that open to interpretation.) Of course she goes through the same initial incredulous response when she finds out that Reiko is long deceased and that Takashi, a boy, is rightful heir to the yuujin-chou. I really enjoyed seeing what the yuujin-chou could do when put to proper use. It's a shame that Takashi-kun cannot find other excuses to thumb through it and call various youkai to his service. Then again, he probably lacks the strength to do anything but return the names. As we will come to find out, simply having the name of a youkai in the yuujin-chou does not prevent them entirely from acting on their own...

I'm gettin' the Silent Hill vibes, what with the new PS3 title coming out tomorrow.

Shame on Madara for making light of the shadow (no pun intended.) Actually, it's all the more reason that he needs to sit this battle out. He was unable to sense that this figure was actually a shadow-version of the demon encountered earlier, a puppet whose agility will increase proportionate to the amount of energy that he curse has drained from its victim . When the time is right, it will be able to strike at its leisure.

Details, details...!

This was a bit of an unexpected insertion (I'm referring to the pages, not the green tea.) It's fascinating what a few insignificant frames can do for character development. If nothing more, we are left with a vaguely and infinitesimally increased sense of Touko-san's character, or rather a heightened sense of mystery as to her true nature. I don't exactly know what the page reads, and I could be wrong, but I am fairly certain that the last katakana word translates to 'raifu', or 'life'. So -- something-life? The katakana below read 'furniture', 'chair', 'garden chair', etc. Maybe it's a catalog. Anyway, at least we know she *has* a life. Don't ask me what the kanji mean.

Lavi: Oubuta kobuta! Man! MAN!

From last week's previews, I expected this to be one of those "oh look I'm small now, what do I do!" episodes, but NYC has continued to evade some of the most explicit cliches. And it is as it should be. A second to last episode ought to be focused on the main character, not filler. When the shadow demon finally makes it inside Takashi's home, he decides that he needs to leave the house (under the pretense of staying over a friend's for three days) in order to protect his family. I'm not sure if this situation was the show's way of flirting with Takashi's earlier thoughts about leaving home permanently, but it definitely forced him to confront his desire to stay with Touko and her husband. And now, a haiku:

Will Takashi leave?

Or will he best the demon
And then return home?

{BEGIN RANT} Apparently one acclaimed anime wasn't enough, they had to rip off TWO before they would be sated at Brains Base! What am I referring to? Of course, the striking resemblance between the evil youkai and some of Miyazaki-sensei's supernatural creatures, that's what! Go watch Spirited Away if you don't believe me. I'm not implying that Miyazaki has a patent on youkai design, but still...! Even down to the big, flat hippo-teeth and purple tongue, they look soooo similar! {END RANT}

Goldeen Goldeen!

Having weakened significantly from the rapidly spreading curse, and with Madara incapable of interfering on his behalf, Takashi's last defense against the demon was a shiki. As ridiculous-looking as it was, the shiki that he managed to summon was heavily symbolic. I'll curtail the analysis and simply say that it was a very accurate representation and manifestation of his character -- a gentle, delicate, pure creature whose true strength lay far beyond the physical and visible.

You've been had!

Surprise, surprise! It was all a test. Misuzu led Takashi onto the path leading toward the evil youkai. For all we know, he might have sealed the youkai in the first place. Who can say. Did Takashi pass the test? No. But the youkai like him anyway, which says a lot. Veneration is not always achieved through brute strength.

Next Episode:

The final episode will be a curtain call cleverly disguised as a seasonal festival. I'm looking forward to it!