Hello all and welcome to another Throwback Thursday that actually gets posted on a Friday, because my schedule is terrible! This week Mononoke continues it’s terrifying sea story, everyone faces their worst fears, and I get to enjoy being right for once. Let’s dive in!
Starting off I will once again gush about Mononoke’s art. Every week it shows off something a bit different. Trying something just a little new, while keeping the almost papery look. This week however, as much as I enjoyed it visually, I don’t think the horror aspect really worked. Perhaps it’s a consequence of this week being much more upfront with everything. Or maybe the more… not really actiony, but dynamic nature of it? Regardless, Unlike the first 3 episodes, this one seemed far more geared toward answer questions than creating them. Towards establishing things than scaring the viewer. This doesn’t mean there weren’t some scares of course, they were just different. If the first few episodes were jump scares, these were closer to psychological scares. Almost existential ones, taking shots at each characters core. In general though, I think the previous episodes in general worked better than this one.
That said let’s talk about the main premise of the episode. That of the question asking Ghost Biwa player. In terms of Mononoke as a whole, it felt rather hamfisted. After all, this is a straight up “ask a question, get an answer” sort of spirit. I am not saying it can’t happen, the thing about ghost stories is most anything can work. It was just unexpected, though Mononoke presented it with its usual flare. As far as exploring the characters fears, it was a nice peek into who they are. Specifically, the Medicine Seller, and his fear of what is essentially the void. He fears a world with no Shape, Truth or Reason, effectively a world that he cannot understand and does not exist. For me, his was easily the most terrifying, yet he faced it without effort. Out of them all, he had already accepted his fear.
Next up there is the Shop Owner. He says he fears losing all of his money, and the vision he showed seems to prove this. Throwing up the fish he spent a veritable fortune buying and caring for on this ship. Though most are straightforward, this one seems particularly so. He fears exactly what we would have expected of such a character. The much more interesting one to me is that of the Swordsman. Of course Mononoke needed at least one character who lied, and his was a fitting one. He says he fears nothing, yet is constantly sharpening his sword and challenging things. Like a dog barking at everyone that passes, terrified of them coming closer. It’s something that gets explored in a lot more depth in Vagabond, probably my favorite Manga ever made. So perhaps because of that, this previous experience, I quite enjoyed his short segment.
Before we get to the big ones, there is also the Aesthetic and Kayo. Of the two, Kayo’s was far more horrifying. Taking a mundane sort of dream/fear and turning it into something monstrous. For me, this was easily the most horrifying part of the episode. Yes the Medicine Seller’s is a fear I personally share. However the presentation for Kayo was just as upfront as the abortion references in Zashikiwarashi. Originally I thought she was lying, that those who lie get the visions. However after the Medicine Seller’s fear it became clear everyone gets the visions of their true fear regardless. Which makes the Aesthetic’s vision… all the weirder. I think it was actually this little gag that pulled me out of the episode. The meat-buns just didn’t fit in with the rest, and I didn’t find the joke all that funny either. It’s just a wasted moment.
Finally though we can get on to the meat, the biggest reason for the Biwa and this episode. The part of the episode that made all the other shortcomings worth it, the Bishop. Yes, I was correct last episode, but not for any good reasons. He did redirect the ship, so that he could confront what caused this whole dangerous sea in the first place. That and his fear of course being his sister, trapped in a hollowed log as a sort of sacrifice. Mononoke made it clear though, the Bishop isn’t afraid because of the ghostly nature of the whole thing. Instead he seemed more guilty than fearful. Guilty that he survived instead of her. For what reason we will no doubt see next episode, as that is the only thing we are missing. But it feels like Mononoke is leading towards a less than happy ending this arc.
What I mean by that is, I am not sure the Bishop will survive this arc. It would be a suitably poignant end if he ended up in the log and that cleared out the Ayakashi sea. I give it a 50/50 shot between that and the Medicine Seller exorcising the Ayakashi to close out the arc. As we learned both the Shape and the Truth this episode. What it looks like and how it came into being in the first place. So based on the inevitable “Reason”, why it’s attacking people in the sea, that we learn next week we will see how it plays out. Cleansing it the peaceful way with the Bishop feels like it would be closer to a series like Mushishi though to be frank. I would like to see it happen, but it would sort of invalidate the sword for the arc.
So all in all, how’s the episode? Well as you can see, I am sort of struggling to figure out what to talk about. This week, everything was very clear cut and direct. The horror was there, but much more tame compared to the first arc. Really, it feels exactly like what it is, the 2nd act of a 3 act story. Following through/establishing everything needed for the final conclusion next week. In longer arcs, this time is used to established/finish up some smaller or side arcs. But in a 3 episode arc there really isn’t any room for that sort of thing. Sometimes this can leave it feeling simple, or a bit sparse. In Mononoke’s case, the latter is how I feel. Effective, clear, but ultimately there isn’t much to discuss beyond the obvious. Still, I enjoyed it, and I am sure Mononoke will end it well.
