Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin, episode 5: Trippin’ on a higher plane

While ostensibly a Kozue-focused episode, this episode felt all over the place. I could tell because it was hard to figure out which screenshots were crucial to the story.

Today’s forecast is sneer, with passing showers of disdain. Bunmeis should travel carefully. With Maya’s anti-Bunmei forcefield still at full blast after he left her and Kozue for dead last episode, the episode puts the focus on Kozue, the occult obsessed dojiko megane, who has a habit of getting either possessed or abducted by evil spirits.  I’m surprised we got a Kozue-focused ep before we got an Ami focused ep, since Ami and Maya were childhood friends after all, but the many directors of this show all seem to like abusing Kozue. From getting tortured by spirits, or falling painfully down a flight of stairs, or falling off a cliff. Kozue’s done it all. And ironically, she’s not even the comic relief of this show.

  

But Kozue continues her somewhat fruitless search for her first real paranormal experience, which seems like an odd thing to say considering what she’s been through. But as she explains, even if she did get possessed by an evil spirit, even if she was abducted by a tengu, she hadn’t actually been able to see them with her own eyes. So she continues to search, search, search. Trying to see the supernatural anywhere she can see it.

  

In the non-Kozue world, we see Mikaze the succubus sink her claws into Bunmei just a little deeper, and get that much closer to her likely goal of taking out Maya. All to the Vice Principal’s dismay. VP Dangohead keeps the evil scheming to a minimum, and instead spends most of her time getting her lovely bento dreams dashed. I don’t know if it’s a distinctly Japanese thing, but I’ve never had any girl make lunch for me. Maybe I need to go star in my own shoujo or something.

  

So as many others have already pointed out. Technically, communication between the future and the past is supposed to be a one way deal. The past can communicate the future. And even then, it’s not like you call your mom and she picks up. More like, data can be transmitted from the past to the future. And in rare occasion, like say you’re about to get eaten by a tengu, the future may answer just in time to hear your grotesque demise. However, apparently you can toss all that out the window. We see the future make not just one call. But two! First calling #5’s phone, then calling #6 to chide him about letting Maya use the future phone and also for doing a crappy job of saving the world. This no communication/yes communication from the future seems like a minor flub, but combined with the scant attention to the main story so far, it brings us dangerously close to a line where we just might as well just throw the plot out the window altogether. That is definitely a line this show should not cross.

The fact that Bunmei admits that he’s never been interested in Maya is a sure sign that he’s secretly gay and just needs to come to terms with it. Oh sure, succubus Mikaze drives fast and sticks her large breasts in your face anytime she gets a chance. But a real man would recognize the true bishin of this show. I know Maya gets in a nice stamp punch on Bunmei’s head, and then watch him prostrate himself to stamp the form, but I’m still surprised she’s allowing the succubus to sell her sex drug laced bread to the students. But wait… does that mean we might see a sexy bread influenced deredere version of Maya? Mmmm deredere.

  

Finally the story returns back to Kozue and the story takes a turn for the bizarre, when she volunteers to undergo a near-death experience so that everyone can see what the afterlife is like. Turns out the afterlife is a lot like Yellow Submarine. Either that or Kozue should’ve laid of the ganja before jumping into this ridiculous device. Suspension of disbelief is a tricky thing. I’ll believe that someone from 13 years in the future can have the technology to go back in time with a magical phone that can reveal the key to the world. But then I have a hard time believing that this afterlife device makes any sense in a world where camera phones aren’t even prevalent yet. Still, I’ll play along for now. And it was a pretty interesting scene. But the experiment which seemed like it had gone well, takes a turn for the even weirder when Kozue wakes from her NDE, but with perfect vision, skepticism about the occult, and an ecchi mind – judging by the preview. Meanwhile we see that dojikko, megane, occult-freak Kozue’s soul is still stuck in the afterlife looking for her glasses. I suppose it would be cruel to keep part of her soul in limbo… but I liked the 30 seconds of new Kozue more than I’ve liked the last 4 and a half episodes of old Kozue.

All in all, it was an entertaining episode. This show always is. But also sort of frustrating because I want to see them move the plot. I don’t mind episodes about side characters as long as it still stays focused on the main plot. But I get annoyed when we get not one, but a 2-parter on a side character who really has had more than enough screen time already.

But oh well. As Hana was the first to point out, we at least are treated to a rare Maya smile. Kirei!