Hozuki remains the glue which holds together hell.
What They Say:
Episode #26: UNRIVALED AT POKER / IS HELL YOUR INTENDED DESTINATION?
Hozuki uses the apathetic nature of the Zashiki Warashi twins to wrangle a newcomer to Hell. Later, Hozuki settles a disagreement between different departments.
The Review
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Why does Hozuki have books about Marquis de Sade and Japanese rope bondage on his bookshelf? Why did he have it within reach of the zashiki warashi girls?
Well, this is hell after all, but I really think he needs to pick better reading material. Especially since the girls want him to read the works to them. Karauri is a bit concerned, but not just about that. He worries the girls don’t smile. (I appreciate that Karauri has refrained from telling the girls to smile up till now because it would be construed as harassment.) Still, the fact the little girls don’t appear to be socialized correctly is bothering him and the stern little zashiki warashi are very unnerving.
This leads to a long conversation about female role models for the girls and the smiles of various female cast members. Ultimately the conversation doesn’t go anywhere. Hozuki is able to use the stern, doll-like girls to great effect and punishing an unruly dead man who was giving the staff a run for their money.
A compliment paid to the girls for their hard work does earn the closest we’ve gotten to a smile, a shy lowering of the heads and cute pout. The animation of which is absolutely adorable. I think the girls are perfectly all right.
From there the show shifts gears into the final story segment of the season. So begins an epic argument about language between the research department and the record department. Uzu is arguing with the head of the record department Hageito, except Uzu is in the wrong. He has been submitting unreadable forms. Mostly, it’s a whole lot of yelling. Like, mostly yelling, and screaming, a few fists fly but that was from Hozuki aimed at Uzu to get him to shut up at one point.
Haegito wants things to be legible and precise, Uzu thinks it’s all fine as long as the point gets across. So it comes down to a poll which Hozuki conducts throughout the Hell branch departments. Anyone who doesn’t seem to care or have an opinion counts as a point for Uzu, which doesn’t seem very accurate but if you consider it a handicap in his favor then sure.
The running around Hell part is clearly the focal point here, after all this is our last chance to see most of these characters and we see practically everyone. Hilariously and predictably, Enma sides with Uzu. Things take a turn for the philosophical about emotions and tradition, the old regime and how people really feel. It’s surprisingly deep for a stupid argument about unreadable requisition requests. Bureaucracy at its finest.
That’s how this season closes out, with Hozuki doing what he does best, organizing and running his department of Hell under King Enma. He reminds the viewer that if they should find themselves in Hell that we will be treated fairly by his department. Is that an assurance or a threat?
In Conclusion:
The fun times in hell have come to a stop, for now. Hozuki is one of those shows that could go on forever, what with it being an episodic comedy from a still running manga. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a few years down the line a season 3 springs into being. While some of the later episodes of this season started to feel a bit tired or stale, and the massive cast was starting to get unwieldy, it still managed to stay a fun show. Maybe there were fewer laughs and less surprises but familiarity with the cast made for some touching moments as we were brought into the personal plights of a raving rabbit and overworked pop idols. Plus, the music and animation remained top notch throughout. Hozuki remains an excellent looking and sounding show, and plenty of other series could learn a thing or two from it about maintaining a high-quality production. Hozuki wouldn’t tolerate such slacking from his underlings, after all!
Episode Grade: B
Streamed by: HIDIVE
