Short Synopsis: Yuzuki continues to try and prevent people from pulling the string… without much success.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 (Excellent)
Haha! Another excellent episode this time. This series’ finale promises to become better than the two previous seasons, if it’s already this busy with building up. It’s great to see Ai as the bad guy again, rather than the protagonist as the second season portrayed her. In this episode, Yuzuki really was just caught up in her own paranoia when she saw people fiddling with their mobile phones. She actually could have done something if it wasn’t for Ai who got in her way, which pretty much is a first in this season: normally she’d just use her dolls in order to get rid of any annoying people (i.e. Hajime in the first season and Kikuri in the second).
The story this episode was also quite interesting. A guy who genuinely likes a little girl sent a possible potential paedophile to hell: the guy hadn’t done anything yet, and if he wasn’t sent to hell, there’s no telling as to whether he would or would not have done something to that girl. I also have to admit: I didn’t see the ending coming until the lead character of this episode knocked over the picture frame: the potential paedophile had a girlfriend, and this girlfriend is now taking revenge on the one who sent her boyfriend to hell. Not only was it a great plot twist, but it also showed Yuzuki that preventing revenges really isn’t going to be that easy.
Now that this series is about to enter its final third, I’m really curious to see what the creators have planned for it. The first season featured some really creative cases that tested the differences between Hajime and Tsugumi to the limits, the second season revealed the background of the dolls, and in the same pattern, the third season should be about the war between Ai and Yuzuki. The question is of course going to be how far the creators are going to carry this: with already such an extreme first half of this season, what exactly are the creators planning? The past few episodes have been much more focused than the first ten episodes, but it has already focused at building up Ai vs. Yuzuki, so at this point there’s no telling what the creators are up to.
I think Ai feels some type of bond to Yuzuki, maybe because of the deep connection they shared? The last few episodes have shown Ai kind of spying on Yuzuki and noticing her with that ever so curious look. She’s interested in Yuzuki, but but not in a threatening way like she was with Hajime and his daughter.
I think Ai might be repressing feelings to help Yuzuki (find Akie), much like she repressed feelings for the boy from season 2. Ai knows what it is like to lose a friend (Sentarou) because of sin, and Yuzuki losing Akie is reminiscent (in a way) to the situation Ai experienced herself. Ai probably cares for Yuzuki, but Yuzuki does not care for Ai, she sees her as an antagonist. Eventually, Yuzuki herself may get sent to hell like Takuma did, and Ai will be unable to ferry her down there because of her feelings and she’ll end up helping her escape, forcing the Spider the retaliate once again.
The Spider is holding something against Ai, otherwise she wouldn’t be back to continue being the Hell Girl. What is the Spider threatening against Ai this time? Is it the soul of Sentarou? What will the Spider do this time when Ai rebels?
It’s obvious that there’s a different Hell Girl. The Hell Girl thing went on while Ai was dead. At the end of the second season right after Ai died (and before she used Yuzuki as a vessel) the Jigoku Shoujo was going on and people were using their cell phones to access the site. There might be another hell girl that was filling Ai’s place while she was dead. Where is this hell girl at? Is the new Hell Girl gone since Ai came back? Does the Spider want this hell girl back? Does he want to rid himself of Ai so he can get this hell girl back? If he truly wants Ai gone since she failed her tests by acting on emotion, he’s really going to do something insane and highly corruptful this time.
And about Akie, I think the Spider might be holding Akie’s soul right now. Ai said to Yuzuki it’s impossible to get Yuzuki back, and I find it odd that it would be ‘impossible’ since escaping hell can happen. It’s happened with herself and Gilles (Hell Boy). It is possible to get her back, assuming she was in hell and not being held by the spider. I think he’s holding Akie’s soul to try to corrupt Yuzuki into hating Ai and begrudging against her because he wants his faithful Hell Girl that filled Ai’s position, back. Or maybe having Yuzuki feel deep resentment towards Ai would be Ai’s punishment, Ai getting sent to hell by someone she’s in a bond with. Yuzuki would struggle from corruption, she might even come close to giving in, but she would ultimately refuse because she doesn’t believe in revenge. If Yuzuki refused the Spider would in turn do something else to Ai to make her suffer for disobeying him and acting on impluse.
I think if he was using Sentarou’s soul, that Ai would do pretty much anything and suffering would come to Ai very easily. She would feel deep regret for helping Yuzuki because of the consequences and it would be her “Hell”.
Hell Boy, I want him to come back. Perhaps he could kidnap Yuzuki as bait to duel Ai again? Or maybe he could come back, but this time working for the Spider?
Tsugumi, I think she should play a major role in this season, somehow. And they need to show us what happened to Hajime. 🙁
Yeah, I’m done speculating… it was nice reading your blog entry!