Shikabane Hime: Aka Episode 2

Because that was the best use of traffic signals as mood setters that I’ve ever seen.

Episode two begins with a bang, as a major traffic accident leads to the deaths of several kindergarten children, one of whom was a girl, Hikaru, who had been living at the orphanage at one point. Ouri asks one of the orphanage children if he would like to go to the memorial service, but the boy refuses angrily, citing the fact that the media will be swarming the event since the accident was such a big deal.

However, at said memorial service, Hikaru reanimates, and is rushed off to the hospital while one of the officiating Buddhist monks calls Keisei’s organization.

At one of his part-time jobs, Ouri almost causes disaster in his attempts to make an alcohol lamp flamethrower. After he leaves, his co-worker and boss discuss the accident and the revived child, Hikaru, but the boss says that it isn’t in his control. He then explains that it would be up to Keisei, since it is his district of responsibility, and mentions that Ouri is Keisei’s younger brother, Keisei having taken Ouri in at a young age (they aren’t of blood relation). Out in the rain, Ouri looks at a folded up piece of paper.

Ouri walks by the hospital where Hikaru has been taken, and sees Makina entering from the back. Inside the hospital, many people are dead, and Makina goes to Hikaru’s room to find the shikabane that Hikaru has become, having been possessed by some sort of being after death. She is attacked and badly wounded, and Ouri comes upon the scene as the shikabane takes on Hikaru’s form once more and begs him to help her. They leave together, Makina too injured to follow.

Makina calls Keisei to keep updated on the whole situation, as they had suspected that other children could potentially become shikabane, which is indeed what has happened. Makina promises to take care of the shikabane that is in Hikaru’s form, while Keisei states that they’ll go after the others.

Elsewhere, Hikaru-shikabane blasts a drunk man into a sign for fun, while Ouri buys some food in a convenience store. He comes out, and doesn’t notice the dead man far above the street, and Hikaru-shikabane leads him to away, refusing to go home, claiming fear of Makina.

Makina continues to walk in the rain, and upon stopping to rest by a toy store suddenly realizes that the shikabane want to play. Her hunch is confirmed by the fact that Hikaru-shikabane leads Ouri to a park where the other two shikabane are playing. She tries to run to join them, but Ouri grabs her arm. She then blasts Ouri away as Makina arrives.

Makina explains the nature of the shikabane to Ouri, namely that they are reanimated corpses, and that she is tasked with getting rid of them, and the shikabane reveal their true forms. Makina attacks, but the three form together to make one large creature; it was actually just one shikabane that took on three forms. The large shikabane attacks Makina, and picks her up to its doll, but Ouri distracts it by calling out. As it advances on him, he holds out the piece of paper he earlier had, and the shikabane pauses.

In the pause, Makina fires away at the entire creature, and it splits back into three. Makina destroys first one, then a second is destroyed by a woman named Minai who is accompanied by Keisei and another monk. Makina goes to destroy the third, Hikaru-shikabane, although Ouri is reluctant to allow her to do so. He does, though, and thanks her after she kills the shikabane.

Makina asks Ouri what he has been carrying, and he unfolds the paper to show her – the boy from earlier had asked him to give the picture he had drawn of the orphanage family to Hikaru. Ouri refolds the picture and gives it to Makina, then leaves. The other monk tells Minai to go after Ouri, but Keisei says it isn’t necessary as Ouri is his younger brother. Makina looks surprised, and thinks of how Ouri was able to revive her like Keisei can, since it now makes sense that he was able to.

Walking home, Keisei drapes a jacket over Makina’s shoulders, and she asks him why Ouri thanked her for killing Hikaru-shikabane. Keisei explains that he was only able to let go because Makina drew her gun, as it gave him no choice.

As Ouri tries to unlock his apartment, he suddenly collapses and begins to sob.

Impressions:

Well, I know I said it before, but I’ve never seen such a good use of traffic signals to reinforce a mood in an anime. The only other anime I can think of using a similar approach was Boogiepop Phantom, but it wasn’t as emphasized as it was here. Just that ever-present melody from the walk lights furthered a trapped feeling. I really don’t know how exactly to explain it – honestly, you really just have to watch it yourself to get it.

Shikabane Hime, despite having a fairly straightforward premise, continues to impress me. One could argue that this might be due to the excellent execution of the material – the art direction is fantastic, and I felt that the music and sound effects were great. I’m also enjoying the voice work, including Makina’s seiyuu, who is new to voice-acting, having previously been a live-action actress.

But maybe what I like best thus far is the relationship dynamic between Keisei and Makina; I’m really interested in seeing where this goes, although I tend to suspect that Keisei is going to die during the course of the show, particularly because of how Ouri is being positioned within the show. I’m still a little unsure as to how Ouri as a character will work, although I suppose his operating as a humanizing element is perhaps necessary? Well, we’ll see.

Also a side-note – I kept thinking of Vampire Princess Miyu while watching this; this really is the first show I’ve seen in a while in that vein, as Jigoku Shoujo, while unsettling, did not (and does not) contain the action/gross horror elements that both Vampire Princess Miyu and Shikabane Hime possess. Part of what is unsettling about both of those shows is the presence of creepy creatures in line with traditional horror fare, in VPM’s case shinma, and in SH’s case, the shikabane. So I see this as a sort of descendent of Vampire Princess Miyu, and some of the older vampire shows (Blood: The Last Vampire, Nightwalker, etc.) (speaking of which, what the hell ever happened to vampires being scary? we’re drowning in a sea of Rosario + Vampire’s and Vampire Knight’s! lame).