[ Episode 12: Shigofumi ]

We finished crying tears of joy.

Well now, that was an interesting final episode. While I did expect a happy ending, the method by which they arrived at it was unexpected. Everything started out intense and on edge. Fumi seemed to be on the breaking edge as a result of people taking pictures of her everywhere she turned. At one point I even thought she was hallucinating in regards to how many people were taking snapshots and talking about her. Then there’s the encounter with her mother, Kirei. In a way, I thought their meeting was kind of pointless. All she did was show her face, tell Fumi why she didn’t want to be a mother and why she gave birth in the first place, and just up and left. I guess the point to them meeting was to send Fumi into a fragile state and setup for the closing minutes of the episode. Which…brings some rather interesting thoughts up. The confrontation between Fumi and Mika started off pretty intense. I had no idea what was going to happen and I was pretty worried for a while. Then the crying began. What? o_o

Apparently, they cried out all their feelings and frustrations which led to them making up. OK, I can accept that. It’s just…I didn’t see that sort of conclusion coming. I was confused for a while but it all worked out after some thought. I find it awesome that both Fumi and Mika decided to live their lives separately as I thought that becoming one wouldn’t have been a ‘good’ ending seeing as both of them have their own goals, needs, wants, and friends.

So while I had expected something different I’m far from disappointed with the ending. The conclusion was definitely one of the better ones out there despite having some loose-ends here and there.

Okay, I honestly don’t know what I have to say for this, but I’ll give it a go. So where we left off it looks like the messenger Fumika died and now Fumi-chan is in control. I could’ve sworn it was Mika possessing her again because I just didn’t find it in her to press charges on her father so suddenly. In a way, I have to feel sorry for her. Both of her parents are really beautiful people, but as parents they really blow. After that insightful reunion with her mother, I can definitely say she’s the worse of them all. Kirameki looks good when you compare them. Well that being said, Fumi gained even more unwanted attention, but maybe it was just her paranoid kicking off? She just woke up after all so I can kind of understand her.

Things get a bit puzzling from here as she returns back to very room where the freak incident happened. Just then I wasn’t expecting Mika to return. What exactly went on I couldn’t exactly comprehend it. Now, I was disappointed here because the tension seem to have been building up but then it all burst just like that. Both desired to live their life normally yet they couldn’t handle the guilt of the incident. To conclude, they can just…. stay separated? Not that it wasn’t bad, but it just seemed out of the blue to do that. They left the ending open so anything could happen here. All the different characters throughout the series gets one last brief cameo and we see both Fumikas walk past each other within the crowd, a scene that is very much similar to the OP sequence. So was Chiaki’s effort wasteful then? That seemed like a lot of work for something that was solved rather quickly.

[ Final Thoughts ]

Shigofumi started out with two very exciting episodes that set the pace and thematic-format for the rest of the series. While the shock-value from the first arc didn’t really carry over into the other episodes, that wasn’t the main appeal of Shigofumi. The topics such as the meaning of death, suicide, and bullying were some of the greatest highlights of the series and displayed the thoughts and feelings of the people involved. The Fumi and Mika side of the story was just as attractive in my eyes. I had wondered for a long time about how it was possible for Fumika to be a courier if she wasn’t dead but rather was in a coma. Then after finding out that they were separate persons I wanted to immediately know how they came to be and why they were separated. All revelations were more than satisfactory. While I felt that some things weren’t needed and some were left unresolved, such as Kirei visiting Fumi, the relationship between Kaname and Natsuka, and the result of Fumi’s lawsuit against Kirameki (I think we can safely assume she won’t that case), I still think things were wrapped up nicely and leave things open for a possible second season. Shigofumi was easily the best new series of the Winter 2007-08 season and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone.

[Overall series review: 85/100]

This was definitely of the best of the season. It wasn’t all too unique a concept, but the presentation and the tone of the show really drew me in, accompanied by a great score. In the beginning this gave me a Jigoku Shoujo sort of vibe but it ended up being a bit more contemporary and ideal than that, in my opinion.

Along the way, we got closer to the truth about Fumika bit by bit and it seems like everything pieced together the reason why Fumika is the way she is. Of course, there are still some questions left unanswered that I think should’ve went into more detail about. The finale was rather ambiguous so perhaps we may see another season? 12 episodes of a series with such a dark nature doesn’t seem right to me. It was like we were just starting to get to know everyone just a little bit more. In the end, was it worth it though? I still think so. Granted, it wouldn’t be overly great and something to write home about, but it’s enough of a pleasure just to get drawn into the whole thing.

[Overall series review: 81/100]

[Overall series review (average): 83/100]

[ Episode 11: Awakening ]

Our Sleeping Beauty finally wakes from her years of coma and things get a little bit troubling…

It was great to see Fumika finally up and about, but unfortunately she has no recollection of anything that happened such as why she was out in the first place. Funny that she remembered Natsuka’s name though. Taking it one step at a time seems like the best option but from just her father’s name did everything suddenly came back. I didn’t think it’d be so bad if it wasn’t for Chiaki and Fumika talking about what happens once Fumi-chan wakes up. I can see where Fumika is going with this but isn’t that a little bit extreme? Being her conscious and all would that even matter then? Kanaka really doesn’t want that to happen either but I think she knows it. By the way, she felt even more human saying all that. It’s a bit stunning how much a staff has very human-like feelings, don’t you think? Whatever Chiaki was concocting, I’ve no idea but my guesses are it’ll come to light in the finale. Well it turns out they did find each other but the end result is the mysterious bit. Did she really shoot her? Hey, this isn’t GEASS. Oh, that’s right, we actually get another hint after the shooting. Yeah, I do think they merged again. Mr. Glitter better watch it ’cause his daughter’s coming after him.

P.S. Natsuka’s family has a Wii?!

Yup! Fumika/Fumi has finally waken up from her coma but her memory is foggy. Not surprisingly, she manages to recover her memories about the incident with Kirameki thanks to happening upon his book. Meanwhile, Fumika/Mika is talking crazy talk to Chiaki about having Fumika shoot her to atone for her sins. Fumika/Mika claimed that if she was shot by Fumika/Fumi then her existence would vanish (or something like that). Of course, the two Fumikas eventually meet and we’re led to believe that Fumi shot Mika and that Mika is gone. However, at the end of the episode we’re shown Fumika sitting down and talking to police when she suddenly says that she wants to press charges against Kirameki. Her facial expression and voice seems to reveal that Mika has merged back with Fumi and is taking control of things (at least just for now).

Honoestly, it’s hard to predict how this series is going to end. I’ve enjoyed every episode up till now and so I highly doubt that the finale will disappoint. :3

[ Episode 10: Encounter ]

It’s three times the Fumika!

The vibe of this episode was strangely reminiscent of the first two episodes, quite possibly because this had strong focus on the characters are than the major ones. So we meet a little girl who not only resembles young Fumika, but her name is Fumika too. The episode actually revolves around her relative Takehiro, who lost everything after he found out he had cancer. He gave up on his job, his friends… But thanks to Fumika, he got himself right back up… just to get hit by a truck. Oh, but it wasn’t in vain. He protected Fumika after all. At the funeral, little Fumika meets postal worker Fumika for the second time. This time, she receives a shigofumi from Takehiro, a drawing of his which I’m sure makes her happy at the least. She didn’t seem to grasp the meaning of death, similar to the beginning of the episode. She probably still doesn’t get it yet, but I think the key part here was her restarting her video game over and over, the amount of infinite lives compared to one life in reality. Right when the ending cues, the other Fumika finally wakes…

This episode was a little different than what I’ve been used to seeing. The guy, Takehiro, was already dying from cancer but instead lost his life protecting Fumika. His relative Fumika, not carrier Fumika. She’s quite interesting herself since she didn’t understand what death was at the beginning of the episode but seemed to have a better understanding of it at the end with some help from Fumika. The most important part of this episode though is the very end which shows Fumika finally waking up for her coma! Who knows what’ll happen now that she’s conscious but it will be interesting to see what will happen once the two Fumika’s meet each other in the next episode.

[ Episode 9: Reunion ]

Hey now, an entire episode devoted to Chiaki! Where’ve you been all my life…?

I was wondering if we were gonna get any backstory on Chiaki, and lo and behold, we did! It’s rather saddening how her accident came about, what with her nearly getting engaged. Speaking of which, was she really an adult already? To me, she seems no older than Fumika. Darn you, Asano misleading your character roles. Well anyways, it was pretty much light-hearted but I enjoyed it. The staffs sure had fun in this one too (and I don’t think I’m talking about Kaname polishing them). Ah, on that subject, is it just me or is Kanaka getting funnier and funnier each time? I really do hope she gets to become a human. For a staff she sure sounds like a normal comical person.

This was a rather cute episode that revolved around Chiaki being the recipient of a shigofumi. It was basically a feel-good episode where everyone went on a vacation to the islands where Fumika had to make a delivery…which of course happened to be for Chiaki as I mentioned before. Before this episode I thought of Chiaki being younger. By that I meant I thought her death was recent (within 10 years or so). Still, it pretty much solidifies just how much of a sempai she is to Fumika. Regardless of her ‘age’ though she still seems like a young teenager in all the things that she says.

[ Episode 8: The Beginning ]

And so ends the two-parter of the story behind Fumika and Kirameki.

Right where we left off, Fumika had just been shot by her father, the reverse of what happened years ago. Ain’t that ironic? As Kirameki gets locked inside a room, Fumika goes on to heal and rest while at the same time, reveal the truth behind the Fumika in the hospital room. There we have it, the Fumika we see is actually “Mika” and alter-ego of Fumi-chan born from the corrupted part of her soul. After seeing this episode, I stand by my opinion that Kirameki is more like Utsukushikunai. He abused his owned daughter, used her body as some form of art but totally goes out of his mind harming Fumika as if she were his ex-wife Kirei. But even though we know more about Fumika, I’m still questioning exactly how Mika ended up a postal worker. When Fumi-chan went into her coma did Mika suddenly “die”? Well, I hope at least something more to that is answered later on.

It looks like I got all the answers to my questions in just this one episode! The most important ones being why Fumika (or should I say Mika?) shot her father. That bastard was abusing her in quite an odd way though it’s nothing new, I think. He disliked her mother and naturally saw her within Fumika and lashed out his crazy hateful emotions towards her. As a result of his abuse Fumika essentially split into two persons: Fumi and Mika. Fumi is the one in a coma and Mika is the current “Fumika” we’ve come to know and love. It also explains what she said in the previous episode concerning Kirameki losing his daughters. Mika is pretty hardcore though to shoot Kirameki so quickly after realizing that Fumi couldn’t take the abuse any longer.

[ Episode 7: Kirameki ]

Ain’t that glamorous, we finally get to see more prominent characters popping up. Wait, was there a time gap or did the dude age fast? Well anyways, so we meet the so-called masterful author Kirameki, who is none but very awkward. Something’s not right with this guy…

A man obsessed with everything glittery and beautiful. Not to mention he dances in sun showers (Really? Sun showers?) I did find it funny when he called Fumika the postman though. Right when he does find out it’s her, things get pretty hectic. In fact, I think we’re getting closer to understanding Fumika and the relation between her and her father. There’s also more hints on her and the other Fumika in the hospital room. So what exactly is it? I was a bit surprised at the end when Fumika took out “that” again. So I guess this pretty much confirms the meaning behind the gun, yes? I laughed when Kaname went crazy on Kirameki though. Man, he must’ve really liked Fumika! But yeah, bad news at the end when Fumika suddenly gets shot.

Well now, THAT was a rather interesting and at the same time awesome episode. For some reason I was under the impression that Fumika’s father was dead in the earlier episodes. He is definitely one strange guy who likes glitter. Or likes to glitter. Well, whichever is the case there’s definitely something loose in his head. The biggest surprise happened at the end of the episode when Fumika was shot though. She should be alright, shouldn’t she? I was under the impression that she possessed some form of immortality though that has been in question ever since she was identified as being different from other carriers when it came to aging.

Now the questions I have are: Why did she really shoot her father? Why did he shoot her? What happened to Fumika’s mother? What exactly is the details of Fumika being a carrier and in a coma simultaneously? What did Fumika mean by “daughters”? Did she have a sister? It looks like these might be answered starting with the next episode.