In this episode, Hyoma is still not sure whether he can stay at Nagatsuki’s house. He still has to face Yu, who does not want him to stay in the house. She does not think he can get along with her, and he has to prove that she is wrong. The question is, can he convince her? His actions with the new group of Tsukumogami will determine how the six Tsukumogami will view him, as well as what his grandfather and Haori have in store for him.
The introduction of the new group of Tsukumogami is interesting. It leaves room for imagination as to how they and humans feel about each other. Hikaki, a Tsukumogami, shows his contempt for humans and six Tsukumogami. In his dialogue, some humans may be afraid of or hate them since they kill humans for fun, as if it is just a hunting game for him. He has no sympathy for the Nagatsuki group’s actions, which include hunting Tsukumogami and working with humans. He may also think that they are better than him and his crew when they are not. In another scene, he and his crew are planning to kill Hyoma, who is wrapped in a bundle of ribbon.
Besides, it sparks the contrast between Hyoma’s attitude before and after the appearance of this group. In the beginning and middle of the episodes, Hyoma is calm. He has no sign of enmity toward Yu, who challenges him for a duel in exchange for her approval of him staying in the house. He refuses, even though she goes after him with full force. He sees something different about the Nagatsuki’s group. However, it is not enough for him to overcome his conflict with himself. When he encounters Hikaki, his emotions suddenly change from being positive to negative. His new self is again replaced by his old self in dealing with the creature.
The ending of the episode is somewhat disappointing. I thought Hikaki and his team had a bigger part. Hikaki comes off as the main villain, who seems to be planning a revolution that may turn the living world upside down. However, that is not the case here. He and his crew get killed off so quickly without knowing the characters’ motivations for hating humans in the first place. There is no background story about them or who they really are. On top of that, they get killed off easily, even though they are powerful enough to block Nagatsuki’s group. Yet they are no match for Hyoma. He can defeat them easily.
Overall, Episode 3 is great. From the beginning to the end, the main character’s emotions shift in response to the circumstances. Also, it shows more action scenes than the first two episodes. The appearance of Hikaki and his crew is what makes this episode more engaging than just Yu challenging Hyoma to a fight.
Rating: 8/10
| Characters, Season 1 Episode 3 | Cast |
| Hyoma Kunato | Takeo Ootsuka |
| Botan Nagatsuki | Yuuki Takada |
| Zohie Kunato | Hiroshi Yanaka |
| Hikaki | Chado Horii |
| Kaginawa | Hayato Fujii |
| Kagami | Aimi Tanaka |
| Nagi | Chikahiro Kobayashi |
| Haori | Miyuki Sawashiro |
| Yu | Reina Ueda |
| Suzuri | Yoshiki Nakajima |
| Koyori | Takaaki Uchino |
| Yattoko |
