Uchouten Kazoku – 12

Yashirou heads to the well and makes Yajirou drink a bottle of Denki Bran. He transforms into the False Eizan Electric Railway and races through the streets. After rescuing Yasaburou and capturing the twins, they find the Friday Fellows, accidentally ram their private room with the train, and free Yaichirou. Jurojin moves the fellows’ party to Sensuiro, the same restaurant where the elders and Soun are assembled. After Yashirou disrupts their meeting with the Raijin fan, Yaichirou arrives to expose Soun’s plot.

The ladies did their part last week; now it’s up to the brothers: starting with Yashirou. Worried, perhaps justifiably, that he alone won’t be enough against the Ebisugawas, so he makes the inspired choice to give his froggy brother a try. Yajirou doesn’t think he can help, so Yashirou gets him drunk, and we’re off to the races. Of all the memories reminisced throughout this series, one of the most joyful was of a drunk Soichirou riding the False Eizan Electric Railway, Yajirou’s signature transformation. This time the joyride doubles as the conveyance for the Shimogamo family’s salvation.

We’ll admit we pumped our fists when that train rammed into the Friday Fellows’ party; even if it wasn’t intentional, it got the job done with panache. Sorry Yodogawa, no tanuki hot pot for you! At least, not the tanuki he thought. Worryingly, the Shimogamo mom remains in custody, likely as Soun’s last bargaining chip. If a tanuki has to be eaten, we’re hoping it’s Soun, but until that’s decided, this week showed that when they join forces, the Shimogamo boys can reverse the grim fates their evil uncle set up for them, and perhaps save tanuki society from his poisonous corruption.

Rating: 9 (Superior)

Love Lab – 12

Momo and Nana expound on their scheme to turn love lab requests into fictional stories; the student council is excited about the idea. Riko still hasn’t told Maki the truth, and when Maki joins her cram school, Nagi almost tells her, and Yan does, but Maki doesn’t believe him. Riko continues to procrastinate, and is finally (almost) able to come out with the truth before a teacher drags her away for wearing a hair band. In the hall, Riko runs into her friend Mika, who knows she’s a love novice. Maki overhears them, but pretends she didn’t.

Those hoping Riko would finally come clean and face either Maki’s wrath or her forgiveness will have to wait one more week; the lie is going all the way down to the wire. As her cram school teacher can attest, Maki is very academically gifted, but we also thing she’s capable of putting two and two (and two) together: Yan’s blabbing about Riko not being popular; Riko’s half-confession after their run; Mika talking with Riko in the hall; all of it points to Riko lying about her romantic experience.Even if Riko wasn’t able to deliver a full confession, everything’s out there, and Maki has the wit to see it. But does she have the heart to?

What we mean is, Maki and Riko are good friends now, and she’s always going to give Riko the benefit of the doubt, and doesn’t want to consider the possibility that Riko has lied to her, even if that’s what all the evidence suggests. Her fondness for Riko, is preventing her from accepting that conclusion. It’s still up to Riko to once and for all tell her the truth and face the consequences. Unless – God forbid – a second season allows her to keep her lie going as a constant cloud over her friendships, Riko is out of time. To her credit, Riko did start her confession. Now she just needs to finish it.

Rating:7 (Very Good)

Otorimonogatari – 01

Koyomi and Shinobu fight Sengoku Nadeko at the shrine, but her hair of snakes destroys Koyomi’s heart, causing a rain of blood. Flashing back to October 31st, Nadeko first meets Oshino Ougi, who delivers a warning about hiding behind victimhood. While at school, Nadeko starts to have hallucinations of white snakes. After a call to Koyomi asking for help, she starts to hear the voice of a snake named Kuchinawa, who insists she visit the shrine. There, she finds a dozen dead snakes, and a giant Kuchinawa asks her to “atone for her sins” by doing him “favors.” She tentatively agrees, and he possesses her.

We’ve now arrived at the third arc in Monogatari Series’ second season, one that involves the snake girl, Nadeko. We’ve always liked Nadeko because we really liked her seiyuu, Hanazawa Kana, but that turns out not to be the only reason to watch this arc. We’re treated to an enticing cold open in which we catch a glimpse of the dark future Nadeko is inching towards: one in which she and her snake apparition become one and she kills Koyomi, the one she loves. Starting at the end only to rewind to the beginning is a common storytelling device, but employed well here, as we see just how far Nadeko will fall.

Once we’re back at the beginning, the ominous Ougi makes an appearance, saying things that affect Nadeko’s thought process at a crucial juncture later on. We’re introduced to Nadeko’s “depressing” school life, and her sudden snake hallucinations are particularly unsettling. Her awkward call to Koyomi ensures he’ll eventually be on the case, but once the snake starts talking to her, Nadeko is in big trouble. He corners her and shames her into a contract, one that sets her on the track to that dark, bloody future. In doing so, she tacitally subscribes to Kuchinawa’s claim that the entire world is nothing but wrongdoers, making victims of one another but never being only victims.

Rating: 8 (Great)

Stray Observations:

• This is the twelfth episode in the series; the eleventh was a recap of Bakemonogatari, and therefore wasn’t rated.
• With a new arc comes several new ambient musical tracks, all of which we really liked.
• We also enjoyed the new Nadeko-centric OP, which may be our favorite of the three arcs this season.