In this installment, Maomao accompanies Yinghua to a gathering of servant women who take turns telling creepy tales. It was a highly enjoyable episode, but I was slightly confused by it. Does this mean there’s spiritual magic in this series? Are ghosts real in this anime? It seems like the narrative didn’t want to fully commit to an answer. I suppose it was left open for those who believe in the supernatural in reality. Which, to be fair, is most people. Sometimes, I forget I’m a minority.
Anyway, based on the feel of this series overall, I’m not expecting supernatural shenanigans to significantly influence the plot. It’s fine if I’m wrong, but I would be slightly disappointed, since I was enjoying the realism and semi-historical feel to this anime. Now without further rambling, let’s go over the events of episode 34 (AKA Season 2 Episode 10).
Episode 34: A Ghost Story
Episode Rating: 9/10
Three new ladies-in-waiting joined Gyokuyo’s service in the Jade Pavilion. They were sisters who looked incredibly similar. (Maomao hasn’t learned which is which, and I haven’t even learned their names yet.) When the newbies heard that Maomao was sleeping in a shed at night, they probably assumed she was being mistreated, which led to Yinghua feeling embarrassed about the misunderstanding.
Yinghua tried to force Maomao to stop living in the shed, but Maomao refused. The argument was broken up by a very angry Hongnian. She took them to Lady Gyokuyo, who said that Maomao could continue to use the shed in her free time. However, as a compromise, she would have to sleep in her normal quarters at night. Maomao accepted the compromise with a smile, grateful to have bosses who were understanding.
Later, Yinghua guilt-tripped Maomao into attending a social event. But this wasn’t the usual tea-party and gossip. It was a gathering of servant women having fun in a similar way to a Halloween celebration. They all brought candles, wore head coverings, and sat in a dark room with the windows and doors shut. The atmosphere was creepy. Even the event organizer – a fine but surprisingly old lady – seemed ghostlike as she invited Yinghua and Maomao inside. Shisui was also there.
The twelve women went in a circle, each telling a creepy rumor or ghost story when it was their turn. We only heard four of the stories, and since they’re not super important to the plot, I won’t be going over them in any detail. The first story we heard was about a mother and her son who went into a forbidden forest against the village rules. Maomao later gave a logical explanation for the seemingly weird events in the story. It involved mushrooms that glow in the dark.
After the forbidden forest story, it was Shisui’s turn to tell a creepy tale. Despite her normal goofiness and exuberance, Shisui was an excellent and serious storyteller. Her story was about a traveling monk who took shelter in a certain home. He discovered that the woman he was staying with was actually a man-eating demon. Only the monk’s incessant, faithful chanting of a holy sutra kept him alive.
(Side Note: While Shishui spoke, Maomao suddenly thought she looked like a different person, yet somehow familiar. This all but proves the suspicion of many viewers that Shisui is Lady Loulan in disuise.)
Maomao’s story was underwhelming, considering I was expecting her to tell the best and most horrifying tale of all. It was about a graverobber who liked cutting up bodies. Eventually, it was time for the final story, which would be told by the organizer. Her story was about the previous emperor, who victimized many young girls and never allowed them to leave the palace.
As the tale drew to a close, several women were quietly losing consciousness. Maomao had been getting dizzy and weak, too. Suddenly, she realized what was happening and leaped up, opening a window. Her quick action saved everyone. Maomao figured out that they were poisoned by “bad air” from the weakly smoldering firepit. It was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Something like this could have been a simple accident and not a murder plan. However, Maomao heard the ghostly figure of the organizer say, “Ah, I was so close.” When she turned to face the voice, there was no sign of the older lady. Later, Maomao and Shishui learned that the event organizer from previous occasions died last year. In other words, it seemed like the old lady who held the meeting this year was a ghost. Of course, there were natural possibilities, too.
As I mentioned before, I was initially confused about what the narrative was trying to say. It’s possible the writers were trying to prepare viewers for more supernatural fantasy content. However, given the general nature of this series, it seems more likely this was just a fun filler episode for the purpose of enjoying spooky stories. On a final note, it was incredibly cute how Yinghua stayed in Maomao’s room with her that night. She was too scared to sleep alone. That wraps up the episode review.
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke
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