Right in the Golden Carp

I can’t even begin to list all the ways that this third episode was completely, dangerously insane. And wrong. And insane. Honestly, you just have to watch it – no attempt to recount it could do it justice.

But seriously, if there was any doubt whatsoever that that remake was not meant for kids, you can safely put that aside. This is so far over the edge that it’s a little shocking, even to me. But the clever thing is, there’s very little for the censors to get them slimy little hands on – it’s mostly innuendo, double entendre and not-quite nudity. Mind you, there’s some stuff that does get cropped – and a few lines of dialogue that are more over than implied. But honestly – how can you possibly censor “Right in the golden carp!”? Or “Who’s got the death grip on my sack?” OK, maybe that one – but it made it in…

The thing is, this is really pure genius in the execution – a total commitment to the randomness and ecchi without any concern for good taste or reason. The whole episode was nominally about the superdemon “Bonedaddy”, who has poisoned the teacher Ms. Chikko and turned her into a kind of black-belt super-slut – but he didn’t even make an appearance until the closing credits, and that was to complain about not being in the show. Then, after the credits, he was defeated in about 10 seconds by Enma-kun and went off to Hell with a plaintive, “So I leave a life full of regret.” After which Harumi says “I’m not really sure there was a point to all that… But we saved the day anyway!” Seriously – how awesome is that?

Honestly, it was all an excuse for some of the most deliciously improper fanservice ever. Harumi (what is she, 12?) and Yukiko stripping off Chiko-sensei’s thong and then doing a kind of erotic dance around the room as Enma-kun peeked through the window, grinding himself against the glass. I had to rub my eyes a few times to make sure it was really happening. Of course, all this was to the accompaniment of a vintage ’70s insert song totally unsuited to the material, as Chapeau-ji, Kappaeiru and a random dog joined Enma-kun in leering at them. Wowzer – that’s seriously twisted stuff. You really have to see it to believe it, please for the love of God – don’t take my word for it.

Lest you get complacent, next week we meet a barely-dressed witch named Enbi-chan, who enters our screens with the promise of making the mortal world a “Sexier and more exciting place!” I, for one, can hardly wait.