Those of you who’ve lived in Japan will get it.
Kemono Jihen just delivers, episode after episode. We’re still in the prologue portion of the story, but you can already get an idea of how skillful Aimoto Shou is with both plot and character. And since the anime has been about as faithful an adaptation as one could hope for, that translates wholly intact. I feel sometimes that if Hunter X Hunter were split into two component parts, half of it would be Made in Abyss and the other half Kemono Jihen. Putting those two together gives you an idea of just how stupendous H x H is – but then it is arguably the greatest action shounen ever written. I’ll take either of those halves all day and twice on Sunday, thanks very much.
It would be too simple to say that MiA got the seinen genes and Kemono Jihen the shounen (though Hunter straddles that demographic border like few series have) because while Kemono is a classic shounen structurally, it’s one of the more seinen-themed shounen around. There’s a kind of existential despair to the dark events in this series, and a cold detach to the way the narrative (and often the characters) deal with them. What happens to Shiki here is brutal on so many levels, starting with the fact that the perpetrator is his uncle, but even as he snaps (in Nobimaru’s words) under the emotional weight of it, events just keep grinding along.
These “siblings” of Shiki’s are indeed terrible to behold, and all the more to listen to as they obliviously parrot the words of love Shiki’s mother Kumi (Hisakawa Aya) uttered in her suffering. Does Shiki feel anything as Kabane coldly (no other word fits) dispatches them? It’s hard to say, because his despair crowds out everything else. Equally of interest is what Kabane feels during all this. When Tademaru with unmitigated gall scolds him for killing them, Kabane responds that he “won’t kill them if they leave me alone”. But they won’t of course – they’re acting to protect Tademaru.
I think it’s almost impossible to watch a scene like this play out without thinking of Gon when you look at Kabane. There’s an alien quality to both these angelic young boys – a purity than can be in turns endearing or terrifying. Kabane’s sense of loyalty is fearsomely strong, and he’s not above being fueled by rage (as with Gon). One gets the sense that not only would Kabane do anything for a friend in trouble, but that he could do anything. When he’s fully engaged in kemono mode, what can stand against him? Nobimaru perhaps – we haven’t seen anything like his full strength (the moment when he plays damsel in distress to Kabane is hilariously telling), but even that seems uncertain.
Meanwhile Inugami-san has been injured in the act of defending a near-hysterical Akira – bitten be one of Shiki’s venomous relations. A young girl (Hondo Kaede) – who we briefly saw in the village, staring at Shiki – calls off the dogs and promises to lead Inugami to a place where his arm can be cured. This turns out to be a natural spring with healing waters and it does indeed neutralize the venom. But the girl (called Aya) wants something in return – for Inugami to keep Tademaru alive until Aya can find out the location of something very important to her.
We’ve seen so much evolution from Shiki since he was introduced, but there was always more to him than his initial impression. He’s capable of admitting his own weakness and owning his mistakes, and of expressing gratitude to Kabane for being strong when he was weak. He’s also a big enough person not to want to kill his uncle out of rage, though he would certainly be justified in wanting to (and indeed Kabane is more than willing). Tademaru tries to use his knowledge of what Aya is looking for to leverage his survival, but Inugami has been playing this game too long to be fooled – and he has Mihai (however grudgingly) in his corner. Finding the cocoon Aya seeks is straightforward enough – but what Shiki finds when he does is not.
Nobimaru is a fabulously entertaining character to me, and fills many important roles in the story – as he certainly does at the close of this episode. For Shiki what matters is not Tademaru but that his mother is alive, albeit unconscious. But Inugami’s network has a contingency for that, a clinic in Tokyo that specializes in kemono cases, run by Ohana-obasan – clearly an old friend. Shiki insists Aya come along for that, being his younger sister and all. The “and all” part is not insignificant, since Aya is also the golden thread that was the aim of all of Tademaru’s nefarious deeds.
While this arc obviously acts primarily as Shiki’s origin story, it’s also illustrative when it comes to understanding the mythology of Kemono Jihen. Kemono are indeed terrifyingly powerful beasts – but this is a world dominated by humans, and they’re also vulnerable to exploitation by humans who know of their powers. As someone who patrols the border between these two worlds Inugami – and those close to him – must act as a last line of defense for both sides. And that’s something Kabane in particular, given his origins, is uniquely positioned to do.
Derrick
March 1, 2021 at 11:10 pmGegege no kitaro would slot in nicely in this setting
RABlackAuthor
March 5, 2021 at 12:58 pmI was just about to say that Kabane reminds me of Kitaro, or at least the most recent version of him.
Collectr
March 2, 2021 at 3:06 amThis arc has been amazing, not least for the way it plays with the characterization of Nobimaru. On the one hand, Nobimaru insists he’s weak – so weak he has to wear special headphones to conceal his ears and tail. He tries to appear guileless, congenial, and open, freely admitting that his goal (and Inari’s) remains Kabane’s lifestone. On the other hand, at the end of the episode, he shows that he is demonically strong and utterly ruthless. I was very grateful that the execution was shown so indirectly, with no Grand Guignol sound effects. It had been a bloody effective episode already.
Anichart says the show is only 12 episodes; with its unhurried pacing, that’s hard to believe. I’m hoping for split seasons, without a long delay.
Guardian Enzo
March 2, 2021 at 6:48 amIt’s acting like a split cour. There’s plenty of material, manga sales are bumped nicely, and the series has been well-received. But will it happen? Who knows.
Snowball
March 2, 2021 at 5:31 amWow! A jam-packed episode with a lot of impactful moments. Shiki’s whole ordeal was just harrowing, I also suspect that the sister has been through a rough time, too. Kabane is a good soul and a supportive lil’ bro as always, but that whole massacre scene was so brutal and with Shiki saying, ‘I made you get your hands really dirty’ really left no room for celebratory causes. He’s still my favourite character though and Natsumi Fujiwara does a flawless job portraying Kabane’s gentle and angry side. I just finished watching an episode of Shin Chuuka Ichiban and I had no idea Fujiwara-san voiced Mao in this show with a her voice sounding gruffer here. What a great voice actress!
In all honesty, after how dark things turned out in this arc I wasn’t expecting Shiki’s mum to still be alive. The image of her body wrapped up and submerged in water was rather serene and heart-breaking. I hope she does recover and that Shiki will have a happy closure after all he’s been through.
Anyway, great episode as always. Can’t praise this show enough.
Guardian Enzo
March 2, 2021 at 6:49 amFujiwara is one of the best at this sort of role. I’m actually enjoying Shin Chuuka Ichiban more this season, and she’s quite strong as Mao.
Red
March 2, 2021 at 9:52 amI wonder what happened to Shiki’s uhm ‘stepfathers'(?), since I believe Tademaru just took them from the surrounding area, did they just leave after the experiment? And what about his mom able to live underwater, maybe the golden webs (apparently ‘gold webs’ are colored pink, wasn’t expecting that) gives her oxygen?
Color2413
March 2, 2021 at 6:38 pmso far this show is doing it for me. The characters are at least somewhat unusual. the stakes are high, and the show doesn’t sugar-coat the conflicted world in which it operates.
That said, none of the episodes so far have achieved the breadmaking stylishness of some of the HxH Chimera Ant arc eps, particularly the ones that depict only a few seconds of actual clock time, or the gut punch of Gon’s meltdown. It may be a function of the 12-episode limit, which does not allow time to be stretched as it was in HxH.
Guardian Enzo
March 2, 2021 at 7:11 pmHigh bar much? ;-P
I mean, I hope this gets a lot more than 12 eps in the end. And I defy you to point to anything in the first 8 eps of H x H that was on the level of the stuff you describe. But let’s be honest, Hunter is a unicorn – it’s possibly the greatest action shounen of all-time. It’s no shame to come up a little short if that’s the measuring stick.
Este
March 2, 2021 at 11:38 pmIt’s an entertaining romp when characters play a deep game – Inugami, in his heavy-lidded laid back way, and Nobimaru makes two 🙂
elianthos
March 3, 2021 at 4:36 pmFor all the delicious emotional onslaught brought by this episode my brain has been hijacked by mental images of Nobimaru’s PyroSnap set to the beat of the vintage Addams Family’s TV series opening sequence :,3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfawtDT945o
Guardian Enzo
March 3, 2021 at 8:32 pmI’m kind of surprised you know about that over in Europia – I thought The Addams Family was petty much an American cultural phenomenon. As it happens one of the great theme songs in TV history, and the show itself was underrated too (like The Munsters it had some actual social commentary). I never thought of Nobimaru’s snaps that way, but someone should do a video with that – I’d love to see it.
elianthos
March 4, 2021 at 1:10 amYou’d be surprised XD. That TV series was as much as a generational childhood staple (and a family watch at that) as I Dream Of Jeanie and Little House On The Prairie up until the late 1980s here in Italy :D. And it’s the only Addams Family adaptation that ever clicked with me (although Christina Ricci had her moments as Wednesday in the movies? ).
Nobimaru playing every AF’s member in those opening credits. Priceless. A Kemono Jihen gang version would be lovely but Nobiboo could play all of them. Snappingly.
Guardian Enzo
March 4, 2021 at 7:29 amMake that AMV. You know you want to.