Happy “it’s no longer the weekend so I guess I gotta try and function or whatever” Monday, fellow anime enthusiasts! Today’s weekend round-up is full of junior high hijinks, heart-breaking love triangles, and a skateboard projecting an entire recap episode within a hospital.
Trust me, it makes sense if you watch SK8.
Friday, March 12
Jujutsu Kaisen episode 22
Where to watch:Â Crunchyroll
From here on out, if I ever have an issue that requires me to call a landlord, I’m calling 1) in the daytime and 2) in the middle of a crowd, in case some random curse decides to emerge from the shadows. Unfortunately, it’s too late for a set of students who used to attend Saitama Municipal Urami East Junior High, and Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara are sent to investigate the murders. It appears that the victims were cursed, but it’s taken years for the curse to manifest since the victims are alumni of the junior high. The victims also had the same issue of not being able to enter into their homes, the curse attacking as they tried to get inside.
Escorted around by Akari Nitta (an auxiliary manager at Jujutsu High), the group hopes to speak to someone who knew the three victims … only to discover that their lead has been killed as well since there’s a funeral going on for them. Yikes. Hopefully, they can find out more information at the junior high, Nobara approaching some local punks to try and get answers from them. The punks immediately bow down to show the queen (and Yuji) the respect they deserve.
LOL just kidding, it’s Megumi they fear.
It turns out Megumi used to attend the junior high, and while he was there, he beat up ALL the delinquents. Yuji and Nobara act as best friends do and immediately hassle their soft-spoken troublemaker about it because naw, it can’t be MEGUMI that these dudes are talking about, right?
With some help from a local faculty member (who also remembers Megumi), the group learns about Yashohachi Bridge, a spot known for paranormal activity. Students used to bungee jump off the bridge as a test of merit, which could be the cause of death for the 4 that the Jujutsu group are investigating. Thankfully, students don’t do it anymore, but if the source of the curse is from the bridge, then those who have done the test are in danger. This is confirmed when one of the punks meets up with the group at a local convenience store with his older sister. It turns out his older sister had gone to the bridge once upon a time and is now having trouble with the door to her house.
Oh, and um, she went to the bridge with Megumi’s older sister.
Yeah, Megumi’s been keeping a lot from his friends, who had no idea he had an older sister (Tsumiki) who has been in a coma this whole time. Since she’s in a coma, that means there’s no way she can defend herself if the curse is activated around her. Megumi tries to request backup but is denied since there are no sorcerers to spare. He tells Yuji and Nobara to head back, the mission now classified as being too dangerous, and says he’ll meet up with them after he checks on his sister. In reality, he’s going to the bridge alone to try to take care of the curse. Yuji and Nobara, again, acting as best friends do, follow after him. No way Megumi is dealing with this alone. I’m amused he actually thought they’d let him pull that shit on them.
While all of this is happening, Mahito is messing around with the Death Painting Wombs he acquired. He forces a human to swallow one before asking the newly created curse to “run some errands.”
I’m sure this will go fine.
Saturday, March 13
SK8 the Infinity episode 9.5
Where to watch:Â Funimation
Recap.
Episode.
Though I will say it’s done in a pretty cute way. Miya and Shadow are at the hospital visiting Cherry, and while he’s in the middle of his check-up, they use Carla (you know, Cherry’s AI/skateboard?) to run back footage from the series to tell us about the characters, skateboarding, and other things one needs to know about this story. We also find out some very important things:
-Both Miya and Shadow ship Langa and Reki. They just … do. Miya talks about how Reki’s gone, and even if Shadow teases him a bit, he has to admit that things aren’t the same without Reki. Still, according to Shadow, Langa and Reki have to work this out on their own.
-Joe, apparently, tossed Cherry into the ocean? When they all went to the beach?? And Cherry got revenge by writing all over his shirt and EXCUSE ME WHERE IS THIS FOOTAGE?!
-Carla has a self-destruct sequence or something?
-The next episode preview shows ZERO footage, just scenes from different locations we’ve been to in the series. They won’t even show us if Langa and Reki talk to each other again in this upcoming episode.
This.
This is fine.
Uh … at least we have this moment from the dub?
Omg the Sk8 dub is SO MUCH MORE GAY pic.twitter.com/kalauLQZ0d
— deity | gojo edit 📌 (@sohmaszn) March 13, 2021
The dub is actively trying to save my life.
Horimiya episode 10
Where to watch:Â Funimation
Did you enjoy that brief comedic bit of Hori being worried that she has to deal with girls AND BOYS when it comes to Miya, the one where she panics because both Miya’s old bully (Makio Tanihara) and old middle school friend (good boy Kouichi Shindo) have been spending a LOT of time with her soft goth boy? I hope you did because that’s pretty much the only bright spot in this episode.
One thing I adore about Horimiya is how honest it is. This feels like an extremely truthful portrayal of high school and the relationships that can be formed there. Unfortunately, that means that when an episode hits on something hurtful, it REALLY hits. (Note: This isn’t actually unfortunate. I do enjoy it from a storytelling perspective; it just hurts because I love these kids so my fangirl self doesn’t want anyone to be hurt.) The kinda fascinating thing is that this pain comes from ordinary situations—no superpowers or world-shaking events, just a bunch of high school kids going through the trials and tribulations of, well, being high school kids.
The main focus of the episode is on Yuki, Toru, and Sakura. We also meet Yuki’s older sister, who is surprised that Yuki attracted the attention of someone as good-looking as Akane. Yuki has feelings for Toru, though, but instead of confessing, she’s been pretending to date him to push Akane away. Side note: Akane FINALLY got some glasses, so he can see properly again. Okay, that’s a bright spot, too, but I swear the episode is mostly sad girl feels about the love triangle.
See, Sakura actually tells Yuki that she’s interested in Toru, and instead of telling the poor girl that Toru’s available because they’re fake dating, Yuki tells Sakura that they’re legitimately together. Yuki feels awful about what she’s done and stops going to school as a result. She won’t answer any calls or texts from her friends, either. She talks to her sister, who points out that Yuki never flat out says what she wants. She’ll either let it slip away (as Hori pointed out in an earlier episode) or she’ll stand there, frustrated, until she hopefully gets it (this is seen in a flashback where Yuki wanted a hair clip like her sister had, and her sister eventually relents and gives it to her). Yuki’s encouraged to actually start being true to her feelings, which is what pushes her to go back to school.
Except. Well. When she checks her phone she has a text from Toru that reveals that Sakura told him how she feels.
So yeah, Sakura confessed to Toru even if she thinks Toru is already taken.
Still, Yuki goes to school, ready to face what’s coming. She and Toru talk alone, and what he ends up revealing is both good and bad—at least, according to Yuki. When Sakura told Toru that she liked him, she also told him that she didn’t need to know how he felt, she just wanted to get her feelings out there so she wasn’t bottling them up anymore. Toru didn’t tell her how he felt, nor did he deny that he and Yuki are dating. He tells Yuki it’s because they have to keep pretending, right?
So now Yuki’s happy because this means Sakura and Toru aren’t dating, but she also feels extremely guilty because it’s her fault they aren’t dating, all because of this lie she told about her and Toru dating. But… she also has feelings for Toru, so can’t she keep pretending for now? But, also, Toru seems to have feelings for her, too?
When they end up talking about the snow (because her name translates to snow in Japanese) she concludes that, in the end, everyone wants the snow to melt away so spring can come. Spring, in this analogy, is Sakura. However, Toru keeps the analogy going, talking about how he likes the snow, and I’m two seconds away from shaking these two and telling them to just CONFESS but also, argh, damnit I like Sakura too and I feel really bad for her. Gosh, with the series being called Horimiya you’d think they’d be the couple that takes the longest to admit their feelings, but nope, apparently, that’s what the rest of the cast is for.
After school, Kakeru notes that Sakura seems to be in a better mood, like a weight’s been lifted from her shoulders. Sakura tries to pretend like she’s fine, but when she sees Toru and Yuki together, she breaks down and cries. Kakeru quietly realizes how hard this must be, especially since no one is really the bad guy here, it’s just that Sakura ended up liking someone who already liked someone else (whether he outright said it or not).
Sunday, March 14
Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai 8Â episode 10
Where to watch:Â Crunchyroll
Two siblings go out to build a snowman, har har. As they work together to put the snowman together, the brother tells his sister about a monster that’s been seen in the woods. You know, as one does in a horror setting when it’s just two kids and no adult supervision. Once the snowman is complete, the two split up to find things they can use for the eyes, nose, and mouth. The sister jingles the bell on her hat in the hopes of being able to find her brother (who also has a bell on his hat), but as she walks through the woods, the footprints get bigger and more frantic, and, well, that’s not her brother jingling that hat, is it?
—
That’s all for the weekend round-up! See everyone again on Friday!
(Image: Crunchyroll)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
