If this week’s episode of Gegege no Kitarou seemed a bit more sentimental than usual, surely allowances can be made.  It’s set in Sakaiminato (next week’s will be too), the fishing town in Tottori Prefecture where Mizuki Shigeru grew up.  Mizuki-sensei himself was uncharacteristically sentimental where Sakaiminato was concerned – he never seemed to lose his love for the place, and credits his love for youkai fables to the exposure to the local myths and legends he received growing up there.

Here, that love is expressed through Mana, who’s off for summer vacation in Sakaiminato, her father’s home town.  There’s a very summery feel to this whole episode in fact, what with its focus on natsumatsuri and Koushien (which gets underway Wednesday).  This ep was a good fit for Marine Day (that’s surely no coincidence), Japan’s national holiday to express appreciation for the ocean.  When one lives in a town which derives its livelihood from the sea, I imagine such things take on a far more personal and immediate tenor than others can truly understand.

For once, Nezumi-otoko really doesn’t do anything wrong here – at least on purpose – which seems to fit the overall more earnest tone of the episode.  True, he does unintentionally release the youkai Umizatou, but he wasn’t to have known that – and his scheme this time (hunting for sunken treasure) was almost legit.  And theoretically victimless.  He may even have been the one to summon Kitarou and the Gegegang to assist after Mana’s uncle is turned into a Funa-Yurei by Umizatou, though that’s never made expressly clear – maybe Mana sent Neko-musume a text…

What’s also interesting about this episode is the way it resolves – with the youkai and the humans openly and unreservedly working together to try and save the lost fishermen, then enjoying the matsuri together afterwards (even more kumbaya – the old-timers and townies coming together).  That’s something we don’t see in Gegege no Kitarou too often, but again, I think it all ties in to the affection of Mizuki for Sakaiminato – his feeling that it’s a special place, where the normal rules governing human-youkai relationships don’t necessarily apply.  Maybe this bubble will be burst a little in the next episode, who knows, but for now it’s certainly a thematic change-of-pace for this series.