Academics and hell go together like… Enma Ai and hell.
While walking in the hallway, Yuzuki accidentally walks into another girl, Ririka, smashing one of the beakers she is carrying. Niiyama, a teacher, sees an assures the girls that it is ok, and takes the tray away to throw out the shards. Yuzuki comments on how nice Niiyama is.
Ichimoku Ren sees Niiyama throwing the shards out, and she explains what has happened. They both agree that Ririka is a good student, and Niiyama states that her parents must be good people.
That night, Niiyama’s phone rings. She answers, but the person on the end says nothing and hangs up.
The next day at school, Niiyama walks into the teacher room and everyone immediately stops talking. Apparently Ririka’s grandmother, Katase, has come to the school to complain that Niiyama was harsh to her grand-daughter, and blamed her for breaking a beaker when it was another student who was responsible. Niiyama tries to explain, but Katase refuses to listen, simply yelling at her, and Niiyama finally apologizes under pressure from the principal.
Niiyama decides to speak with Ririka after school, and Ririka explains that her grandmother tends to be overprotective. Ririka promises to try to set the record straight to her grandmother that evening.
Ichimoku Ren is eavesdropping on the thing, and Wanyuudo asks him if it really bothers him so much. He admits that it does, and Hone Onna comments on how much of a monster Katase was.
That night, Niiyama’s phone rings at 2 a.m. It is Katase, to express anger over the fact that Niiyama supposedly threatened Ririka if she didn’t tell her grandmother that it had all been a mistake. Katase says that Ririka will no longer attend the school, and verbally abuses Niiyama, who stands her ground, finally hanging up on the woman.
The next day, Niiyama walks into the teachers’ room to find the principal repeatedly apologizing over the phone. Outside, Katase hands out fliers to students libeling Niiyama. Yuzuki and her friends look on, and Akie says that it must be very hard on Niiyama. But one of the other girls says she thinks that it is supposed to be hard on teachers anyway, so it can’t be helped.
Niiyama walks home in the rain and finds her mailbox stuffed with fliers, which are also taped to her door. She goes inside and ‘Deegles’ the Jigoku Tsuushin, but shuts her laptop without doing anything. Yuzuki has a vision of this.
At school the next day, all the teachers have a conference along with the principal, and it is advised that Niiyama keep a low profile for a while until it all blows over. They cheerfully tell her that they’ll hang in there together, although Niiyama is clearly annoyed by their cavalier attitude.
Niiyama ends up talking to Yuzuki, as Yuzuki apologizes since she feels at fault over the whole thing. Niiyama tells her that it isn’t anyone’s fault, and then goes on to talk about how she’s ended up feeling jaded about her profession – Niiyama thought being a teacher meant being able to be idealistic, but she’s since realized that it isn’t any different from the rest of society. Niiyama also says that she’s decided to go talk to Katase in person.
That night, Niiyama visits the Katase home. Ririka is alone, and they speak about the whole issue, Ririka apologizing for her grandmother, but insisting her grandmother is only like that because she cares so much about her – she says she’s really a good person. When Katase comes home and sees Niiyama, she accuses her of harassing Ririka. Niiyama thinks Ririka is going to back her up, but Ririka lies and tells Katase that Niiyama was trying to get her to shut her grandmother up about the whole thing. Niiyama leaves, having accomplished nothing.
Out in the street, Ririka catches up with Niiyama, and says that she had to do that. Niiyama points out that the only way to end the situation is for Ririka to tell the truth, but Ririka says she can’t. Niiyama finally asks about what will happen to her, since she is the one suffering the false accusations. But, after a pause, Ririka says that it’s ok for her, because Niiyama is a teacher and an adult, so she can handle it.
Niiyama goes home and contacts Ai. Ai gives her the straw doll, and tells her to pull the string to send whomever she is cursing to hell. As Niiyama begins to pull the string, Ai starts to stop her to finish off her speech, but Niiyama cuts her off, saying that she’s heard the rumors and knows what will happen. She says that she’s tired of being expected to shrug things off because she’s a teacher, and that she will take revenge as a teacher, since teacher’s are responsible to students, not to guardians of the students. And she pulls the string.
Yuzuki collapses in her room as Ai takes form from her.
In the Katase house, Katase suddenly realizes Ririka has vanished.
Some late afternoon soon after, Niiyama walks by the Katase house. She looks up at it, and sees Katase looking out the window at the setting sun, a sad look on her face. Yuzuki approaches along the road, and Niiyama smiles at her, unaware of her knowledge.
Impressions:
Wow. That was the best episode of Jigoku Shoujo I’ve seen in a while, and we didn’t even see Ririka get taken to hell. I really think that what elevated it, though, we how it differed from the usual formula we get in the hell-taking process – Niiyama knew what would happen to her, and calmly explained why she was willing to deal with that fact. We didn’t need to see Ririka get damned, her disappearance from the living room, and Niiyama in the apartment immediately after with the red thread entwined in her fingers was enough.
I wish we’d get more episodes like this, and less of hysterically over-reacting teenagers, although unfortunately next episode seems like a return to form. Oh well, I still love the show. My only complaint is one which actually applies to all the episodes so far – there are parts of the soundtrack I’m just not crazy about – the electric guitars just seem really out of place in this show.
