Synopsis: The passengers are hiding something about Setsuko's death. The Medicine Seller finds it interesting that the Mononoke wishes for its Truth to be known. The boy asks whether the person who committed suicide is the lady holding the stanchion. The others don't see anything. The boy says that the lady is dressed like a fashion model, holding a cat. Moria says that Ichikawa Setsuko didn't have a cat. [ This is only an excerpt for the post! Go the the website for the full content + pictures + links. ]
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Synopsis: A new subway station has been opened. On a train's first ride from that station, several passengers find themselves in the first car and the train moves on it's own, seemingly disconnected from the other cars. The final Mononoke arc is set at a time period considerably later than the previous one, perhaps in late Meiji period (1868-1912) when railways have been developed in Japan. The first subway, however, didn't open until 1927, fifty nine years since the start of the Meiji period. If the arc is historically correct then the Medicine Seller must be old by then, that is, if he was born in the Edo period. The Bakeneko arc of Ayakashi is said to be set in the Edo period. The Medicine Seller, however, shows no signs of age at this point. [ This is only an excerpt for the post! Go the the website for the full content + pictures + links. ]
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This is going to be a difficult review, simply because I want to praise this series, but at the same time it suffers from being a continuation of the third story of the anime Ayakashi ~ Japanese Classic Horror: Bake Neko. In there, a Medicine Seller exorcises the ghost of a cat that haunts a [...]
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I’m not sure what roastedpekingduck meant when he said that the creators ran out of budget for this episode. Sure, the build-up wasn’t as good as the first Bake Neko, but this episode provided a satisfying if not a bit predictable ending. It’s not the best episode of this series, I’ll admit, though I didn’t [...]
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Whoa… so everyone was hiding something! This story is probably the most horror-focused arc of the series with the arrival of yet another Bake Neko. I have no idea what the heck the Kotowari is supposed to be, and why the train-driver turned out to be the key-figure for this mystery, nor do I want [...]
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Whoa! Time-skip! The final arc of this series, consisting out of three episodes has finally started, and I’m pleasantly surprised by the setting: we see another Bake Neko, and the setting of the series has suddenly skipped about hundred years, to the industrial age. The medicine seller however remains in the same shape as ever. Is [...]
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Having been seduced by its eccentric visual style and the positive word-of-mouth, this past weekend was spent haplessly indulging in seven episodes of Mononoke's surreal feast. To you, I present these humble findings. Mononoke is good.
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Synopsis: The truth behind the Toudaiji is revealed. Ousawa, Muromachi and Nakarai explain the Toudaiji to the Medicine Seller. Ousawa says that the Medicine Seller might find it strange that they spend so much effort on incense almost to the point of obsession. He says that smells are extremely potent things and when hearing things, one often finds that long-forgotten vistas, beams of light, or even poems come to mind. The Medicine Seller tells him he thinks he understand it.
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Synopsis: The Medicine Seller and three other men compete for the Lady Ruri's hand in marriage. Someone is murdered violently. The murder is depicted as splatters of blood reminiscent of Jackson Pollock's paintings. A man then explains that in their art, incense is heard rather than smelled. Their are many pleasures that man can derive from seeing, hearing, eating and drinking but to hear a scent is certainly the most refined of it all. There are many styles surrounding the art of incense but the Fue-no-Kouji School was thought to have perished long ago. The man says that he is surprised that a certain Lady Ruri was is the sole heir and practitioner of that ancient style. The man asked her hand for marriage since he wished to restore the Fue-no-Kouji school to its former greatness but there were three other candidates who were also vying for the Lady Ruri's hand.
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Synopsis: The truth about the murder is revealed. Who did Ochou really kill? 「思い。。。思い出。。。私だけの胸の内にあるなの。同じ時を過ごそうと、同じ景色を見ようと、私とあなたの胸の内にある物は決して同じではなく。あなたの姿。。。あなたの声。。。私だけの胸の内にあるあなた。。。あなたはだれ。」 "Feelings... memories... they exist only within my heart. Though we may pass the same time, or see the same sights, what we hold within our hearts can never be the same. Your face... your voice...you who exist only within my heart... who are you?"
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Synopsis: The Medicine Seller meets a woman convicted for the murder of her household. A certain Satsuki Kazuma and his family were murdered. The culprit is Kazuma's wife, Chou. She was imprisoned immediately for her crime. The wife says that she accepts responsibility and thus the case was closed.
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Synopsis: The truth behind the Ayakashi's sea is revealed. Mononoke has ended by now but I will continue to blog about this short series. Afterall, there aren't many blogs out there which provide detailed summaries of this wonderful show.
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Apologies for the delay. One thing I realized after I started to watch raws is how easy you can plan to watch them, compared to the subs, which get released at an unknown time. Anyway, about the episode: I liked this one a lot, and the subs make this series definitely more enjoyable. It seems [...]
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Ah, finally Mononoke is back. I’m glad that I returned to the subs, as it’s much easier to concentrate on the mystery here. I’ve stopped to believe that Mononoke can produce a story that’s better than Bake Neko, because let’s face it: the thing that made Ayakashi ~Japanese Classic Horror~ so great was its shock-value. [...]
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Synnopsis: An Umizatou appears, revealing the characters deepest fears. Kayo becomes suspicious of the Medicine Seller. She though of how he exorcised the Bakeneko from the Sakai mansion but the Sakai family were all killed. In the end, who did he save? The Medicine Seller notices Kayo and he tells him that with a face such as the one she is making, he wonders if she'll ever marry. Kayo reacts then asks him if he changed the compass' heading but the Medicine Seller doesn't give a concrete reply. He then says that even if he changed it, the fact remains that is taken to the Ayakashi's sea. Kayo tells him that she understands he's a powerful man but she thinks his aloof attitude is over the too and that it doesn't impress girls. The Medicine Seller somehow concedes.
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Mononoke gets creepier and personal with this two episode, two character arc. A woman commits murder and kills her husband and his family. When the Medicine Seller visits her in prison and comes to uncover the Ayakashi that possessed her to perform such a deed, he learns the Ayakashi may not be entirely at fault… This [...]
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Synopsis: A ship bound for Edo encounters bizarre things in the Dragon’s Triangle. A minstrel on a ship bound for Edo relates the tale of how several young fishermen went out to sea, unaware of the rule that no one must leave the harbor on the fifteenth of any month. As the [...]
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The fifth Mononoke marks the end of the Ghost Ship arc. We’ve seen some quick-thinking ghost fighting tricks in Medicine Seller’s bag (or box rather), a whodunit detective mystery, and the trademark Ayakashi’s confession, which I suspect is one of the main draws to this series for me. That moment of breakdown and confession is what [...]
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After this episode, I’m going to take a small break to wait for the subs to catch up. It was a nice idea to try and watch this raw, but this is just one of these series that I want to fully understand. Unlike series as Toward the Terra or Seirei no Moribito, who have [...]
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What is it that you fear the most? Truth or lie, it will continue to torment you…
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