Jigoku Shoujo

calintz, thingits came in the mail! ♥♥♥♥ I was gonna wait till after dinner to fiddle with them, but aieeeeee, thank you again♥♥

Anyway~ I have not been paying much attention to the new anime season; I'm very much a one-series-at-a-time kind of person, especially when it comes to hardcore fanning. But hell, Jigoku Shoujo 3 is out and I find I've been progressively enjoying it more -- originally, I got into it because sjen informed me that Matsukaze Masaya was in it (OMG SEIYUU CRUSH he's got such a nice voice D:), but I don't think it's just because he's had more lines in following episodes. XD

It's very formulamatic in some ways -- though it's only been three episodes, whut -- because every time, the person with the grudge will hesitate (though I like that; I think it's normal human response to hesitate when considering the consequences of accepting a contract with the titular character), and there's always the stock footage of Ai getting ready to heading to take the soul to Hell.

On the other hand, it's nicely atmospheric and creepy, and I now have a new seiyuu crush because Noto Mamiko (voicing the main character) has such a pretty voice. D: The grudges have become more serious, too; while I had very little sympathy for the girl in the first episode, I actually sympathized with the two from ep2 and ep3. In a case of maybe empathizing too much, I would have to say that I don't know I would have done differently, even knowing the consequences, in their positions.

It's also very ... mm, Japanese, I think, especially episodes one and three, and gorgeously animated, especially the scenes that take place in Ai's little home/dimension/what-where-IS-it-who-knows place. We're beginning to see more of Ai as a reluctant punisher; her three attendants seem to enjoy tormenting their victims, but Ai always seems gravely regretful about the whole business. There is a horrific element to the whole thing -- we've got bloody faces rising from water and some truly Dantean visions of Hell going on here, and then there's the sheer visual wrongness of the Hone-Onna ("Bone-Woman") which goes back and forth between looking like a normal beautiful woman and a skeleton, EYES WATCHING YOU FROM WEIRD PLACES, and a sad solemn-eyed girl in a pretty black kimono.

Potentially, I could change my mind about the series; it doesn't look like it'll last more than twelve, thirteen episodes and things can change drastically from one episode to the next -- but it's just in time for Halloween with all the creepiness, it has gorgeous art and music (I want the OP and ED liek whoa D:), and also, VOICES. Bleach fen who want to hear Zangetsu (Wanyuudou) play a little bald man who smiles all the time could check this out, too. :D

Ahhhhh, I want the music♥

EDIT: AHHHHHHHHHH HANATAROU SINGLE! I may have to worship at laliho's feet now. Miyata Kouki is totally like my #1 seiyuu crush right now and the song is so fucking disgustingly cute I can feel my brain dribbling out my ears. RIGHT NOW. AUGH.