Shigofumi

[Kraco]

http://forums.gotwoot.net/gallery/files/9/7/6/2/shigofumipic.jpg

A story about a miracle, involving Fumika, a quiet but hard working girl who wears a uniform of a mail carrier, and her talkative staff and partner Mayama. The Shigofumi is a posthumous letter, the last resort of relaying a deceased person's last message to his or her loved ones: family, friends, and significant other. -ANN

Episode number: 12

Links:
AniDB (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5549)
ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=8760)
Official (http://www.shigofumi.com/)

Episode 1 - BakaWolf - m.3.3.w (http://m.3.3.w.fansub-torrents.com/%5BBakaWolf-m.3.3.w%5D%20Shigofumi%2001%20%28H.264%29%20%5B4BC A8F5B%5D.mkv.torrent)

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I didn't really expect much of this series, and only had a look out of a moment's curiosity, but it surprised me. I expected it to be akin to Shinigami no Ballad (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=3572), but I realised I was wrong the moment the beginning of the show presented cops studying a bloody crime scene. And that wasn't the only time this episode showed me my expectations were off.

I'll keep watching this for now out of pure interest, not out of boredom.

[Lucifus]

I'll give her a shot. Comment later.

Edit: Wow, I see what you mean Kraco. This certainly didn't turn out like I expected it to. I think I prefer the outcome. The next few eps will decide whether or not the series is gonna shine. Doubt it'll go as far as that, but it'll be interesting to say the least.

[Death13a]

Well first episode ending did surprised me and i liked that.

[shinta|hikari]

Strange enough, I keep telling myself that I really dont like episodic anime, but when something like shinigami ballad, jigoku shouko, or this come along, I tend to enjoy it a lot.

[Kraco]

I wonder if this truly is purely an episode anime. I also assumed automatically so because the main character is kind of an outsider, but didn't the next ep preview say the name of the ep will be "Rocket"? It would be too big a coincidence if it's not somehow related to the rocket in this first ep. Maybe the stabbed boy will now send a last letter to the stabber girl... It would be kind of ironic if he did and the letter made the girl give herself up to the police, thus completing the meaning of her dad's last letter double posthumously.

Hmm... But still I could hardly see it go beyond two eps (if even that fully). I guess you are right. It would still be episodic.

[Ryllharu]

The first episode certainly got my attention.

I am really fond of any Kana Ueda roles, even without the Kansai accent. Yuki Matsuoka is icing on the cake.

I agree, I think Asuna receiving a Shigofumi from the boy is almost a given. It'll probably even say something like that will make her cry and turn herself in. Episodic series usually don't have too much to discuss, but they are still good in their own way.

@shinta: If you like episodic series with a death overtone, you'll definitely want to check out the two volume Skyhigh manga. That is, if you haven't already. One of my favorite short series.

[Kraco]

Let's see what the mailgirl carries next.

Episode 2 - BakaWolf-m.3.3.w (http://m.3.3.w.fansub-torrents.com/%5BBakaWolf-m.3.3.w%5D%20Shigofumi%2002%20%28H.264%29%20%5B534 C3500%5D.mkv.torrent)



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Edit: Well, well. While not as surprising as the first episode, this did offer an ending I didn't predict, or if I did, it wasn't the first choice I was expecting. However, in retrospect it was the best one. And we got to see the rocket launch! That was nice.

The real surprise in this ep, though, for me was the gun the mailgirl suddenly pulled on Asuna. I wasn't expecting a means of self-defense quite like that...

Quite a trigger happy cop as well. Although the older one isn't totally free of blame either for scaring the junior so witless.

[Ryllharu]

It's not too different from Jigoku Shoujo, but so far it's been far more engaging.

Well I really loved this episode. As you said, we had to know most of it was coming, Shouta would send her a shigofumi, she'd feel guilty and eventually either be caught or killed.

But, it was in the details where this series is really shining. We knew her father was a bastard, but for Asuna's father to be peddling her. You could tell the bed being in that building was very wrong, but I didn't see that coming. Maybe I'm just a little naive.

The scene with the rocket got me a little misty-eyed.

Then we do have to bring to question Fumika's gun. A powerful and awesome deterrent for her potentially violent clientèle. I assume you noticed the stamp. The gun is a shigofumi as well. Who sent it, and why hasn't Fumika delivered it? Was Fumika the recipient?

[Kraco]

The mailgirl always shoots twice:

Episode 3 - BakaWolf-m.3.3.w (http://tracker.anirena.com/download.php?id=4167)

[Ryllharu]

Beyond the whole "Why do we jump?" "Because everyone feels like it at least once." argument and the blatant censorship of the father's weapon (assumed gun), this episode really came off more about Fumika than anything else.

What is her connection to Mikawa? Is she Mikawa? If not, did Fumika's gun come from her and why is she the recipient (or is it an undeliverable Shigofumi because of Mikawa's coma)? Does Fumika exist as some penitent-projection of Mikawa, bound in service to this Gospel Service, and the reason Mikawa is still in a coma?

Too many questions, and it doesn't look like we'll be getting any answers soon, only yuri.

[shinta|hikari]

Im guessing she is Mikawa.

[Kraco]

Yeah, that's my guess as well. Kind of reminds of Karas. Why she became such, is another question of course. The Gospel Service obviously is some well established agency to run a business like that, so why do they need the spirit of a person lying in a coma? Because she's not totally dead so she can still visit the world of the living?

I didn't expect to see her history revealed in such light, though. I assumed we would only be seeing the stories of the dying and those left behind.

[Lucifus]

Well, all that aside, I am immensely enjoying this show. Not quite anything like I expected.

From the opening theres a wealth of characters we've yet to meet. Most likely recipients of the Shigofumi's or part of Mikawa's little storyline. I also saw another 'Postal Worker' in the opening.

[Kraco]

Postal workers always come in pairs:

Episode 4 - w.​0.​0.​f (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4279) (A cat or a dog, who cares...)



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This series continues pretty strong. We got the other postal worker in, and, while I don't know if it's good or not, she obviously has a serious attitude of superiority and is doubtful of Fumika's integrity. It seems even this series can't avoid all the cliches even if it has the power to surprise every now and then. But at least from all her rambling we got one piece of affirmative information: Fukima's corporal body isn't yet quite dead. No doubt the reason why she delivers shigofumi now (and so vehemently wants to see them delivered) is somehow connected to her obviously tragic past, which might have made her understand the value of such messages.

Other than that this particular episode was another step to a more predictable and traditional direction. Still, the surprise of the first ep made me expect the girl to die in the fire and send another letter to her lesbian friend... But I guess even this series isn't that rutheless.

[Ryllharu]

Well, that surprisingly answered most of my questions...

So Fumika obviously is still aging from her near-death state. Hmm, I wonder what happens if she wakes up. If she wakes up. The preview made it seem like that might just happen next episode. (Though I prefer my Fumika with silver-white hair.)

Not too much else to say that you haven't already. I do wish that Satomi Arai (she played Nanae in this episode) was given more roles in anime outside of bit parts. She has incredible range, well displayed in Mahoraba, her only major role. Either way, I still loved hearing her voice again here.

[Lucifus]

For anyone that hasn't already got er:

Shigofumi Episode 5 |
H.264 (http://tracker.anirena.com/download.php?id=4459)

XviD (http://tracker.anirena.com/download.php?id=4458)

[Kraco]

Near-death postal worker:

Episode 6 - w.0.0.f (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4590)

[Ryllharu]

I wonder if there is any special reason that Fumika's real body has brown hair, yet her Postworker form has white hair? At first, I might leave it to her simply being half-dead (fitting words for this episode), but as we learned in episode 5, Postal Worker Fumika's hair color matches someone else's...her father.

It has to be more than a coincidence.

As for this episode itself, meh. Bullying episodes. Same here as in Jigoku Shoujo, GTO, any shoujo series ever written, and even School Days.

There's no way I'd ever forget that rat bastard's voice...Morishita here, Makoto there.

[Yukimura]

I think this was my first ever anime bullying episode, not counting School Days, in which it seemed fairly tame by comparison. Is the common anime outcome that the bullying victim kills the bullies?

I thought it was interesting that this episode had almost no emphasis on Shigofumi's and Postal Workers, and instead focused on life issues but maybe that's just because my head's not full of Jigoku Shoujo or Shinigami no Ballad episodes already.

I've finally caught on that almost all of this stuff is taking place at the same school, which means that girl near the end might be familiar. Have we seen her before?

[Ryllharu]

It does bother me how spineless the Japanese depict themselves in anime and movies when it comes to bullying. The target just takes it and takes it until they snap. That usually ends in a homicide or suicide (attempted or successful).

Maybe it's just an American (read: asshole) thing, but when boys get bullied, sooner or later they buck up and punch the bully in the face, or stay obstinately defiant until they get the shit beat out of them. I went to a fairly large middle school, so this happened often enough. Most high schools are all zero tolerance nowadays, so it doesn't happen there anymore. I can't say anything about how girls here tend to resolve these things, but I sure know how nasty they can get to each other.

I get that defiance isn't a very welcomed reaction in many Asian cultures (except maybe parts of the southeast), but if you're simply going to do what you're told, you deserve to be bullied.

You may not have to fight back, but you sure as hell don't have to do anything either.

[Everon]

I watched the first two episodes. Are the rest of the episodes small vignettes/novellas, tied together by the Shigofumi?

I feel like they're trying a little too hard to show off the dark underbelly of society. The character development get condensed and its hard for me to generate sympathy for them.

[Ryllharu]

No, there is one storyline that runs through many of the episodes. "Who is Fumika really?" A few people ask this question from several different angles. Also, at least watch to episode 5 if you are concerned about it pushing the "dark underbelly" too hard.

[Kraco]

The bulk of this ep was quite annoying to watch, for sure, because of the submissive attitude of those two targets. I was expecting the second one to fight back. The first one seemed to be from the helpless nerd stock but the second looked like he could have fought. But alas no. I never actually witnessed systematic bullying, the zero tolerance is effective after all, but if you believed manga, anime and games it looks like the teachers in Japan don't give a shit. A bit hard to believe really, since like this series has shown, the schools really may want to retain their image.

Fortunately in the end this episode didn't let down because the second dude cracked and stabbed. Jolly good. Though I still would have preferred a more intelligent outcome (no less violent; those bullies deserved what they got, but a more strategic payback) but this does suit this series better, I reckon.

[Yukimura]

I was thinking about the image thing to, and it seemed to me that the teachers and administration would rather pretend problems didn't exist then address them and accept the shame that they existed in the first place.

The teachers were saying not to say anything to the police that might be embarrassing, which could conceivably cover lying to protect the 'image' of the school. I find it quite despicable that they would care more about image than about actually doing good for the students, but I guess that's just how things work.

[Ryllharu]

[w.o.o.f] Shigofumi Episode 7 (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4705)

That was....really weird.

[Kraco]

Yeah. I have to say it's no wonder Fumika tried to shoot his father... I actually thought before this episode the dad Kirameki was dead because they all the time were telling he was shot by his daughter. But apparently he was shot and yet lived. I wonder what put the girl in a coma, then. Did it happen similarly to what happened in this episode?

Extremely eccentric man but an interesting house. However, I'm not entirely sure if Hakuoro's voice actor was the best man for the job. His voice doesn't really give me an image of either such a pretty boy or a lunatic.

[Ryllharu]

I'll second the thought that Kirameki was dead after Fumika shot him the first time.

However, after seeing what he's like, I totally encourage her to do so again and finish the job this time.

Judging by the looks of Fumika's gun and comparing it to the house, it's abundantly clear that Fumika sent herself the gun as a Shigofumi.

[Kraco]

This thread seems to be a bit out of date.

Episode 8 - w.​0.​0.​f (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4831)
Episode 9 - w.​0.​0.​f (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=4966)






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Episode 9 was rather interesting and worked well in my opinion. It wasn't really central to the story, I feel, unless Chiaki is, after all, more than just a supporting character. Perhaps this ep flowed so smoothly because the two postal workers acted naturally in the company of the two humans and episodes like this might be good for Fumika's somewhat emotionally deprived personality.

[Kraco]

Forest friends:

Episode 10 - w.​0.​0.​f (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=5109)






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Hmm... For more than half of this episode I thought this was quite an annoying episode, but the end did redeem much. Still, there were some things I very much disliked like the personality of the dude to which I couldn't connect at all, and also the whole police station part. What the heck was that anyway?

The police see a man walking with a young girl, the man is old enough to be the girl's father and they also behave in a relaxed and familiar way, with no signs of anything strange. What does the police do? Arrest the man for being a kidnapper or worse? That was way too artificial a plot element unless the police in Japan regularly bring 50% of young fathers (or relatives taking care of a kid) in for questioning should they be seen in public with the child.

Seriously, they could have had a better story for the awakening episode.

[Ryllharu]

First a quick comment on eps 9:

I really liked this episode, and we learned a lot about Chiaki. However, I guess Fumika was completely right about having the ability to grow up and have a "nice body" in a few years, where Chiaki will stay a loli forever. Apparently, nothing was going to change anyway. Chiaki was always a loli. Got me a little misty-eyed in the end.

I also loved the bit where what amount to Chiaki's adopted daughter's suitcase breaks open to reveal a very large assortment of what looks like murderer's weapons. (Even if they were for fixing up the grave....)

----------------
Back to eps 10:


To play Devil's Advocate, I assume the reason they thought he was arresting little Fumika was because it was a Monday, and just like little Fumika, they wonder what he is doing with a child instead of being at work. From what I can gather, Japan is fairly traditional in that young children are always with their mothers on weekdays, as Japan's businesses are dominated by men, excepting the occasional unmarried OL (office lady for the unfamilar). Those are exceedingly rare to be over age 25 (when arranged marriages pressured by the family begin to increase).

Yeah, this episode was pretty bland until the last third or so. The next episode should be something else. Having her wake up was the cliffhanger. It also takes under a minute, so it really doesn't matter what you slap on as an episode in front of it.

[Yukimura]

I actually liked this episode, I felt like I could understand the guy somewhat and the simple story of the last day of his life was very interesting in a dull relaxing sort of way. He had terminal cancer, and he knew he had never lived up to his parents expectations, nor had he completely realized his own dreams. So he was feeling lost and confused, but in spending the day with a sweet little girl he was able to reflect on his life and find something good in the end (I'm not really sure what but he seemed okay with dying to save her).

The police bit I initially thought was a bit strange, but then I realized the cops came up and saw two people beating up an older guy while a little girl looked on, and like Ryl said, a 30 year old guy probably wouldn't be expected to be hanging around a movie theater parking lot with a little girl and then draw a beatdown unless he was up to something shady. The cops certainanly jumped to a conclusion, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility.

But on to the main story, I wonder what they're going to do with the awakened Fumi-chan. She seemed a bit belligerent in the preview, and I'd wager she'll have no knowledge or memory of her Mika personality, which should lead to strife if and when they meet.

[Ryllharu]

I don't see how Fumi-chan would forget Mika-chan, they were closer than best friends, and protected each other. I suspect that Fumi-chan would feel disoriented when she woke up to find Mika-chan gone.

[Kraco]

It's only two episodes left so it would make sense she remembers Mika well enough. But it will be interesting to see how this will end. My guess is they won't merge anymore but Mika continues to work as a postal worker and Fumi will resume a normal life, more or less. Or should I say begin a normal life as I doubt she will return to her crazy dad's place. Those two meddling former school mates probably will help her reach that conclusion.

Or at least if I had had a split personality that suddenly would have been incarnated, I would rather wish it to continue as a separate entity than absorb it back inside myself (yeah, a really realistic comparison). Well, this is assuming Mika won't start to fade automatically right away. She was an exception among the postal workers in any case.

[Ryllharu]

I thought about that too once it was revealed that Mika-chan was her protective personality. I had thought she was a coma-projection, and would fade when Fumika (back when we still thought they were the same) woke. I'm still not entirely sure how Mika "died," but I see no reason why Mika would fade anymore.

[Kraco]

Resolution lost and found:

Episode 11v2 - w.​0.​0.​f (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=5263)

[Ryllharu]

Strangely enough, there is no torrent out, but you can get the final episode of w.0.0.f's Shigofumi 12 from their IRC channel.


This was a strange episode. I'll elaborate more after giving Kraco and others a chance to watch it.

[rgrintz]

episode 12 torrents:

h264 http://tracker.anirena.com/details.php?id=5377&hit=1

xvid http://tracker.anirena.com/details.php?id=5378&hit=1

[Kraco]

The last letter:

Episode 13 OVA - w.0.0.f (http://forum.anirena.com/viewtracker.php?action=download&id=14675)
Episode 13 OVA(xvid) - w.0.0.f (http://forum.anirena.com/viewtracker.php?action=download&id=14676)

[Yukimura]

Dag Nabbit, I hate it when the tack on an OVA and punish us sub watchers who burn at the end of the season. Maybe Menclave will come through and actually finish it though.

[Kraco]

At least it was a good episode. But it surely is annoying to have an ova like this, which integrates so directly to the story to be separated from the rest.

[Ryllharu]

I loved it. It was a really nice epilogue to the series. Fumi-chan was finally beginning to adjust a little to the world she woke up in. We got more of Chiaki being...Chiaki, and it was interesting to see that she hangs around Fumi-chan at night. They also displayed that there were long lasting affects to Shigofumi being common knowledge at the school after the hostage incident, and poked a bit of fun at how so many of the events happened at that particular school.

But most importantly, we got a little closure about the end of episode 12, where Fumika and Fumi-chan went separate ways "hating" each other. Sure, that may have been staged by the both of them in order to allow them to stand on their own rather than becoming entangled once again, but here we finally see how different the two are.

Fumika vehemently abides by the rules. "Shigofumi are neither good nor bad."
On the other hand, Fumi-chan has decided she will pass on the good, and suppress the bad.

In the end though, they still are closer than either would like to admit.