Episodes: 13
How: Fansubs
Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary: {From Wiki} During the Westernization of an alternate Japan, humans and spirits coexist. To maintain harmony between the two, the Ministry of Spirits is established and humans and spirit representatives are chosen. Lieutenants Kei Agemaki, Riken Yoshinokazura, and Ganryu Hanakiri are chosen to be the human representatives and are partnered with Zakuro, Susukihotaru, and Bonbori and Hozuki, respectively. However, Zakuro cannot stand humans who accept Jesuit practices so easily and Agemaki has a severe fear of spirits.
Thoughts: This series didn't disappoint, Only thing that could have been better is it could have been longer. I'm a real sucker for anything with Youkai in it.....
I marathoned episodes 10 thru 13.
I pretty much figured from the get go that Hanadate was going to end up being one of the bad guys, I didn't however think he'd end up being Zakuro's half brother.
The Village of Oracles.
This is where the women spirited away are taken, Where half spirits are born. The Oracle have great powers and can "tame" fox spirits.... Kushimatsu once lived there and served Zakuro's mothers.
Zakuro
Captured and brought to the Village of Oracles, Hanadate's true identity is found out to be Omodaka.... her half brother. He's been looking for her so that she can bear his child... he's strangely in love with her or maybe it's just her powers.
At first locked in a bedroom and tethered to the bed, Zakuro eventually escapes the room when Lady Rangui comes in {spider form} and attacks her in a jealous rage. While running lost thru the hallways of the large house her pendant starts to glow and she is lead to where her mothers body is. Past Flashbacks happen.
Zakuro's Mother.
Tsukuhane; She was the most powerful maiden within the Village of Oracles. The village chief wanted that power and took Tsukuhane as his wife. Once a male child was born from the union Tsukuhane was taken from the village and sent to live in the mountains. There the chief would visit for sex to try to produce another child... it never happened and he would not allow Tsukuhane to see her first born Omodaka.
Sometimes she'd leave her lonely house, to go stare over the house where her son lived. One day while she was out.... sitting in a tree{?} a man cut it down.... The man was Enaga. They met, she'd start to sneak away from her confinement and meet him.. growing closer and closer... She finally gave herself to him and had gotten pregnant.
Just when things were getting "serious" between the two her husband and his men found out and Enaga was killed right in front of her eyes... Turns out it was Omodaka who saw her and Enaga kissing one day while he was out in the forest and told his father. After some harsh words from Omodaka, She was in shock.... she was taken to the village and they preformed the ritual which would turn her baby into a half-spirit.
When the baby was born with extraordinary powers, Before the chief could get to Tsukuhane and the baby... they with the help of Kushimatsu had escaped... The baby was Zakuro.
Running away wasn't that easy, With Zakuro's powers growing stronger{Even with the pendant sealing it} by the day Tsukuhane finally gave herself over to her now grown son Omodaka. In return he would leave Zakuro and Kushimatsu alone... Not knowing how long that would last Kushimatsu and the young Zakuro moved quite frequently.
During the wandering Kushimatsu would take in other half spirit children, this was at Tsukuhane's request. Then she finally met Lord Armaryoju and they all moved in with him, He suggested that instead of trying to hide the powers she should teach the girls to take pride in them....
The Crew
Agemaki, Riken, Ganryuu, Bonbori, Hoozuki and Susukihotaru go to Lords A and Um to ask them to open up a way to the Village of Oracles. Separated on the teleport there, Agemaki lands alone in the village and comes across the "dead" form of Tsukuhane. The rest of the group appeared in a forest area just outside of the village....
Zakuro's being prepared to bear her bro... Omodaka's child with a spirit ceremony type deal. Just as Omodaka attempts to kiss her Twins to the rescue! The shock of Hanadate being Omodaka doesn't take long to get over for the five... Battle Ensues.
Susukihotaru can sense the feelings of the fox spirits that are being forced to fight them, Wanting death over the enslavement their forced into they quickly figure out that they shouldn't attack the fox spirits but instead the Priests that are controlling them. The Priest/Oracles are just big push over and run like babies when their control is broken.
Omodaka took Zakuro and ran, with the help of Byakuroku {Did I mention she's been helping him since Spider Lady went loco?}.... To the Accursed place. The place where Tsukuhane and Enaga made Zakuro... and now Omodaka wants to "plant his seed" in Zakuro there... that plan was total fail with Agemaki finally showing up.
A little chit chat and Byakuroku attacks Agemaki, Omodaka/Hanadate is watching on and brooding about how everyone loves Zakuro and not him. The rest of the Crew shows up just as Agemaki is about to get squished by Byakuroku... a little fight from Omodaka then more talking.
Omodaka.
Fueled by jealousy and contempt... Feeling "that woman" cared more for Zakuro then himself. She came back to the village to protect her after all. Even when she returned she refused to bear more half spirits, refused to eat and then... she died. Then even in death she refused to decay, her body the constant reminder to him...always the same...sitting there.
Earlier Agemaki "talked" to Tsukuhane, Omodaka was wrong in his thoughts... she not only returned to the village to save Zakuro but also... she regrets letting go of Omodaka
The day Omodaka saw Tsukuhane with Enaga he had gone off looking for her because he missed her... he wanted his mother... he wanted to be held by his mother...and he found her with him.
Yep, Omodaka has cracked.... he attempts to kill Zakuro with Byakuroku holding off the rest of them but just as he's about to choke the dazed out Zakuro... Boom!
Someone forgot about the Spider Lady. His house is on fire!
Lady Rangui recruited the ignored Daidai to aid in her vengence, Daidai is evacuating the enslaved half spirits as the village of oracles burns. Always feeling neglected and in her sisters shadow, This is supposed to be Daidai's time to shine but.... that doesn't last long.
Omodaka takes Zakuro and rushes back towards his burning home, A little lost the crew counts on Byakuroku to lead them.... Once to the town... every one's spider bait. Omodaka's priest dudes are webbed and to Byakuroku's shock Rangui has munched down on her naive sister.
With everyone at the Village, Rangui is still declaring her love for Omodaka... of course she wants to eat him now but hey... As she attacks him Agemaki shows up to defend him... "I'm sure this is what Zakuro would do" he says and that doesn't sit well with Rangui.
Turning her rage to Zakuro's still unconscious body, Agemaki runs to her just in time to also get bound up in the spiders webbing. The rest of the crew goes into attack mode but the Spider Lady makes quick work of all of them...
"Zakuro, I love you..."
" Stupid"
She wakes up, breaks the webs to free the two of them, breaks the pendant/seal her mother gave her and.... kills the spider. Everything is burning, Daidai is dead... Omodaka runs to the room in which his mothers body is kept. Everyone follows after him... He sees his mothers body as a decaying corpse now. Turns out that's all everyone else saw, a decaying corpse... only he and Zakuro had seen the body of the mother they knew.
Omodaka feels delusional but Agemaki points out that it just may have been the way Tsukuhane wanted Zakuro and Omodaka to see her... to watch over them in death as she had in life. As the building starts to collapse Agemaki and Zakuro try to get Omodaka to leave but he wants to stay there with the body, Still obviously jealous about how much time Zakuro had with her. Byakuroku with her sisters body also stays behind with Omodaka..... and everyone else is outside on a hill watching it burn.
Weakest Episodes; None really... The final episodes did seem a bit rushed to me though.
Favorite Episodes; Episode 5 ~ Bonbori and Hoozuki defend Ganryuu from the Black Widow.
Episode 6 ~ Bonbori and Hoozuki's past is shown.
Favorite Character; Susukihotaru ~ Not sure why... she just barely inches out the twins.
Least Favorite Character; Agemaki ~ Find him a bit annoying yet funny.
DaiDai ~ She just irritated me.
