Embedded Files
Its time for the final part of our look at the horror series Yamishibai, wherein I take the last 4 episodes released and send them your way to terrorize your neighborhood. Let's hope you have the soul for getting down.
Interestingly enough, you'll notice a few episodes look a little different than the others in terms of art style. I'm not sure if its on purpose, but some look rougher hewn than others. You'll notice the stark difference today since we have 4 episodes back to back, so notice the difference from The Moon to Video, which are consecutive episodes.
If you're just joining us for the tour of darkness, don't forget to check the other 3 parts out. Its not as if these are connected by a single storyline, but why skimp out and cheat yourself? While the scary storytelling season (late summer) in Japan is nearly through, its just heating up here in the west, so grab your binoculars, turn on your VCR, and sit back and let the panic wash over you like a wave on a hawaiian beach.
Episode 10: The Moon
Daisuke and his high school baseball team are at a resort where they're having a training camp. The old place still has pit toilets, which are latrines where the toilet is merely a hole that opens into a pit to collect--ahem--business. The other players tease Daisuke, because when they were in elementary school, he'd falling into the pit toilet. Strangely, Daisuke doesn't seem to recall the rather tragic event clearly until he goes off to use the toilet. As he gazes up at the full moon, he recalls looking up through the round hole of the pit toilet (a matching image), and there he remembers something else was in there with him. Something...living.... But after he's rescued (and of course mercilessly teased), Daisuke doesn't tell anyone about the figure in the toilet.... That is...until something begins to creep out from the toilet itself.
What's interesting here is 2 things. The first is Daiskue's inability to recall the event until the very end, which seems to connect with the creature of the toilet. Sharp eyed viewers might see an odd resemblance between he and the creature that crawls out. Perhaps he doesn't remember because he's--even in part--still in that toilet? Then who is the Daisuke we've seen til now?
The second is the subject of a pit toilet story. There are a couple different japanese toilet ghost stories, the most infamous being Toilet Hanako. While pit toilets are rarely seen in the west or america (in fact, outhouses are more prevalent), these latrines are found somewhat commonly in japan, and so stories about these precarious bathrooms must have come as warnings or superstitions regarding safety (and perhaps sanitation); most folklore and urban legend stems from cautionary tales of common things we take for granted.
Episode 11: Video
A group of boys furiously trying to finish summer schoolwork decide to take a break by checking out a video from one of boys' cousin's brother's friend (hmmm how very urban legendy) that's purportedly got a ghost on it.
Lesson one, boys, if you got a haunted video tape thats wrapped in electric tape, GO RENT SOMETHING ELSE FROM REDBOX.
Takaaki, one of the boys, sees something in the background of a graveyard that was shot on the tape...some freakishly large figure. By measuring the height of the stones in the graveyard, he estimates the figure must be 3 meters tall. Still, his friends don't seem to see it, even when the figure seems to move about, even after rewinding, something that ought to be impossible.... Even when the figure turns to look at him, Takaaki senses something deeply wrong...especially when his friends stop responding to him....
Classically, we got a haunted video tape story. Par for the course, leading the pack is of course Ringu, but video taped tests of courage are beginning to become a thing of the past. What makes Video so successful in its scariness is the fact that its so lo-fi. Rewinding the tape and seeing a figure move about is obviously impossible, and nowadays we can mimic this sort of phenomenon digitally (check out the interesting effect you can get in the Paranormal Activity 3 trailer when you drag the slider bar). Its pretty obvious something evil is going on, and you don't need Tosh.0 to tell you that.
Episode 12: Tomonari-kun
A young girl wanders by a group of boys whom are all gathered around a shadowy figure on the ground. They claim its their new friend Tomonari-kun, and it appears to express its wishes through the boys themselves. They say their friend wishes to play with her, but, confused by the "game" she thinks they're playing, declines and promises to play another time.
Later, as she's heading to a job, she has to decline to play again, despite the fact the boys insist that Tomonari-kun told them she'd come again to play. After work, the boys come calling to her place, saying that Tomonari-kun has come to her home. Unnerved, she throws them out, but the shadow has come as they said to make good on her promise....
Another careful example of being careful of what one says, this story exemplifies the importance of sincerity. Unfortunately for the girl, the sinister Tomonari-kun takes her dismissal as truth, which has dire consequences for her. Additionally unnerving is the calm the children display about their eerie friend. There's nothing more frightening than a child who plays with fire...and seems to play unsinged.
Episode 13: The Tormentor
3 boys are going to school in the country, when they decide they want to check out a house in their town that supposedly has a "tormentor". This unnamed being apparently whisks away people, never to be seen again, and 2 of the boys take a pair of binoculars and try seeing this tormentor as it comes from a nearby house. Shouta, about to get a glimpse of this wildly dancing figure, has the binoculars taken from him by his friend Taichi.
Suddenly stricken with some sort of attack, Taichi mysteriously seems to disappear before Shouta's eyes. He returns the binoculars later to Taichi's home, but his father turns him away and tells him to keep them; behind him, someone is moving erratically, however before he can see, he's sent away. As Shouta goes home, he thinks he sees Taichi motion at him from the window, so he uses the binoculars to see more clearly....however, its the mere act of "seeing" that claims him in the end.
As in Video, this story deals with "seeing" things you shouldn't. Children are naturally curious, but as they say, it kills and its not just the cat. All tales, especially folklore and scary stories, often deal with someone not exactly following rules or doing things they shouldn't do. You can have plenty of cautionary tales, but sometimes the best way to get a point across is to rolls some heads every now and again.
Wait. What?
Anyhow, that's the series, and if you still haven't checked out any of the episodes, what are you waiting for?? Interesting things to note is the ending them is actually performed by Hatsune Miku, which makes it rather charming in its own right, despite the creepiness of the old man's face and various locations of the series in the background (which also appear in the Yamishibai iOS/Android app store).
Check out the ending credits....pretty interesting.
Click the title cards for links off crunchyroll.
Oshimai....
Dio (10/24/13)
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse