Shigofumi

[Kraco]

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
ANN
Official

Episode 1 - BakaWolf - m.3.3.w

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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, 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



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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

[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 (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

XviD

[Kraco]

Near-death postal worker:

Episode 6 - w.0.0.f

[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.