Kamisama Dolls episode 04 – Kuuko’s Face When

Prepare yourself, this post will mostly consist of my unadulterated love for Kuuko.

Two new Seki were introduced in this episode, along with some possible hints at the struggle between the two families back in the village. Kyouhei snaps again, violently, at Aki, and Utao seems to have some sort of evil shota twin. But really, this episode was all about Kuuko and her forced detention binding and gagging welcoming of Aki into her apartment. After claiming her prize at the end of the last episode she takes Aki back for questioning…and gets a new roomate in the process.

The start of the episode is the part of Aki’s fight against Koushiro that we didn’t see last time. Aki was getting beaten up by Koushiro’s Uwazutsu that “never misses”, until its found out to be as predictable as a Jovian super robot’s Boson jumps and Aki figures out how to dodge it. Until Koushiro changes tactics and Aki’s on the defensive again, only to turn that around too by feinting with a pipe while Uwazutsu blocks and Aki’s kakashi has an opening. And he would have decapitated him too, if it weren’t for that meddling kid! The kid Seki features a little bit more after he saves Koushiro but it’s not until later that we even get to see his face. It is interesting to note that Aki’s jacket smelled bad for a reason: Uwazutsu can track opponents by scent. In such a short scene I did appreciate how much back and forth there was and how it stayed relatively logical instead of a typical shounen “I suddenly have a new attack that’s unrelated to my others!”

Things continue on back to the present and switch over to Utao and Hibino as they take care of Kukuri by scrubbing all the silt and mud off of it after the excursion to Odaiba. Given that they were in the shower room washing Kukuri and later took a bath I was expecting, dreading even, a lot of fanservice. As much as I’ve liked the past episodes I’ve always been worried that the show might reveal itself to be heavy on the fanservice (Hibino’s ever-growing bust size may have had something to do with this worry.) And while there was fanservice, it was fairly brief and not all that revealing, thankfully. And it at least set up Utao getting jealous because Kyouhei denied the siscon and only reacted to having seen Hibino in the bath when he ran in after Kukuri fell over and made a big crashing noise.

The Hyuga family is mentioned as having sent Koushiro, but the Kuga won’t be absent from this episode.

Aki still at least speaks of the kakashi as gods, and Koushiro’s words make me think that maybe the Hyuga are the revisionist faction vis-a-vis the traditional Kuga.

Thankfully Kukuri doesn’t shake off the water like a dog when you give it a bath.

Actually less visible than I was expecting. And at least it’s accompanied by DAT UTAO FACE.

I didn’t even care about the fanservice, I was too busy laughing at the look on Utao’s face.

Your jealousy is amusing, but this isn’t Yosuga no Sora.

I think, that when something is so cliche, and it’s presented well like this, I can kind of wrap back around and become funny again.

But on to more pressing issues, namely, Kuuko. My favorite slightly crazy paranormal investigator drags an unconscious Aki back to her junk-filled apartment like a fly back to a spider’s web. She then proceeds to strip him of his smelly clothes and then tie him up with duct tape over his mouth before proceeding to get her raepface on and menace him with an airsoft gun. An airsoft gun that she’s upgraded with a more powerful motor or gas cylinder. Obviously she has studied under the wise tutelage of Liang Qi in this respect. She demands to know what the kakashi is and shoot him with airsoft pellets pretty much from the start, a shoot-first-ask-questions-later-then-shoot again policy for which she’s come prepared given the large clip in that pistol. She has her fun for a while until Aki has had enough and summons his kakashi to cut through the ropes holding him and up to Kuuko’s thoat (and through the center of her shirt, in one stroke. But like the fight earlier, it’s not so simple and after talking for a bit Kuuko pulls out a tazer and shocks Aki into beating a hasty retreat. Just in time for him to run into Kyouhei and Hibino outside the apartment. Aki just can’t resist trolling Kyouhei hard once again and Kyouhei nearly beats him to a blood pulp for it this time. Chief among his provocations was when Aki said that Kyouhei was interested in Hibino because she kind of looks like their old teacher, which really set Kyouhei off.

Your membrane will be soft and fine and your heart will be miiine. It rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again.

DO NOT REFUSE KUUKO’S LOVE!

A little late…

So who’s the pervert?

And the counterattack. Kuuko is always well-armed and prepared.

Aki’s steel chair moment.

Even Kuuko thinks that’s a bit strong.

Aki makes his escape in dramatic fashion and Kuuko goes back in to change her shirt and set off after him, only to have him show back up later as her new roommate. It’s not a bad assumption on his part that the last place people would come looking for him is the place where he was held captive and escaped by jumping off a railing. YES! Not only is this good because I ship them, but my two favorite characters will be interacting on a regular basis now. And they’re both devious and driven enough to constantly try and get the better of each other. Elsewhere Utao is lost and ends up running into the newest Seki while Kyouhei and Hibino are elsewhere. This shota evil twin of Utao’s is apparently related to her, hidden away by the Kuga family his entire life. And he seems to have some sort of grudge or obsession with bullying Utao, though in fairness she throws the first kakashi punch when she summons Kukuri after being creeped out by shota evil twin. Kyouhei and Hibino eventually get dragged into the fight where either shota evil twin is better at controlling his kakashi or has a stronger one. Kyouhei recognizes the kakashi, Takemikazuchi, but not its Seki. Since shota evil twin mentions the Kuga hiding his existence, he might be the one representing that family outside of the village.

I…I kind of don’t mind fanservice when it’s Kuuko. OH THE SHAME!

I hate him already. At least Koushiro just gives off the impression of a guy doing a job, the evil little shota seems to enjoy attacking and messing with Utao.

Seems like a slimmer, quicker sort of kakashi more like Aki’s. Apparently no relation to the 1121st’s Takemikazuchi.

Final Thoughts: - Kuuko is just too awesome. Devious, forceful, always prepared and resourceful. This episode definitely shot her up to the favorite character spot for me. I just hope the next episode or two has more Suou, as I’m also a fan of her.

- I’m hoping that something along the lines of my theories about the feuding families plays out. For now things seem fairly unified in the attempt to catch or kill Aki but it appears that each of the two Seki that have arrived recently have different ‘sponsors’ within the village. The village as a whole seems like a pretty messed up place; I’m with Aki on that one. Both families might be equally bad. In which case I hope there’s some great ‘enemy of my enemy’, Zeta Gundam-style plays and counter plays where factions become friends and then enemies at the drop of the hat in an ever changing balancing act. But as this is only 13 episodes and isn’t likely to have anywhere near the level of politics of Zeta Gundam, I’ll settle for some nice three- or four-way fights.

- I guess Kyouhei or Aki (or something one of them caused indirectly) caused the death of their sensei, but damn Kyouhei, he really snapped. The punches just kept coming and coming and Aki didn’t even get a return shot in. That sort of angst/anger against one person because of the death of another isn’t exactly new in anime but it is being taken to a level that it’s not in most series of this kind. I like it. It makes Kyouhei less of that annoying sort of white knight male lead and gives him something to work on and perhaps a trigger to cause him to screw up.