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「トンネルの闇」 (Tonneru no Yami)
“The Tunnel of Darkness”
Boy did this episode of Yakumo leave me confused – confused and lost. Let me start with what I did understand. This week’s episode features a haunted tunnel. A tunnel so haunted that the spirits of the dead come out just to scare you into crashing your car. I know I’ve been asking for a creepier vibe, but I think this is really pushing it. I mean, when the spirits look like this they don’t even look scary. And that face coming on this ghost? You have got to be kidding me. The only reason we even care about this tunnel is that once again Haruka is involved with it. After getting a ride from her assistant manager and driving through the tunnel, she’s afraid that one of them might be possessed by spirits. Really though, you wouldn’t have the convenience to ask those kinds of questions if you really were possessed. After the plot splits into three different directions, the chilling revelation is that Haruka’s assistant manager had run over and killed a small boy. That boy’s spirit manages to posses him, make him drive like a madman to the haunted tunnel, stop possessing him shortly after entering the tunnel, and then for reasons I don’t understand get his soul eaten by the other souls already in the tunnel.
From last week’s preview, I was really hoping for some good action this week. While I felt the first episode was slightly rushed, the second episode really impressed me with it not feeling rushed at all. Then this third episode manages to break all of my expectations and feel super rushed. With so many different ideas introduced this episode the main case felt very unimportant. For starters, Yakumo’s past is brought up so many times, but nothing is ever built on it. Sure, there was a super introducing flashback to when Gotou met Yakumo – but it ends before it can get interesting. Sure, Yakumo feels useless because he can only “see” spirits and can’t physically help them – so what? It feels like when a movie tries to cover lots of ideas to make a good story but then fails to deliver. I can see that Yakumo’s inner feelings clash with his personality, but I need to know more about him to really start sympathizing for him. I feel like this anime is trying to draw out this emotion from me and it gets really close. The problem is that there is a lack of some sort of buildup to the climax, and then having it climax before their goal is achieved. Things that would normally tug at my feelings are failing big time.
What made this episode bearable was Kazutoshi Gotou, the detective back from episode one. His carefree and sarcastic attitude really compliments Yakumo well – especially when he’s making fun of him. I think Gotou is a genius for using Yakumo’s eye to find concrete evidence when he’s stuck in his investigations. What a way to capitalize on Yakumo’s unique talent. Even better is how Gotou bashes on Yakumo for charging “innocent girls” for his services when he conveniently neglects to reward Yakumo for his. It’s such a charming vicious circle. On the relationship front, Haruka finally manages to admit that she wants to be with Yakumo. Albeit not to Yakumo himself, it’s still a step toward the right direction. Hopefully the next case won’t have anything to do with her. And don’t forget about the creepy duo with glasses either. The episode again ends with the focus on them. This time, at the location of a murder scene – one they probably committed too.
Next week’s preview looks somewhat interesting and I’m hoping it will bring back some of the charm that last week’s episode was full of.
* It just occurred to me, but I think the creepy guy with glasses might be Yakumo’s father. It makes sense if you think about it. If Yakumo’s father had two red eyes and his mom had none, then it logically makes sense that he could end up with one red eye!
Preview
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it’s kinda sad that the boy was eaten by those spirits… if only Yakushiji Ryoko was around… I mean, well, that’s a different anime story… anyway, looking forward for next week’s episode.
See in the manga its is a little differnt. I Dont think the assistant is even in the manga. Its on one of Miki’s friend that killed the boy and the ghost didnt even possess him, the ghost just took control over the car and tried to kill miki’s friend.. The anime and manga used the same story but the anime just adds some orginal content. I wish the manga didnt end with only 2 volumes cuz the manga stories are way better then this anime only content.
Well it certainly feels rushed, I mean they crammed like 3 chapters of the manga into 1 episode. And also I don’t remember the boy’s spirit being “eaten”, I think it was supposed to like finally be able to “move on” after the arrest of the assistant manager or something. One thing that doesn’t seem right is that how can the guy with 2 red eyes be Yakumo’s father, when Yakumo’s mother was supposedly crazy about his red eye and tried to kill him for it?
I liked the version I read in the manga better. I really got creeped out by that kid who had it out for the guy who ran him over. It didn’t feel all that rushed to me actually, but I was expecting it to be creepier. Granted, the freaky face of that lady at the start did scare me ’cause I really wasn’t expecting it. lol
I believe the boy only stopped possessing the guy because the spirits grabbed him and devoured him 🙁 I relate it to the hollows from bleach where they turn at a certain point and become soul hungry or somewhere along those lines. I doubt the boy was able to pass on since Yakumo became even more gloomy than usual >_>
I did not know Hitoha was in this show…
https://randomc.net/image/Mitsudomoe/Mitsudomoe%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2003.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Shinrei%20Tantei%20Yakumo/Shinrei%20Tantei%20Yakumo%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2002.jpg
kekeke….I lol’d so hard when I remembered that. Now that spirit just looks so damn adorable >_<
…they really should not have named this Shinrei TANTEI Yakumo .__. I still can’t see any detectiveness there D: Well, I’ll just hope this gets better >:’D At least it was creepy~
I really like the music in this anime. Other than that, it’s been alright.
God, I did love this manga, but know its Bee Train, still is a put off for me. The music is good.
Bee Train….I still blame you for the train crash that was Tsubasa Anime.
From what i understand, the souls in the tunnel are fierce and full of hate, hence the boy being absorbed (much like a white collar criminal thrown into a jail full of rapists and murderers). Yakumo doesn’t have any ability to stop them nor even hold on to the hand of the boy. I think the anime is trying to show Yakumo is not all powerful or even capable to getting a good ending in every case.
In the end it was the boy’s decision. He did warn the boy before they drove into the tunnel. When you make the choices, you always always have to live with the consequences.
Hmm, my first thought was that it was the man with glasses, who I also thought was Yakumo’s father by the end of the episode, that showed up in Gotou’s short flashback. But perhaps not, the characters in this show is a bit older than the usual norm so it’s possible we saw a young teenage Yakumo with glasses, and a younger Gotou still working as a street cop. Anyway, I hope we learn who the glass guy is, at least he knows Yakumo.
I read the manga chapters..they are changing the story!!
I like the manga version better…
The boy Spirit getting swallowed by the ghosts was a nice part:
https://randomc.net/image/Shinrei%20Tantei%20Yakumo/Shinrei%20Tantei%20Yakumo%20-%2003%20-%2031.jpg
Perhaps the boy was eaten away by all the ghosts in the tunnel to emphasize the whole “ghosts-are-just-‘feelings'” thing? A lot of people died in that tunnel, so naturally there’d be a lot of resentful feelings. The anime’s a little confusing at the end with the boy’s ghost saying something to Yakumo, but I think he was asking for his life back (just like in the manga), which explains why Yakumo would say that’s something he couldn’t do.
I really liked the Dark Tunnel Arc in the manga because it did creep me out a bit, especially when you learn about Tatsuya’s true colors. Sadly, it didn’t really pass over much into the anime. I do like both manga adaptations more than the anime, but the anime’s not too bad. It’s understandable that they’d have to change a few things here and there to fit it all into a thirteen episode series. :]