Shigofumi - Episode 7

After its return to form in episode six, I was really curious as to which way the next part of Shigofumi would turn - Back towards mediocrity, or continuing on the solid basis of episode six. In all honesty, when I realised that this episode was going to be rather more Fumika-centric I wasn't feeling hopeful, but thankfully I found myself being pleasantly surprised.

After peeling away small slices of Fumika's past over the series so far, episode seven throws an absolutely massive spanner in the works, tasking her with delivering a Shigofumi to her father Mikawa Kirameki. This gives us a more in-depth opportunity to find out just why Fumika tried to kill her own father, while also bringing Nojima Kaname well and truly into the story as a result of his own investigations into Fumika. This mix leaves us with some questions still left unanswered, a big cliffhanger ending, and what is overall a reasonably well paced and thought-out episode that provided a decent blend of humour, madness and emotion.

I have to admit though, this week's actual Shigofumi itself was really rather eerie considering the current spate of suicides in Wales, with the writer of the letter choosing to end her life because of the beautiful afterlife described in one of Mikawa Kirameki's novels. With the media and the Internet's supposed glamorisation of suicide being blamed for the aforementioned real-world story I just mentioned, this plot point seemed strangely appropriate.

So, I guess I have to end this particular entry by admitting that yes, I was wrong - Just when it seemed that focusing on Fumika's story would detract from has made this series fantastic in places so far, so the writers go and deliver a really rather good episode based largely around her plight. Now they've perhaps found their form, let's hope they don't lose their way again.