Ito Junji: Collection – 03

I’m starting to vibe with this series a little, though, by nature it’s going to be a bit hit-and-miss.  There’s a thread running through all these tales, as dissimilar as they are, and that clearly represents Ito-sensei’s warped personality.  And it’s a fascinating one at that, which makes these stories consistently interesting if nothing else.  Besides, decent horror anime are certainly few and far between these days.

The first chapter this week consumes about three-quarters of the episode, and it’s a very good one.  A boy named Fukuda-kun has moved back to the small town where he attended elementary school – a town which holds a terrible memory for him.  As a small boy he was the subject of a “Tsuji-ura” (crossroads fortune-telling) request from a pregnant woman in love with the married man who’d impregnated her.  Fukuda reacted like any small child would but the woman apparently committed suicide as a result of his words.  Now, years later, he’s returned – and several more girls have committed suicide after receiving ill fortunes from the Tsuji no Bishounen (Crossroads Pretty Boy) who mysteriously appears from the fog.

This is an interesting tale for a number of reasons, not least that Tsuji-ura is a real thing in Japan (something of a cross between a game and a dare).  It’s creepy as hell, this one, and quite graphic when the moment calls for it.  But I find the ending especially interesting, because it appears that the initial “victim” of Fukuda-kun decides to forgive him (as well she should) and thus, puts an end to the cycle of tragedy.  If that’s the correct reading it’s a seemingly out-of-character for Ito upbeat ending – though we never do find out who the bishounen is.  Crossroads are held up as powerful and mysterious places in many cultures (Japan included) and it’s thought that demons (or the Devil, in the West) walk them at night…

The second chapter is a blink, like the doll story that capped the premiere.  This time around a young girl is having trouble speaking, and her parents are wrestling with a terrible slug problem and…  I think you can see where this is going.  It’s a bizarre little vignette, but the ending is especially grotesque and works for shock value if nothing else.

Dagashi Kashi 2 – 02

This was definitely a step up from the first episode of Dagashi Kashi 2 as far as I’m concerned.  Something of the panache of the first season is still missing – the art is infinitely more conventional and generic this time, for starters.  But at least this week we got more focus on the kids and their quirky relationships, and less Hotaru vamping about dagashi.  And the plain truth is that as a character, I think Saya is more interesting than Hotaru.  I know that’s sacrilege to some – so sue me.

The first chapter this week saw the gang staying over at the shop due to the arrival of a typhoon (am I nuts, or is it always summer break in this place?) while Otou-san (have I mentioned it’s great to have Fujiwara Keiji back) goes off on a fool’s errand. Hotaru proves no match for the devastating marketing machine that is a baseball gum display that even first-graders wise up to fast enough.

After, Saya and Hotaru play with a “pop pop” boat in the bath, Tou tries to peep (on his sister too, mind) as Coconuts tries to stop him, and the latter basically admits he’s in love with Hotaru in his reason for doing so.  Plus, the straw thing was cute.  This was the best sequence of the season by far, in tone at least reminiscent of the first.  Even with its stylistic edges smoothed over Dagashi Kashi still has a lot of charm, and it comes from the innocently ecchi interactions among these goofy kids and Hotaru.  The more of that we get, the better.