One thing I love about horror series is how consistent they are: once they’ve got an atmosphere built up, they can keep this one going for episodes and episodes. This episode yet again was excellent in the way that it progressed the plot, and this solid atmosphere really helped in bringing up the creepiness factor even though this isn’t really scary. That’s the entire point of Japanese horror: it doesn’t intend to freak you out (that’s also why there are so few anime that are genuinely scary), instead it attempts to captivate its audience with exactly that atmosphere.
This episode focused on three different subplots: an exposition part Masao rising from the dead as a vampire (I knew it!) and receiving the explanation behind the nature of vampires in this series, a build-up part in which Seishin and Toshio prepare to try and catch the vampires, and a character-centric part involving Natsuno teams up with Kaori and Akira, and prepares to dig up Megumi’s grave. The latter was where most of the depth in this episode was, mostly thanks to Kaori. I mean, being forced to dig up the grave of your dead best friend. Who wouldn’t be disturbed? Natsuno in contrast is completely different: he hated Megumi when she was still alive, and he doesn’t really care for others’ feelings, allowing him to take such measures that a lot of others would find insane. Akira meanwhile… is just an idiot. He’s impulsive, but I don’t think that he really realizes what he’s about to do.
As for the exposition, I’m very curious why the creators chose Masao of all guys to show all of this. I mean, I keep feeling like his existence in this series is with a very clear future purpose in mind. He’s weird, what kind of a different vampire is he going to become because of that? There has to be something. Either way though, the vampires in this series are weak against sunlight, they can die when a stake is run through their hearts. And there are very rare vampires who are able to just survive in the middle of sunlight. I’m glad that this series is returning to the roots of vampires, rather than the generic schlock that they have evolved into in the past ten years. But yeah, the irony is that the vampire genre came to evolve the way it did, probably because the classic vampire stories were getting overused at the time.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
Then again, define classic vampire ^_^.
Vampires could walk in the sun till the 1920’s movie ‘Nosferatu’. And simply staking them wouldn’t quite work either.
That aside.. I’m currently seriously loving this series =D
Yet another great climax… I love the music that plays at the climaxes lol fits the atmosphere so perfectly
Cant wait for next ep already
Masao could go either way but I strongly get the impression that he will be some kind of rebel against the vampire life or side with the “good guys”. They’ve simply been building up his pathetic personality so much that I can’t imagine him not having a more beneficial role to play.
I wonder whether we will have the opportunity to see Tohru again?
KIND OF SPOILERS for sheratan:
Tohru will break your heart.
Since the bag is out of the bag, the series is based on the manga adoptation of the light novel of the same name. The writer of the novel wrote this as an homage to Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot. Read what you will into this.
Whoa, Tatsumi was pretty intense this episode. The jolly pal can easily become an oppressor.
And for Natsuno, maybe he’s channeling traditional Malagasy culture? ^-^ Every year, families dig up their dead members’ bones and mourn and remember them. Obviously, Megumi hasn’t been dead long, and she’s certainly not a loved one, and he’s obviously not from Madagascar, but I guess when you think about it, it wouldn’t be that insane.
Or maybe he’s got graverobber in his blood, lol.