On an unconfirmed report brought to you by Impz in T.H.A.T anime blog, we have received insider news from J.C Staff that many viewers have complained about the lack of funny Mai faces in the past two to three episodes. As viewers are reportedly annoyed at the generally normal mode of the main heroine, J.C. Staff decided to provide the first ever “Face fanservice” to the viewers who have painstakingly petitioned for their goal.
The result is the above screenshot which satisfied the angry mob of Mai fanboys and fangirls.
Episode summary
We had Mai in a dream sequence, seeing the purple ghost fire consuming the spirits. As she observed the gruesome cannabilsing, a bright light brought her to a normal room, with interesting books that Naru would love. She then picked up an expired bus card, only to realize that it was Sakuachi’s room. Mai started to tear as she was unable to save his spirit from being engulfed. The voice of Naru then came as she woke up, feeling all dizzy as everyone was gathered at the sick bay. Mai was questioned why she was traveling alone at night, as she re-accounted grabbing the tape from the biology classroom.
They also talked about the child spirits and Masako said she could not detect them. Bou-san then said how his teachings of the mantra should have came into play but Mai was too nervous to do that. With that, Naru ordered everyone to go to work as Ayako stayed to accompany Mai as she went into yet the realm of the spirit dream. She then noticed firstly the shrine for the fox spirit, and “dream Naru” appearing once again, as he pointed out the purple embroyo that was starting to wake up after consuming enough souls. Mai then noticed that John and Yasuhara were going toward the purple ghost as she rushed off to warn them in the real world.
Mai then warned Ayako as Ayako left to inform the two of their danger. Before Ayako left, she taught Mai the second step of the chant told by Bou-san. As Ayako left, an apparition appeared at the second bed (remember previous episode) as Mai started on her chant told by Bou-san and Ayako.. However, the blue apparition shoved her aside as the room started to get cold and the ground totally collapsed, leaving Mai trapped. She then heard the sound of rats running around but she knew that it was the footsteps of the children. Naru then appeared as he attempted to save Mai but the whole roof collapsed, as we went into another dream-like sequence.
The voice of Ayako woke Mai up as she formed Naru on top of her, blocking her from the collapsed roof. As they were treated for their minor injuries, Mai talked about the purple embryo that she had seen and that it was starting to develop, as both Naru and Mai said it was soon when no one would be able to deal with it anymore. The next day, they received information that the principal told them to stop and that they were the ones who triggered the escalation. Mai tried to persuade Naru and said about the engulfing of spirits and leaving just the strongest behind.
Naru’s face turned pale as he realized about a very traditional China way of cursing someone. It used to be a method where they buried a whole bunch of worms in a barrel and after a few months, they opened the barrel with the strongest worm remaining. They will then use that worm to curse and bring fortune in return for human to a cursed recipient. The host had to continue to supply lives on a constant rate for the worm. However, if the worm did not have the chance to consume lives, even the host will be killed eventually. The fortunes would be thrown in the streets in wait for another victim.
Mai then said that it was similar to what was happening in the school, where the spirits were consuming each other. Bou-san then talked about the last spirit trying to bind up and consuming a person in the school, just like how this curse was conducted. Naru said about how all the hosts of this curse were the students and he could not do anything, leaving Mai in shock. However. Naru continued as he asked Lin if he could. Lin said he never seen it before, but it was similar like any other curse, with two ways to avoid it, either to transfer the master to someone else or to care for it.
As Naru went over to discuss with the principal, the others were thinking how to fix the situation. Bou-san and Ayako were doing their arguments while Mai talked that the Kokkuri in the school was strange because they had a man in the center instead of a shrine and there was a circle of ghost/demon around it. Lin interjected, asking Mai to repeat what she said as he confirmed the verse used in the Kokkuri. Yasuhara also said that he seen it once and they had to bury it in a shrine once the summon paper was used. Mai remembered about the dream and asked if there was a fox spirit statue there and Yasuhara was surprised Mai knew.
They then rushed over to the shrine, only to see two girls about to bury the paper. Lin then examined it, saying that it was in fact a curse to kill someone. Back at the headquarters, he explained that the curse charm when placed in a crossroad will cause someone to go crazy and when buried, to kill. It was a good thing that it was only amateurs doing it because Lin could kill someone just with that paper. As he elaborated, he said that when the inter-consumption of the spirits ended with the strongest left, the person who would die was the name in the man drawn in the middle: The disciplinary master.
Thoughts
I got tricked. There was little Masako except for the little face that Masako had when she was treating Naru. No fun.
SOMEONE LIED TO ME!
To start off with yet another rant, this post is actually the second post I have done for this episode as the first post happily deleted somehow after a really unfortunate incident, where I have actually written close to the start of thoughts. That also meant that the summary happily disappeared for me just when I am about to post my thoughts. Needless to say, I went bonkers with it. If I was not that happy and patient today, I will have given up immediately.
Ok, onwards to the actual plot itself, I found the object of curse to be highly intelligent. Only one with a high intelligent will use the curiosity of the students as a way to exploit and kill the disciplinary master. Honestly, I disliked the disciplinary master quite a bit, but to die for that dislike is a bit too much. Whoever tried to kill the master is also selfishly putting all his other classmates in danger of being consumed when the spirit requires more sacrifices.
I was actually shocked this time because Mai actually caused the spirit in the sick bay to diffuse and counteract her actions. It is clear that she is not at all an experienced user in the demon arts to get rid of spirits, but you can tell that there is some spiritual energy in the strokes when she does what Ayako told her to. I think even the spirit sensed her powers, which is why it tried to attack her before anything else. That said, I cannot wait to see Mai in a powerful manner to get rid of some spirits and show how great she is, not only as a person with latent ESP, but someone who can kick serious ass!
Talking about Ayako, other than the common cat fight between her and Bou-san on the discussion of getting away the spirits at the closing of this episode, I actually have a better impression of her when she is the first one to be around for Mai. She also stayed back, taking care of Mai very well, very unlike the vixen that she often is. I mean, the only impression I have of Ayako is a witch that does absolutely nothing, is one that always has a stinky mouth and can do absolutely nothing, aka a total bum. However, I do like to see more of that soft side of her showing, because it does make her look much better.
Lin is impressive. I can really tell that he’s a very capable person and it starts to dawn on me once again about Naru. I have said this before and I will repeat it again. Naru does not seem to have much spiritual powers compared to any of our ghost hunters, and the fact that he seems more like a knowledgeable person makes him a very mysterious person. I personally think now that the Naru in the dream is the manifestation of Mai’s power subconsciously to see what she wanted to see in a dream for knowledge, rather than Naru projecting the dream to her. It is actually logical since Mai does not have the control yet of her ESP and we do know who she likes, hence it is logical for someone who she likes (and in the way she likes him to be) to give advice in that form as the manifestation.
So, it’s back to the question. Who is the one who actually started all this? I think that the episode is veering us to the summation of the solution but I honestly am still interested who introduced it. If it is merely a game that did not target anyone in particular, it is of no consequence. The fact that the disciplinary master is targeted meant that someone has a deep hatred of him. Who can that person be?
Yasuhara as a wild guess?
Yet, I have no evidence to say it is him. What says you?
Browse Timeline
Comments (30)
On the question of “does Naru have any power beyond his intellect”, I’ve forgotten which side of the spoon-bending debate you’re on. (And I’m too lazy to track back through your blog to find out.) Do you believe that Naru bent the spoon that first time using PK or using a trick? If you believe that he bent the spoon using PK, wouldn’t you include that as having power?
LKK added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 8:11 amDid any one else have thoughts of *OMG!NARUXMAI(4EVER!!)* when you saw that one scene with Naru next to Mai on the bed?… And Mai looking @_@. hehe.
Impz - you really need to go buy the manga…. or atleast just go to your nearest bookstore and read them there. ;D
honeysempai added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 10:51 amWhoops I forgot to add GREAT SUMMARY! Thank you!
honeysempai added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 10:52 amHaha, I’ve been reading your blog for some time and finally had the chance to comment. Great summary!
Hmm, I suspect Yasuhara too but I really dont have evidence that its him… Just a feeling
I was definitely pleased to see Mai’s facial expressions. 
Can’t have enough of that! Simply hilarious
I did not lie! *crosses arms in a huff*
I posted later not to get too excited because it mainly centered around Mai and not Masako! Check the comments for Episode 15.
But wasn’t it worth it to have such a great Mai episode!
D.J added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 1:04 pmI read already your summary thank you again I will give some of thought later when I come from my work! regards
na2niet added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 1:30 pm~decides she not gonna say anything except “nice job” to impz for fear of his hitogata of her~ XD
I will say this….naru x mai
Yami added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 2:22 pmMy friend told me Naru has super strong ESP more than anybody else… and Naru in Mai’s dream is Naru’s brother… ?!?
naru love added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 4:21 pm@LKK: oh ya, i forgot about that power. I am actually on the side of the ones who believed that he can actually conduct PK, due to the fact that he fricking broke off the spoon instead of bending it. It’s mere impossible! Ya, but still, that explains almost nothing.
@Honeysempai: no, i feel no vibes on it at all. NONE whatsoever (hehehe). I did feel it when Masako is treating Naru’s wounds. It’s such a Masako x Naru love love~
Awwww~ *and runs off*
@Riz: Of course! I am glad that a “lurker” finally comments and it’s so good when that happens! Still, that is the reason why I was stuck in my thoughts. My gut instinct tells me it might be Yasuhara but after seeing the argument in the comments as well as those in the animesuki forum reduces my certainty on it. Can anyone help me out with the alternative viewpoint that Yasuhara can actually have a motivation to do so?
And yes, mai funny faces is funny. The last sentence almost sounds dumb.
@DJ: YES, U DID T_T;;; But ok, i did read the comments but i am being mean as usual. It is actually good because even though mai has always appeared (she’s the main lead after all), the focus on her for the previous two episodes has been minimal, which is why it’s good to have her back. Always hilarious.
@Na2viet: haha, ok~
@Yami: Do you notice in your house that there are a lot of ants these days? be careful… *puts on masako snigger*
@Naru: hmm, wahahaha, i have no clue and i doubt that it’s possible. It’s an interesting concept though and i hope i see you explore that more !
Impz added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 7:03 pmYay! I can post again! There are penlty of theories about dream!naru right now so its better to see what ones actually pan out in the end.
YamiKakyuu added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 7:05 pmhmmm, actually, yes. I noticed a few claims much more often than others summarized into short.
1. It’s Naru’s special power.
2. It’s Mai’s magical ability in ESP.
3. It’s the way kind spirits tell Mai the future in the guise of Naru.
Impz added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 8:15 pmOkay, I take back the reply I just made under “The little things behind this space that bloggers do not tell you…” Honestly, I love hearing your impressions of Ghost Hunt and I love reading summaries before the subbed episodes come out. Go Impz!
spring_rain added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 8:28 pmHere I am again, very relieved that I wasn’t banned or something. ^^
Since you didn’t present anything about Yasuhara being the culprit other than your gut instinct, there’s nothing for me to argue with. I do have to say that my woman’s intuition strongly opposes your gut instinct. Yasuhara is innocent in this case! And Mai x Naru is SO MUCH BETTER than Masako x Naru, plus Mai is way cuter than Masako. (Waves Mai x Naru banner and also raises Bou-san x Ayako banner.)
Btw, didn’t the whole ceiling collapse? For Naru to come out of it barely injured, after shielding his sweet Mai with his own back and shoulders, is kind of “whoa, what the heck?!
ThirteenSugars added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 8:34 pm“Btw, didn’t the whole ceiling collapse? For Naru to come out of it barely injured, after shielding his sweet Mai with his own back and shoulders, is kind of “whoa, what the heck?!
Briar added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 8:58 pmI know this may sound wacky but, what if Naru has telepathy? And he enters Mai’s dreams to try and help her understand whats in them? I mean, let’s face it, I love Mai as a character, but she is a little childish. Naru might really be a nice guy when you get to know him, and he doesn’t want Mai to hate him all the time, right? Or is my theory a little far fetched?
Psychicotaku182 added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 10:08 pm“Which makes him and Mai a VERY perfect couple. ^^ (Any objections shall be overruled.]” Agreed! *Joins in Lin-fangirl mode, faints at slights glace from Lin*
Psychicotaku182 added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 10:12 pmSPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
Claim #2 and Naru Love’s comment combined answers the question who dream-Naru really is.
A very reliable source answered that question for me the first time I saw dream-Naru. The real question now would be why is he visiting Mai’s dreams instead of the others?
END OF SPOILER! END OF SPOILER! END OF SPOILER!
(Btw, is it okay for me to post such spoilers? If not, my apologies so please go ahead and delete this comment.)
ThirteenSugars added these pithy words on Jan 25 07 at 11:14 pmI think Yasuhara also!
wow! Mai has really gotten powers this time with her!they might solve the case!and I find also very cute the scenes of Ayako and Bou-san!Impz thank you!
a while ago I was skimming through the manga they had online, and saw a few pages in the arc after this one that i wish i hadn’t seen…let’s just say Naru takes his pride very seriously…
comparing to all the other series I’m watching, this show always seems to have ultra short episodes. I don’t even wanna think about what’ll happen when this is all over. I hope there’s a second season :). 26 episodes is just not enough
ohphive added these pithy words on Jan 26 07 at 1:34 am@13sugars: your theory makes it really hard for me to deny anything from it and it absolutely makes sense, from the part that Sakuachi did it to prove his worth until the part where it consumed the host. In that case, it makes absolute sense and I personally think that you are right since the disciplinary master did make life totally like crap for the pure boy. There is motive, there is reason and there seems to be a truth. I hope and think you will be right!
Still, Masako does have considerable powers as well as a psychic, which makes her also compatible with Naru, who probably has a mysterious force in him (that part, i can agree). I mean, Masako is also rich, being able not only to fund his project but also her PR (due to being a celebrity) and her sensitive self will be helpful to Naru. Hence, a Masako x Naru will work just fine too! Ahahaha~
“With all that said, the last episode left me questions. Why is the ghost attacking Mai? Why is it only her in the GH bunch? Because if you think about it, Masako gets hit by this or that first before Mai, but now Mai is the only one who gets the rough brunt.”
I think that is because unlike the previous time where Masako is seen as a threat by the spirits due to her ability to detect them, this time, it is in fact Mai who has been discovering all of it. In that case, it makes sense for the spirits to eliminate the biggest obstacle in the vicinity.
@Briar: Good question. I am shocked why i did not ponder about it earlier. It does not make too much sense, even on the crazy stroke of luck, that Naru escaped with minor injuries with the whole darn ceiling collapsing. Hmmm….
@psychic: If you ascribe to the effects of Naru having PK on physical bodies, it will not be at all wacky.
@Na2viet: no problem as always ^_^ Bou-san and ayako scenes are always cute, i do agree!
@ohphive: hmmm, oh okkkk. I do not understand your statement too well. That said, time always passes fast when you are enjoying it. The theory of relativity, anyone?
Heh heh.
Impz added these pithy words on Jan 26 07 at 6:51 amThirteen Sugars wonders why the ghost is attacking Mai and not the others. I disagree with Sugars’ assumption that the ghost is targeting Mai specifically. The ghosts in the nurse’s office and the biology lab were two of the reported places where ghosts had been seen when the students in episode 14 were telling Naru about the incidents at the school. Those ghosts have already haunted several students. I believe the ghosts would have attacked anyone who was alone in those rooms now that they have become strong enough to attack and not just haunt.
More evidence that the ghosts are not focusing on Mai alone is Mai’s certainty that John and Yasuhara were walking into danger when she saw them about to enter a classroom where a dark ghost was hiding. If the ghosts were only after her, she wouldn’t have seen that they were in danger in her dream.
LKK added these pithy words on Jan 26 07 at 8:10 amNot really about Ghost Hunt but sort of related –> http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/themessengers/site/stories/main.php?startPage=senses
I can hear right up into 22Hz and I scored like 99% on the visual test.
But then considering the strange occurences I’ve experienced neither my husband or I were surprised I scored high.
D.J added these pithy words on Jan 26 07 at 11:13 am@LKK: Oh, oh, oh, I missed that one. Thanks for pointing that out. ^^ Still, the attacks on Mai are quite harsh what with the ceiling collapsing and everything, and Lady (cough-cough), I mean Mister, err, Miss? Dagnabit! You’re making it very hard for a girl to address you, Impz. Impz’s opinion about Mai suffering more attacks than the other GH bunch makes sense too.
ThirteenSugars added these pithy words on Jan 26 07 at 12:07 pmThe attacks are getting worse because the dark ghosts are getting stronger. Remember the first time the glowing dog showed up in ep 14? He was vicious, but not any bigger than a normal-sized dog. The second time he showed up to attack the class, he was the size of a pony and much more dangerous. I don’t think the attacks are worse because they’re directed at Mai per se. I think they’re worse because the dark ghosts happen to be stronger. Mai being attacked is more a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I believe.
LKK added these pithy words on Jan 26 07 at 12:28 pmWow lots of stuff, glad someone else noticed the ceiling collasping part. When I read that in the manga I didnt get why he wasnt that injured. I have my own little theory as too what happened but I agree with 13Sugars that Naru does have power, to what extent that he used it there (if he did at all) is what makes me wonder.
YamiKakyuu added these pithy words on Jan 26 07 at 3:43 pmOooh, I finally found some avid Ghost Hunt fans! Many thanks for the detailed summaries! ^_^
I got interested in this series when I read the first manga volume, but only became a real fan after the second volume, when the really creepy stuff started to happen. I particularly like the anime version for its much more leisurely and thoughtful pace, compared to so many other series.
Naru and Lin absolutely fascinate me. I admit that I can be a rabid yaoi-fangirl, but I’m not getting those sorts of vibes on the series. Still Naru and Lin’s relationship is very interesting….
You can often figure out a lot about a person by looking at the people serving them. Many people have pointed out (correctly) that Lin is extremely competent, skilled, and probably quite powerful. That, in turn, hints that Naru is much more than your average, run-of-the-mill science-based ghost hunter. Judging from the manga and anime, I think Lin is not merely an assistant and employee, but also some sort of bodyguard, although Naru certainly doesn’t make his job easy.
1 - Naru and Lin not only work together, but apparently live together, either in the same quarters or next door to each other. I’m not sure if it’s clear in the anime episode, but the manga makes it pretty clear (in the arc with the teacher casting curses).
2 - Lin isn’t surprised, but rather clearly alarmed when he hears that Naru apparently used PK abilities. For such a normally stoic person to be so expressive (to the point of outright scolding!), says a lot about the significance of Naru’s little demonstration.
3 - When they fall down the manhole (again in the teacher’s curses arc), Naru is certain that Lin will immediately look for him — this implies that Lin habitually keeps fairly close tabs on Naru’s location, at least during investigations
As for Naru having powers, I’m almost certain that Naru does have psychic/spiritual powers, and not puny ordinary ones, either. I can’t see Lin raising such a fuss over some minor spoon-bending, unless he knows that using that sort of power is dangerous to Naru. And I might be wrong, but from the manga, I had the vague impression that during the confrontation in the manhole with that creepy, sickle-wielding spirit, it wasn’t Lin who drove it off, but perhaps Naru himself. If that’s the case, it might explain why he passes out soon after.
Regarding Naru’s appearances in Mai’s dreams, it could be that it’s Naru’s subconscious communicating with Mai. Naru certainly acts like he’s completely unaware of it. Perhaps, Naru tries suppresses the use of his own psychic/spiritual powers, but that’s not enough to keep his subconscious from still sensing/knowing things.
Oh dear, I’m rambling. ^_^; But I’m glad to know that other people really enjoy this series.
madamhydra added these pithy words on Jan 28 07 at 8:53 amthankyouthankyouthankyou!
rose added these pithy words on Jan 28 07 at 5:45 pmabout the ceiling thing, naru explained it later when masako was patching him up. he said that ceilings in that kind of building are usually made of very light material (which explains why he was so confident when jumping in to protect mai)
noblsheep added these pithy words on Jan 29 07 at 12:49 am@LKK: The dogs are getting stronger simply because the dark evil ghost fires are consuming other spirits that are released by the students. That is why it’s getting bigger and bigger. Think in terms of cannablizing power.
@madamhydra: Yay for coming here. It’s always good to see someone who comments, so first things first, welcome over!
I wish i can leave some comments on what u said about Naru and Lin, but i will find myself agreeing on it. So ya. The only thing is that i still believe that it’s the manifestation of Mai’s powers combined with telepathic powers of Naru’s spiritual subconsciousness.
@nobisheep: i missed that detail completely. Thanks!
Impz added these pithy words on Jan 29 07 at 5:09 amHmmm, on the comment about why the curse “demon fire” attack Mai, instead of one of the others. It is a considered theory in some asian cultures that different mediums, phsycics and spiritualists are tuned in to different types of paranormal energy. Some see only the ghosts of children, some can only see demons and some are just more in tune with the atmosphere or history behind places and things (like pschometetry). Being able to see ghosts is therefore totally different than being able to sense out malicious intent or being able to see demons or mononoke. Most cultures believe that a mean ghost is a totally different animal than a spirit or ghost that has given itself over to darker beings. So Mai probably has a more instinctual or primevil sort of power. Just like Naru suggested earlier. These latent abilities are beginning to manifest themselves and her dream states maybe her mind’s attempt to make rational sense of her instincts, feelings and thoughts. And perhaps (sigh,hopes) Naru is trying to help her reason these things out.
Manda added these pithy words on Jan 31 07 at 10:44 pm