Jigoku Shoujo 3: Mitsuganae discussion thread

[something]

Huh, no thread yet. I'm interested to see how they begin this season, given how Futakomori ended. They can't just go with business as usual without some kind of explanation.

Right now this seems slated for 13 episodes, but with the first two both going two cour, I imagine this will too. On the other hand, while I liked those, I would be interested in seeing what a more plot-heavy one cour season could do, with less episodic stories and more of a concentrated narrative to tell. Time, as always, will tell.

Ep 1 thoughts will go in a reply to avoid having spoilers in the root post.

ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=9678) entry. Note: Huge spoilers, if you haven't seen the first two seasons in their entirety. Of course, if you haven't, you really shouldn't be in this thread anyway.
Official (http://www.jigokushoujo.com/) site.
Schedule (http://cal.syoboi.jp/tid/1460/time) for airing dates and times on various stations.

Note
As usual, please try to follow these three easy forum courtesy habits when replying:
1) If you're the first person to post about an episode in any given week, please respond to the root post (this post) and indicate in the subject line which episode you're posting about.
2) If someone has already posted about an episode before you, please respond to that post (or a relevant reply to that post). Keep in the right subthread.
3) Don't use the blue "Post Reply" button because it causes your reply not to correctly inherit the subject line of the post you're replying to. Just click "Quote" to the post you want to reply to.

Thanks.

[something]

Episode 1:

- OP isn't up to par with either of the first two, visually or musically. It's not bad though. Interestingly, Ai is not in it at all.
- The pre-OP narration does introduce a young boy, though. And he shows up (right after Kikuri) in a bath that Ren is busy cleaning.
- I'd forgotten how strange Kikuri's voice was. She finds Wanyuudou, and tells him to follow her. He does.
- Hone Onna's turn, this time with the blue butterfly that keeps appearing, Its reflection in the mirror is... Ai! Molesting a cherry with her mouth again. So Ai's three servants have each come into contact with someone interesting. Are they being called for the same reason, or multiple purposes?
- Seems they all know each other, and the boy is named Yamawaro. He looks after Kikuri. None of the five have any idea why Ai has returned, however. And Kikuri currently needs to be wound up via a spring since she possessed a toy and doesn't have a body of her own. :sd:
- As for this episode's 'grudge', it looks like a student hating a strict teacher. Pretty typical I think. One of these three girls looks like a girl from the OP and promotional art though.
- And that's the one the blue butterfly is following...
- Holy shit, so that's where that piece of fanart came from. That was, well, really fucking hot. The girl ::looks up her name - Mikage Yuzuki:: is bathing when suddenly the butterfly enters, dissolves, and Ai comes out of the water naked. She embraces Yuzuki, then pulls her underwater and kisses her. ...Oh hell yes.
- It seems like Ai has possessed her. In the same way that Kikuri (who was in the form of a bouncing ball) had to possess the doll to have a body, Ai (the butterfly) has made her own choice.
- But Yuzuki's friend is going to extreme lengths to get their teacher fired, and Yuzuki is being dragged along.
- Teacher doesn't fall for it though, and Itsuko's parents catch her instead. And it's off to calling upon Ai for revenge.
- This time the "Yamawaro" boy becomes the doll. Itsuko recoils at the idea of going to hell too, so for now the string remains unpulled. Yuzuki sees what happens...
- But she ups the ante with the teacher by openly defying him. She's being a real bitch here, and so far the blame is entirely on her.
- Well, ok, it's shared a bit. I still don't think he's evil, but he's totally a bit of a prick. Nothing damnation-worthy, but he does seem to take some small pleasure in freaking his students out.
- Oh man, that looks painful. As the string is pulled, Ai comes out of Yuzuki's body. Doesn't look pleasant.
- Ahahahah! The revenge hits new levels of cheesiness. Ai in a bee costume! Wahaha, are they even taking these seriously anymore? I think they ran out of ideas back in season one. But that's okay, we get a great "Ippen, shinde miru?" out of our goddess Noto Mamiko. Fuck yeah <3
- And it turns out the teacher wasn't writing anything in that notebook at all. He didn't throw away Itsuko's mp3 player either. His actions are still a bit questionable but he clearly wasn't at all a bad person. GG Itsuko, you dumbass!

So no explanation yet on Ai, though thinking about it it makes sense that she can't really "die". She was dead already, anyway. What does need to be answered, and not just to the viewers but to Wanyuudou and the rest, is why she decided to come back...

[something]

Episode 2:

- Wow, what? A completely new OP sequence. o_O Maybe this is the real one? Mmm, Ai x Yuzuki making out...
- Ah, continuity, I hardly know how to handle you in a Jigoku Shoujo series! Yuzuki (of course) and Akie are back, talking about Itsuko. We also meet three other friends of theirs, called the 'Amigos'. One of them is Asumi Kana! <3
- The character this time is Akira, a boy from Yuzuki's apartment complex. He seems to be ni love with an older woman who runs a shop. He, er, buys single batteries for 47 yen one at a time in order to see her more. :sd: Poor kid, he's obsessed.
- And some creepy looking guy is watching the lady from outside. Well, unless they start with the twists again, this plot just revealed itself in full.
- Ok, no twists, this is ridiculously straightforward. The man is her husband, and he ties her up and beats her because he think she's into the young boy. And so, the boy is going to send him to tell, clearly. The revenge can't come soon enough. What a bastard. Take one for the team, kid!
- Hah, one little problem. He doesn't know the guy's name. Yuzuki sees this and knows he's going to share Itsuko's fate. You know, I wonder what happens if he puts the wrong name down.
- Ah, Seiji. Sounds pretty unequivocally male, so I don't think he'll damn the woman by accident. :sd:
- XD! Two boys in the "Jigoku Shounen Club" play a prank on Yuzuki, so she slaps them and runs. Then Akie smacks them with a broom and says "Ippen, shinde miru?" XD
- The man's abuse gets ever more physical, and Akira has had enough. He calls Ai, and gets the straw doll. The show has a weird little comedic side in these two eps. First bee Ai, now soccer girl Ai. :sd:
- Akira asks Yuzuki for some advice and she tries to warn him (er, I mean, "his friend") off of doing anything rash but it doesn't work.
- Akira tries to convince the woman to run, but she refuses. The husband shows up and starts beating them both, and the string is pulled.
- The revenge is... well it's pretty damn hilarious. These things are weird, surreal bits of comedy in an otherwise pretty serious show, and for some reason I really enjoy the juxtaposition. The plug up the ass and Ai wielding a plug like a spear were the best XD
- "Please come back tomorrow." She's going to kill herself. I just totally know she's going to kill herself.
- ...Or she'll just disappear. Same idea. No hot older lady lovin' for you, Akira.

It's still episodic, but it's episodic with characters we'll actually be seeing again, for the most part. I think this season is off to a great start.

[Sly05]

I'm glad that there seems to be greater continuity between episodes, but I still wish they would do away with the lame sending people to hell torture sequences. Ai's transformation sequence (I guess you can call it that) is suitably creepy. Why can't the torture sequences be creepy as well?

The introduction of yuri elements is certainly a big addition to the series. I'm sure something's comments about it in his posts have already sent a flood of people to go watch it. Naked kissing scenes and creepy, naked transformation sequences ahoy!

I'm mostly positive on the new series so far though it already exhibits some of the problems of the first two (one of which I already mentioned). Given the ending of Futakamori, I'm not quite sure what the series has left to tell, but for now, I'll once again be along for the ride

[something]

I'm mostly positive on the new series so far though it already exhibits some of the problems of the first two (one of which I already mentioned).
I think the cheesy, comedic vengeance sequences are going to be one of the highlights for me now. They've just gotten so incredibly silly with them that it can only be intentional. Intellectually, I know it totally screws up the overall tone of the show, but when I watch I can't help but smile at the bizarre shift. It's all like SERIOUSSERIOUSERIOUS wtf Bee Ai SERIOUSSERIOUSERIOUS. That should annoy me, but quite the opposite happens instead. :sd: I'm also not into horror or creepy things, so a little dash of absurdity helps lighten the mood, I guess.

Besides, the vengeance scenes are just an excuse to hear "Ippen, shinde miru?", which Noto Mamiko is delivering with an awesome little hint of desperation in her voice in these eps.

[Sly05]

I know they are going for absurd with those scenes but it just don't work for me. I find my self rolling my eyes during them. The "Ippen, shinde miru?" losses much of its weight because of it. An eternity of being subjected to that comes across as being more embarrassing for the victim as that is apparently the best that hell can do? :sweat:

[Ashyukun]

I was definitely worried about how they'd handle continuing this after the end of Futakomori, but so far I'm quite satisfied with it... though I hope they reveal a bit more as the show goes on- it's pretty hard to believe after what happened in the previous series that despite apparently having earned her freedom (and that of her loved ones caught up because of what happened in the past) that she'd come back and willingly take up the mantle (or kimono) again- not to mention doing so with no signs of remorse when it's obviously an unfair cursing.

As for the elements of silliness... it really doesn't bother me that much truth told. I cracked up when the Bee Ai showed up in the first episode, and the second ep's was amusing as well. It's creepy in its own way... though I kind of miss Ai's giving the curser a taste of/look at what they'll have to look forward to if they go through with the contract like she did early on- it seemed a bit more weighty when they actually got to see what was in store as opposed to the somewhat nebuluous 'you'll go to hell too'.

Irrelevant though, it's still Jigoku Shoujo- maybe not at its best, but it's still damn good.

[something]

Episode 3:

- Yuzuki is depressed =(
- Yeah, looks like this is our real OP. I like it. Especially the kissin'
- After a movie shoot, an idol named Jun is saved by Yuzuki and Akie when they see some fat perv harassing her. To thank them she invites them along to dinner at her hotel.
- But as they're arriving to dinner, a shady looking woman hands them an envelope letter and tells them to give it to Jun.
- Dinner goes really well but at the end they hand over the envelope thinking it's a fan letter. Turn out it's naughty pictures of Jun >_>
- For some reason, after they leave Masako comes up and starts spewing her life story at them, as if they care. Weirdo.
- Hah, turns out Jun was a giiiiiiiiant bitch, both to Masako and in general.
- But Masako isn't all there either. She makes Akie and Yuzuki listen to her awful, awful singing. She's clearly begging for attention, and has no idea how bad she is. Even when Jun comes by and sincerely apologizes, it's not enough. She wants Jun either to retire, or to get her into Jun's agency. But... you suck, Masako. Even Jun's recommendation won't get you through. Go take some advice from Kyouko in Skip Beat =P
- Yeah, Jun is awesome. She tells Masako the honest truth. Sure, she's sorry about how mean she was in the past, but that has nothing to do with the fact that Masako has no talent. Unfortunately her well-intentioned honesty is gonna get her sent to hell. =( So far two out of three revenges this season were against characters that didn't deserve it.
- Hmmmm. I still think it'll happen, but they're mixing things up a bit. Jun's agency bribes Masako with 3 million yen for the photos, and while at the concert, she even makes a special announcement between songs apologizing to an unspecified girl in her past who she was mean to.
- But it's not enough, and Masako pulls the string. You stupid, stupid girl.
- Hahah, no surprise, the revenge this time is Enma Ai-dol.

The episodes where innocent or undeserving people are send to hell always leave me conflicted, because it really makes Ai seem villainous, even though she's very much not. But that was easier to say in the first two seasons when we knew why she was going what she was doing. This time, we don't know why, and I hope they don't wait until the end of the show to explain it to us.

Her penance should have been complete, her punishment served. Why did she come back? Why does she accept these jobs? Also missing is a sense of the burden that this hateful job places on her, like we saw in season two. It took a toll on her and they showed that. But she has so far shown no sense of discontent or sadness this season. Partly, fo course, because we haven't seen much of her in general.

I know it's early, but given how emotionally draining these episodes can occasionally be, they really owe it both to Ai and to the viewer to establish a context for why she's returned as the jigoku shoujo. Sooner rather than later.

[Sly05]

Another episode with someone getting sent to hell who doesn't really deserve it. The bus incident certainly wasn't the guys shining moment but I think everyone has an occasion or two in which they should have stood up for somebody but didn't.

One thing I liked about Futakomori (which something reminded me about in his post on episode 3) was Ai's remorse at her job. We really don't get that here. The guy getting sent to hell asks if he can get a second chance so fulfill he dream to become a prosecutor and make up for his lack of action then. In response Ai gives him is her usual "want to try dieing once?" speech. I was hoping that the episode would break from tradition as Ai shouldn't be bound to the same restrictions that were placed on her before. I heartily agree with something that Ai that the reason for Ai's return needs to get addressed early on in the series.

On another note, is it just me or were the animators taking special care not to directly show the school nurse's face? It would be cool if she turned out to be the adult Tsugumi. What little we saw of her showed a resemblance.

[something]

Oops, got beaten to this one. ::reposts::

Episode 4:

- Huh, are we doing something of a flashback revenge?
- Ahahaha, this episode cracks me up. Some boy (Takeru) is being bullied by some real pricks, but he just accepts it despite the school nurse saying she'll help. But one time they tie him to a tree, naked, and pel him with snowballs. But he's saved by a 22 year old kendo dude (Shin) who is studying law in college. I'm pretty sure Takeru just turned hard gay for Shin.
- Shin tells Takeru to start doing kendo to get stronger.
- And whahaa, yes, tooooootally gay. Yaoi blossoms in the sweat-drenched dojo! As the smell rises, so does their ::censored::
- So anyway, Takeru gains both strength and confidence, and apparently that's where the storyline catches up to present day, with Yuzuki making note that he seems like a new person.
- Hahah what the fuck Kikuri? Takeru and Shin are on a bus headed somewhere or other, and suddenly Kikuri in her wind-up body causes the bus to screech to a stop since she's sitting in the way. :sd:
- A yakuza badly harasses a passenger on the bus (and then presumably worse later) but nobody stands up for him, Shin included. This totally destroys Takeru's delusions about Shin's perfection... so he sends him to hell. And then after killing his best friend and damning himself, he goes back to being the weak, self-loathing lackey he was before.

Good going, dipshit.

Jeeze, this was one of the stupidest revenges ever. What kind of delusional son of a bitch is Takeru? We're three for four with completely undeserving people being sent to hell. In some ways it's more interesting than a straightforward "bad guy bites the dust", but I can only take so much before it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I hope they mix things up a bit more soon. But at present we're not getting the more interesting twists that season two was really good at. We've also lost some of the involvement of Ai's henchmen in the episodes that we got before. And I really hope they don't try to be episodic nearly all the way to the end again, but I know they will... Oh well, I still like the show, even if I feel like it has SO much potential it'll never tap into.

So, anyway, who wants to bet that the final arc is about Akie seeking revenge and Yuzuki trying to stop her? Also, I've stopped watching the next ep previews since they often give everything away.

[something]

One thing I liked about Futakomori (which something reminded me about in his post on episode 3) was Ai's remorse at her job. We really don't get that here. The guy getting sent to hell asks if he can get a second chance so fulfill he dream to become a prosecutor and make up for his lack of action then. In response Ai gives him is her usual "want to try dieing once?" speech.
Yeah, this revenge was particularly bad. And not in the "so bad it's good" Bee Ai way. There was nothing to it, just him beating a drum and very reasonably arguing for a second chance. Ai's henchmen just watch and smile. Ai does her standard line and nothing else.

I really don't think they could decide where they were going with this episode and kinda lost steam after the pretty well done and amusing yaoi buildup. I mean, sure, I guess they were driving home the fundamental injustice and futility of human existence and stuff, but it was just handled so weakly.

On another note, is it just me or were the animators taking special care not to directly show the school nurse's face? It would be cool if she turned out to be the adult Tsugumi. What little we saw of her showed a resemblance.
I too noticed that they seemed quite stubborn about hiding her face, though I didn't think of Tsugumi...

Mostly because I think of this season as happening not long after Futakomori, but it could easily have been about the 10-15 year gap they'd need for Tsugumi to age that much. It's just that there was no such gap inbetween season one and two. Another reason why is that you'd think the Jigoku Tsuushin would have faded from kids' consciousness over such a long period with it not doing anything. If Ai were gone for 10-15 years it seems like it'd fade away like any trendy urban cyberlegend. Of course, I may be putting more thought into this than the creators did. And the idea of it being Tsugumi is pretty cool (because I <3 her), so I hope I'm wrong.

Another thing bothering me about this season is hearing poor Yuzuki scream in pain every time Ai manifests. Poor Yuzuki. ;_; Ai better apologize later.

...Sexually.

[Ashyukun]

I wholeheartedly agree that they'd better do something in the way of explaining Ai's return soon... because more and more contrary to the earlier series I'm finding far more fault with her in much of this than anyone else. Even moreso given the fact that by and large it was Kikuri's fault for what happened on the bus- though Team Jigoku was already watching the kid from before, so perhaps they had some clue as to what was coming.

Part of me wants to think that it's not really the Ai that we know from before and instead some other spirit has come in her place. Even if I'm dead wrong, I hope they do a good job of explaining everything and soon- I'd really hate to end up having this series bringing down how much I enjoyed the first two.

As to the nurse being Tsugumi- that's an interesting prospect. And you're right- they did seem to take considerable efforts to not show her face. It's hard to gauge just how much time has passed since the end of Futakomori.... Wanyuudo and co. wouldn't age, so they're not much of a good indicator. Further complicating things is the final scene of Futakomori with the girl getting the Jigoku Tsushin message on her cell phone. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

And I wouldn't be surprised if one of the final episode involved the friend trying to take revenge. My thoughts were that perhaps someone would try and take revenge on Yuzuki- and instead of being sent to Hell Yuzuki gets given the option to take over for Ai....

[Sly05]

Mostly because I think of this season as happening not long after Futakomori, but it could easily have been about the 10-15 year gap they'd need for Tsugumi to age that much.
Wasn't Tsugumi a couple years older when she made her brief cameo in Futakomori? There doesn't have to be that huge a leap in years for her to have finished school and gotten a job. The end credits, take them for what you will, also seems to imply that Ai is one in long series of Jigoku Shoujo and we know that Ai herself has been working for quite a while. I think her legend would have some staying power given that real urban legends tend to do the same. I don't know though, it's all speculation on my part. She's the only one who comes to mind for who the nurse could be and why lengths might be taken to avoid immediately revealing her identity.


Another thing bothering me about this season is hearing poor Yuzuki scream in pain every time Ai manifests. Poor Yuzuki. ;_; Ai better apologize later.

...Sexually.
I kind of hope Ai's not setting her up to be the next Jigoku Shoujo as, unless they throw something completely out of left field like Yuzuki secretly having murdered someone, she hasn't really done anything to be condemned that way. Those transformation scenes are kind of disturbing and oddly erotic at the same time. I prefer the part where Ai materializes though. I love the choice of music.

[something]

Wasn't Tsugumi a couple years older when she made her brief cameo in Futakomori? There doesn't have to be that huge a leap in years for her to have finished school and gotten a job.
Possibly, I don't remember. She seemed young both times, but may well have been older the second time around.

::checks scenes in 1st and Futakomori:: She might be a bit older in Futakomori, but it's impossible to tell how much. Could be six months, could be a couple years. I'd call her 15, tops, in Futakomori so figure another ~7+ years to compete school and become a nurse. But as you said, if Ai is just one more jigoku shoujo in a line, then the legend could live on.

I kind of hope Ai's not setting her up to be the next Jigoku Shoujo as, unless they throw something completely out of left field like Yuzuki secretly having murdered someone, she hasn't really done anything to be condemned that way.
Agreed. While a chain of Jigoku Shoujo as shown in the ED is quite interesting, it's not an enviable job. And thus putting Yuzuki in that situation would require some major major convincing on their part to make me accept it.

Sigh, there are a LOT of things this season needs to do, but I'm trying not to raise my expectations too high. I'd like for it to get confirmed as two cour, but only if they're going to completely break the formula and finally give us an extended, Ai-centered plotline. And not just a few eps at the end.

[Sly05]

Someone a little more deserving gets sent to hell this time. A teacher gets falsely accused of harassing and the students overprotective grandmother goes out of her way to villainize her. The conclusion didn't leave a sour taste like episode 4, so I did end up enjoying the episode more. I am continuing to enjoy the new recurring characters and like Yuzuki quite a bit. I'm also looking forward to the Amigos getting more of the spotlight. Hopefully nothing too bad happens to them.

More interesting than the episode itself was the next episode preview. It looks like a student has a crush on Ren whose taken up the guise of a teacher and wants to use Ai to get rid of Hone Onna who she thinks is her rival in getting his affection. That is a change of pace for sure.

[jlazar]

Someone a little more deserving gets sent to hell this time.

Yeah, definitely a better ending than the past few. Renewed my interest in continuing watching. If it was another innocent victim, I didn't think i would keep watching.

Kind of interesting how it was a toss up between the grandmother and student until you saw the grandmother wake up alone. Although in this case, maybe Ai could have offered a two-for-one deal. :)

Next episode should be interesting. How can you send someone to hell that's already been there? :)

[Ashyukun]

Was definitely nice to see someone deserving get sent to hell again. I halfway wondered which she'd send, but I kind of figured it was going to be the bratty student, as she was the source of the whole problem. I still wish they'd do more in explaining things with Ai's return, but it looks like next episode might be an opportunity for explaining some of that, since it'll involve at least some explanations involving Hone-onna if someone is going to try and send her to hell...

[jlazar]

Wow. Either the preview for this episode was mistranslated or the people making the anime pulled a fast one on us. :)

Turns out the girl student was in love with Hone Onna (and she's not alone).

Kind of wished the revenge on Ren wouldn't have been sent back so quickly to see how that would play out (seemed such a let down). But it was still an interesting twist on what I *THOUGHT* the episode would be like. And those are usually the better Hell Girl episodes, as this was for me.

[Sly05]

Yeah, given the fact that the series already tends to beat you over the head with yuri (I'm not saying that's a bad thing), we should just assume that every relationship in the series will be a homosexual one.

[Ashyukun]

Re-starting this thread in the proper place under the main post....

Ep. 6 would have been interesting to see what would have happened with seriously trying to send one of the Straw Dolls to Hell, but as it was this was a pretty good episode. It's always the quiet ones who are the most evil in this show... you'd think I would have learned this by now.

What interested me the most though was Ai's getting injured during the pre-trying-death sequence and it carrying over to when she was on the ferry- it was the first time we've seen her show any sign of weakness this series, and even before she's been nigh on invulnerable (outside of the last few eps. of Futakomori, for obvious reasons). I was half wondering if we'd get a postlog with Yuzuki suffering from the effects of the kick herself... maybe that will show up in the next episode.

Still no movement on explaining things with Ai... MAL is showing this as being a full 2-cour series, so at least it doesn't mean that they're halfway through and still not explaining things, but I still wish they'd hurry up and at least give some hints to it.

[something]

Episode 5:

- Oh jeeze, what a bitchy grandmother. Though I guess Katase is really behind it. She's acting too innocent.
- Well, no, really doesnt seem like Katase wants this to happen. And honestly, I don't care who is to blame, grandma needs to go to hell regardless. Though it would be nice if Niiyama didn't need to damn herself to do it.
- God I hate these whiney (grand)parent type characters. Die die die die die.
- Yuzuki seeeeees~~
- Well, the school is doing the typical thing of not confronting the parent and letting them rant and rave, but at least they're not immediately turning to drive Niiyama out. They at least admit among themselves that the old bitch is a loon. Of course, they're all just in it to save face.
- Heh I love Kikuri's weekly wind-up sessions.
- Yeah, what the fuck Katase? You go to hell too with your stupid bitch grandmom. Ai, won't you let Niiyama choose two? They're both total twats. Arrrrrrgh.
- This is interesting though, I think this is the first time someone has had two people that they wanted to send to hell. So the question becomes... which one? I vote the student. That way you take out the dumb little girl, and leave her grandmother a destroyed mess of a woman for her last, pathetic, crazed years. Two for one! Two for one! REVENGE! DAMNNATION! WAHOO!!
- Hah! XD Everyone tries to pull the string before Ai tells them about the second grave, and usually Ai just continues on. But this time she's all "I'm not done talking!"
- Oh wow, she knew. I think she's the first one who did. Of course, the episode is almost over so she kinda had to.
- Yuzuki ;__; It still bothers me every time to hear her scream like that ;__; Because, man, I absolutely LOVE her. Like, way way more than I should given how little development she's gotten.

...Woah, wait, what? I didn't realize we were THAT close to the end. No revenge scene! No "Ippen, shinde miru?"!! I... I'm shocked. [Edit: Wow, I'm the only one who commented on this fact?]

[something]

I still wish they'd do more in explaining things with Ai's return
It's almost reaching the point of farce just how blatantly they're dodging that whole enormous question.

[Ashyukun]

...Woah, wait, what? I didn't realize we were THAT close to the end. No revenge scene! No "Ippen, shinde miru?"!! I... I'm shocked. [Edit: Wow, I'm the only one who commented on this fact?]
Nope, I complained that we didn't get to see what kind of hell the brat had to face- kind of annoying since this was one of the first ones in a while that I've wanted them to get their comeuppance.

[something]

Episode 6:

- Hah! What the fuck? She inputs Ren's name, and Kikuri comes out and gives her an eyeball? XD
- God I could watch this show for the OP animation alone. Yuzuki is so damn cute, and Ai making out with her is just... oh hell yes.
- Ahahahahh! This is hilarious. His crime... is being too beautiful! XD
- Hone-onna has fans too. Stupid, bitchy fans. I love the bone bandage!
- Heh, as I figured, it's not that she loves Ren so much she hates him, it's that she loves Hone-onna so much she wants to remove Ren from the picture XD
- This episode has me laughing too much. They can't try and make this SERIOUS BUSINESS, it'll just come off way too silly.
- ::blinks:: What the fuck? What just happened? Why did she rip the bandaid off? And the music got way way creepy.
- BWAHHAA! Lookit mah bandaid! OOH I SHOWED YOUUUUU! I can totally see this ep going the way of the bitch girl sending black haired girl to hell instead. (I didn't watch the preview after 5...) :sd:
- Yep! Oh boy. This time it comes mid-ep so I guess we'll get a revenge.
- Sweet, the poor victim girl turns into the bully. And she's SO good at it. So we have a bully and a bully, and they're both totally gay for Hone-onna. I can't take this ep seriously, but it's becoming one of my favorites. XD
- Yuzukiiii!! ;________;
- OHMYGOD AIINGYMCLOTHES!! BU-RU-MA! BU-RU-MA! BU-RU-MA!
- I can't stop laughing. This is the best ep of the season. XD
- Haha oh god, Ai's speech was interrupted as she clutches her side in pain. :sd:

That was AMAZINGLY SILLY and I loved it. If the show isn't going to frickin explain itself for anything that actually matters, it really might as well just jump the shark and make me laugh. There's much potential for hilarity in the setup, odd as that sounds.

[something]

What interested me the most though was Ai's getting injured during the pre-trying-death sequence and it carrying over to when she was on the ferry- it was the first time we've seen her show any sign of weakness this series, and even before she's been nigh on invulnerable (outside of the last few eps. of Futakomori, for obvious reasons).
Maybe, but I just figured it was meant for comedic value. I mean, Ai has been set on fire before (thinking of the Jigoku Shounen ep) and took no damage, so could a schoolgirl really injure her with a kick? But if they do actually want to use it as a lead-in to actually explaining something about Ai's return, that's fine too.

[Sly05]

Sigh, another episode where someone gets sent to hell that isn't all that deserving. I know I am sounding a bit like a broken record, but I'm not really liking how Ai's group is taunting even the generally innocent people. What happened to the sadness and regret in Futakamori?

On on unrelated note, is it just me or were the eyes of the kid featured in this episode drawn really weird? It made him look like he was in a perpetual state of surprise.

[jlazar]

Sigh, another episode where someone gets sent to hell that isn't all that deserving. I know I am sounding a bit like a broken record, but I'm not really liking how Ai's group is taunting even the generally innocent people. What happened to the sadness and regret in Futakamori?


I thought so at first too, but then went back and re-watched a bit. The guy that got sent to hell did seem to get a kick out of showing the kid how bad his mother was. He smiled behind the kid's back and then laughed as he shattered the kid's image of his mom. So I don't know if I'd call him completely undeserving.

The fact that the kid didn't send his mom to hell and instead sent the guy who shattered his fake image of his mom was interesting.

[Sly05]

I got that the episode was hinting at that (from the comments of Ai's group when he was being sent to hell)... I don't know, maybe it just didn't do a very good job of portraying it? I was expecting that the one to be sent to hell was going to be him (rather than the mother), so the twist did not come as a surprise.

[Ingraman]

I was expecting that the one to be sent to hell was going to be him (rather than the mother), so the twist did not come as a surprise.

When we didn't see the name that he entered on the website, I was expecting the victim to be the classmate. After that point, it was just a question of how deserving that classmate was going to be...

[something]

Episode 7:

- I still love this OP <3 So hot.
- Transfer student with a bitchy mom. Man his eyes freak me out though.
- And why does she have to be Tanaka Atsuko? Tanaka is waaay too cool to play this lazy ho.
- No seriously, what the fuck is up with his eyes? It always looks like he's in wide eyed terror. Or on drugs of some sort.
- YUZUKI I LOVE YOUUU! Just seeing her for like three seconds makes an episode worthwhile.
- She lives by herself? Why did I never catch that? Is she just lying to him to make him think he has someone he can trust?
- Huh, so Inuo's classmate isn't anything shady, he's actually genuinely concerned. This show just makes me assume everyone is a jerk sometimes. :sd: Except Yuzuki! Oh Yuzuki, looooooooooove.
- Gaaaah, please send this lady to hell ASAP. I bet they twist it around into Inuo sending his friend to hell after his friend tries to tell a teacher and help him out.
- Ai just totally did the rules and regulations of revenge speech at double time, or what passes as such for her anyway.
- This is also one of the few times that another character finds out about the doll and connects it to Jigoku Tsuushin well before it's used. But with the way that scene went it really does make me think Inuo put his friend's name in... if they feel like throwing a twist in this ep, I mean.
- Haha oh god she's a bitch. Inuo's friend is kinda hard to read. That smile was sort of evil looking.
- ;___; Sad Yuzuki Time ;___;
- Ah so that's what the smile meant. He was totally getting off on Inuo's pain. Pretending to help only to have fun watching them fall apart. Also, upside down Ai for no reason =D
- Ahahaha, awesome. Best part of the ep (besides the 10 seconds Yuzuki was on screen) is Inuo flipping out at the end. XD

Next episode we... totally rehash a plot from last season! Pet owner with the evil neighbor, blaaaaaah. Even with Gotou Yuuko, episode is gonna be lame. Here's hoping there's some good Ai hilarity to make up for it, caus, honestly, I hate animals and don't ever give a shit about the "you hurt my puppy" episodes.

Honestly, I've kind of gone on autopilot for this show. I pretty much consider the serious plotline to have ended in Futakomori, because Mitsuganae is totally ignoring everything of any importance. Which is ok, I guess, because I still more or less enjoy the episodes. But it's just "something to watch" rather than the truly awesome series this franchise always had the potential to be, so that tempers the enthusiasm.

But man, Yuzuki. Did... I mention that I love her? Caus, like, I do.

[something]

Episode 8:

- Bwhahaa, oh god, I don't even need to watch the episode. The sponsor screen just totally showed the revenge scene... XD
- YUZUKI I LOVE YOUUUUU! Heh, Yuzuki meets Kikuri and Yamawaro. She's revvin her engines, run!!
- Man I can tell this episode is going to be a train wreck. Why did they have Gotou Yuko come in for something like this? XD
- Yuzuki needs to stay away from such weird people. I don't know if this girl with the dog is being a bitch on purpose or if she's just a bubblebrain. Irritable old hag doesn't seem like a good person to piss off either.
- Hahahah. Oh my god this is the stupidest episode ever, but it has a lot of Yuzuki looking pretty so I'll forgive it.
- Yep. This chick is totally clueless. Ai should just send them both to hell and take the ugly dog along too as a bonus. As much as I love Gotou Yuuko, I have to admit she can play a bimbo pretty well. :sd:
- But I feel compelled to be a broken record and say how simply SEEING Yuzuki, even when she's doing nothing, is enough to make an episode for me. I could watch this season for 52 ridiculous, mediocre episodes and still be completely happy. I loooooooove her.
- Mioi should be grateful. Knocking off that ugly little dog would be doing her a favor =P
- There goes the straw doll scene. You know, it's amazing just how much blind faith people seem to have in Jigoku Tsuushin being real, despite it sounding like every silly urban legend rolled into one. :sd: (Okay, so it's "real" in this case, but still.)
- Heh, ok, I feel a little sorry for Mioi now, but only because of Gotou Yuuko. And because Shintani is being so ridiculous in her harassment.
- But this is interesting! Is Mioi going to die as soon as she gets revenge?
- ;___; Sad Yuzuki Time ;___;
- Oh god, I really do wonder when this show completely gave up on taking itself seriously AT ALL. Super robot revenge!
- AHHHHHHHAHAHAAHH! Jigoku Shoujo, you have become a shameless mockery of yourself. Awesome absorbing power! Dog ears for no reason!
- And Mioi isn't dead yet. Guess she doesn't get to go to hell as soon as sending her antagonist.

Oh Jigoku Shoujo. I just don't even what to say about you anymore. I'm fairly certain that the creators didn't want to make another season, but were pretty much ordered to, and this is how they've taken their revenge. There's just NO WAY they're being serious anymore.

And yet, I happily keep watching. And laugh, because... it's all I can do.

Well, besides moe over Yuzuki. YUZUKIIII!!!

[Ashyukun]

I lost it at the completely pointlessly Inumimi-Ai at the end. At this point I'm in agreement with something that they're intentionally throwing this season under the bus. But at least they're making it amusing in the process, even if I hate to see it after how good the previous two seasons were...

[Ashyukun]

Working on catching up a bit...

A subdued, largely unnoticed girl is making a name for herself as a fortune teller, claiming to have a fox spirit familiar. When a popular classmate bullys her to use her familiar to kill a guy she claims is stalking her... well, you can guess how it ends. Somewhat disturbing that it took so little to get her to agree to try and kill somebody...

Don't get to see the cursing in this one unfortunately, but the whole sequence with giving the girl the doll & pulling the string made up for it... Ai looks pissed off at not being able to say all her lines. :P

[Ashyukun]

A boy who delivers papers to Yuzuki's apartment building is a classmate of hers (an underclassman) is training for marathon running. Unfortunately, his home life has issues... his (aging) mother is obsessed with her appearance and buys new kimono at the drop of a hat in an attempt to look beautiful, and his father doesn't help matters by largely ignoring her attempts as getting his attention. Since he accessed the Jigoku Tsushin a ways back, Yuzuki knows about it, and for once looks to be trying to at least talk with the guy. I can understand his frustration... but did he seriously think that what he did would help at all? At least he's resigned to his fate well enough...

Today's jumped-the-shark moments: an Obi-dragon that wraps up the cursed victim and breathes flames in Ai's direction, and the damned trying to sell Ai a new kimono as he's ferried to hell. :P

[Ashyukun]

This was one of the better episodes so far this season IMO. A series of murders have happened that match up with what was written about in a recently published book by a local author. The author gives an interview with a freelance reporter, but her editor throws out the actual interview and writes a sensational story putting words in the author's mouth instead while the sister of the first victim comes to town to try and decide who she should hate for what happened- meeting up with everyone's favorite Ai-bait on the way. The freelance reporter, author, and sister all meet up and decide to have a cursing party.

Today's moment of humor: Kikuri wins this episode for her line at the end complaining about at lack of furigana so she knows how to pronounce the kanji :P

This show has so totally gone over the edge... but this episode was a nice step back overall into what makes it so good in the first place.

[Ashyukun]

.....

OK, if there was still any lingering doubt that they're intentionally throwing this season, the 'cursing' segment of this episode should solidly dispel that doubt... while at the same time the preview hints at there finally being some explanation/movement on what's going on with Ai.

Otherwise, this was a fairly good episode IMO... even if it was yet another one where the person getting sent to hell left a bad taste in your mouth. One of these days I'll go back and count, but I could swear we're getting a hell of a lot (no pun intended...) more people who really don't deserve it getting cursed this season than in the past two...

[Ashyukun]

:eek: Oshi....

OK, all is forgiven. They just turned this show solidly around in a single episode. I wish what happened at the end hadn't... but I think we kind of knew something of the likes was coming from the beginning. And for once I'm very glad that they didn't show the cursing. Not that I have any idea what the heck they could used as a basis for it anyway.

But, what matters most..... she's baaaaaack, and it looks like Yuzuki is going to be even more in the thick of things. Am I just forgetting a character from earlier, or is the Shibata-sensei that she met by the gate to hell someone we've not seen before?

I am so looking forward to the second cour now- much more than I was prior to this episode.

[something]

I keep meaning to catch up, so time to finally do it, or at least get 2 eps in.

Episode 9:

- OP is still awesome <3
- "Can you curse someone?" "Oh, okay, just this once." WHAT? XD It's even funnier because I kept thinking of Eila's "Just for today, okay?" to Sanya in Strike Witches.
- ...And the girl who asked for it is a complete fucking moron. Just totally blurt out in the middle of class that she cursed the teacher for you! What the shit? Everyone in this school except Yuzuki and her friends needs to be locked in an asylum. Or just drowned.
- I can't wait for the episode where Hone Onna's lackey girl Nishino gets sent to hell. Just looking at her annoys me.
- Kaede is a pretty sad character. She can only find respect through using her power to do things she doesn't want to. And nobody gives half a damn about her, they just want to use her. And she's too weak to object. Failure all around.
- Nooooo, don't you dare touch Akie! Other than Yuzuki, she's the one I least want to see hurt. Unfortunately, I give her only a 10% chance of surviving the show.
- Now she's going to kill someone? And for Nishino? Kaede, listen to Yuzuki, damnit!
- Hey, it's Ai! Remember her? She used to matter!
- "I took her lines!" Bwhahahaaha, fuck yeah Kikuri. XD
- Guh, Nishino is suck a horrid waste of flesh. And Kaede is totally losing it. :sd: So who will curse who? Will we finally be rid of Nishino one way or the other? Either way the amount of human failure right now is epic. It's so hard to ever feel sorry for anyone in this show anymore, other than Yuzuki and her friends. :sd:
- Huh, nice. I wasn't sure who was going to curse who, but it's Kaede cursing the guy Nishino wants dead. Makes sense in retrospect but surprised me a little. I guess they want to keep Nishino around awhile longer.
- Bwhahahah! Man, has someone done that before? Pulled the string before Ai could do her spiel?

Haha, the end was hilarious. Although I must admit, this episode wasn't as purely comedic as recent ones. Thanks in part to not having a revenge scene I guess. It was funny anyway for what retards everyone were, but it wasn't giant robots either.

The best part, though, is no sad screaming Yuzuki this time. Thank goodness, that always makes me sad ;_;

[Ashyukun]

I keep meaning to catch up, so time to finally do it, or at least get 2 eps in.

Believe me, you won't regret it. Well, OK, you'll be sad :cry:, but you won't regret it...

- Bwhahahah! Man, has someone done that before? Pulled the string before Ai could do her spiel?Not in quite that manner... there's the teacher from early on (who may be the answer to one of my questions on ep. 13...) who didn't let her finish but told her that she already knew what the consequences would be, but I don't think anyone has plowed through as much as this one did with no apparent clue as to what she was getting into...

[something]

Episode 10:

- Yuzukiii! Loooooove yoooooouuuuuuu! I like when she tries to get involved in the cases, even if it never works ;_;
- Nice scene there with Yukuzi and Akie walking by the weird mom, as it slows down and the visuals get distorted.
- So, the wife is a sexually frustrated cheat[? unsure on the last part]. The husband seems tired of her and tries to spoil his son instead, and I bet he's cheating too. And the kid is stuck in the middle. I guess the main question is if Kazuya is sending his mother to hell, or the guy she's always got coming over. Probably the dude, although offing her would be a more permanent solution.
- Yuzuki in her casual clothes is just downright adorable. I swear she needs a spinoff series with her friends where she's happy and safe and never goes through anything bad ever again! >_<
- Another family full of fail. :sd:
- Yep it's the guy. He clicked by accident, heh.
- And this kid is kinda dumb. Support your mom's addiction, and all you do is give her more excuses to see that man. Interestingly, there's so far no evidence that she's actually cheating with the dude. He's not in it for sex, he wants money money money. And she isn't seeing him all the time for sex either, she's just truly that delusional about kimono. I don't know if that all makes it better or worse.
- Run Yuzuki, run! XD
- Yuzuki is in pain ;_;
- SAD CRYING YUZUKI TYME! ;_;

Revenge wasn't all that goofy, actually. Besides the goldfish on his head. And of course another salesman steps in to do the same thing. Seriously, the people in this show are all so dumb. Kazuya is one of the few who actually considered what the consequences would be, and he STILL did it. And for such a stupid reason, all things considered.

[something]

Well, OK, you'll be sad :cry:
Oh jeeze, don't say that, now I'm expecting Yuzuki to die.

Edit: Well, nevermind, it seems this is two cour, not one, so clearly Yuzuki couldn't have died by 13 out of 26 eps. :sd: Granted, now I'm worried about other things...

[something]

Episode 11:

- Oh. Wow. A murder, and a pretty fucked up one at that. If I remember correctly, though I might not, I think this is the first time we've actually had a life or death situation in this whole damn season. Could this finally be an episode where the victim truly does have "no way out"?
- Hmm, so the killer is using a method from a book written by the guy from this episode. I guess the author will be sending the killer to hell?
- lol 5channel.
- Yeesh, this is one guy I can feel sorry for. He writes a book, some lunatic is influenced by it, and everything falls apart as the media totally uses and abuses him. Maybe the journalist will be getting the ticket to hell.
- Ah, the editor "spiced it up", not the reporter herself. Should have known, you can NEVER trust a man who wears a white suit. White suits are a sure sign of a complete scumbag. It's just an unalterable law of nature. I hope the author doesn't send the reporter woman to hell =/
- OR, will the woman send the editor to hell? Hmmm this could go a few ways, I like the twist.
- Enter another party! One of the victim's sisters! Maybe SHE will curse someone. The killer? The author? I'm liking this episode a lot, and not in the "lolwtf" way either, but in the way that I liked the better episodes in the first two seasons.
- Huh... author, victim's relative and betrayed reporter all meet, talk, and come to an understanding. Hmmmmmmm.
- But oh god, the understanding they come to is... damn. I wonder if this is the start of a final arc, since we have mass revenges about to begin. Really though, three adults sit down and rationally discuss the situation and this is their solution?
- I bet the author sent himself... I wonder if you can do that? Seems kinda pointless though.
- SAD CRYING YUZUKI TYME ;_;
- Ohh. It's just his coworker. :sd: Well that's a really fucking petty revenge, but the author didn't even try to hide that fact.
- Pretty sweet revenge sequence overall. Ai looked quite awesome as she did her thing.
- Let's all become drinking buddies now! (lol)

Niiiiiiice! Hah! You know, given that, the author had some pretty good timing. He was going to die soon anyway, so he got to send someone with him. lol Kikuri "Write the furigana!" XD

Definitely the best "serious" episode of the season, not that there have been many. Guess it's not the start of anything bigger though. And there are only two episodes left, I guess. Mmm... I'll try to finish it tonight.

Edit: Oh, nevermind, it's two cour again. I hadn't checked ANN in a long time for this show, but we already have ep titles to 18. I guess there's no rush then. :sd: Well, that's for the best because now there's still some chance they'll pull something serious out by the end, and, oh I dunno, maybe tell us something about Ai and Yuzuki!?

[something]

Episode 12:

- Work that popsicle Yuzuki, work it! And oh great, some emo kid is going to flip out because they didnt eat the yakisoba. Hopefully he just kills his parents or something, and not one of Yuzuki's friends. But they ARE in the swimsuits we see in the photo that burns in the OP. That's a bad sign...
- Kissing scene in the OP is just criminally hot. Still one of the best OPs of the season.
- Hahaha, oh god this ep should be good. This kid is a mess. Explosive nosebleeds! Sigh, what the hell is this :sd:
- ...::shakes head:: The flower border when he's thinking about Kokoro...
- This episode. Thiiiiis episode. :sd: On the plus side, Hone Onna is damn hot.
- Pururu~n XD! I like how he switches crushes so easily.
- I don't even know what to say about this anymore.
- Bwhahaha, Kikuri. "Don't talk back!" XD
- Yuzuki's friends all over each other by the poolside... ::cough::
- Hah, his manga gets chosen! Things start to go well for him, huh? Can't wait to see what stupid thing drives him over the edge. :sd:
- Oh no. He's going to ask Yuzuki's friend out. And she's going to say no. And he's going to send her to hell ;_;
- Tatanic XD Talk about a behind the times pop culture reference.
- Haha wtf? Suddenly, suicidal Kokoro! So now he's going to fall for her again, and forget about Yuzuki's friend? Maybe send Kokoro's cheating boyfriend to hell?
- Damn Kokoro is really, really cute.
- So it's the guy. :sd: This kid is so... flamboyant.
- HAH! Someone wants to send him to hell? Must be a mangaka who lost the competition!
- BWHAHAHAH EVEN BETTER! It's Kokoro! Ahaha you petty little bitch.
- Oh god, the revenge is... is... is... I'm totally pulling a Kyon-level facepalm here. Just... wow.

Holy shit, Nozomi is hot without those glasses.

I... have no words. (Well except all the ones I just typed.)

[something]

Episode 13:

- Yuzuki is sad. ;_; Will we get bit of her backstory soon? Obviously life is weighing heavily on her, and she's not living alone for the fun of it.
- Great, the guy who is probably going to bite it is Akie's dad =/
- And her tutor is the one who is gonna do it? Oi. She better not take it out on Akie by proxy.
- ...Oh wow this is going to get ugly. She's working Akie hard already. She's going to take Akie's pure maiden's heart, tempt it with forbidden fruits of love, and then backstab her horribly. And there's a good chance a betrayed Akie will call Jigoku Shoujo =(
- (Come on guys, stop literally translating "mansion" as "mansion". She quite obviously lives in an apartment. :sd: )
- Wow, way to finally have a plot 13 episodes in. Yuzuki sees herself at the hellgate? And gets a warning from... Shibata-sensei!! Yes, it is indeed Tsugumi!
- Argh, Akie, get away from this lady. She's a lunatic!
- Oh shit, thank god for Yuzuki. If they let Akie get raped I would have raaaaaaaaaaged so fucking hard.
- Wow. Fuck yes Yuzuki. She was able to get the doll away! Though it's not like things are magically happy afterwards. And now she's wandering around outside with the doll in her hand, a ripe target for the tutor to blindside at any moment...
- And Ai leaves her body? What? Damnit Yuzuki, burn the doll! Burn the doll!
- Oh, it disappeared anyway. Phew.
- But Yuzuki is happy, which means something terrible is about to happen. And since Yamawaro is nowhere to be seen when Ai meets the others... argh, the doll totally went back to the tutor, I bet.
- Yeah. God damn. For once it looks like intervention might have worked out, but the goddamn doll system has a failsafe?
- Akie ;_; I knew someone had to be toast by 13 based on Ashyukun's comment, and she was always the one I feared for most. ;_; Having Yuzuki's scream be overpowered by the rain was totally the right choice.
- As a side note, it's interesting we never did get a clear picture of whether Akie's dad had intentionally wronged the tutor and canceled the investigation. Much ambiguity left there.

Well, it goes without saying that this was the best episode of the third season, and one of the best of the franchise. It's just so disgusting that the tutor got away with it. And that red glow in Yuzuki's eyes... well it's not like they've been subtle about Yuzuki becoming the next Jigoku Shoujo, but I really hope it doesn't end that depressingly.

So this show apparently can still take itself seriously when it needs to, and even do it fantastically well. Suddenly I feel like all the wackiness is justified - at the least, it's a way to mix things up in the long runs of episodic stories between the small bursts of plot. My only fear is that after delivering such a stunning mid-season climax here, they're going to cool their heels and make with the stupid again all the way to about episode 25.

You've got some momentum and a very interesting setup. Ai and Yuzuki are separated... and to what end? What happens now? If Ai is basically training Yuzuki to be the next Jigoku Shoujo, on whose orders is it? What did Yuzuki do? How will the show justify doing something so horrific to her? What is Ai feeling when she sees Yuzuki in pain? They can't slack off now, not when they've finally created something this fascinating.

And for once I'm very glad that they didn't show the cursing. Not that I have any idea what the heck they could used as a basis for it anyway.
Ai, Akie and Hone Onna ate cake and played with each other's hair and had a slumber party. Then they tickled each other and had a pillowfight and made out. Then they brought Akie to the nicest little condo in hell and have her living a life of peace and luxury.

Go ahead, give me proof that that's not what happened! I won't change my mind without proof! Akie is fine!

Am I just forgetting a character from earlier, or is the Shibata-sensei that she met by the gate to hell someone we've not seen before?
Well, if you got this far you already read my post so... oh yeah, "Shibata-sensei" is someone we know. Someone we know really well. I hope Tsugumi has a much more active role this time than in season two, although I did like her appearance there.

[JackW]

Reading these threads is educational: I had totally failed to register that that was Tsugumi. Is this another tantalising one-off scene as per season 2, or are they finally going to give us a bit of her back-story? I don't hold out any hopes. :(

I'm grateful that we won't have to put up with any more Ai-bursting-out-of-Yuzuki scenes. Somehow I didn't mind the repeated Ai-in-chariot scenes of Season 1 or the whatever-it-was-I-can't-remember from Season 2, but they've stretched my patience this time. Mind you, that could be said about most of the stories in this season, too.

[Ashyukun]

*smacks forehead* Man, I've been so caught up in the absurdness of this season that I'd totally forgotten about the early-on speculation about Tsugumi being the nurse. Good, that's one mystery down. And good eye on Yamawaro being absent at the reunion- I hadn't noticed that, but had been assuming that things weren't going to be all peachy and happy (they never are in the this show, and especially not at the end of the mid-season episode...). Still, the tutor cursing Akie and Yuzuki not being able to do anything about it but watch her vanish before her eyes was just heartbreaking. I totally agree that their handling of that with the rain was just perfect though. Hopefully they will keep up the level from here on out... they've laid some good groundwork, and having Ai back for real automatically should improve things.

Had this been last season, I'd be more inclined to think your suggestion as to what happened was true. However, there's no proof either way, so arguing about it is pointless. :P The fact that anyone can be cursed and sent to hell even if they're completely and totally innocent of anything is at the same time infuriating as well as what makes this show so intriguing. I just wish that they hadn't used like half of this season's curses on people who really didn't deserve it...

[something]

Had this been last season, I'd be more inclined to think your suggestion as to what happened was true. However, there's no proof either way, so arguing about it is pointless. :P
::sticks fingers in ears and loudly yells "Akie is fine, Akie is fine, Akie is fine, Akie is fine..."::

The fact that anyone can be cursed and sent to hell even if they're completely and totally innocent of anything is at the same time infuriating as well as what makes this show so intriguing.
It definitely does make the show more draining than it needs to be, and it also makes it harder to see Ai and her henchmen in a positive light. I know some people who find Ai positively villainous, and while I don't think it's true, she's been so cold and emotionless this season that it's hard to sympathize. Does she care at all that she's done all these things to Yuzuki?

And this after the end of last season, where she defied orders for the first time - now she's back taking revenge on anyone she's asked to? Clearly, damnation is like a cheap whore. Just promise a soul and they'll ask no questions!

This is why the comedic bent didn't bother me so much - I might as well laugh because if you stop and think about it, it's just so horribly unjust and indefensible. I've always considered the concept of a hell to be the most repugnant and offensive concept humanity has ever devised, and to think that someone like Akie could be sent there by a complete douche like the tutor is just beyond what I'm willing to accept (hence my chosen interpretation!).

Sometimes I don't think the writers really get the weight of the material they're dealing with. Heck, they probably "get" it best when they're making fun of it. If we don't have to take the episode seriously, like 12, it's not really an issue. If it's a serious episode like 11 or 13, then it bothers me. I was thinking about Akie the whole time I was trying to sleep, and I'm still thinking about her now, so much so that I logged on at work just to post about it.

Obviously I'm trying to maintain a reasonable distance because it's still just fiction, but I don't want to completely separate out my emotions from the experience, else that would defeat the purpose of watching the show. And that's why I think this series really owes it to its audience, loyal now through five cour of generally depressing stories, to really deliver a knock-out ending. They owe us a detailed, well constructed and well executed explanation. They owe us closure (if this is the last season) as well. Futakomori had already done this, but having the show continue on pretty much negated all that, and we're back to square one.

I'm not asking for the happiest ending ever, but we've all more than done our duty in sticking with the sad, dark parts of the story. I hope they don't feel compelled to leave us with something completely hopeless. Because if Yuzuki's ending is as tragic as they're setting it up to be, I will be very unhappy. I may very well moe harder for her than anyone this season save Furukawa Nagisa in Clannad, and a bad end would result in extreme raaaage.

About the only way I'd accept it is if it were setup for a fourth season, and at the end of that, she got a good end. But now or later, it has to be a good end, damnit.

[Ashyukun]

I've never really regarded the Jigoku Tsushin crew as villainous... they're a tool, and one whose use is entirely dependent on the one using them- and one that there's a hefty price for irrelevant of whether the use is justified and necessary, completely frivolous, or wholly unmerited and unfair. Of course, they're at their most interesting and compelling when they rebel against this nature, which was what made the ending of Futakomori so good. I wholly agree that there had better be a damn good explanation coming as to why Ai is back, and a very, very good reason for Yuzuki's having been put into the situation she's in.

I'm not the most confident that we're going to be given a palatable justification for that though... Ai herself was largely an innocent victim of circumstance in the events that led up to her death and her return for vengeance (though they've never explained just how exactly she pulled that off...), though it was her hatred and inability to forgive that led to her becoming the Jigoku Shoujo. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw something similar happening with Yuzuki- though there's the wild-card of having Shibata-sensei around as well, even if she's thus far taken a largely hands-off approach to things. I honestly have no idea exactly where they're going with things... so far they've explained so very little that there really isn't anything solid on which to base speculation.

[something]

I wouldn't be surprised if we saw something similar happening with Yuzuki- though there's the wild-card of having Shibata-sensei around as well, even if she's thus far taken a largely hands-off approach to things.
Yeah, all we know about Ai is that she became Jigoku Shoujo after she murdered the whole town. But it seems like Yuzuki has been chosen to succeed her without having done anything. So there's going to be something dark in her past... but what?

I'm calling she killed her parents and ate them.

[Ashyukun]

Yeah, all we know about Ai is that she became Jigoku Shoujo after she murdered the whole town. But it seems like Yuzuki has been chosen to succeed her without having done anything. So there's going to be something dark in her past... but what?

I'm calling she killed her parents and ate them.
Yeah, there's almost certainly got to be something in her past- Ai can't have just randomly chosen her because she wanted to make out with her. *ahem*

Haven't we had at least one occasion where she's gotten a call from her parents? So far the only thing we've gotten in the way of a hint is the one-shot flash-back after Sensei warned her off from going through the Gate to Hell. Given her generally upbeat and well-adjusted nature (even in the face of being the 'host' of the Jigoku Shoujo for most of the show...), it wouldn't surprise me if it's something she's completely blocked out and doesn't herself presently remember. Given what Ai did to merit her punishment as the Jigoku Shoujo (destroy an entire village and its residents), if Yuzuki has indeed 'earned' becoming the next Jigoku Shoujo, it'll be quite interesting to see just what it was that she did...

[sisterray]

Rocket Girls episode 3+4

Loved them a lot, it is a fun serie to watch. I'm having a really good time with it.
Glad I bought it.

[Ashyukun]

Rocket Girls episode 3+4

Loved them a lot, it is a fun serie to watch. I'm having a really good time with it.
Glad I bought it.

I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you missed the thread you were intending to post in by a bit... :P

[something]

Yeah, there's almost certainly got to be something in her past- Ai can't have just randomly chosen her because she wanted to make out with her. *ahem*
Well, okay, maybe that would be a good enough reason.

Haven't we had at least one occasion where she's gotten a call from her parents?
I haven't been paying proper attention to this season before now so it's possible. But like half the OP is shots of a younger, happy Yuzuki, so either way they've got to get around to it eventually. Cute young Yuzuki and that damn ugly bear.

[Sly05]

I just spent the evening catching up on the last four episodes and episode 13 definitely marks a big turning point in the series. Tsugumi is more or less confirmed and the torch gets past on to Yuzuki (?).



- Oh shit, thank god for Yuzuki. If they let Akie get raped I would have raaaaaaaaaaged so fucking hard.
A big sigh of relief on my part there as well. While her dying is sad, I don't think I'd be able to take Akie getting raped as well. Poor girl. I hope that guy and the tutor enjoy their time in hell.


- As a side note, it's interesting we never did get a clear picture of whether Akie's dad had intentionally wronged the tutor and canceled the investigation. Much ambiguity left there.
That was an interesting choice though I'm inclining towards that he did. He does seem to have a lot of money though I admit I don't know what the going saleries are for Japanese polic chiefs.


Ai, Akie and Hone Onna ate cake and played with each other's hair and had a slumber party. Then they tickled each other and had a pillowfight and made out. Then they brought Akie to the nicest little condo in hell and have her living a life of peace and luxury.
I'll agree to that though I'll add that Yuzuki stopped by for the make out session as well. She is Akie's best friend, after all.

Had this been last season, I'd be The fact that anyone can be cursed and sent to hell even if they're completely and totally innocent of anything is at the same time infuriating as well as what makes this show so intriguing.
As everyone has already discussed, that is the major pitfall of the season. The production crew really hasn't given us anything to work with regards to the reasons why Ai returned after her apparent redemption in the 2nd series and the targeting of Yuzuki.

In regards to Yuzuki's past, her killing her parents or something as crossed my mind as well (though not quite the cannibalism part). Forcing her to be the next Jigoku Shoujo while she is apparently completely free of sin seems really too cruel, not to mention throwing out everything that was established in the first two series. This is definitely one of the better episodes of the franchise though I still hold to my belief that it probably would have worked better as a single cour season (I belief I also extend to the first two seasons).

[something]

I'll agree to that though I'll add that Yuzuki stopped by for the make out session as well. She is Akie's best friend, after all.
Well yes, I would have included her but she's not dead yet. =P Though she may already be the next jigoku shoujo so...

[Sly05]

Ai could give her a day pass. It's the least she could do.

[Ashyukun]

Ai could give her a day pass. It's the least she could do.
On the other hand, she may want to keep Yuzuki all for herself...

[something]

Ai could give her a day pass. It's the least she could do.On the other hand, she may want to keep Yuzuki all for herself...
Now I understand why Yuzuki was chosen.

She has committed the sin of being far too tempting and lovable.

[Ashyukun]

Interesting. This episode starts off back a bit and shows the setup for what happened to the girl Yuzuki walked by at the end of 13- she's gotten stuck in Shibuya after missing the last train home (of course, she's from the same town Yuzuki is from...). A street punk who is being harassed by higher-level thugs decides to help her out after a random act of kindness by a bum inspires him, and he lets her stay in the back room of the convenience store he works in overnight. Unfortunately when he walks her to the train station a classmate sees them and snaps a picture, setting her up for harassment since she's one of the top students in her class.

Meanwhile, Ai is getting settled back in with the rest of the crew, and 'Hime' is pouting because she's being ignored. :P Yuzuki sees the girl and learns what's happening to her from her friends, and goes to talk to her, observed by the Jigoku Tsuushin crew. Yuzuki apparently now has the ability to sense who will be accessing the site- even before they know they will, it seems (since when Yuzuki walked past the girl, she wasn't being harassed yet I believe...) and is going to try and stop them, but they don't believe it's possible- and that perhaps teaching her this is why Ai left her with that power. Yuzuki talks to the girl and convinces her to try and clear things up by going back and getting the guy's support- but when they arrive they find him being arrested for assaulting the bum from earlier who he thought was carrying a lot of money. The girl runs off, accesses the site and gets a doll, and then confronts him outside of the police station when he breaks out and grabs Yuzuki as a hostage. He doesn't remember her at first, and she pulls the string and we get.... Ai-zilla.

I'm still confused as to where things are going since they're not offering up a whole lot more in the way of info yet, but it's interesting that Ai has basically set up Yuzuki in a position to try and stop what she's doing. Though it's a stretch, I have to wonder if Ai is perhaps not completely willingly doing the job again and is trying to subtly undermine things through Yuzuki. I'm probably wrong, but it would be an interesting twist. At least the usual Ai-puts-on-her-kimono (where the heck is she when that happens now???) scene is back in place of the 'let's torture poor Yuzuki' we've had up until now.

[something]

Episode 14:

- Man, we're jumping right into another grudge? Was kinda hoping they'd work right off the amazing momentum they created in 13. Well, maybe the ep will go into it later.
- ::watches OP:: Akie ;_;
- You know, this girl would have been a lot better off if she *had* just talked to the cops. Get a free ride home, girl. Although knowing this show, the cop would have been a lunatic rapist.
- Hmm so this is happening the same day as the festival on which Akie was taken away. So we've gone back slightly. Which reminds me... yeah, this is the girl Yuzuki walks by at the end of 13. And if this is taking place before then, that means this girl survives the episode, which no doubt means she sends someone to hell.
- And here's Ai reunited for real with her group, so yeah... This must be happening right as tutor bitch damns Akie ;_;
- Waahaha, Ai is very anal about her interior decorating.
- :sd: I can see where this is going. Delinquent thug gets a pep talk and decides to turn a new leaf, and chooses this girl as the one he'll do good to. She's naturally suspicious, misunderstandings ensue, the men shaking this guy down for money come to demand payment, and it all goes to hell (well, he does anyway) from there. So is my guess.
- Kashiwagi Hidemi! She has a name. And yep, this guy is seriously trying to do a good deed. Poor guy, you picked the wrong show for that.
- Oh... Oh! lol, Hidemi is Tomatsu Haruka. When she got all defensive I immediately knew it was someone familiar. XD
- Jeeze, this episode is such a sweet setup for a total "opposites attract" romance. Of course it's totally going to fall apart.
- Huh, I think I'm wrong now, although that's nothing new, this show has managed to evade my initial guesses a number of times. Someone else is going to blackmail Hidemi instead. And we just met up with the end of 13 in the *middle* of 14, not at the end like I expected.
- YUZUKI LOOOOVE!! So that chime is her ability to sense who is planning to access Jigoku Tsuushin? Now she can be more proactive... but of course it won't work.
- Comb that hair, Ai! Yeah!
- Yuzuki, Yuzuki, go go go!! Do your best ;_; ...Huh, she hit upon a pretty good argument, mentioning Akie and all.
- Oh jeeze, Kinya didn't learn at all. After helping Hidemi, he totally goes back to being a scumbag and gets arrested. GJ.
- What a trainwreck. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. =( And Yuzuki tells Ai to give Akie back! Damn you Ai, do it! Return Akie ;_;
- Oh jeeze. GG Kinya. Well, if the revenge can't be stopped, at least it's in a way that possibly saved Yuzuki's life.
- Heh, they basically just recycled the... was that season one or season two with the fiery chariot?
- KIKURI IS HUEG
- BWHAHA, AND AI IS HUEGER! XD AIZILLA!
- Hidemi goes uberskank. And Yuzuki realizes just how futile her wish to end the abuse of Jigoku Tsuushin is ;__; God this show is so horrible to her.

So this was a fairly serious episode, and a rather good one too. But they're clearly not going to keep up the momentum from 13, and sadly I'm just not surprised at all. I do hope they keep up with Yuzuki's challenges to Ai, but they need to do it in a way that doesn't just rehash Tsugumi and her father. It's like Yuzuki is just both of them (possessed girl, father fighting against the revenges) mixed together, but with a hundredfold increase in moe and cuteness. I love her so much... still demanding a good end, damnit!

[something]

Yuzuki apparently now has the ability to sense who will be accessing the site- even before they know they will, it seems (since when Yuzuki walked past the girl, she wasn't being harassed yet I believe...)
They're unlcear about how much time passed, but I think Hidemi was already planning it by then. Being able to tell who may access it at some point in the future for some undefined reason would be a bit too broad a power, and it'd make it very hard for Yuzuki to intervene when it actually matters. She'd just be chasing after shadows if so. It'd also be slipping a predestination-like philosophy in there, because knowing who will do it before they do it makes it sound like the people doing it didn't have any free will in the matter. Jigoku Shoujo does stress the futility of human existence, but I don't think it goes to quite that extent.

[Ashyukun]

They're unlcear about how much time passed, but I think Hidemi was already planning it by then. Being able to tell who may access it at some point in the future for some undefined reason would be a bit too broad a power, and it'd make it very hard for Yuzuki to intervene when it actually matters. She'd just be chasing after shadows if so. It'd also be slipping a predestination-like philosophy in there, because knowing who will do it before they do it makes it sound like the people doing it didn't have any free will in the matter. Jigoku Shoujo does stress the futility of human existence, but I don't think it goes to quite that extent.

I got the impression that the scene where they passed was the morning after the festival, when Hidemi had just gotten back off the first train and Yuzuki was wandering around in a daze due to what happened the previous night. And the scene at the end (where Yuzuki was overwhelmed by her 'hell sense' going off like mad from the simple presence of all the people) would seem to indicate that it may not be just specific for someone actively pursuing damning someone, but either way we'll just have to wait and see.

And interesting test would be to find someone who hadn't heard of the Jigoku Tsushin and then tell them about it and see if the chimes went off automatically. :P

I can't say I'm that surprised that we're not getting the much more forward movement... as much as I love this show, historically it's kind of killed time with random cursings until it needs to get moving a few episodes before the end. :sweat:

[Ashyukun]

Just realized when I went to post about 16 that I never posted about 15... so I'm going to be lazy and lump them together.

Ep 15:
-Plain, good-natured but slow girl (Usagi) sets off Yuzuki's Jigoku Sense
-When confronted though, she comes off as not having any clue what Yuzuki is talking about
-Usagi gets a boyfriend, but this results in her friends & her older brother's jealousy
-Brother ends up pulling a shady trick to drive off the boyfriend, and both he and Usagi find they've gotten dolls to curse each other
-They resolve to put this behind themselves and throw the dolls off a bridge.
-Brother still gets cursed because he misunderstood Usagi's intentions
-Jigoku Tsuushin goes Wild West! I'm disappointed we didn't get a Wild West-outfitted Ai...

Ep. 16:
-Yuzuki is still paranoid as all hell about her abilities, thinking everyone with a keitai is accessing the Hotline
-She passes a guy who sets off her Sense, chases him, and runs into Enma Ai
-Ai freezes her in her tracks, and we get to see the story of the guy after he pulls the string
-He works at a factory, and plays with a young girl whose mother works there?
-seems to genuinely just like the girl as a friend, but others somewhat view him as a lolicon
-new, young, pretty woman starts working at the factory, and takes a liking to the guy
-he tries to shun her advances, eventually telling her that he cursed a co-worker (who has been missing) who was a lolicon because he worried he would do something to the girl
-she isn't put off though, and they start dating
-But this is Jigoku Shoujo, so this was obvious- she's actually the missing guy's girlfriend, and curses him in revenge
-It turns out all of this was what is going to happen and Ai was showing it to Yuzuki. She lets Yuzuki go to try and stop him from being cursed, but waits long enough that she can't catch up with him.

This last episode was pretty interesting as it addresses what we discussed earlier about whether or not Yuzuki could tell that someone was eventually going to access the Jigoku Tsuushin down the line or if it only worked if they already had. It seems pretty obvious from this that it could easily be that she can tell even if they've never even heard of it.

It's also still really hard to read what Ai's exact intentions are with all of this... is she just tormenting Yuzuki with all of this because she enjoys it? Is she trying to actually get her to be able to stop things so she can be truly free? Is she trying to prep Yuzuki to take her place? We just haven't gotten nearly enough info yet to tell...

Next episode looks interesting though- seems we'll be getting the backstory on the latest addition to the Jigoku Tsuushin, Hime's lackey. :P

[something]

Episode 15:

- Wtf kind of line is that for a drink vending machine? o_O Does it dispense blowjobs and gold?
- Kugimiya Rie! As a mildly retarded schoolgirl with the entirely unikely name of Usagi, and an overprotective (in a sorta malicious way) friend. :sd:
- Preliminary guess is that she's going to send her brother to hell, but all the stuff about her hasty friend has to mean soemthing too.
- Or her parents. They seem to be forcing her into choosing her future career when... er, how old are they again? Like 14?
- Onii-chan is not happy at how easily Usagi relents. Maybe HE'LL send the parents to hell. Or her. Or everyone will damn everyone.
- Okay, back to my initial guess that it's her brother.
- Yuzuki got it wrong? Then again Usagi is so dumb she might have forgotten she did it. I should have paid attention to see if everyone was accounted for in the Ai scene earlier.
- And let's throw a dorky boyfriend into the mix.
- Conveniently Ai scene returns! I definitely don't see Hone Onna. "It's cooked." XD
- Wait, wait, I bet the dude is simply gay for her brother. That'd be a great twist.
- Or her brother could totally blackmail her boyfriend for no reason. And Usagi's friends could totally go into megabitch mode for no reason. WHO NEEDS REASON, THIS IS JIGOKU SHOUJO!
- HAH, two dolls! Also, Yuzuki and Ai in the bath again! YESSSSSSS! No kissing though =/
- And the siblings totally make up, which means one of her dumb bitch friends is going to send her to hell for getting a boyfriend first. And I bet the boyfriend sends her brother to hell.
- ...Because nothing says tortise and hare like a wild west shootout! Whaaaaaaat the fuck.

Hahaha, wtf? Her friends were totally a red herring. And after making up, she sends her brother to hell anyway, because... I don't know, but it was dumb. :sd:


Episode 16:

- Yuzuki looks so depressed. ;_;
- Jigoku Tsuushin goes mobile!
- Akie. ;_;
- You know, it *seems* like Ai can only have 4 dolls out simultaneously, so how is every damn person Yuzuki walks past accessing Jigoku Tsuushin? :sd:
- Also, lol Sugita Tomokazu. Interesting that we get the story from *after* the string is pulled.
- So... everyone thinks he's a pedo because he'd rather play with a young girl he knows than go drinking with adult women. Hah. But man, Kayo is really adorable.
- Cute girl starts working at his place of employment, he accidentally saves her, and she takes a liking to him? lol, so many ways this could end in damnation. All of them will be stupid. Best ending: Kayo sends the woman to hell for stealing her onii-chan. :sd:
- Kayo seems pretty okay with him getting along with the woman though. Half decent odds she's getting close to him to avenge this Nakajima though.
- Ah, so Nakajima was the real pedo. And this guy (I should probably catch his name eventually) sent him to hell to protect Kayo. Well, a noble cause, for once.
- Huh, so she totally is into that type of guy, I guess. Nothing like impending damnnation to raise your sex appeal I guess.
- Wahaaha, totally the revenge for Nakajima angle.

Despite being one of the more predictable ones lately, it was also one of the better ones. We also got the slightest bit of a glimpse into Ai's mind, something that's been absurdly lacking this season.

[something]

Episode 17:

- The person this time knows Yamawaro? An oooooold old woman. Ai's henchmen seem to be especially interested in investigating this time.
- ...Wanyuudou in a barber shop. :sd:
- Yuzuki, this is a really bad idea. Taking a bus to the middle of nowhere late at night when it's crazy foggy out and walking through darkened woods to a really foreboding looking house. Seems like the deal here is that the old woman is kinda kepyt holed up and is trying to get vengeance on her son, that doctor kinda dude? Maybe.
- WHY DOES NOBODY COMMENT ON THE FACT THAT KIKURI HAS A SPRING IN HER BACK!?
- Hahahaa, what the fuck? This is Warowaro backstory time and it's totally ridiculous.
- He seems to be alternately naked or covered in mushrooms. And the timelines in this episode make absolutely no sense.
- I'm not even going to bother trying to explain this. It's ridiculous.
- Why the hell are you wearing a lab coat in your own house!?
- I'm facepalming so hard I almost blew my brains out the back of my head.
- WAHAHHA, ANALOG JIGOKU TSUUSHIN! XD

Yeah, that was... dumb.

Needs more Yuzuki.

[Ashyukun]

Hahaha, wtf? Her friends were totally a red herring. And after making up, she sends her brother to hell anyway, because... I don't know, but it was dumb. :sd:

Best I could figure, it was because she realized that he wasn't going to make good on the promise to marry her if she became beautiful that they highlighted at the end. Still, not much explanation.... and the cursing totally needed a Wild West Ai.


- You know, it *seems* like Ai can only have 4 dolls out simultaneously, so how is every damn person Yuzuki walks past accessing Jigoku Tsuushin? :sd:She's just imagining it- it's not midnight, so they can't actually be accessing Jigoku Tsuushin.

Despite being one of the more predictable ones lately, it was also one of the better ones. We also got the slightest bit of a glimpse into Ai's mind, something that's been absurdly lacking this season.Yeah... with roughly 10 episodes left, they really need to make with the explanations...

WHY DOES NOBODY COMMENT ON THE FACT THAT KIKURI HAS A SPRING IN HER BACK!?Well, in this case because they're all batshit insane.... otherwise (like when Yuzuki has met her) I have no earthly clue.

I think the whole thing with the mushrooms on him is because he's some sort of forest spirit. And yes, this episode is all kinds of ridiculous. I totally don't get or understand the flips between them being old and being young, it just made absolutely no sense to me. Less naked Warowaro and more naked Ai & Yuzuki please...

[something]

She's just imagining it- it's not midnight, so they can't actually be accessing Jigoku Tsuushin.
Well, I mean, she seems to encounter dozens or even hundreds of people daily who have been accessing it (there's no indication so far her HellBell gives off false positives). They don't need to have a doll in hand right then, but given how contractees tend to hold the dolls for a few days on average before doing anything simple arithmetic indicates there should be a shortage pretty much at all times.

But again, I'm trying to reason with Jigoku Shoujo, which makes me retarded. =P

[Ashyukun]

Well, episode 18 was interesting enough I suppose- but 19 is where (as we somewhat expected) things start to really pick up as we finally get confirmation of what we've been theorizing for some time now: Yuzuki is fated to become (the next, presumably) Jigoku Shoujo. The question is.... will that fate come true? This show being what it is, I can't see it not happening, but there are elements in place to fight back/interfere with it... but so far, 'fate' in this show is pretty much absolute...

[Ashyukun]

(note: since very few people are likely reading this anyway and it should be obvious that you shouldn't read this unless you want potential spoilers for the episode in the title, I'm not bothering with spoiler tags...)

Wow... Looks like it's 'home stretch' time as a whoooole lot is getting filled in regarding backstory. Yuzuki learns who Shibata-sensei is (Tsugumi of course) as well as at least something regarding her past with them- I totally called the 'Isashiburi' when Tsugumi and Ai met. :P Tsugumi has apparently been through a modest bit as well, and though it's not outright said it's heavily implied that she sent Hajime- her father- to Hell via the Jigoku Tsuushin. It's kind of interesting that by and large the entire Jigoku Tsuushin crew largely tries to defend and protect Tsugumi- Ai also probably jumps the gun a bit on saying the 'trigger' phrase just in time to save her.

I hope we get a bit more about Tsugumi and her background, but I'd not be surprised if we don't... I'd love to know what happened in the decade or so since the end of the last series with she and her father. She's obviously changed a good bit since the end of the original and even from what little part she played in Futakomori.... it seems a life of knowing who will be cursed takes its toll. Will Yuzuki end up the same way? Will she be completely freed? Or will she- as I suspect is the case- end up in a situation like Ai did where she'll technically die but come back with a vengeance strong enough to take Ai's place? Just a few more episode left to find out...

Next up, it looks like we may find out whether or not it's possible to perform an abortion via curse?

[jlazar]

Ai also probably jumps the gun a bit on saying the 'trigger' phrase just in time to save her.


She didn't jump the gun, the second red string was pulled just before his, so she responded to that grudge and curse.

Well, I'm glad I was able to make it through some of the early episodes that had me wondering why I was still watching. The recent epsiodes have been good ones with good stories and finally some semblance of a plot.


In retrospect, the high number of curses on people who really didn't deserve them early in the season seems to have been intentional. This episode really explored that aspect and how the regulars feal about those lame grudges.

Looking forward to the ending (wasn't really looking forward to each episode early in the season).

[something]

::notices my ep 17 subject line was borked; fixes::

Not reading the thread right now so as to avoid spoilers, but have a question.

I have every intention of finishing this show, I just want to have a good chunk of episodes available to watch so I can plow through the episodic stuff. It looks I have 18-20 [Edit: And now make that 18-21] to watch (only three [four] eps? Really? it's been so damn long I almost thought it'd be over by now - though shoboi shows 23 episodes aired as of now), which is getting to a pretty good amount.

But I'm curious: without spoiling, about where are we in the show? Is it still episodic through 18-21, or has the final arc begun yet? My plan right now is to watch the remaining episodic stuff all in one go, and then try to keep current week on week (or whenever the hell they get released, that is) once the final arc finally, finally kicks into high gear.

[Ashyukun]

She didn't jump the gun, the second red string was pulled just before his, so she responded to that grudge and curse.


Not necessarily 'jumping the gun' as in acting before the string was pulled, but she doesn't usually lead off with that line. Of course she wouldn't have said it had the string not been pulled in time, but it seemed to me that despite not moving to stop him from pulling the string on Tsugumi that she still acted such that she saved her (at least for now, assuming the implication that she's already headed for Hell is correct...).

Well, I'm glad I was able to make it through some of the early episodes that had me wondering why I was still watching. The recent epsiodes have been good ones with good stories and finally some semblance of a plot.

In retrospect, the high number of curses on people who really didn't deserve them early in the season seems to have been intentional. This episode really explored that aspect and how the regulars feal about those lame grudges.

Looking forward to the ending (wasn't really looking forward to each episode early in the season).It was nice to see that the dolls at least acknowledged that a number of the curses they deal with are stupid and undeserved and that they don't necessarily like them, but that they can't do much about it and have to take the 'good with the bad' so to speak. I definitely agree that it's nice to be moving forward with some end in sight... but that's been the case for pretty much all three series now, hasn't it?

[Ashyukun]

But I'm curious: without spoiling, about where are we in the show? Is it still episodic through 18-21, or has the final arc begun yet? My plan right now is to watch the remaining episodic stuff all in one go, and then try to keep current week on week (or whenever the hell they get released, that is) once the final arc finally, finally kicks into high gear.

I'd say that by and large the 'final arc' probably started with episode 19- the revelation at the end of it pretty much set up for the final arc, and 20 continued on with more revelations moving it along (or at least clearing up some history). Haven't watched 21 yet, but it at least from the preview looks to be episodic vs. plot, but then the previews aren't in any way a good indication of that in many cases.

[something]

I'd say that by and large the 'final arc' probably started with episode 19- the revelation at the end of it pretty much set up for the final arc, and 20 continued on with more revelations moving it along (or at least clearing up some history). Haven't watched 21 yet, but it at least from the preview looks to be episodic vs. plot, but then the previews aren't in any way a good indication of that in many cases.
Hmm, so I guess it's kinda starting, but not necessarily in an endgame yet. Maybe I'll catch up next weekend, hopefully with 22 and if lucky 23 in hand.

[Ashyukun]

Aaaand that went about the way I was expecting it to... aside from Ai and Yuzuki's encounter. It's interesting noting that she doesn't seem fazed by the dolls now even though she knows who they are and what they're doing. Kiriko's contact with Yuzuki pushing her to call and discuss it with her parents and Ai's reaction to it further reinforced something that I've been suspicious of for quite some time- I don't think we've ever had any solid, undeniable proof of her parents actually existing/being alive... we've at best only heard/seen Yuzuki's side of fairly mundane phone conversations. I've long wondered if something happened to them in the past that was her fault and she's just completely blocked it out and is living in something of a fantasy world regarding what her situation is. I could be completely off base with it, but it would at least be something of a reason for Ai's involvement with her in the first place...

Anyway, not a whole lot plot wise this time, at least as far as we can tell. Not too many left to wrap things up...

[Sly05]

Kiriko's contact with Yuzuki pushing her to call and discuss it with her parents and Ai's reaction to it further reinforced something that I've been suspicious of for quite some time- I don't think we've ever had any solid, undeniable proof of her parents actually existing/being alive... we've at best only heard/seen Yuzuki's side of fairly mundane phone conversations.

There has been a lot of ambiguity regarding Yuzuki's parents so there's certainly something going on. Maybe she killed them and hid the bones in the creepy giant stuffed bear from the opening. :P

[Ashyukun]

This week's curse involves a set of identical twins- one of which is a model/aspiring actress and the other more bookish. Of course the model is a grade-A bitch, and gets herself hit by a car, forcing her twin to impersonate her so she doesn't lose any work. Unfortunately, this results in the expected- the twin coming to like living the other's life and not wanting to relinquish it when the 'real' one recovers, leading to the expected cursing- though they keep it a mystery just who cursed who until the very end.

Aaaaand SCORE! There's definitely something fishy in Yuzuki's past involving her parents, and it's starting to come back to the surface. She also can't remember anything about her childhood save some sketchy flashbacks involving a sakura tree. I'd be a lot happier if it weren't so darn slow in being subbed though... things are just starting to get good...

[Ashyukun]

Wow... the Gods (or in this case, Demons...) seem to be smiling on me since I get ep. 23 very shortly after 22 for once.

Today's curse-of-the-week involves a rich kid who is getting picked on constantly by his classmates, largely for the fact that he's rich and smart and really doesn't have to put any effort into things it seems. The main instigator is interesting though in that he's already quite familiar with the Jigoku Tsuushin- he apparently sent his father to Hell, likely to protect his sister from him. I don't think his cursing was earlier in this season... I wish I had a better memory. It couldn't really have been from the earlier seasons though since he would have been way too young given how much Tsugumi has grown up in the intervening years.

Meanwhile, Yuzuki is studiously (literally) ignoring the hell out of anything and everything involving Jigoku Shoujo and trying to aim for moving on to have a normal life by getting into High School- but of course Ai isn't going to quite let it sit at that. In her running away, Yuzuki almost runs into a woman, who seems like she might recognize Yuzuki... Given the preview didn't have a stitch of a hint about the usual curse-of-the-week and instead was all Yuzuki, I'd say we're finally going to start getting somewhere...

EDIT: Also almost forgot- the kid being bullied? So has to have been voiced by Sakaguchi Daisuke (Sunohara)...

[Ashyukun]

We interrupt our usually scheduled curse-of-the-week show for a special bulletin: This episode we will be featuring all Yuzuki all the time.

Yup, it's finally time to get down to it and explain what's been going on- or at least to start doing so. Our ill-fated (or should that be 'ill-destined') heroine has put her all into studying for her entrance exams, pushing aside as much as she can everything Jigoku Tsuushin-related. When she arrives at the school to check up on her scores, she's delighted to find her testing number among the accepted- until she overhears another girl pointing it out and celebrating- and the girl has the appropriate testing ID card with the number. From this point on out, Yuzuki basically spends half the episode or so running around and slowly realizing that nobody recognizes her anymore- and she's hallucinating (presumably) that she's seeing Akie (and she's blaming her for not saving her). After deciding that this has to be Jigoku Shoujo's fault and going on a tirade begging her to stop, Tsugumi shows up- and still recognizes her.

Tsugumi takes Yuzuki back to her place for some heart-to-heart. Cutting down a whole lot of wall-of-text from Tsugumi, she thinks Yuzuki should just accept her fate since it's pointless to fight the 'entity' pulling the strings. But Yuzuki pushes back that perhaps Tsugumi still has some hope- and that's why she stopped her from walking through the Tori at the floating festival. Tsugumi admits that maybe this is true- and that she will try and help Yuzuki... but that Yuzuki will have to accept some things that she is really not going to want to. Most specifically, the fact that the world where nobody recognizes (or, from the sequence at the end, can apparently even see her...) her is in fact the real world, and the world she'd been in up until that point had been the illusion.

As for the end of the episode... I'll leave that to be watched. I had been planning on going back and checking the scenes that flashed by when Tsugumi was delivering the revelation to Yuzuki, but I didn't need to since they showed it far more clearly at the end. Thinking about it still creeps me out too. *shudder*

Next up- it's time to go back (one episode from the end :sweat: ) and get the real dirt on Yuzuki's past so we'll finally know how she ended up in the situation she's in now.

[something]

Episode 18:

- Yuzuki!!! I've missed youuuuuu. And Jigoku Tsuushin has even invaded the radio! It's a multimedia phenomenon!
- Mmm, love this OP.
- Wow, Hamano is incredibly adorable. She's probably screwed =/ Her voice is very familiar though... ::checks:: Oh crap, it's the seiyuu for Murasaki (Kurenai)! Yuuki Aoi. Nice to see her get some more roles.
- Ahahaha! I cracked up to see Ai getting into the Joutarou radio show!
- The amount of good will she's getting for having her letters read on the radio is pretty hilarious. And now she's becoming friends with the other frequent contributor? Man, they could be such cute, happy friends... but they're in the wrong show. =/ Maybe they'll just put aside Joutarou and elope together! ...I wish.
- He likes girls that dry their hair after getting out of the bath? Oh yeah, that's so specific. :sd:
- Heh, Chi-chan is kinda making me ill right now with all her lovey dovey slop. An Aika "hazukashii serifu kinshi!" is sorely needed.
- Going to meet him? Oh jeeze, he's gonna be some old fat guy or something.
- Hahahahahah. I love this twist. Oh no, he's reading a script! The horror!
- So Kaname isn't so much in love with Joutarou just... the script, and hence Yume. XD
- Chi-chan you dumb fangirl. Gotta wonder who she's going to curse, though. Kaname, who shattered her dream? Yume, who created the Joutarou character? Or the guy himself?
- Yuzuki was late again. She can only orz in despair.
- Man, this one leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Not in the sense that it's a bad episode, because a lot of good JS episodes leave me feeling conflicted. It was a pretty good episode actually. But it's always really unfortunate and sad to see a completely innocent and likable girl get screwed over by a delusional, childish bitch. At least we didn't have to watch a revenge scene. =/
- Woah, nice shot at the end as Yuzuki puts her head on her desk and we see Ai behind her.

Oh Jigoku Shoujo, you're so depressing but I can't help but keep watching anyway.

Episode 19:

- Haha, hardcore flower arrangement! We grow them in dead bodies!
- I will never, ever get enough of the Ai/Yuzuki naked makeout scene in the OP. God damn do want so badly.
- Yuzuki sure gets into conversations with total strangers a lot.
- Jeeze, Yuzuki even tries to go home but he gets dragged into someone else's family's funeral? :sd:
- Ooooh. Nice. Yuzuki runs into Ai's henchmen and for the first time gets a hint that they're probably not who they seem.
- Uh oh, and now the Jigoku-gumi are talking about it. Ai comes very close to confirming all our fears - that it's Yuzuki's fate to become the next Jigoku Shoujo. ;_; Why is this show so cruel to her? What the hell could she possibly have done to deserve this? ;_;
- Not really paying much attention to our victim of the week this time, the stuff with Yuzuki and the "teachers" is the real focus. Yuzuki is going into detective mode!
- But she doesn't stand a chance against Ai right now. ;_; "Na-ka-ma." Ai makes me shiver.
- Oh wow, that dude is a fucking moron. Just dump the drink, retard!
- Well at least someone deserving got damned this time. And Kaori's story is used as a metaphor for Yuzuki's situation. So the moral of the story is that Fate wins. Nevermind that the ending of Futakomori very powerfully made the exact opposite point. :sd:

Holy crap, though. That final scene after the candle looked incredible. The lighting was spectacular, the setting was perfect, and the revelation, not a surprise at this point, was still very saddening. Yuzuki. ;_;

Not sure how far I'll watch tonight. Was only planning on going to 21 or so, but 19 finally got things going big time. Still, I only have to 24 of 26, and I don't want to stop too close to the end and then risk waiting again. 19 would actually be a good place to pause but I want to keep going a little bit. I'll watch at least 20 for now...

Edit: Oh, this does answer one very very important question. Why did Ai come back after finally getting free of her fate, seemingly, in Futakomori? She came back to prepare her successor =/

[Ashyukun]

Not sure how far I'll watch tonight. Was only planning on going to 21 or so, but 19 finally got things going big time. Still, I only have to 24 of 26, and I don't want to stop too close to the end and then risk waiting again. 19 would actually be a good place to pause but I want to keep going a little bit. I'll watch at least 20 for now...
19 definitely was where things started rolling toward the end (not that I've gotten there yet... WANT 25 and 26 now!). I'm not sure I can really solidly recommend a good place to stop in there... going up through 24 wouldn't be THAT bad (it's where I am, having just watched it), but it does definitely leave you wanting the next episode despite being a decent stopping point. Stopping at 22 might not be a bad place either... it's hard to say. Like the previous seasons, once you hit the last quarter of the run it gets moving along pretty quickly. I still wish they did a better job of hinting at some of what's being revealed now in the earlier episodes...

[something]

Episode 20:

- What! You can't send Tsugumi to hell! Fuck that, say no, Ai! Say no!
- nakedyurispinningmakeoutyesssssss
- Yuzuki has a dream about young Tsugumi, and wakes up in the nurses' office with current Tsugumi! Surprised Ai's henchmen had no idea she was there. How could they have missed that? He didn't even change her name!
- So Yuzuki's parents are alive! And doing well. I couldn't remember. So really, what the hell, what did Yuzuki do?
- Hmm. I don't think this guy has any intention of sending Tsugumi to hell. He's just trying to provoke Ai.
- Oh now this is nice. Ai and her henchmen, Tsugumi, Yuzuki, and the representative of a man who seems to know about all of them all in one place together.
- So the old dude proved hell... with math!
- Ahahahahh! From a newspaper to... BASIC! XD
- This is all pretty ridiculous. The guy is a total plot device and the idea that he realized all of this from a couple mathematical formulae is hilariously dumb. But it's moving the plot in ways that are very interesting so it's a plot device I'm willing to live with.
- He also wins hard for getting everyone to talk about something very important: a lot of these revenges are completely fucking retarded! Even Ai's henchmen think a lot of them are ridiculous. :sd: The best part, though, is when Yuzuki confronts AI about it and Ai retorts, "Do you really think I haven't thought about it?"
- Oh man, thank god. If they sent Tsugumi to hell I would have been so damn pissed. Pretty quick there on that ippen, shinde miru? Ai... and thank goodness. Just in time.
- But... isn't that a contradiction? "You were fated to become Jigoku Shoujo!" So like, why didn't she? If she didn't, then fate ISN'T absolute, right? The conversation made no sense.

Now I have to watch 21 also. God damn it why didn't I wait until I had the last two episodes?

[something]

[quote=something;1568589]Like the previous seasons, once you hit the last quarter of the run it gets moving along pretty quickly. I still wish they did a better job of hinting at some of what's being revealed now in the earlier episodes...
Heh, I guess they figure that anyone still sticking to this through four cour wasn't going to bail if the fifth cour was completely ridiculous... and in our case at least, they were right. There have definitely been times that I thought this series had totally jumped the shark. Actually, no, I know for a fact it did. But somehow it managed to stick the landing and keep walking, and lately, running. This could be the best final arc of all three series if they really play their cards right.

[Ashyukun]

- But... isn't that a contradiction? "You were fated to become Jigoku Shoujo!" So like, why didn't she? If she didn't, then fate ISN'T absolute, right? The conversation made no sense.

Now I have to watch 21 also. God damn it why didn't I wait until I had the last two episodes?
They do explain that 'contradiction', though it takes until ep. 24....

Such is the curse of watching shows (nearly) real time... sometimes it's nice to be on the bleeding edge, other times it's nice having everything to marathon through to the end (like I'm EVER so glad I did with After Story).

[something]

Episode 21:

- Yuzuki picks up a little boy off the street! :sd:
- "Mother's first birth"? Looks like this is a remarriage for Kaito's dad, and mommy isn't liking Kaito much anymore now that she's got a "real" son on the way. Stupid selfish bitch.
- Ahahah! So what the heck, Kikuri WANTS to be a Jigoku Shoujo. Let her! Leave Yuzuki alone! Then again, if Kikuri were Jigoku Shoujo, there wouldn't be anyone left soon. :sd:
- Ugh the dad is a complete shitbag too. He knows what's going on and doesn't do a god damn thing to protect his kid from that witch he's married to.
- ...I'm once again starting to think there's something freaky going on with Yuzuki's family. When we see her on the phone before, she probably wasn't talking to anyone. All these calls she's making now aren't reaching anyone... so was anyone actually there in the first place? She's probably living in some crazy denial where her parents are still alive even though in reality, well, something tragic must have happened.
- Annnnnd... yah this family is 100% fucked up. Mom beats her son. Father considers drowning his son. Son sends his unborn brother (or was it sister, whatever) to hell. Failure all around! Whee! How do you ferry a fetus to hell anyway? :sd:

I'd really like to continue but unfortunately I have no idea when 25 and 26 will be available, so it's best that I don't go too far. This was a largely stand-alone episode so it's as safe a stopping point as I'm likely to find this late in the series.

[something]

Kiriko's contact with Yuzuki pushing her to call and discuss it with her parents and Ai's reaction to it further reinforced something that I've been suspicious of for quite some time- I don't think we've ever had any solid, undeniable proof of her parents actually existing/being alive... we've at best only heard/seen Yuzuki's side of fairly mundane phone conversations. There has been a lot of ambiguity regarding Yuzuki's parents so there's certainly something going on. Maybe she killed them and hid the bones in the creepy giant stuffed bear from the opening. :P
We're all pretty much coming to the same conclusion, apparently. Given the, uh, "qualifications" for becoming Jigoku Shoujo that Ai held, it seems impossible that Yuzuki is a perfect as everything so far makes her seem. I still have a hard time imagining her doing anything bad to anyone, though. And if she did there have to be some serious mitigating factors that minimize just how guilty she really was. Like, a complete accident burning down an entire apartment complex, killing both her parents and everyone else living there. But even that doesn't really match what Ai did, which was fully intentional - even though she had some damn good justification, so far as that goes.

[Ashyukun]

Picking right up exactly where the last episode left off....

Yuzuki thinks all of this is just an allusion Ai created... so Ai takes her on a trip down memory lane. Ah, such a happy family life. Pity we know enough about this show to know that's not going to last very long. Aaaand yup. Strike one- and bring on the hate. And maaaan people in the JS world are brutal... not that people in the real world are always flowers and sunshine, but jeesh. OK, that HAD to be a young Akie... After enduring plenty of hell on earth, strike two.... and ho boy. And... back to the present? I was expecting some awesome Yuzuki vengeance on the residents of the building at least.... it certainly looked like someone had gone medieval on it.

Aaaand, back to the Tori- of course completely ignoring what Tsugumi told her about it. OK, I wasn't expecting her to change her tune quite that quickly.... but she's promising to not send anyone innocent to Hell like happened to Akie. Who is apparently sticking around, even if her soul is in hell. And only Wanyuudo hangs around to serve her. I was wondering just what the heck the last episode would involve- it looks like it's going to be her dealing with trying to keep that promise. So far, a bit anticlimactic... but the last episode could definitely be quite good too...

[JackW]

Much as I like Ai, Yuzuki as a new Jigoku Shoujo with her own slant on the job might reinvigorate this series.

Maybe: "If you make a contract with me, three holes are dug. If I send your target to hell, you must also pay the price. And if I think your reason for sending the target to hell is too silly, I'll just send you there.

And you won't know which it's to be until you pull the string." :P

[Ashyukun]

Much as I like Ai, Yuzuki as a new Jigoku Shoujo with her own slant on the job might reinvigorate this series.

Maybe: "If you make a contract with me, three holes are dug. If I send your target to hell, you must also pay the price. And if I think your reason for sending the target to hell is too silly, I'll just send you there.

And you won't know which it's to be until you pull the string." :P
As highly amusing as that might be, I have my doubts it'll work out that way... there's a higher (or lower :P) power at work behind Ai and the Jigoku Tsuushin, and we've already seen what happens when Jigoku Shoujo refuses to make good on a contract in Futakomori. Of course, they've still not explained how after essentially escaping her fate there that Ai ended up back in her job to groom her successor.

I expect if Yuzuki does end up staying in the role of Jigoku Shoujo that she'll probably come to accept doing things the way Ai always did them. One thing to note is that we've really not seen much of when Ai first got into doing this... we've seen when she picked up the straw dolls, but it seemed like she was doing the job for a while before that- so we don't know whether she started off only trying to accept contracts with those who were really in need or if she was always the way she was throughout most of the first two series.

They've got a lot that would really be nice to see explained in the final episode... but I wholly expect they won't. If they do make another series with Yuzuki as Jigoku Shoujo, hopefully Ai won't be totally out of the picture... it just wouldn't feel right without Noto's creepy-as-hell Enma Ai voice in there somewhere...

[JackW]

They've got a lot that would really be nice to see explained in the final episode... but I wholly expect they won't. If they do make another series with Yuzuki as Jigoku Shoujo, hopefully Ai won't be totally out of the picture... it just wouldn't feel right without Noto's creepy-as-hell Enma Ai voice in there somewhere...

I'll bet money based on the preview that Ai will be back. "You can't change the rules." Yuzuki will be getting the sack.

[Ashyukun]

I'll bet money based on the preview that Ai will be back. "You can't change the rules." Yuzuki will be getting the sack.
Well, I'd pretty much bet on her being in the final episode in some manner- the question is whether or not Yuzuki will fall into step with the way the Jigoku Tsuushin has run in the past and continue on or she'll try to rebel and do things as she's stated she wants to and get kicked out. If there were more time left (besides just one episode) I'd expect we'd get to see some of when Ai first became Jigoku Shoujo and how her first few jobs went. Thinking about it, that would make an interesting 'next season'- Jigoku Shoujo: The Early Years. They could even do it with keeping Yuzuki as Jigoku Shoujo, and highlight parallels between her early jobs and Ai's. Though they could always have Yuzuki come on as one of Ai's crew, like Kikuri (not a straw doll, but not Jigoku Shoujo either). Yeah, I'm just fishing for good ways to keep both of them around. :P

They've also never really answered exactly how the Jigoku Tsuushin ran in the considerable amount of time (given Tsugumi's age difference) between the end of Futakomori (where we saw the Jigoku Tsuushin on the cell phone at the end...) and Ai's return at the beginning of this season. It seems obvious the dolls themselves weren't doing it, and it didn't seem like Kikuri was doing it (she didn't have a body either it seems). We've never gotten any backstory on her either...

What we really just need is to see the final episode, and hopefully soon...

[JackW]

I agree, there's a huge amount of back story that could be played with, but the creators seem determined to stick with their basic formula and tease out just a little bit of info here and there. "You can't change the rules" is as much a comment on the show itself as on the Jigoku Tsuushin, which is why I think Yuzuki's job prospects are dim. As long as they think another series can be milked out, they won't dare put in a new Jigoku Shoujo.

And with that, episode 26 will no doubt prove me completely wrong (I hope!).

[Ashyukun]

We start off with a recap of what happened to Akie- and shortly find out why. Yuzuki's first job as Jigoku Shoujo is a request to curse the woman responsible for Akie's disappearance- and the client is Akie's father. Of course, nobody remembers Yuzuki, and she gives him the doll as well as goading him on a bit. Claiming he wants to see the moment she falls to hell, he goes out to her place and looks in the window- only to suddenly change his mind and give the doll back to Yuzuki.

Yuzuki however can't accept this, and decides that she'll send her to hell anyway. Ai attempts to intercede, but Yuzuki blasts her with a Hell Signet Blast (we've not seen that since the first season I believe...). However, when she attempts to confront the woman she turns into Akie and the three-eyed spider that is that master of Hell tells her she's violated the rules and she will be sent to hell. To the spider's surprise, Yuzuki is rescued by Ai and the straw dolls, and Ai and Yuzuki find themselves in front of the Gateway to Hell at the shrine again. Ai and Yuzuki slip for a while back to shortly before Yuzuki's real death, and Ai sheds a tear for the abandoned and dying young Yuzuki. Ai shows Yuzuki what Akie's father saw that caused him to change his mind- the woman still caring for her comatose father, reminding Akie of herself caring for her sick mother. Akie appears, but Yuzuki finally accepts that it's not really Akie and yells for her to disappear- which she does. The spider appears again, but Ai steps up and says that she will accept the punishment- which will mean her serving as Jigoku Shoujo for eternity, never to be released. Ai's silence is her acceptance, and Yuzuki and Ai are left standing in a field of flowers (the Lycoris that are somewhat symbolic IIRC).

Yuzuki questions why Ai would do such a thing, and then starts to herself disappear- she is after all by and large a spectre/construct of Hell, and as her purpose for continuing to exist no longer exists, she's starting to disappear. Ai runs up to her and kisses her (insert something cheering here...), and Yuzuki sees what happened to Ai before her death and realizes that they went through similar things and are the same before finally disappearing completely. Ai meets up with the rest of the crew and heads out to continue her work.

The credit roll animation is.... pretty much perfect IMO. Sweet vengeance on all counts.

I left of Tsugumi's departure and conversation with the dolls in there, but it was good- and of no use at figuring out what happened to Hajime. :P

I'll write up my final thoughts on the series as a whole when I don't have to rush off...

[something]

Finally I can finish this! Not exactly the Ai whose show I thought I'd be watching tonight, but with the last ep out I can at long last marathon to the end.

Episode 22:

- Starting right away with more hints that Yuzuki isn't who we've been led to believe she is. Obviously her "parents" can't come to the interview, and her papers can't even be found...
- Naaaaaaaaaked OP make-out <3
- Now everyone is meeting up with their mothers and Yuzuki is alone. God damn this girl can't catch a break.
- Woah now. First ever glimpse into Yuzuki's past? Though it's just a sakura tree and a woman making a pained sounding gasp.
- You know, speaking of Aria, Yuzuki is... she's like a far more depressing Akari. She is drawn constantly into "mysterious encounters" and becomes fast friends (or at least a busybody) with just about everyone she meets. Damnit, now I want to rescue her and take her to Aqua and make her an Undine. ;_; She sooo belongs there instead.
- lol woman playing a ditzy model. She should end her sentences with "de arimasuuuu~" And so I guess the twin Yuzuki meets is jealous of her famous idol sister.
- A really bitchy idol, sheesh. I hope her boyfriend is cheating on her with Sumika =D Though if he is, then the situation changes and the bitch will be sending him or Sumika to hell. OR, Sumika dresses up like her sister and tricks him into having sex with her, and he'll sent Sumika to hell! :sd:
- And talking about when Yuzuki was younger? The ugly truth has to be coming out soon! We're getting closer and closer. I don't know if I really want to know...
- Haha, drunk Yuika gets hit by a car. Good.
- Bah, Sumika is retarded. Yeah just go ahead and listen to what your crazy sister says, don't bother thinking for yourself.
- Now Yuika gets to do the "stare menacingly from the window" thing. :sd:
- ...And suddenly Sumika can act without practice. Hah.
- Hah, scenario #3, confirmed!! XD Oh Sumika.
- The given name is blocked out by glare, just to drag out who will damn who. XD

BWAHAHAHA! Oh god, they played with us right through the end. We don't know who sent who. :sd: That's sort of hilarious.

[Ashyukun]

BWAHAHAHA! Oh god, they played with us right through the end. We don't know who sent who. :sd: That's sort of hilarious.
Actually, I believe they did show us which it was- they clearly showed her in a largely backless dress after the ferrying scene- and absent a birthmark...

[Ashyukun]

Fair warning: don't read after the space below unless you've seen the entire series or don't mind the ending being completely spoiled. I'm not going to spoiler tag an entire post...






Well, the ending isn't what some people were hoping for... and I honestly can't say myself what exactly I was hoping for. Many of us I think would have liked to have seen Yuzuki continue on.... well, in at least some capacity of existence. But I think we've at the same time been braced for the worst and halfway expecting it- this is Jigoku Shoujo after all... few people end up in any remote way 'happy' in the long run in this show (the boy from Futakomori being one of the apparent few exceptions to this, at least in some manner). Still, I thought the ending was fairly satisfying and appropriate- and it went a long ways toward redeeming Ai from her apparent renewed cold-heartedness, which was a considerable change after the end of Futakomori.

It's my take on things that Ai pretty much had what happened planned out from the get-go- that she felt that the burden of being Jigoku Shoujo was something that Yuzuki didn't really deserve, and she intended to intercede and take back over. One could argue 'why didn't she just do so from the beginning and just spare Yuzuki what happened', but I think if that had happened, Yuzuki simply wouldn't have existed and gotten to enjoy at least what time she did have of happiness- as they said, she had dreamed of a happy life as a middle schooler, and at least for a while she got her wish. Yuzuki may have met the criteria as far as her suffering and abandonment, but she didn't have the whole 'sought out fiery revenge' that Ai did- probably at least in part due to her innocence of everything happening at such a young age. I think in the end, she was happy for what had happened with Ai and the opportunity she'd been given...

It was also pretty much inevitable that Ai would end up continuing on as Jigoku Shoujo.... if for no other reason than nobody can do the necessary voice of Jigoku Shoujo like Noto can. :P Satomi Satou did a good job IMO of her own version of it... but it just didn't feel right. And Yuzuki just doesn't have the right, cold, piercing look that Ai has. It would definitely have been interesting for them to have passed the torch and continue on with a new Jigoku Shoujo and potentially a whole new (or partially new) set of straw dolls, but it's probably best as it is. Though it will remain to be seen whether they'll make a 4th season... they certainly left it open solidly enough- FAR moreso than the previous season.

This season followed much the pattern of the previous with not really letting on what was really going on until VERY late in the game, but it got there by considerably more absurd means in the form of the downright stupid and silly cursings at a few points- which the straw dolls outright admitted to. It did however make it rather entertaining... but I kind of missed the way the first season was as far as the cursings went. I remember watching that and in most cases palpably hating the person who was cursed and firmly believing they deserved it (outside of the few that were clearly placed to show the neutrality of the Jigoku Tsuushin in who could be cursed).

In the end though, it was a good addition to the franchise- though I still would have had little in the way of regrets if they'd stopped at the end of the 2nd season. I don't know where they'd go that they haven't already for another season... a rival Tengoku Tsuushin, perhaps? :P But, I know if they made it, I'd certainly watch it.

[Sly05]

So I guess the whole point of Mitsuganae was to cancel out the resolution of the second series? Despite the yuri kiss scene, the ending was pretty bleak. Yuzuki was saved but considering she didn't do anything bad in the first place, I'm not sure on the justification of punishing her to become the Jigoku Shoujo. Maybe we're supposed to assume she went to town on the apartment complex residents Ai style after her death?

I am disappointed that Tsugumi didn't end up doing much and we never got to hear what happened to Hajime. I thought it was really cool that she was included in this series but I would have liked to see her have a better resolution.

The ending felt like it was trying to set up another sequel. If that turns out to be true, I doubt I'll continue as I think the series accomplished everything it could do in Futakomori. After watching 78 episodes of Jigoku Shoujo, I think I've had my fill.

[something]

Episode 23:

- More bullying, meh. This is an overdone setup so I hope it's only background while we get some serious Yuzuki focus. Or maybe there will be some hilarious and over the top backstory to the bullying.
- Moooooooore spinning naked yuri make out love love yaaay. This is one way to make me watch the OP every time.
- Man Tsugumi is cold. Would be nice if they gave us a clue as to why she's such a bitch to Yuzuki.
- Tengoku Shoujo XD
- This is... exceptionally straightforward so far. And hey, we even get an old school doll passing scene. The requester being surprised it's real, Ai getting to give her whole explanation, requestor about to hastily pull the string, the warning from Ai, the objection from the requester. This could almost be the first cour of season one. :sd: Except that bit at the end - are you sure you've never scarred anyone?
- And except for Yuzuki... who is making a concerted effort to ignore it. Completely unable to stop even a single revenge, she's turned to just hoping it goes away. Poor Yuzuki =( Also, that creepy bear from the OP makes it into the shot...
- Oh god, the bully's sister is cute. And that voice, damnit, who is that? II know that voice. It's something I've watched recently, and I can just hear it saying "Ano ne, ano ne..." but what was it? Arrrrrrgh! She's not listed on Japanese wiki or ANN. Also, seems the kid sent his (presumably abusive) dad to hell.
- Anyway envy is pretty much the kid's reason for hating the rich kid right now, but there has to be more to it.
- Hah, he's already sent someone to hell. Interesting.
- Heeeeey, Hone Onna expressing the first inkling of doubt about if Yuzuki really is the next Jigoku Shoujo. Here's hoping there's something to her musings. Also, lol Kikuri.
- Ah, it's the plant where the pedo's girlfriend sent that dude to hell earlier in the series.
- Well so far no actual legitimate reason for this kid to be so worked up by rich boy.
- Yeah. There was no grand reason behind it. Just lots of poor boy envy.
- But hah! Someone actually speaks out about seeing someone disappear! Interesting.
- Then an amusing gathering of characters from earlier eps. And...

And Ai really is fucking relentless with Yuzuki. Holy crap, Ai, you're making me mad. Leave her alone! ;_; The part where she turns to Yuzuki and says "Right now you hate me. Don't you want to send me to hell?" was fantastic, though. Man, what is this all building to? It's interesting that as weird as this season has been at times, it's really got the best non-Jigoku Tsuushin recurring character yet, and the one that's gotten the most focus, and for the most extended period of time.

On to 24!

[something]

Actually, I believe they did show us which it was- they clearly showed her in a largely backless dress after the ferrying scene- and absent a birthmark...
I'd have to check exactly where her birthmark was on her side/back, but I thought it was still hidden behind her arm, which never moved completely from her side. After all, why obscure the candle at the end if it wasn't meant to be a secret?

[something]

Episode 24:

- Yes, ignore it, Yuzuki! It's all a lie! You'll be fine!! Also wtf Akie?
- Naked spinning twirling delicious wonderful yuri make out looooove.
- God daaaaaaamn it let this girl catch a break. I bet Ai hacked the scores ;_;
- Oh my god this is horrible. Her "apartment" has been an abandoned building all along that's about to get demolished. And those hand prints inside the drawer... they disturb me.
- Yep. It's like she's never existed. ;_; This sort of plot twist has to be played carefully because it's easy to mess up. Let's see how they handle it...
- ENMAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!! ::shakes fist angrily:: So how much of this change is reflecting reality and how much is Ai manipulating it? And alright Tsugumi, how about showing some fucking sympathy now? Please? Finally?
- Okay, good. I think I have a basic idea of how Tsugumi escaped her fate. She probably couldn't become Jigoku Shoujo after sending someone to hell, because the Jigoku Shoujo is supposed to live, if not forever, at least for a very long time. She would essentially be dodging her fate of going to hell if she cursed someone and then became Jigoku Shoujo. Therefore, in order to save her, Hajime somehow got her to send him to hell. Well, so goes my guess. Though really, it's probably a tossup which is worse - becoming Jigoku Shoujo or dying and going to hell. Honestly, I think I'd prefer the former. Hell is hell, while Ai as Jigoku Shoujo at least gets to hang out with interesting people.
- lol unpause and they crush that speculation 10 seconds later. Oh well. At least Tsugumi is doing *something*, even if she can "only watch" it's still some comfort to Yuzuki to have at least one person in the world remember her.
- And so we get Tsugumi's interpretation of Jigoku Tsuushin. It exists merely to perpetuate what humanity already really is - and the ones it saves are not those who use it, but those who take solace in the fact that they could use it if they wanted to. All this time Tsugumi has been made to watch and watch (which explains how she showed up in Futakomori)... and watch.
- But still, the central question remains. Why? Maybe Yuzuki isn't innocent, but we know for a fact that Tsugumi is. And yet she's suffered a similarly horrible fate for all her life? Why why why why?
- This is getting very information dense but... wtf is that a dead Yuzuki? Anyway, so like... Yuzuki's alternatives are to just accept fate or, like so many failed potential Jigoku Shoujos, be left hanging forever in some void between worlds.
- Fuuuuuuuuuuuck. Yeah. I knew things would get bad for Yuzuki but this... this is bad. Oh yes it's very bad. Because... she's dead. (Side note: have they seriously not realized there's a dead body in the apartment despite plans to demolish it?)

The shot of the whole Tsuushin-gumi arranged in her room with the corpse between them and Yuzuki was spectacular. Even better was Noto Mamiko's delivery - "That's you."

Well damn, that was easily one of the best of the 76 episodes of this we've seen so far. Daaaaaaaamn. Damn damn damn and damn again. I still have to wonder where/when we'll get an explanation for how and why Ai came back. Again, presumably it's to train the next Jigoku Shoujo, but they haven't actually said that yet.

[something]

Episode 25:

- Yuzuki...
- I'm too sad to be properly excited over spinningnakedyurimakeout ;_; (...but I still like it)
- Well laughter isn't the first thing I expected to come from Yuzuki's mouth. She's halfway between "totally lost it" and "stubborn denial". ;_;
- Annnnnd flashback, finally. Man she was just a tiny kid when she died, I see no way that she possibly could have *intentionally* done anything like what Ai did.
- Sheesh some bus driver he is, think you could wait a bit longer to pull the emergency break?
- Okay so that's one parent down that Yuzuki had nothing to do with.
- Oh fuck you Mr Guy in Hospital. "The brakes went out and it was a pure accident, clearly we must make an ass of ourselves to the dead driver's wife!" What? Okay maybe Yuzuki kills him, but damn straight he deserves it if so.
- Guh, this is utterly ridiculous. So he bus company denies responsibility and frames her dad, and all the people in the neighborhood just blindly accept it and start terrorizing Yuzuki and her mom? Come the fuck on.
- Even the "nice guy" who hires Yuzuki's mom just wants in her pants. Jeeze.
- Alright, so this backstory is all sorts of suitably MOTHERFUCKING TRAGIC but what I'm getting from it is... that Yuzuki had the worst god damn life ever but took it all like an absolute saint with maturity far beyond her years. She had to fucking bury her dead mother in sakura blossoms! So... where and when did she come to deserve becoming Jigoku Shoujo? Argh, it's driving me nuts! :sd: I guess Ai's part to jigoku shoujodom wasn't the typical path, and some people are doomed to this horrible fate simple because... well just because. Because the world sucks. ;_;
- ...God fucking damn this is awesome. Yuzuki looks amazing in Jigoku Shoujo garb, and her resolve to purify the world and never send a sinless person to hell is quite interesting. Unfortunately I don't think that's quite something she has a say about, but...
- Just as interesting is that Hone Onna, Ren, and Yamawaro (pulled away by Kikuri) refuse[?] to serve her, but Wanyuudou does! If I remember right, he was Ai's first servant. I suppose if anyone can be trusted to stick around, it'd be him. So now it's Yuzuki, Wanyuudou, and... a soulless Akie. Not a bad team, all things considered.

One, one episode left! It's not enough! Things have gotten way too awesome! I have to admit I was slightly disappointed they didn't take this opportunity to tweak the ED animation. Having Ai disappear and Yuzuki remain in that final shot would be been brilliant.

[something]

Much as I like Ai, Yuzuki as a new Jigoku Shoujo with her own slant on the job might reinvigorate this series.
Seriously! Looooooove Ai, but I would easily watch yet another 26 episodes of Yuzuki as Jigoku Shoujo, if she were allowed to act on her principles. But I doubt she's allowed to - after all, Ai doesn't send innocent people to hell because she likes it. The only thing I can think is that because Yuzuki is utterly innocent (so far as we know), she might have more say in how she does her job. Punishing innocent people may just have been part of Ai's punishment. Kinda sucks for those people though, huh?

Of course I still have one more episode to go... ::starts::

[something]

Episode 26:

- YES! The bitch who sent Akie to hell is the first target! Oh I so hope Yuzuki at least goes through with this one. I *must* hear Yuzuki try an "ippen, shinde miru?" at least once!
- Not bad, Yuzuki, not bad. Satou Satomi can of course never hope to be Noto Mamiko, but she does a perfectly good job delivering the initial spiel.
- Ooooh, Yuzuki obviously doesn't have the completely dispassionate third party observer thing down yet though. She supports Akie's dad and pushes him along. Because, in truth... it's what she wants to do too. I wonder if Ai was like this at first too? Unable to silence her own emotions and become merely a tool rather than a proponent of one side or the other.
- Ahahah! I'd *almost* (but not quite) forgotten that Kikuri was the vessel for the hell spider. Wonder what he's up to.
- Oh how tragic. Finally, finally Yuzuki gets someone who returns the doll... the one time she doesn't want that to happen.
- And she is NOT happy. Yuzuki has power now, and even Ai can't mess with her. But she's going to get in soooo much trouble when Jigoku Kumo-san finds her.
- SHE SAID IT! SHE SAID IT! SHE SAID IT! And it was gooooooooood!
- But jigoku kuma-san is gonna send Yuzuki to hell. ;_;
- Ai-gumi! YAAAAAY! SAVE YUZUKI!
- Ai cries! ;_; Yuzuki cries! ;_;
- Man, talk about a zero tolerance policy. Yuzuku messed up once, don't (hell)fire her already.
- So Ai was, indeed, freed at the end of Futakomori. And she came back to prepare Yuzuki for her fate, but now to save Yuzuku she's taking on Yuzuki's punishment and will have to be the Jigoku Shoujo forever. Harsh ;_; But it gives Ai her job back, and maybe, maybe frees Yuzuki?
- Frees her to finally rest in peace, and avoid hell, apparently. It's really, really heartbreaking but it's probably the best end we could have hoped for for her. But B@UYB#&!@#&OMFG HOTTEST KISS EVER! When Ai hugged Yuzuki it was amazing enough, but then she just grabs her and starts kissing and ahhhhh, my god! I diiiiiiiiied. That... that... I've waited all season for that. Sure it's in the OP, but getting it at such an important and emotional moment is just perfect!

And the moral of the story is: humanity is still despicable, and there's nothing you can do about it. Yuzuki is the only one who was saved in the end. (And like, that was Akie's killer killing the guy who fled the country after maiming her father, and Akie's killer in turn gets sent to hell by Akie's father's maid lady. Hah!)

But god, that was a great ending. For a show that was openly mocking itself in the first cour, it really shaped up at the end and as far as the story-centered final arcs go, this is definitely my favorite of the three, particularly because the character it centered around, Yuzuki, was someone we'd come to know and love over the course of the whole series. Contrast this to Futakomori that gave us two characters we only met sporadically (though I really liked them!) and season one which gave more time to two characters through the run (Hajime and Tsugumi) but sort of split the focus a bit and took a bit too long to divulge Ai's story.

78 episodes... I've watched 78 episodes of this and I see no reason why I couldn't watch a season or three more. My only hesitation is that with Yuzuki gone, I can't imagine a better season-specific recurring character, nor can I imagine a better plot conflict to use. Plus we got extensive Tsugumi time, even if there was nothing she could do in the end.

Yeah, I'm very happy with how this ended. Awesome.

[something]

Maybe we're supposed to assume she went to town on the apartment complex residents Ai style after her death?
Personally, I don't think so, or at least think the show would have been a bit more explicit about it. She really does seem to be completely sinless in every way. She was an exemplary human being who deserved nothing but a good happy life or at least a peaceful afterlife... but her fate simply dictated otherwise. It's possible that there were hints from earlier that we missed but I thought we heard two ladies saying that the apartments were only recently emptied out for the demolition. But some years must have passed since Yuzuki's death and the start of Mitsuganae, as seen in how much Akie grew. And really, the apartments look more abandoned than like a crime scene. ::shrugs::

If this were any other show I'd err on the side of thinking Yuzuki did somehow blow the apartments to bits to provide some justification for her fate, but in Jigoku Shoujo I can completely buy the idea that, no, she did nothing wrong, and her luck just sucks, and that's how fate is.

Edit: another point - Tsugumi met with a pretty terrible fate too, right? But we know for a fact that she was sinless. So there's definitely precedent for innocent people getting mixed up with Jigoku Tsuushin for no reason other than "fate".

[Sly05]

I'm curious what the selection process for being the Jigoku Shoujo is then. In Ai's case, there was at least some justification for the punishment. With Yuzuki it seems to be that they just need to be an appropriately aged little girl who has a terrible life.

I kind of wish Yuzuki and Ai teamed up to beat the king of hell giant spider thing so they could both run things. That would be awesome. The two of them bringing justice to evil people instead of being completely neutral would be a good change. I wouldn't be opposed to Tsugumi joining in as well.

[Ashyukun]

Personally, I don't think so, or at least think the show would have been a bit more explicit about it. She really does seem to be completely sinless in every way. She was an exemplary human being who deserved nothing but a good happy life or at least a peaceful afterlife... but her fate simply dictated otherwise. It's possible that there were hints from earlier that we missed but I thought we heard two ladies saying that the apartments were only recently emptied out for the demolition. But some years must have passed since Yuzuki's death and the start of Mitsuganae, as seen in how much Akie grew. And really, the apartments look more abandoned than like a crime scene. ::shrugs::

If this were any other show I'd err on the side of thinking Yuzuki did somehow blow the apartments to bits to provide some justification for her fate, but in Jigoku Shoujo I can completely buy the idea that, no, she did nothing wrong, and her luck just sucks, and that's how fate is.

Edit: another point - Tsugumi met with a pretty terrible fate too, right? But we know for a fact that she was sinless. So there's definitely precedent for innocent people getting mixed up with Jigoku Tsuushin for no reason other than "fate".
They never say anything hinting at there having been any kind of tragedy at the apartments Yuzuki lived in... they did look solidly trashed and needing to be torn down, but you'd think they would have done a better job of at least hinting if Yuzuki had gone ballistic on the place. I really think she just buried her mother in the sakura, walked home, curled up, and stayed there waiting for someone to come for her until she died. She was qualified/chosen to be Jigoku Shoujo because she had experienced so much of the hatred and ostracism and the general dark side of humanity and should have wanted to/been ready to go medieval on everyone involved (like Ai did). But she didn't- she was truly innocent then, and it took a monumental amount to push her into it at the end. Ai likely didn't have anything to do with her being chosen, and realizing their similarity and her innocence decided to set her free- even if that just meant her being saved from going to hell/being Jigoku Shoujo. I honestly can't remember if back when Ai gave the full spiel if she says, "Unable to go to heaven" or "Unable to find peace" when she's talking about what will happen to the person who pulls the string, but if there is a Heaven in this show's world, Yuzuki sure as hell ended up there.

I do agree that them doing more- or at least explaining what happened with Hajime- with Tsugumi would have been very welcome. They hinted heavily that she perhaps sent him to Hell- the strongest indication of that being when she was about to get sent to hell and Yuzuki objected that she was innocent, Tsugumi said that she was not, and said something like, "Even I.... Hajime..." It seems pretty solidly whacked out- and very out of character for her- if she sent him to hell for giving up on fighting the Jigoku Tsuushin (kind of ironic in a way....), but that seems the most plausible reason if she did curse him. Again though- especially since they seemed to hint that she wouldn't be showing up again- you'd think they would have done a better job of resolving things with her.

I definitely would watch more of the show- but it is frustrating that they leave so much hanging and/or completely unanswered.

[something]

Many of us I think would have liked to have seen Yuzuki continue on.... well, in at least some capacity of existence.[/quote
In terms of storytelling, a Yuzuki Jigoku Shoujo could be fascinating, but only if she were allowed to act on her principles (as I noted in an earlier post). If all she could hope to do was follow in Ai's footsteps, become her clone, and follow the same strict rules that allow for no personal discretion, then changing from Ai to Yuzuki wouldn't add much. And this ending is much happier for Yuzuki than that. She doesn't have to spend an eternity (or even a "long time") sending people to hell and watching over the horrors of this world. Yes, she "died", but she was dead anyway. She was a wandering spirit who could not find rest, and with Ai's sacrifice Yuzuki was finally able to lay her soul to rest and pass to the afterlife - a non-hell afterlife.

Also, she got to make out with Ai. I mean, holy fuck, there is no way that can be anything other than GOOD END.

[QUOTE]It's my take on things that Ai pretty much had what happened planned out from the get-go- that she felt that the burden of being Jigoku Shoujo was something that Yuzuki didn't really deserve, and she intended to intercede and take back over. One could argue 'why didn't she just do so from the beginning and just spare Yuzuki what happened', but I think if that had happened, Yuzuki simply wouldn't have existed and gotten to enjoy at least what time she did have of happiness- as they said, she had dreamed of a happy life as a middle schooler, and at least for a while she got her wish. Yuzuki may have met the criteria as far as her suffering and abandonment, but she didn't have the whole 'sought out fiery revenge' that Ai did- probably at least in part due to her innocence of everything happening at such a young age. I think in the end, she was happy for what had happened with Ai and the opportunity she'd been given...
Hmm, maybe. I think Ai was taking a wait and see approach more than acting on a deliberate, carefully laid plan, but there's not much difference between the two. If, perhaps, things had played out differently and Yuzuki seemed capable of handling the role, she may not have needed to intervene. But I think that after seeing Yuzuki's terrible fate and seeing how it reminded her of herself, Ai took a special interest in her and watched her through her whole second life (whenever that began - we have no clues). If you look at the age difference between young Akie and current Akie, I actually imagine that less time passed there than between Futakomori and Mitsuganae (if you look at Tsugumi in comparison). Or should have, theoretically... they might not have taken that into account and perhaps cited a much shorter time period between the end of Futakomori and Mitsuganae. But at any rate it would imply that Ai was free the whole time she watched over the reborn Yuzuki, and stepped in only at the time where Yuzuki was to be handed the role. Uh, I don't know where I'm going with this anymore, but at any rate Yuzuki was a very particularly special person to Ai, someone who she made an intense emotional connection to. Like the boy in Futakomori in a way, but her feelings for and understanding of Yuzuki run much deeper.

This season followed much the pattern of the previous with not really letting on what was really going on until VERY late in the game, but it got there by considerably more absurd means in the form of the downright stupid and silly cursings at a few points- which the straw dolls outright admitted to. It did however make it rather entertaining... but I kind of missed the way the first season was as far as the cursings went. I remember watching that and in most cases palpably hating the person who was cursed and firmly believing they deserved it (outside of the few that were clearly placed to show the neutrality of the Jigoku Tsuushin in who could be cursed).
I'm not sure what to think about the ridiculous attitude the show took on in the beginning. At the very least it made for something different, and it's harder to come out of an episode feeling depressed at an innocent person being cursed when the ep was making me laugh really hard. I think a full season of heavy emotional episodes might not have worked well three seasons in a row, and the goofiness was enough of a change of pace to keep me watching early on so that we could get to the awesome stuff from the midpoint onwards. So at the time I thought the show had completely given up on itself, but in retrospect I'm sort of glad everything went the way it did.

In the end though, it was a good addition to the franchise- though I still would have had little in the way of regrets if they'd stopped at the end of the 2nd season. I don't know where they'd go that they haven't already for another season... a rival Tengoku Tsuushin, perhaps? :P But, I know if they made it, I'd certainly watch it.
I agree that Futakomori was a perfectly good ending and that Mitsuganae was in no way "necessary" for the story they were trying to tell. But now that it's done and told its tale, I'm very glad to have it, and thanks to Yuzuki it may be my favorite of the three.

If they do another series, I'd like to see Ai, despite jigoku kumo's warnings, be freed from her job once more, and for good. Like I said in another post, there is simply no way to top Yuzuki for recurring non-Tsuushin characters, so any addition to the franchise would need to seriously explore Ai's issues as the top focus. Otherwise, I'm quite happy how it ended.

[something]

I honestly can't remember if back when Ai gave the full spiel if she says, "Unable to go to heaven" or "Unable to find peace" when she's talking about what will happen to the person who pulls the string, but if there is a Heaven in this show's world, Yuzuki sure as hell ended up there.
We need someone more knowledgeable about the theology of this to fill in some of the blanks... but hell yes, Yuzuki unquestionably ended up somewhere good. I'm predicting Yuzuki-Ai-Akie threesomes for all eternity (even if it's not the "real" Akie or Ai).

I do agree that them doing more- or at least explaining what happened with Hajime- with Tsugumi would have been very welcome. They hinted heavily that she perhaps sent him to Hell- the strongest indication of that being when she was about to get sent to hell and Yuzuki objected that she was innocent, Tsugumi said that she was not, and said something like, "Even I.... Hajime..." It seems pretty solidly whacked out- and very out of character for her- if she sent him to hell for giving up on fighting the Jigoku Tsuushin (kind of ironic in a way....), but that seems the most plausible reason if she did curse him. Again though- especially since they seemed to hint that she wouldn't be showing up again- you'd think they would have done a better job of resolving things with her.
That's really the only thing I consider unanswered to a point where I feel unsatisfied. Still, I do think that if they wanted to make clear that Tsugumi sent Hajime to hell, they'd have show her hell mark at least once. Even the hint in the crazy professor episode is too vague to really bank on. It could simply be that Tsugumi's rejection of Hajime when he gave up fighting Ai put a rift between them that was never healed before he died a broken man. Feeling helpless, having lost Hajime, and being stuck with the fate of watching people curse each other and having no power to stop it, Tsugumi didn't care if she were sent to hell. Who knows?

[something]

I kind of wish Yuzuki and Ai teamed up to beat the king of hell giant spider thing so they could both run things. That would be awesome. The two of them bringing justice to evil people instead of being completely neutral would be a good change. I wouldn't be opposed to Tsugumi joining in as well.
Yeah, it'd be the most damn epic thing ever for Yuzuki and Ai to take over hell and reign as lovers damning all evil people in this world to hell, but that might be too much awesome for one show to handle =P

[Ashyukun]

I kind of wish Yuzuki and Ai teamed up to beat the king of hell giant spider thing so they could both run things. That would be awesome. The two of them bringing justice to evil people instead of being completely neutral would be a good change. I wouldn't be opposed to Tsugumi joining in as well.
Yeah, it'd be the most damn epic thing ever for Yuzuki and Ai to take over hell and reign as lovers damning all evil people in this world to hell, but that might be too much awesome for one show to handle =P
When the dolls showed up and rescued Yuzuki I was seriously halfway expecting Ai to appear- in the kimono and with her fully powers in front of the spider and say something like, "You're finally shown yourself... now we'll end this once and for all," and take it out (potentially with Yuzuki's help). Doing so would pretty much mean everyone disappearing without the power of the Jigoku Tsuushin maintaining their existence- but they would also all be free. It could still have ended with the hot Ai & Yuzuki scene as both of them faded away, and cutting to Tsugumi as she felt what had happened and she collapses on the ground crying tear of relief, finally being able to smile and say, "It's finally over, Hajime-chan...". It could still have ended with the epilogue of Akie's curser stabbing the guy who put her dad in a coma, but she would have gotten hauled off by the police instead.

[JackW]

Yuzuki was lovely as Jigoku Shoujo, even the Ippen, shinde miru; nicely understated (I think Noto has been trying a bit too hard on that lately). Predictable outcome though; and annoyingly predictable teasing re. Yuzuki x Ai.

[something]

and annoyingly predictable teasing re. Yuzuki x Ai.
But they still kissed, and kissed damn good, which given the utterly pathetic state of yuri in anime today already puts this show ahead of 99% of other shows in terms of yuri. =/

[JackW]

But they still kissed, and kissed damn good, which given the utterly pathetic state of yuri in anime today already puts this show ahead of 99% of other shows in terms of yuri. =/

True, but this nudge nudge, wink wink, 'you might think so but I couldn't possibly comment' routine is getting very old and very tiresome!

[something]

True, but this nudge nudge, wink wink, 'you might think so but I couldn't possibly comment' routine is getting very old and very tiresome!
That's a whole other thread in itself, but suffice to say I couldn't agree more.　Even so, relatively speaking, Jigoku Shoujo was delicious.

[pianocello]

Having finished this, my reactions to the 3rd season is mixed.
The first half of the season had arguably the funniest punishments ever but I felt the episodic episodes were nowhere as strong as the 1st half of the 2nd season.
Then somewhere in the middle, we started getting mediocre episodes and it was only in the last 3 episodes, we got the strongest ending of the 3 seasons. 1st season's ending was strong , 2nd season's was so horrible that I almost hated the whole franchise.

Tsugumi's addition was nice. I feel though Yuzuki is only good enough to be a supporting character. She's too weak and wimpy to be a lead character. She was at least good for awesome yuri makeout scenes though. :blush1::)

[something]

I feel though Yuzuki is only good enough to be a supporting character. She's too weak and wimpy to be a lead character.
::glares:: ...Ippen, shinde miru?