That was a little better, but this “Western Youkai” arc of Gegege no Kitarou still reminds me of a 6-cylinder engine with about 3 of them misfiring.  The usual acceleration just isn’t there – the depth, the humor.  This storyline feels very surface-level, a pretext to introduce a laundry list of Western horror cliches lacking any compelling message (other than a kind of offhand xenophobia).  A compelling message is a big ask, maybe, but this series was delivering one a good chunk of the time for its first two cours.

Agnes remains wholly unlikeable, and her role in the story still has a whiff of that casual low-grade racism we saw in the prior two episodes.  But we do get a good dose of Mana this week, and whether you’re a scuffling GGGnK remake or a heroic spirit, that’s a good thing.  We also get the delightful Shiraishi Ryouko as Victor Frankenstein, but not nearly enough of her, sadly.  Victor being a hybrid of the mad scientist and his monster was certainly a twist, and his grossout crush on Mana was good for some squirming points.  Shiraishi was an odd casting choice for Victor, but it obviously worked for me.

Next week promises a halloween episode, which is obviously a natural for this series, but it seems as if we’re still going to be immersed in this arc so it won’t be the lighthearted break I hoped it might.  Frankenstein and the Wolfman boxes already having been checked, it’s a vampire (Camilla) next time.  I’m more interested in seeing how Mana looks in her Neko Musume costume, and how Catchick reacts to that wardrobe choice.