Asakomi

I see a lot of people ragging on series like Jigoku Shoujo because of their episodic nature. I don’t think this is really fair. Don’t get me wrong, I love epic series with rich, continuous storylines as much as the next person. But I also enjoy the occasional episodic series as well.

If the characters are likeable and interesting enough, it’s fun just to watch them do their thing. Then, when something big happens, you feel like you’ve already been through a lot with them and it makes the event even more powerful. An example of this that comes to mind at the moment is Kekkaishi 11. At this point I’d definitely label Kekkaishi as episodic. I’d be pleased if at some point they developed a continuous plot, but I’m also okay if it stays episodic as episode 11’s confrontation absolutely blew me away.

If you still don’t agree with me, think about your childhood. What do you remember about the friends you had when you were growing up? I remember going to the pond, sitting in the long grass and listening to the crickets chirp as we wiled away lazy summer afternoons. I remember how content we were just to be together even if we didn’t speak for hours. Years later, when crisis hit, I was all the more devastated because I felt like something had come along and violated that very peace that encompassed my memories.

I don’t always need big action or flashy effects to be happy. The interactions between the characters are just as likely to give me goosebumps as any grand battle; those small things that you’d probably miss if you weren’t paying close attention. I can still remember the first time Mulder took Scully’s hand and gave it a little squeeze in The X-Files. Nowadays, holding hands isn’t a significant event, but in that moment, for those two, it was huge, and it said more than any passion-filled dialogue could even hope to express.

So that’s why I don’t mind episodic series. Ah, maybe I’m just easy to please…

My Enma Ai returns! I have so been looking forward to this second season of Jigoku Shoujo. Seriously. I know a lot of people were disappointed in the first season because they spent so much time on the episodic side of things and less on the overarching plot. But I have more forgiveness for it. I think there was a little nugget of information about Ai and her cohorts in every episode, and that was enough to keep me hooked.

This season picks up where the last one left off and we get to see Ai’s first meeting with the creepy spider. Then the episode pretty much follows the pattern of the previous season, with a few slight changes. I won’t go over them here, you’ll just have to go watch. :p Also, I’ve only watched this raw so I can’t really comment on much anyway XD.

There was no OP this time around, but the ED song was pretty with some absolutely stunning images of Ai. I love Ai. I think she’s absolutely beautiful, and I am always drawn to mysterious and melancholy characters. When I look at her eyes I just see this terribly deep sadness and my heart goes out to her. I often feel tears burning my eyes when I look at her and I truly wish to help take her pain away, help her find solace. I feel this way about many people in my real life.

I do hope that this season tells us more about the histories of the rest of her team, and her beginnings as Jigoku Shoujo. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for that.

P.S. Browsed Geegle lately? *chuckles*