(CR) Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari

[Frontier]

Well, Kunato starting off on the wrong foot with the Nagatsuki’s continues with Botan. She seems like a generally pleasant and nice young girl but is strict with her Tsukumogami and won’t allow for anyone to insult her family or threaten them in front of her. Kunato even brought her to tears !

Ha! Now he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place because he either gets kicked out and lose his family position or work with and get along with the things he hates. And they don’t seem to have much intention of making it easy for him. But sometimes you need to start from rock bottom to build something strong, like a relationship or trust .

I guess I’m not surprised Nagi ends up being the first to accept Kunato given they fought and seem to have similar vibes and he can see Kunato, for all his aggressive attitude, is dutiful and genuine. Also that towel Tsukumogami was pretty snazzy !

Botan reacting to Nagi being so uptight and strict was cute. She probably doesn’t think they can get along even though they’ll probably be the focal point of the whole show .

To Kunato’s credit, while he’s still out for revenge against the paper umbrella Tsukumogami that killed his family, he’s trying to be more open to the Nagatsuki’s perspective and understand them better without immediately jumping to violence .

Yagen was quite the beauty! I didn’t think something created from something so laborious would turn out like that! Although when she gets violent…

That sure turned violent! They weren’t kidding about how their own kind view them even if they’re not malicious. But at least Kunato practiced restraint for once .

Kagami seems to like Kunato now, which is cute! I like how he was doing push ups with both her and Nagi on top of him. Even Botan seems to appreciate his personality more. So three down, three to go …

[Alchemist007]

Find it a bit hard to believe he has literally never met a tsukumogami that wasn't at least somewhat tame before this bunch (or did he kill them all regardless ?). I'm not exactly sure how common they are in their world though.

Felt obvious that the guy who got blown apart wasn't going to stay dead, but they sure are forgiving toward the attempted murderer.

[SeijiSensei]

I've always seen tsukumogami as more benevolent, like how they appear in https://myanimelist.net/anime/36654/...gami_Kashimasu, so this more malevolent interpretation is intriguing. Plus always nice to hear Sawashiro Miyuki. This seems like a pretty classic role for her; reminds me of Shion in Psycho-Pass.

Could have potential now that we're past the introductions.

[FlareKnight]

Things got a bit messy, but it mostly worked out. And a bit of a pressure packed timeline will push the cast closer together which is also fine. Hyoma is blunt and can be a bit inflexible, but at least he does make things pretty clear. So no worries about not knowing where he stands on something. But at the same time it does make things awkward. Kind of surprised he was willing to even open up a bit about his actual target and why he's staying in this business despite not liking interacting with tsukumogami.

Still good reaction time to protect Kagami and keep things from escalating any further. Even managed to restrain himself at the last moment. Which is pretty impressive considering they were downright attacked there.

Honestly feels like he'll get along reasonably well with the other tsukumogami before he actually starts really getting close to Botan herself.

[iko_uwais]

Lol, watching this, I realized how different early Hyouma was compared to the current Hyouma in the manga. His character development is just amazing, too bad we probably won't ever get to that point.

[Frontier]

We see the moment where Hyoma seemed to firm his conviction to get revenge on tsukomogami for taking his siblings away in front of the family grave. And you can definitely see the great rage in his heart back then .

That was a cute scene between Hyoma and Botan together in the morning! There's still some awkwardness there, but it seems like they're getting along better, and that'll probably continue to develop further in the series .

So the final boss to Hyoma staying there is Yu, and it's one thing for Hyoma to hate tsukumogami and her kind, but to bring her mistress to tears? That she can't forgive. And she'll either dismiss him or fight him in combat. I didn't expect hairpins to look so dangerous .

But to Hyoma's credit, he's not going to just pick a fight without good reason against the Nagatsuki's and his opinion of them has changed a lot, so he is developing well as a protagonist .

Kind of wonder why Haori is so loyal to Kunato Zohei. Does it have something to do with Botan ?

I was not expecting Yu to have such a cute blushing face. She really must love Botan a lot! Although pointing that out gets poor Hyoma hit and yeeted around. These tsukumogami can't help themselves around him .

Tsukumogami vs Tsukumogami! It's cool seeing the Nagatsuki's fighting together as a team against some rogue tsukumogami. We even get to see Kagami show off her powers .

Ah, I see once you put some actual, rotten, tsukumogami in front of him, Hyoma goes hog wild and kills them with impunity. Like, it's one thing that he was so effective and vicious about it, but he really seemed to enjoy breaking them and finishing them off .

On the one hand his sheer hatred and anger towards tsukumogami is still kind of a red flag, yet there is still the potential for him to change and it seems like the Nagatsuki's need him to protect Botan from all those shadowy individuals hunting her down...and what better set up for a relationship than girl who was saved by tsukumogami and one who had everything taken away from him by them? At least they have tsukomogami in common .

[Alchemist007]

He loves to kill, just like malevolent tsukumogami.

[FlareKnight]

Definitely easy for an understandable rage to overflow and consume. I don't think Hyoma's anger is itself wrong. Of course someone that watched his precious family get cruelly murdered would be incensed. Honestly I'm kind of amazed the Grandfather doesn't seem to show any reaction or feeling about those deaths. I can get focusing on the family that is still alive. But he seems to not even give thought to where his grandson's anger is coming from.

But that understandable anger has utterly consumed Hyoma. Basically turning him into a beast of vengeance. Before this point it seemed like there was a limit to that anger and that he would mostly restrain himself to sealing. But when the landmine gets set off...so go the restraints. That's the range of Hyoma at this point. He can hold off on fighting period against Yu. Because there are signs of change and an understanding that he can and should take in a wider view. All the more so for the sake of his true goals.

But that range can still spike right to the other extreme. When facing tsukomogami that openly admit to killing humans...it's game over. He will crush and destroy without hesitation or mercy. Of course even then it's not completely blind rage. He didn't start leaping at the Nagatsuki group. He utterly crushed the ones he aimed to crush and seemingly left it at that. Not that it's good to fly off the handle. Even in that state he probably should seal if he can and kill only when he has to. And probably not enjoy it. But at least he's not beyond all hope.

[Frontier]

So Botan's tsukumogami have been around her since she was a baby, and so was Zohei apparently, but I kind of wonder what they mean by her being touched by the boundary. Between the world of the spirits and the human world ?

I love how Yu gave her signature approving Hyoma at the bottom of the right and in small font just to let you know she didn't 100% approve of him .

Ah, look at Botan's cute face when she's happy Hyoma managed to get all the signatures! Her bubby and pleasant energy contrasts well with how stoic and dorky Hyoma is .

Ah, so that's the real premise of this arrangement (and I guess the series as a whole)...the Nagatsuki's are trying to get Botan hitched, and they think Hyoma might be their best chance at a perfect partner for her. Suddenly the ED sequence with them all sending her off as a bride makes sense now. In fact the Nagatsuki's were all born from wedding gifts, so naturally they're inclined to ensure Botan is happily married. They've even stalked and hounded any boys in her life to see if they were worthy of her. Not that Yu seems keen to accept any man for her beloved Botan .

Hyoma acts so unflappable and cocky, but when no one can see him he's as much of a blushing tomato as Botan .

Hyoma really isn't delicate at all, especially when it comes to a lady's heart. Botan doesn't want to tie down Hyoma to something her family is always forcing on her and embarrassing her with, but she doesn't want to think Hyoma doesn't care or consider her at all .

Don't make Kagamiy cry! Though her punching Hyoma was adorable .

Hyoma finally saves Botan! Of course he still ends up becoming collateral damage from her Tsukumogami, but points for trying !

Ah, look at these two blush and laugh around each other! I think they have solid chemistry as a possible couple already .

[FlareKnight]

You know, that ending was actually pretty sweet. I was ready to like this ship anyways, but they really gave it some nice momentum in this one. Both sides dealing with some troublesome prodding by their family and yet it looks to be perfectly fine here. Of course there's a long road to walk in terms of building up a connection between them beyond being generally pushed in the direction of each other. But sometimes a good push can get things rolling in the right way.

I suppose for the Grandfather it would be a win/win. If he can get together with Botan then he'd have to by definition be able to tolerate Tsukumogami more than he could before this started. And since there seems to be a push for Hyoma to drop his vengeance I'm sure the idea is that focusing on this girl will distract him from that.

Works out for the Tsukumogami too. If things can work out in terms of personalities, who is better equipped to help protect Botan than a Saenome? Better than some normal person that would both need to be brought into this crazy world and have to accept the dangers that would involve dating/marrying Botan. Hyoma's initial personality isn't ideal. But it might not have been that big a deal breaker. Her family may be Tsukumogami, but the greatest threats to her will be other Tsukumogami. So him being hostile to them might help avoid lowering his guard to threats.

In the end, Botan is really cute. Whether it is getting shamed to high heavens by their official ceremony or being a bit frustrated at the idea that he wouldn't be interested in her at all . Feelings are complex things. She might not be completely in on this right now since she's barely gotten to know Hyoma, but understandably she doesn't want to feel unattractive.

[SeijiSensei]

Whole episode is just a setup for the next one which looks set to reveal some important information about the lovely young Botan.

I think Sawashiro's character didn't really pass out but pretended to do so. Hope we see more of that meeting in the next episode. The young girl must be the "shrine fence" tsukumogami Itsuki.

[Alchemist007]

I like that he was thinking about the battle strategy after the fight and how it could have gone had it continued. Good thinking warrior stuff.

[Cloudedmind]

Originally Posted by Alchemist007

I like that he was thinking about the battle strategy after the fight and how it could have gone had it continued. Good thinking warrior stuff.

Felt more like him trying to sooth his own ego.

[Frontier]

You have to admire Hyoma’s commitment to protecting Botan now, if nothing else .

We get a bit more Tsukumogami intrigue in this episode and how it all centers on Botan. Seems like she has some great power that both humans and Tsukumogami want, but to maintain peace there’s a standing order to leave her alone…and then Hyoma moves in and everyone takes that as a sign that it’s open season on her. Uh oh !

So Kai is a legendary Tsukumogami that was so powerful they had to basically seal him up? Though with the caveat that he could ask for someone to show up and keep him occupied and they can’t refuse him, and he still seems to hold heavy sway with both the Nagatsuki’s and Kunato’s. Even his “cage,” Itsuki, seems more like an assistant/companion .

Jumping straight to everybody drunk with Kai showing no signs that it had any effect on him was hilarious. Drunk Haori was especially cute, even if it seems like she was partially faking it. Nobody drinks a Miyuki Sawashiro character under the table !

I love how Yu is just thinking of the best way to passive aggressively ask if Hyoma needs her help .

Hyoma is so single-minded that his takeaway from two Tsukumogami trying to explain the plot to him is to basically think they’re lying and try to fight. I guess I can respect that, although Hyoma finally fights a Tsukumogami he can’t actually beat and needs Yu to break the fight .

Looks like we’ll be getting a lot more Botan, Haori, and HyomaxBotan next week !

[FlareKnight]

Rough day for Hyoma. Although fair enough that he probably would have won if not for Yu stepping in when she did. Of course you never know since they might have had further tricks up their sleeves. But he did seem to have a plan in mind.

It does seem that Hyoma is generally strong, but really only takes it to another level when he snaps. Since he wasn't that engaged he took a greater beating than he might have otherwise.

Still curious to see when the Tsukumogami that Hyoma actually wants a piece of will actually show up. Of course it might be fair to say that more character development is necessary before a threat that extreme shakes the status quo.

The situation does seem a bit unstable. What kind of hell are all sides preparing to unleash? There's no way that having Hyoma and Botan marry like planned would result in anything but all out war between various factions. They wouldn't dare let Botan (for whatever reason that she's special) get married to a major faction like the Kunato without a fight.

Regardless, it does seem like we'll get some more good moments next episode .

[Alchemist007]

Originally Posted by Cloudedmind

Felt more like him trying to sooth his own ego.

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Rough day for Hyoma. Although fair enough that he probably would have won if not for Yu stepping in when she did. Of course you never know since they might have had further tricks up their sleeves. But he did seem to have a plan in mind.

He figured something out near the end of the fight before the interloper showed up, but he had a good beating already, could have gone either way. He might've been screwed if they were actually out to kill him but they just wanted some answers, while he was the one fighting back for survival.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by Alchemist007

He figured something out near the end of the fight before the interloper showed up, but he had a good beating already, could have gone either way. He might've been screwed if they were actually out to kill him but they just wanted some answers, while he was the one fighting back for survival.

I'd say both sides were fighting while seeking answers. Hyoma didn't even bust out his weapons until the very end. Probably because having him chop off some of their limbs would have made it tough for the story to avoid escalation . His initial plan was quickly seal one and beat up the other to get some answers. They did a better job of that side of it though. Which could mean they'd do better in a kill or be killed showdown.

I think it could have gone either way. Being more injured at the start of the fight would have been a disadvantage. But if he thought they were trying to kill him that might have set off rage mode and I don't think both of them would walk away unscathed from that. Even if Hyoma didn't end up winning. Either way, I don't think round 2 will go well for them if they try it again. Didn't show all their cards, but showed enough for Hyoma to be much better prepared.

[SeijiSensei]

Botan reminds me a bit of Haruka in Noein, a nice young girl whom circumstances have placed in the middle of a tumultuous conflict. Both have a unique power that can save the world.

[Frontier]

Hyoma on a date with Haori? With her dressed the part? Lucky dog! Even if he's too stiff and too Hyoma to enjoy himself .

Although this actually started off with Hyoma basically asking Botan out so he could find out more about her...but running on sheer adrenaline after pulling two all-nighters on a college report, Botan fells him with one palm strike! She's tougher than she looks! Also, Haori goes through two separate pairs of glasses. How many of those does she keep on her ?

Dang, Haori basically abandoned Kushige to Kai who is just keeping him there as a perpetual drink partner. Somebody save poor Kushige !

So Botan is unique because she's a human who was possessed by a Marebito, making her a human Tsukumogami more or less, meaning she probably has some great power that hasn't awakened in her yet that both humans and Tsukumogami want for themselves. And she's had to live her entire life being stalked by both sides, neither one moving an inch while never really leaving Botan alone, and that prevented her from making friends and growing closer to anyone outside her Tsukumogami family until she was in college. Girl has been through a lot, it is really amazing that she's gone through so much yet is still such a chipper and kind young girl .

Of course there's still other mysteries regarding Botan's backstory. What happened to her parents? How did a Marebito come to be fused with her? The way Haori was seething with rage when she talked about how someone came up with the idea, it seems like they know who did it and hate him? And what about that person who visited her but never really helped her? Seems like there's still plenty to unravel .

Botan's college gal pals are never going to let her live down finding out that she does have a new man in her life .

Hyoma doesn't want to get exiled from his family clan, but deep down he also wants to genuinely protect Botan and keep her smile safe. It's enough to bring Kagami to tears! Because it all comes back to him being perfect husband material for Botan .

Botan thinks she'll come off as a weirdo and scare Hyoma off now that he knows the truth about her...but instead he's just impressed by her. And that smile on her face and the happiness of knowing he didn't reject her and accepted her for who she is...is Botan falling for Hyoma? Judging by the blush on his face, I'd say her smile is a critical hit to him too !

[SeijiSensei]

I could listen to Sawashiro tell stories all day.