I agree with you Rebecca1/2, on all counts!
But I wonder now if the maid might have something to do with this Lord of One Word?
Episode 14 -
I gave myself a headache trying to figure out what’s going on this time! I just have so many things running through my head. This is why I love Ghost Hound.
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I think some really strange experiments are going on at that lab, especially since they say that they are not creating life, but a semblance of life. I’d like to see more of what they’re doing.
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It looks like Mokoto’s grandmother is dying, but Mokoto still won’t talk to her. I wonder who the maid called and who she might really work for. There is also a creepy scene of the grandmother praying in front of a picture of Makoto’s father and all the candles go out. And Mokoto has a flashback of killing a frog when he was younger and there is a dead frog there when he passes the same spot now.
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The boys do some research on the Lord of One Word, but don’t find much. But later, the priest tells the boys many stories, including the fact that the god does not really exist. However, supposedly this god can make what you say come true.
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Miyako has her first session with Dr. Hirata and he uses hypnosis to question her. Strange that Taro peeks in and says that she is his dead sister – interesting observation. The Dr. also asks her some odd questions about what is going on in the town. While she is under, she becomes possessed again and tells the Dr. that there are too many gods – again, I wonder if this is a reference to the lab. Miyako then screams and is put back to sleep.
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On the way home, they all meet the maid on the road. She grabs Miyako and says “You are the next priestess I am to serve.” Miyako looks possessed again and when Mokoto wishes his grandmother was dead, she looks at him strangely. He runs home to confront his grandmother and finds her dead. It looks like another suicide. Was it caused by the Lord of One Word? Does it have something to do with Makoto’s father?
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The photographer is back and is spying on the funeral. He thinks some of the mourners are familiar, but it looks like he really recognizes Mokoto’s mother. I still think this guy isn’t what he says he is.
Episode 15 -
This was a really good episode. Taro is taking the bus to Kumada, when Mokoto gets on as well. He tells Makoto the reason for his trip and asks if Makoto is going to visit his mother, but he doesn’t answer. Taro seems obsessed with the fact that Miyako may be his sister reborn. Makoto says that he will never let Miyako take over for his grandmother. He believes that he killed his grandmother with a curse and expects some kind of punishment.
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Interesting scene of the maid at Mokoto’s house speaking intently with three men. The photographer is spying outside. He is on the phone and speaking to someone about his “target”. He notes the license plate of the car parked in front of Makoto’s house and mentions that the corpse at the dam is probably a foreigner. He calls the person on the phone the “Tonoda School Triumvirate” and is then caught by Masayuki and Michio. Masayuki tells the photographer that he did some checking and knows that he isn’t from a magazine. He won’t tell, but suggests a trade of information.
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Another interesting scene of Miyako coming home to find a package of cakes on the floor and her father very angry and upset. She asks if they had company and he tells her no. But I think it may have had something to do with her. Did someone connected to the Ogami family come for her?
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The bus reaches Kumada and Mokoto tells Taro that he will go with him to visit Kei. Taro notices that Makoto is wearing a pouch around his waist and says it looks cool. They go to Kei’s house and Taro apologizes for disturbing the new starter for the sake. Kei says that the door was locked. As Taro struggles for an explanation, Mokoto says that he opened the door. Kei says everything is ok and she isn’t mad.
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Great scene of Dr. Hirata transcribing Taro’s tapes. He hears a weird noise on the tape and then Taro’s sister’s voice telling Taro not to cry. As if this wasn’t creepy enough, the Dr. is suddenly in Taro’s place, experiencing the kidnapping first hand. I got goosebumps! When he comes back to himself, he looks terrified and reaches for his phone. It looks like he is trying to call Dr. Otori, but she is outside the lab. She makes a very interesting comment about Masayuki’s father, calling him “Dr. Frankenstein” - an interesting reference, which gives me a stronger belief of what they might be experimenting with. She wants him to hurry up and tell her what she needs to know, so she doesn’t have to ruin his marriage. Is she blackmailing him?
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Meanwhile, the photographer admits that he is working for the Justice Ministry and is secretly investigating the lab – I knew it!! He says that he isn’t worried that they are doing anything dangerous, but it’s “key to Japan’s national interests”. He says that the body that was found may have been an industrial spy and that everyone wants to know their secrets. Later, when Masayuki’s father comes home, Masayuki takes Michio into his office on a fake pretext. They get a good look around and when Michio nods to Masayuki, they leave. I have to wonder what they were looking for.
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Back in Kumada, Taro now offers to go with Makoto, but he doesn’t want him to. He finally relents and there is a flashback of the maid handing Mokoto a note with Makoto’s mother’s address. She tells him that is it time to restore the glory of the Ogami worship circle and Makoto says that he isn’t interested. The maid says that she will wait there until he accepts his legacy and he tells her that he’ll never accept it. He warns her to stay away from Miyako and she tells him that Miyako is already a very powerful priestess that can channel spirits.
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Earlier, Mokoto received a package that contained a knife. Is this what’s in the pouch at his waist? Is he going to kill his mother? The episode ended too soon for me with the boys arriving at Mokoto’s mother’s house.
Episode 16 -
The man that Mokoto’s mother is staying with takes the boys to see her. He explains that her health has never been good. I think from what Taro says, Taro knows that Mokoto wants to kill her. When Mokoto sees her, he demands to know about his father’s suicide and the kidnapping, but she tells him nothing. He pulls out the knife, saying that he will make her talk, but Taro steps in front of him. Mokoto’s mother says that if it makes him feel better, to go ahead and use the knife on her. Mokoto verbally attacks Taro and Taro wants the truth too but knows this isn’t the way to get it. Makoto stabs the knife into the floor and runs out, with Taro following him. Taro searches for him in vain, while Mokoto is sitting on some steps crying. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen so much emotion from him.
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Masayuki and Michio have gotten hold of the password and are trying to break into some of Masayuki’s father’s files, but it isn’t working. There is a flashback of the photographer telling them that Japan wants to be the leader in an important field – biotech. Masayuki has an OBE, also appearing now in his own form and decides that is a good way to find out what is going on at the lab. He enters the lab and sees a black mist.
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He follows the mist to a room with large pipes. The mist seems to be rising from the pipes. He sees headless spirits and questions why they’re there. Meanwhile, Michio is still trying to get into the computer files, but sees that Masayuki is soul traveling.
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Back in Kumada, Taro has returned to the house and will spend the night. He realizes that the man is Snark. I don’t think I would have guessed that one in a million years! Snark’s real name is Masato Kaibara and he used to research theoretical physics. He realized that it was a futile pursuit and returned to the dying town. He explains his belief to Taro that the world is an illusion. He says that his real self may be Snark in the Abstract Realm and his current self is merely a hologram.
*
At the lab, Masayuki flees from the headless spirits and sees his father speaking to Dr. Otori. It looks like something happened to the security system outside one of the doors. They enter and Masayuki follows them. He finds his father on the floor in front of a seated Dr. Otori. It seems he has a shoe fetish. He is stroking Dr. Otori’s shoe as she says that she knows that she is working on the a.i. for the bioids being grown in the room. She wants to know why so much money is being spent on the “monstrosities” and Masayuki’s father explains that they have done everything possible to remove the characteristics of living organisms from them. They are nothing more than bioengineered matter that will be used to grow transplantable human organs. The bioids only need minimal brain functions to grow organs, so they don’t even need brains.
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Masayuki sees more headless spirits and flees again, but Dr. Otori gets a glimpse of something from the Hidden Realm. Outside the room, Masayuki is caught by the spirits, but they only want to give him information. They tell him that “automata that control the bioids seems to be evolving independently” and that “collective intelligence continues to grow and can become a Hopeful Monster”. This is giving me chills and I see why Dr. Otori called Masayuki’s father “Dr. Frankenstein”.
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Meanwhile, Taro can’t sleep or soul travel. Mokoto’s mother comes and tells him that she is happy he is Mokoto’s friend. Even if he never forgives her, she is glad that Mokoto came to see her. Taro asks her why she can’t tell Mokoto the truth and she says that “it’s best he doesn’t know” and her face completely changes. She shuts the door and leaves.
*
The spirits are still talking to Masayuki, telling him that their use of simple language is perhaps inhibiting further evolution in them. Michio shows up and Masayuki asks for help, but Michio is in useless baby form. However, the scariest thing that ties this together is the fact that the other tech that works in Dr. Otori’s lab is writing a report and he is writing word for word what the spirits are telling Masayuki!
Episode 16:
This is actually one of the most frustrating mysteries of Ghost Hound. For some reason, the can soul travel in one town, but not the other. It never gives a really clear explanation for that either, which I found a bit annoying. There were a few things implied, but the series never explores them fully. You just get the gist that something is clearly wrong with their town and affecting them all down to the cellular level.
it makes sense to me though. I think for those who don’t have a strong inherent ability to soul travel, you need some source of energy to draw on to do it. We already know there’s a source of that in their home town, or a lot closer to it anyhow. Be it the hospital in the reservoir, the mountans themselves, or just what.
Yes, it does make sense. However, they just never really explained what made their town so different and special. You got little hints here and there of different things, but it never quite came together in a cohesive picture. They definitely left it open for interpretation.
I think it is the “Hopeful Monster”. Because of the lab experiments, the spirits of the bioids are evolving. They are gaining language and intelligence. I think it might have something to do with this energy - something to do with the AI Otori is working on.
I think it’s all that sake they’re making and all that nasty water from the damn they’re using. Trust me people, just cause it’s brown don’t mean it’s either coffee or chocolate.
ROFL! That could be the case!
Ghost Hound Season 2. The Secret of The Ooze! LOL
LOL tonka! I love it!
Episode 17 -
The episode opens with Michio soul traveling. He is as himself now, but what the heck is he wearing? He looked pretty comical. He sees the old man on the mountain and wonders if the man can see him before he moves on.
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The old traveler wonders what is frightening the spirits. I wonder if it is the bioids. The priest startles him and says he hasn’t seen him in a while. The man says that he visited a friend in Kansi at Mt. Katsuragi and the priest mentions the Lord of One Word. The traveler says that he wanted to ask his friend what was happening in this area. The priest tells him about his daughter and that she has something like multiple personalities, but it is more like a shamanistic trance and she seems lately to be possessed by the Lord of One Word. However, she could have been influenced by reading some of his research books. The traveler says he’s not sure if it is the Lord of One Word or not, but has heard rumors of an “unsavory party” trying to control a priest’s daughter. The priest agrees and mentions the Ogami family. The traveler says that he hopes it is only rumors and warns the priest to be careful.
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As Miyako walks to school, murmuring “Good Morning” to herself a few times, there is a voice over of Taro telling Masayuki that Mokoto never came back from Kumada. He says that he couldn’t soul travel there, but had dreams instead. Miyako is at the school now and being stared at and avoided by the other children. Taro says that he dreamed of his sister, but she looked like Miyako and he is forgetting what his sister really looked like. Masayuki tells him not to get “fixated” on reincarnation and then talks about the labs and says he can’t believe the things his father was making. By now Miyako is seated at her desk and says that she is herself, but sometimes others enter her body. Then she says “I am not a god.”
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The reporter is on the phone with someone and is looking at the picture of the men he took at the funeral. He says that he knew he had seen them before and they are trouble. But he questions why they were at a church with a dead priestess in the middle of nowhere. He says he will look into it and hangs up.
*
During class, Michio is dozing off, Masayuki is thinking about his father and Dr. Otori, and Taro is wondering where Mokoto is. He dozes off and sees his sister back when they were kidnapped. He looks around and sees Dr. Hirata talking to his sister and he calls out that he is the real Taro. When he looks at his sister again, it is Miyako and she tells him that he’ll be fine. He says that he doesn’t want to dream that and wakes up.
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Masayuki and Michio leave after class and talk about how soul traveling makes one tired. A couple of girls approach them in the hall and say that their friend wants to talk to Masayuki. When Taro leaves the classroom, he sees Masayuki talking to a girl and the blushing girl runs away. Masayuki looks sad, but Taro walks in the opposite direction and then runs.
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In Kumada, Mokoto’s mother is overlooking the empty waterway. Masato walks up to her and says that he’s glad to see her up. He mentions that the waterway is one that connects to Suiten Town and asks if that is why she always comes there. She answers “not consciously” and Masato says that he heard that Mokoto isn’t home yet. She says that she is grateful for everything he’s done for her and he says that he is too. Meanwhile Mokoto is huddled somewhere and wonders if he will meet his father in the unseen world again. He wants to ask him something but says he can’t soul travel and wonders what he should do.
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When Miyako leaves school there is a woman at the gate and she wonders why her mother is there.
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Taro goes to the shrine, hoping to speak with Miyako, but no one is home. As he sits at the top of the stone steps, he begins to soul travel, but the priest comes up behind him and startles him. He almost falls down the stairs again, but the priest grabs him in time. Taro asks about Miyako, but the priest says that she is with her mother. Taro asks if her mother came to take her away, but the priest says no, he is worried about her having only him and so asked her mother to visit her every so often. The priest says that he’s been wondering about Miyako and if something is happening in the town. He mentions that the old man said there was. Taro asks the priest about reincarnation and he says that personally, he doesn’t like that kind of thinking because people can blame bad things on a past life, but admits that it can sometimes happen and he can’t deny it. He tells Taro that he may think he is someone’s reincarnation, but he must live his own life. They talk about it a little more and then the priest remembers he has some research to do and leaves Taro sitting there.
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As he leaves, Taro sees Miyako coming down the road. He is flustered and tongue tied in front of her and asks about her mother. He mentions that she must be worried about her and Miyako says that she could have pretended to be. She asks if he wanted something, and Taro says that he wanted to talk with her, but changed his mind and would maybe talk to her later. Miyako says that he’s weird because he gets nervous talking to a sixth grader and she walks away. Taro calls out after her that he “gets it now” and she turns back to him. He blurts out that she is the reincarnation of his sister. She gets a very odd look on her face while he justifies his claim and says that he never understood why he thought about her so much, but that must be it. Miyako says that she is herself - not someone’s reincarnation and runs off leaving an upset Taro behind.
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Masayuki is home, talking on the phone about Mokoto still not being back and notices that his mother isn’t at home. The reporter is on his phone talking about the men at the funeral and how they are called “construction workers” because they get hired to do illegal work. He says that he did some digging and found out that the Ogami Worship Circle used to have a rather large following forty years earlier, which even included cabinet ministers and that the priestess was the cult leader. He mentions that the kidnapping of Taro and his sister and the suicide of Mokoto’s father may be connected as well somehow but he isn’t sure yet. He also says that he doesn’t usually share information with his sources, but is worried that Mokoto hasn’t come back. Masayuki says that he doesn’t think that Mokoto would do anything rash and the reporter says he hopes so and thanks Masayuki for the information on the lab projects.
*
At the lab, Dr. Otori sends a note to the tech – I get the feeling that she never speaks to him although they share the same room – that she is going to go take a nap, since she’ll be working all night. As she walks through the hall, one of the little robots beeps at her and she says that she won’t be there much longer. I still wonder if she is a spy too. In her room, she sits on the bed and takes off her shoes. She looks at a picture on the wall that I found fascinating. I couldn’t see it well, but it looked like phases of creation/life. There was Adam and Eve in the first section, with some things in the background. The middle section showed what looked like a population and perhaps people being conquered/killed, but it was odd looking. The last section could have represented death or hell or the apocalypse. It was a very strange picture and I think the story in the picture is related to what is happening at the lab or even in the town.
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Dr. Otori lies back on the bed, starts to unbutton her blouse and get comfortable, when she gets an odd feeling. Unseen hands grab her ankles and spread her legs. She asks who is there and the hands let her go. She asks if it is a ghost and says that she knows it’s been watching her. A male voice says “sh*t – busted.” It must be a soul traveler, but I doubt it’s Taro. Is it Masayuki or Michio? Or someone else entirely? More chills for me!!!
Episode 18 -
A good episode that actually answered a couple of questions I had.
At the start of the episode, the Priest and Dr. Hirata are at the restaurant and the Priest says that his daughter isn’t speaking at all now. Suzuki is sitting over in the corner, looking at Otori’s chest on his laptop. Kind of funny, but I wonder what that’s all about? The woman that works at the restaurant had been sweeping outside and comes in to say that she just saw her neighbor standing outside – the only problem with that is that she’s dead.
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Suzuki asks for the check and leaves; once outside, he looks back and sees the ghost himself. I noticed that he kind of took it in stride. He didn’t seem surprised at all to come face to face with a ghost. He later meets with Otori and tells her who he really is and that the dead body found at the damn was an industrial spy that was targeting her department. Otori says that she only does research and that its almost finished anyway. Suzuki is secretly filming her with a concealed video camera. Who is this woman? I still think she might be some kind of spy herself.
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Taro is thinking of Miyako and Mokoto is thinking of his mother. Masayuki is thinking of Otori – it was him in the last episode! His father comes home to find those paper Ogami symbols outside his house and his wife missing.
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Otori is on the phone while driving and is telling someone that a public security agent contacted her and managed to get her fingerprints. She turns a bend in the road and Masayuki is standing there, but she doesn’t stop and keeps going.
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In Kumada, Mokoto is sleeping on the floor of Masato’s bar and Kei walks in. She tells him that Masato asked her to bring him some food, but Makoto throws it on the floor. He asks how Masato knew he was there and if he knows then “that woman” also knows – meaning his mother. Kei kneels down to clean up the mess and says that it was a waste of her time to make it for him. Mokoto was surprised that Kei made it and not “her”.
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Mokoto’s mother is at Masato’s house, putting away the bedding and Mokoto’s knife is shown to be mixed in with it. She asks Masato to forgive her for being a burden and says that she died eleven years ago, but her ghost has survived. Masato says that she was like a ghost, but he loved her and she is grateful to him for all his support. Masato says that he wants to go with her, but she says it isn’t right – that it’s her punishment and he has no reason to join her. Masato hugs her and after a moment, she hugs him back. Where is she going? Home to face the Ogami group?
*
Suzuki is in his office, checking Otori’s fingerprints. As he looks at a file on the Construction Workers, his Chief comes in. The “Kiyoshi Hanzei” gang was seen in the town where his target is – but who is his actual target? Otori? Masayuki’s father? The Chief tells Suzuki that about eighteen months before the kidnapping eleven years ago, there was a rash of missing children reports all over western Japan. He goes on to say that they just seemed like ordinary disappearances, but the cops finally put it together. However, the missing children reports suddenly stopped after the Suiten kidnapping. But Suzuki says that the case was different in that a ransom was demanded and the kidnapper ended up dying. The Chief says that it should have just been another disappearance, but something must have happened to turn it into a ransom case. The Chief also says that there is something “different” about that town.
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Suzuki says that it is because of Himeko Ogami, who once had the country’s leaders eating out of her hand and that she probably made a connection with the Construction Workers in the past. The Construction Workers may have acted as negotiators with the kidnapping ring, but he doesn’t know why the ring was taking kids. The Chief tells him that the children were illegal organ donors – that before biotech, the black market had to get their supplies form somewhere. An exciting piece of news here and may explain why Taro and his sister were taken in the first place.
*
Miyako is on her way to school again, but this time, the other children actually run away from her now. Once little girl, Chiho, comes up to her and invites her on a play date at her house. Miyako asks her why and Chiho says that she always wanted to talk to her, but wasn’t sure how, and that she’d like to be friends. Miyako accepts the invitation, but I have a bad feeling about this.
*
Kei visits Masato and confirms that Mokoto is at the bar and that she fed him. Masato thanks her and she blushes. Some deeper feelings there? Then he asks her for one “last” favor.
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Chiho takes Miyako to her house, where she sees a black car with tinted windows in the drive and the Ogami symbols outside the house. I really wanted her to run away at this point, but she does go into the house. I wonder if the Ogami cult is reviving or if it was ever really gone.
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Meanwhile, the Chief is telling Suzuki that the Construction Workers are currently in Kumada and asks Suzuki if that is where the wife of the disowned Ogami heir lives. Suzuki makes a phone call. Perhaps to Masayuki?
*
As I thought, the maid is waiting for Miyako at the house, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. She only talks to Miyako, giving her a little of her history. She says she knows what Miyako is going through better than anyone because when she was a child, the gods came to her as well. Himeko came to her when she was Miyako’s age and said that she was waiting for a child with her powers to be born. Himeko said that the maid will be her “saniwa” – “one who judges a god”.
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Dr. Hirata is visiting the Priest at the shrine, where the Priest is explaining what a “saniwa” is and that “a vessel and a judge must operate as a pair in order to channel and pacify spirits”. Dr. Hirata once again betrays a professional trust when he tells the Priest that Taro thinks Miyako is the reincarnation of his dead sister, causing the Priest to remember the conversation about reincarnation that he had with Taro. In Miyako’s case, the doctor feels that perhaps the Priest is the one that’s most convinced that his daughter is possessed by the Lord of One Word, if only subconsciously. He cites all of the Priest’s current research as evidence. He says that the Priest may be skeptical, but perhaps also hopeful that this is the case and that Miyako probably sensed it. The doctor says that he is just expressing a professional opinion and starts to leave. The Priest asks if he is leaving town and Dr. Hirata says that the longer he is there the more he loses himself. Interesting that he should say this. Does he think he’s going insane for what he’s experienced so far? I still don’t think he can admit to his experiences yet and may just think it is all in his mind. Dr. Hirata also says that by helping Taro, he hoped to further his own research. The doctor leaves and the Priest watches him go. He hears a loud noise to the side, turns and gasps. What does he see?
*
Taro is back in the abstract world and sees Mokoto’s mother, but Snark appears and says it is just a hologram. He says that this is a world of his imagination, but Taro always manages to barge in and he’s surprised that they are thinking the same thing at the same time. He then tells Taro about “Implicate Order”.
*
Miyako is climbing the stairs home and steps on a pairs of glasses. Looking up, she sees her father lying on the stone steps and his head is bleeding. Is he dead? Is this another reason why the ruse was used to make her meet with the maid – so that they could get her father out of the way?
*
Taro asks Snark about the scary look on Mokoto’s mother’s face when he spoke to her at the house that night and Snark says that was when she made her decision. Snark tells him not to feel responsible, that she was waiting for the time to come and now it has. Snark starts to float away and tells Taro that it “will be painful for Mokoto, but she’s suffered far worse” and hopes Mokoto understands that. Taro doesn’t understand any of it and wants to be where Mokoto is in Kumada, but can’t soul travel to him. A voice whispers in his ear to “hurry” and he thinks it’s his sister. Then he hears Masayuki’s voice telling him to wake up.
*
In Kumada, Kei gives Mokoto a letter from Masato, saying it was the last thing he asked of her. She says that she wanted to read the letter herself and asks Mokoto to read it now.
*
Taro and Masayuki run out of Taro’s house with Masayuki saying that they’ve got to hurry and find Mokoto and that things may be bad. Taro wants to know how he knows this and Masayuki says that Suzuki told him and also that Mokoto may know the truth about the kidnapping. Taro asks if it’s connected to Mokoto after all and Masayuki tells him that he may have been taken to “replace” Mokoto. He says that Mokoto’s mother knows the truth and that not only is in Mokoto in Kumada, but the Construction Workers are too. Taro doesn’t understand, but Masayuki doesn’t have time to explain it all now, and the bus doesn’t stop for them.
*
As Mokoto reads the latter, his mother narrates it, explaining that Mokoto was kidnapped first and that his grandmother used her connections to negotiate with the kidnappers. She says that they were persuaded to take the Kimori girl instead, since she would bring them more money. I wasn’t expecting this at all, but it all makes sense now. When Mokoto’s father found out about what his mother had done, he couldn’t go on living and she wanted to go with him. As Mokoto reads the letter, he drops the pages to the floor and Kei kneels down to read them. His mother goes on to say that she couldn’t go with his father because she had him, but couldn’t bear to stay in the same house and so she left. She says that she never forgot Mokoto and asks for his forgiveness. She says that she never told him the truth because he would only suffer more. Mokoto doesn’t finish the letter, but instead slams it on the bar. Kei is still reading the letter and exclaims – “I knew it!” Mokoto runs out of the bar, sees a fire in the distance and knows it is Masato’s house.
*
As Masayuki and Taro try to catch their breath from running after the bus, Taro says they can go back to his house and ask his father to drive them. Masayuki says that there isn’t time and at that moment Otori drives by. She almost doesn’t stop, but finally does and the boys run to her car.
*
Mokoto is seen running towards Masato’s burning house. What is going on? Was it the Construction Workers thinking to get rid of the final witness or is it something else? Did his mother commit suicide and maybe Masato set the house on fire out of grief? Or is it just a coincidental accident? This show is just so darn good!
Episode 19 -
spoiler
Makoto runs into the burning house and finds his mother in one of the rooms, lying face down with an open bottle of pills nearby. Her wrist is bleeding and that looks like Makoto’s knife next to her. Makoto is able to get his mother outside just as Otori shows up with Taro and Masayuki. A man in the crowd is watching and slips away. Is he a Construction Worker? I know they had to have set the fire, but what happened to Masato? If Makoto’s mother meant to commit suicide, and that was why she said that he couldn’t go with her – did the Construction Worker kill him before setting the fire – getting rid of loose ends? Actually, maybe Masato did commit suicide – he did ask Kei for one “last” favor and there was that whole Snark / Taro scene in the Abstract World. Leaving his mother with the paramedics, Makoto runs away. Is it because he can’t face Taro now that he knows the truth about the kidnapping? Once Makoto is alone, he cries. Again, because of the truth or because of his mother trying to commit suicide?
*
There are newspaper headlines – “Double Suicide, Arson? Man Dies, Woman Comatose.” Well, I guess Masato is dead after all, whether it be suicide or murder. Otori is on the phone with someone, reporting the recent events. She confirms that both Makoto’s mother, Sanae, and Masato took sleeping pills and slit their wrists, but the fire was a little too thorough and the police are questioning it. It must have been the Construction Worker! Silly though – if he hadn’t set the fire, no attention would have been brought to the house and Sanae might have died without being saved. I thought these guys were supposed to be professionals – this was some sloppy work on their part. Otori says that Sanae is out of her coma, but acting strange. She tells the person on the phone, who turns out to be Dr. Hirata, that she’d like his opinion. She also tells him that Miyako’s father is in the hospital as well. He’s alive? Again if it was a Construction Worker that pushed him down the stairs with the intent to kill him – really sloppy work!
*
After Otori hangs up, she passes the Kumada bus. Masayuki is looking out the window and sees her. It’s cute that he smiles before getting annoyed at himself and frowning. I think that, although he may hate her for being his father’s lover, he also likes her as a person and is torn between both feelings. Because of what she has done to his family, he shouldn’t like her at all, but she did show him a recent kindness in taking them to Kumada the night of the fire. I don’t blame him for being confused.
*
Taro is seated next to him and wonders why Miyako’s father fell down the stairs. Masayuki says that it wasn’t as bad as the time Taro fell down the stairs, but Taro says that it’s still rotten timing. Taro talks about the kidnapping and they go over what Suzuki told Masayuki. Once at the hospital, they try to get in to see the Priest, but are told that he can’t have visitors other that immediate family. Otori walks past and confirms why they’re there, before taking them somewhere to talk. Unbeknownst to them, Mokoto is seated in the waiting area and sees them. When they walk away, he gets up. Will he visit his mother?
*
Otori tells Taro and Masayuki that the Priest doesn’t have any brain damage, but he’s still unconscious and getting excellent care. She tells them that the real problem is Makoto’s mother and Masayuki asks her if Makoto is there. She says that he hasn’t shown up as yet and Taro looks really sad and remembers Makoto yelling at her the night he wanted to kill her. He mentions that Makoto has never even called her “Mom”.
*
Sanae wakes up as Makoto enters her room and calls him Ogami. Makoto’s father? It startles him and she says that he is the first one to come visit her. She wants to know where the others are, then remembers that Komagusu and Yazaki wouldn’t skip school and says that she’ll forgive them. Wow! It’s obvious that her mind has regressed all the way back to high school and she thinks that she’s a young girl again. Makoto asks her if she knows him and she repeats “Ogami”, before blushing and saying – “you’re not Hideo Ogami?” It looks as if Makoto has lost his mother all over again.
*
Otori is still with the boys and tells them that Sanae thinks that she’s seventeen; she has lost thirty years worth of memories. Otori says that this isn’t a typical amnesia because Sanae believes that she has “time-slipped” thirty years into the future. Taro asks if she will ever get better.
*
Sanae tells Makoto that she’s glad he came to see her and that she thought he was Ogami. She says that – “he doesn’t say much and it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking, but at times like this, he’d be right here”. Sanae thanks him as Makoto remembers the incident at the abandoned hospital when he “saw” his father. Makoto gets up to leave and she asks if he will come to see her again. I don’t think he knows how to answer her – how does a child deal with a parent like this? He must be so confused. Sanae smiles at him and says to shake on it, but as she holds out her hand, he sees a little blood soaking through her bandaged wrist. He gasps and pulls back. Sanae says that it’s just a little cut and that she doesn’t really need to even be in the hospital. Makoto runs out of the room, but as he walks down the corridor, he realizes that she used his knife.
*
Taro and Masayuki walk by the ICU and see Miyako and her mother inside. When they come out, Miyako walks right past him. Taro says her name and she turns her head, giving him a blank look, but keeps walking. Taro says that she looked like she didn’t know him. Is it because the god has possessed her again? Or did the maid do something to her? Or is she still mad at Taro for thinking she is his dead sister reincarnated?
*
Makoto is digging through the remains of Masato’s house. Is he searching for the knife? Kei rides up on her bike and asks what he’s doing. He just ignores her, making her say – “ever the cold one!” and then she asks if he’s looking for something.
*
Back at the hospital, Masayuki tells Taro to follow Miyako because what happened to the Priest may not have been an accident. He tells Taro that the worship circle wants her and that anything could happen. Taro asks what he can do about it and Masayuki says that Miyako shouldn’t be alone, so Taro runs after her. Masayuki heads in the opposite direction. Taro stands outside a private waiting room where Miyako is sitting with her mother, watching her. Is he thinking of his sister?
*
Makoto is still digging around the burnt ruins. Kei mentions that it was a big house and that she was in junior high the first time she visited it. She remembers a bunch of little details, but can’t remember what she talked about. She asks Makoto about his mother and he calls her “that woman”. Kei says that he shouldn’t call her that and Makoto asks why she cares. She says that maybe it’s because he treats her so coldly. Makoto, angered, turns to her to say something, but finds her crying. She says – “he’s gone now” and talks of her feelings for Masato. So, she was in love with him. I wonder how she felt towards Makoto’s mother for living with him. Then Kei asks Makoto if he thinks that he’ll find whatever it is that he’s looking for and he says that it’s probably gone.
*
Makoto is lying in a boat when Masayuki finally finds him. Mokoto looks angry and asks if he came to laugh at him, but Masayuki tells him that it’s the duty of a friend to worry about him. Just before leaving him there, Masayuki says that he shouldn’t “try to shoulder it all” himself.
*
Makoto is back at the hospital and outside his mother’s room, but can’t bring himself to go in. As he walks along, he encounters Taro near the ICU. Taro starts to tell him about the kidnapping, but realizes that he already knows. Makoto starts to say “my mother”, but quickly changes it to “that woman”. Taro tells him what happened to the Priest and that he is there in the ICU and that Miyako is there as well. He says that he said something awful to her and he thought that it was a good thing at the time, but it really hurt her. Taro apologizes for talking about himself and says that he found out about his mother, but couldn’t find him. He tells him that he knew that when Makoto found out it would hurt him more than anyone and begins to cry.
*
Makoto asks Taro to remember the time he told him that he was born to be capable of murder. He goes on remind him that he once told Taro that his mother had dropped him as a baby and may have caused him some brain damage then tells him now that wasn’t the case. I noticed here that Makoto was a lot bigger than Taro – it seemed a bit off to me – Makoto looks to be an adult and Taro still a little kid. Anyway he tells Taro that the kidnapper had hit him on the head and that his grandmother lied to him in saying that his mother dropped him. Taro says that he’s glad that it wasn’t his mom – “that sometimes what you think is one way turns out to be totally different”. This also seems to be true of this show!
*
In his mother’s hospital room, Makoto has fallen asleep at the desk. She puts a blanket around his shoulders, waking him. Sanae apologizes for waking him up and he responds with a sleepy “Mom”. He realizes what he just said and his mother begins to cry, wishing him a “good morning”. Then Makoto starts to cry as well. This is the first time that he hasn’t called her “that woman”! Does he finally forgive her? Are Sanae’s memories back or were they never really gone? Perhaps it was an act of some kind to protect Makoto? Once again, I have too many questions!
After episode 20 ends, I find myself thinking it’s starting to feel wierd to get all the way through an anime without running into someone either crossdressing or being outright transgender of some persuasion. Especially after we got a Bridget dropped on us at the end of this week’s Monster. (for the ‘Bridget’ reference, look it up on TV Tropes). At least you can pretty well infer what’s coming even though they don’t reveal much in the preview.
I have a theory Rebecca1/2 -
How are they going to get Miyako away from the cult? A group that is all women? I highly doubt that they’ll just hand her over to her father, or let her walk out the front door - especially with that creepy maid around. They are probably going to have to go in and get her somehow. Maybe I am completely wrong, but what better way to sneak in? Seems to me like it is being set up that way.
Episode 20 -
There is a typhoon in the area and although it won’t hit Kyushu, the residents are told to be cautious. I notice that those paper Ogami symbols are now all over the place now. I guess the cult is back in full swing after all.
*
Suzuki is still investigating Otori and thinks that she may be a double or even a triple agent for the US National Institutes of Health. In the lab, the assistant has noted that with regards to the “Hopeful Monsters”, “a startling development has emerged” but doesn’t say what it is.
*
Otori looks like she’s copying computer files and says that she is running out of time when her phone rings. It’s Dr. Hirata asking her to take a look at an e-mail he just sent her. It’s a brain scan and Otori mentions Lewy Body Dementia, but decides against it and asks Dr. Hirata if it’s the scan of a patient with Alzheimer’s. Dr. Hirata tells her that it’s his own brain scan.
*
Masayuki’s father is in his home office wondering why he can’t get “her” on the phone. He’s probably trying to contact Otori because of what is showing up on his computer screens. World headlines read “Simultaneous Announcements in Three Nations” that talk about his work and all the controversy that goes with it. He is angry to see this “just when the bioids are nearly complete”. He slams his fist on the desk.
*
In the room below the ceiling lamp moves, causing Masayuki to look up from his phone call – he’s on the line with Mokoto and tells him that the Priest is still in a coma. Makoto is staying at the bar in Kumada with his mother. He tells Masayuki that he can’t leave her alone and he can’t go home, because he has no home to go to. Masayuki says that things are petty crazy at his place and it looks like the Worship Circle is back and gathering quite a following. Masayuki says that even his own mother is there and Makoto asks about Taro, but the scene changes before he can answer.
*
Michio is soul traveling, wearing his blue flying squirrel outfit, and sees Otori’s lab assistant by the dam. He watches as the laughing lab assistant takes something from a cooler – an underdeveloped bioid? – and throws it into the water below. He struck me as being quite insane. Michio wants to take a closer look, but two large spirits rise from the water and chase him.
*
When Makoto takes out the garbage, he sees someone watching the bar. The person quickly disappears. Is it a Construction Worker?
*
Otori is still on the phone with Dr. Hirata, discussing Lewy Body Dementia, which is “characterized by strange, highly vivid hallucinations”. Dr. Hirata says that since visiting Suiten, he’s had frequent episodes and believes the cause to be Suiten Town itself. He tells her that something there is affecting the brains of all the animals and asks her what DBI is researching, telling her the current world news. A while later, Otori calls security, saying that she needs to find Furusawa – the lab assistant? – and then she finds a smashed security bot.
*
Taro is at the brewery, thinking. He remembers seeing Miyako, her mother and the maid get out of a cab and enter the Ogami house. The mother comes back out alone and Taro asks her what’s going on. Miyako’s mother says that she has no choice and that she can’t take care of Miyako, but these people can. She then says that “this place doesn’t agree with me” and leaves. Taro leaves the brewery to find his mother outside talking to something unseen. Taro asks her what’s wrong and she says that she was just talking to Mizuka, leaving Taro stunned.
*
Masayuki and Michio observe Masayuki’s father leaving the house with his briefcase. Masayuki tries to stop him and asks him if he is going to do something about his mother. His father says that he’s too busy and that she doesn’t seem to be in any danger anyway. He thinks his son is going through a “rebellious phase” – something else he doesn’t have time for – and leaves the house. Masayuki joins him in the car, giving him no choice but to take him along with him.
*
Makoto brings his mother a sliced pear and Sanae talks about his knife. Makoto looks out the window to see another man watching the house. He runs out and catches him. It’s Suzuki!
*
At the brewery, a neighbor is having tea with Taro’s mother and tells her that Miyako is going to be the new Ogami Priestess and that she has amazing powers. Taro is eavesdropping and when the neighbor says that his mother can talk to Mizuka, Taro interrupts them and angrily tells the woman that his mother is not joining the Ogami Worship Circle. He tells her that they worship the God of Sake. The woman calmly finishes her tea and says that she’ll return some other time. Taro’s mother notes that he is growing up and says that she’ll miss the little boy he was. She asks her son if he thinks she’s crazy, but Taro doesn’t know how to answer her, so she tells him she’s fine and goes in to cook dinner.
*
In the car, Masayuki asks his father about what might be more important than his mother and his father tells him his research is. Then Masayuki asks him what a bioid is, shocking his father, and his father wants to know how he heard about it. Masayuki tells him that he had heard it on the news and tells his father that “he lost the race”, but his father says that his bioids are different and explains a little about them, ending with the fact that his bioids aren’t living things. Masayuki remembers seeing them at the lab and tells his father that they are alive. His father says that since they don’t have individual brains and can’t reproduce, they are not alive and Masayuki asks if that is all life is.
*
Suzuki shows pictures of the bad guys to Makoto and asks about his mother. Makoto says that her memory is still strange, but maybe it’s just an act. Suzuki questions the fire and Mokoto takes offense, asking why they’d want to do something like that and Suzuki suggests that since the cult is back, perhaps they want to “get rid of anyone that knew its past”. Makoto says that he won’t let anything happen to his mother and Suzuki says that he has arranged for the police to keep an eye out, but without proof of criminal activity, there isn’t much they can do. Suzuki also tells Makoto that Miyako’s mother works for the government and that she was put “under pressure at work to entrust the girl to the Ogami group" and asks Makoto to help Taro and Masayuki.
*
Taro is soul traveling, looking for the one that always talks to him. He thought the voice was his sister, but knows that it isn’t. He also mentions that he thought Miyako was his reincarnated sister, but knows that she isn’t. The figure appears and tells him that he figured it out. He tells the figure that he needs to get to the Priest, so they can get Miyako “out of that place”. The figure says it can’t help directly, but leads him to the right portal. He asks the figure who it is and the voice says “the one that knows you best of all” – is it Taro himself? The portal leads to a library and Taro finds the Priest reading, learning all about Earth’s history. Taro tells him that Miyako needs him and he has to wake up. The Priest thinks he is awake and then finally realizes he isn’t.
*
Otori shows Masayuki and his father the tape that was salvaged from the bot. It shows Furusawa at a bioid incubation tank. They find out that he has secretly overwritten the bioid system and that they are “now mutants with reproductive instincts”. Otori tells them that security is still searching for Furusawa and Masayuki says “that’s who Michio saw” and tells them that he threw the bioids into the Kameiwa Dam. Otori says “if that’s true – God help us!” I wonder if the dam is the source of water for the town. It may explain some of what’s going on.
*
Taro soul travels with the Priest to the Ogami house and questions the Priest about all the women outside. The Priest says that they are “monoimi – women that serve a spiritual medium”. They float inside and see Miyako telling a room of women, headed by the maid, that “very soon, many gods will descend into the town from Mt. Kameiwa”. Taro and her father try to get her attention and she almost sees them, but the maid says that “someone has sent an evil spell!” She makes a hand sign and Taro and the Priest are somehow thrown out.
*
The traveler is observing the house from the above woodland and says “yes, that’s the root”. He looks around and sees others – are they spirits too? He says “they’re being drawn to this place”. This is getting creepy!
Episode 21 -
Otori tells Masayuki that all the bioids have been destroyed and is confident that the ones released into the dam are dead as well. However, in speaking with her, Masayuki still knows that the bioids were living things, while Otori assures him that they were not. He also doesn’t look too sure that all the bioids are dead. And I wonder what Otori said to him in the car. It was funny that when she stopped the car in front of his house – instead of getting out, Masayuki looked at her breasts and put his hand over hers. First crushes are so cute! I really thought Otori was going to kiss him, but the kiss on the cheek was enough to fluster Masayuki, causing him to blush and run into the house.
*
The priest is awake! Glad he is out of the coma.
*
Makoto shows up at Taro’s house. He says that he should not have left his mother alone, “but given the circumstances…” Gee, it was nice of the maid to let Makoto back into this own house! And then she had to follow him around like he was going to steal something! He did get a glimpse of Miyako and tells Taro that she looked as if she were possessed by his grandmother. Makoto asks Taro if he can stay with him for a while and Taro agrees, getting permission from his mother. However, as they are heading towards Taro’s room, Makoto hears music and walks into Taro’s father’s study. He finds out that Taro’s father and his own father were friends and Taro’s father gives him a guitar that had once belonged to Makoto’s father. Makoto seemed really touched by this.
*
In the hospital, Suzuki is talking to the priest and he suddenly seems reluctant to want to get his daughter back and Suzuki thinks he may have been threatened since he also “can’t remember” how he fell down the stairs. Suzuki tells the priest that someone has an interest in seeing the Ogami Worship Circle succeed, but isn’t sure if it is a real religion or not and says that all religious “doctrines can only spread through human suffering”. But when he mentions that he’s still unsure of what the group’s goal is, the priest says – “Kyushu is where the grandson of the Sun Goddess descended to Earth. It could split off from the Japanese state.”
*
At the shrine, an odd group comes together by circumstance and holds an impromptu meeting of sorts. It is decided that the bioids are the base cause of everything that has been happening. The traveler, Saruta, says that the bioids were living things and as such violated the laws of the universe. The others are unsure how to tie in Miyako and the Ogami group and the fact that Miyako said that a “Dragon God” is coming. Saruta says that it is all “coincidence” and Dr. Hirata says that when people can’t explain things, they invent gods. Taro vows to save Miyako, but how? Since only young girls are allowed near her, they need a young girl. I thought it very funny when Masayuki looks at Otori and she says – “excuse me for not being young!” They do not want to involve anyone else, so they need someone within their group that can pass as a young girl and they all look at Taro… I knew it!
Episode 22 -
A typhoon is coming and everyone is helping to secure things at Taro’s house. Kei arrives back at the brewery too.
*
Dr. Hirata apologizes to Taro and tells him that he was using him for his own research. Taro doesn’t seem to mind because Dr. Hirata helped his mother. The doctor tells him that now he has a new goal to study the changes in his own brain. He gives Taro back his tapes and says that he met Mizuka through them. He describes to Taro what happened and is about to tell Taro what his sister said when Taro cuts him off. He tells Dr. Hirata that he never found his sister in the unseen world, so “there must be a reason.” Dr. Hirata agrees with him and wishes him luck in rescuing Miyako.
*
Suzuki has tipped off the media about the worship circle and the fact that a girl from the sixth grade is the High Priestess. It’s all he can do, but maybe it will help cause a distraction. And Makoto looks like he knows a secret way into the house. But someone is watching. Taro looks kind of cute in his priestess robes and he even seems to see a little of his sister in himself. The holy men have gathered on the mountain and the lab does seem to be behind everything that is happening, as the holy men point it out to Saruta.
*
The bioids at the lab have all been destroyed, but they were already in mass production at the plant. In shutting down that operation, even Masayuki’s father can now “see” things and he’s not the only one as his colleagues run from the room in a panic! Otori advises Masayuki’s father to go and get his wife, telling him that Masayuki is really worried.
*
The media is still harassing the Ogami worshipers. Michio still makes me laugh every time I see him in that soul traveling outfit of his! This time, he reminds me of a stork delivering babies, since it looks like he’s carrying the bioids he and Masayuki picked up earlier. The media reports a young mother with a daughter dressed as a priestess entering the Ogami house. It’s Otori and Taro! I just loved the reactions of Taro’s mother and father, as well as Kei’s when they see him on TV.
*
Saruta is still on the mountain with the holy men and wonders where things are heading. He says that he “can’t say it’s truly forbidden for Man to create life, but when they go and do it without giving any thought, where will that lead?” The holy men begin to soul travel and one invites Saruta to join them. They can see what is left of the bioid spirits emanating from the lab and flowing into the dam. Saruta says – “created by human hand, you too have a place – be not afraid.”
*
The maid is on the phone asking someone how she should handle the media, but is interrupted by a girl telling her that Otori and Taro are there. Otori says that Taro has been “compelled” to serve the High Priestess and the maid agrees that she can, but that they will have to come back later. Will this ruin the rescue plan? Outside, Masayuki sees Michio being chased by the spirits – for some reason they don’t like the bioids he’s carrying. Masayuki draws the crowd’s attention to the now visible spirits in the air and they think it’s the promised Dragon God! They all get excited and Masayuki looks very pleased with himself. Michio is controlling the direction of the spirits with the bioids he’s holding.
*
The maid goes to investigate the commotion outside and Taro takes his chance to run inside. He gets to Miyako, but in calling out to her, I almost thought that he was going to say his sister’s name. As more people outside see the “Dragon God” they become hysterical and begin to run around in a panic. Taro tries to get Miyako to go with him, but Chiho comes in to tell Miyako that the Dragon God is there. And Miyako seems to have some issues of her own. She says – “I never wanted to feel sadness or pain again… I wanted not to feel… I didn’t want to exist. I shouldn’t exist.” She gets a little crazy and Taro tries to calm her down, telling her that she’s Miyako and no one else. Chiho begins to cry and apologizes to Miyako, while the other women realize that there’s a boy with the High Priestess. Miyako snaps out of her spell as Taro grabs her hand and they make a run for it.
*
The spirits outside begin to fight. Saruta says “they’re your companions – they just came to life differently.” The spirits continue to fight and break the gates leading to the Ogami house. The maid and Masayuki’s mother are standing outside in awe with the guards as the other women run in fear.
*
Taro leads Miyako to a tea chest in an ancient jail cell as he was instructed to do by Makoto. Once opened, the chest has a ladder going down to an ancient passage. Taro reassures Miyako as he leads her along the passage, but suddenly a bright light shines in their faces. Thankfully, it’s only Makoto. He takes them outside, but there are Construction Workers waiting for them. One says – “certain individuals would be inconvenienced if you make off with the High Priestess now.”
*
It was sweet how Taro was protecting Miyako’s head from the rain with his sleeve. As Otori and Masayuki wait in her car for them, Makoto tells Taro to “find an opening and run.” However, one of the bad guys has Makoto’s knife (so that’s what happened to it!) and makes a threat, but Makoto makes light of it. The men then decide they need to get serious with the children. Suzuki and Miyako’s father arrive to join Otori and Masayuki, but the other kids are late and Miyako’s father starts to panic. The Construction Workers approach Makoto and Makoto shows them his spirit, surprising them and allowing Taro and Miyako to escape.
*
The spirits are still fighting, but are finally coming together as Saruta says “they’re one and the same and should be companions.” The bioids that Michio is holding fly off to join them and they all get sucked up into a hole in the sky that also clears up the typhoon and the sun comes out.
*
Taro brings Miyako to her father, who begs forgiveness from her and says that they will both stop pretending, which seems to make her happy. Makoto joins them and then Michio comes too. As they congratulate themselves, there is a sudden earthquake that causes a landslide to cover the Ogami house and a large rock falls on top of that. The maid drops to her knees saying that it’s “the Great God’s retribution” and screams.
*
Masayuki’s father and mother come and join the group on the road and Masayuki looks really happy to see them. Otori decides that it’s time for her to leave and as she gets in the car, Suzuki asks if he’ll see her again, but she only says that she enjoyed herself. Masayuki watches her drive off - there goes his crush! Taro’s parents and Kei then join them and I think that Taro is a little embarrassed for them to see him dressed like a girl. If he only knew that he was seen on TV!
*
Miyako tells Taro – “I’ll always be watching over you from the Unseen Realm…” Taro says that she doesn’t have to do that, but I don’t think that he realizes that it was his sister talking to him. Or was it? Maybe Miyako was just trying to do something nice for him as a thank you for saving her. When Miyako looks at Taro, he tells her that he understands and that his sister is alive – “Mizuka’s a part of me – she lives on inside of me.” Miyako cries as Taro thanks her.
*
Then it’s group photo time! I think this ended well. The questions were pretty much answered and it just goes to show you what can happen when you mess with the laws of nature. But I just have to say that those bioids reminded me an awful lot of skinned turkeys!
Now that GH had it’s run on TAN online/vod and everyone’s seen it - I saw it all before youse all, haha…naw, I’m just kidding…or am I 
- and the dub will be coming soon, I just have one question:
Will the new english dub be in 5.1 like the original japanese and keep them both as 5.1, or will it be just the one and not the other?
That is all.
That’s a very good question. Since the Japanese is in 5.1, I hope they don’t cheap out and only do 2.1 for the dub.