Two of my favorite words as an anime writer are “season finale” – because that means (often unexpectedly) that there’s more to come.  I was obviously over the moon that Hoozuki no Reitetsu had a sequel announcement at the end of this episode – it’s like the exact opposite of the first time around.  We’ve gone from an inexplicably long (almost four year) wait to none at all.  The only downside, to be honest, is that I already included Hoozuki in my year-end Top 10 list and as (now) a split-cour series, it shouldn’t have been eligible.  So do I drop it from the list, or just chalk it up to the vagaries of compiling year-end lists while the Fall season is still finishing up?  This is actually the first time this has happened since I’ve been doing these lists, so it’s not as though I have any precedent to draw on.

Well…  That’s a problem I’m happy to take on any time, if it means an extra cour of Hoozuki no Reitetsu.  I was pretty depressed about the prospect of saying goodbye to this show again, because I feel a huge affection for it – to me, Hoozuki is like my personal, bespoke anime comedy.  I know intellectually that this series wasn’t written specifically for me but the humor clicks with me so perfectly (even when I don’t get all the cultural references) that it feels like it was.  And custom suits always fit better than off the rack…

The finale was, as pretty much all of the past several episodes have been, first-rate Hoozuki no Reitetsu.  It’s fitting that this was one of the few anime that didn’t take New Year’s week off, because thematically it’s the perfect anime to do a New Year’s episode.  We start off with a little story about Jigoku Dayu, a courtesan who came under the influence of the legendary Zen priest Ikkyu.  As the story goes, Ikkyu took the courtesan in and taught her to read and write, and she achieved enlightenment (though darker versions have her being brought before Enma-daiou and sentenced to wear a kimono made from the souls of the damned for all eternity, as punishment for her cruelty in life).

In the context of Hoozuki no Reitetsu, Jigoku Dayu is the boss of Crushing Hell (and thus Okou’s superior) and makes one appearance a year – to turn in her official paperwork.  This is pretty conceptual humor, I admit, but the gag lies in the contrast between her supposed enlightenment and the fact that every year she dresses more and more ornately – and draws a bigger crowd – in an attempt to put on a good show for her admirers.  It’s also a matter of great irritation to Hoozuki-sama – he spends more of this episode pissed off than any I remember.

Next up we have Hell getting ready for the year-end – which means Enma wanting to have a drinking party, while Hoouzki is focused on how busy he’s going to be on New Year’s Day.  He finally relents and allows Enma to throw a Bounenkai (a tradition among office workers in Japan and, as Hoozuki grouses, generally mandatory) in exchange for the scariest pinky swear ever (I was not aware of that origin story).  Again this is also a pretense for Hoozuki to vent his spleen, this time about the workaholic nature of modern Japanese (this is hilarious, but does not hold up well to explanation by me).  Konbini being open on New Year’s Day is indeed a matter of great irritation to traditionally-minded Japanese.

Finally the party itself arrives, and Hoozuki is still pissed – only this time he’s pissed in the other sense as well.  I can’t help but feel bad for Enma-sama, because Hoozuki really doesn’t give him a moment’s break.  Minions from all the Hells drop by to cut loose a little – including Kan offering a “one cat Bollywood” presentation that ends rather badly.  Up in Heaven Hakutaku is getting blasted with the other mythical beasts (giving us the unwholesome spectacle of shota Ho-oh hammered off his gourd – even as he drinks from one).  And Hakutaku has also used the occasion to convince the local lovelies that they can stop by the dispensary in order to be blessed with good luck in the New Year.

All this is pretty great, really – drunk Hoozuki’s random drunken outbursts, Karauri stammering over himself as he tries to wish Okou a Happy New Year, Enma likening Hoozuki to Mr. Spock, Ichiko and Niko doing a rather terrifying “Oh, Gyah!” impression (and the original is terrifying enough).  It’s just supremely self-assured humor of the sort that Hoozuki no Reitetsu delivers like no other series.  I’m always amazed that this show can be so culturally specific and so universal at the same time.

It may have changed studios and directors, but Hoozuki no Reitetsu really didn’t break stride at all this season.  I’m not sure I could pick a favorite between the two, even if I wanted to – and there’s no reason to suspect things will be any different in the Spring.  Whether you call it a continuation of the second season or Season Three, it will still be the same Hoozuki no Reitetsu – and I suspect it would be a show that’s hard to keep off any year’s Top 10 list.  I could hardly have asked for a better way to usher in the new anime year than the news that it will be with us in anime form for a good while longer.

ED Sequence:

Season 2 Part II Announcement: