Why do the Japanese love haunted houses so much?

I’ll never understand it.

Continuing with the summer season, it seems the girls are still in school and donning their cute pink uniforms!

Yet, the lack of visitors to the shopping district worries Tamako enough to call another meeting of the shopkeepers. With the idea of a haunted house in mind, she strives to attract attention to the shopping district. Overall all, it seems like a good idea, but then the shopkeepers begin to worry their heads off over a little silly superstition. They are convinced that the shopping district may be haunted for real, after seeing an office worker covered in blood and disembodied spirits, but don’t have the hearts to tell Tamako and ruin her haunted house plan.

Much like episode 2, this week’s episode follows a slight pattern. Tamako wants to bring more attention to the shopping district, she carries out a plan, is successful, and then Dera bumps his head and turns into a projector. For a while, I kind of thought they were going to do away with that part of the plot and turn it into purely cute girls doing cute things.

The shopkeepers even get involved with this plan, however they are more preoccupied with ridding the district of evil spirits. Because of various oddities such as footprints in the bath house and missing portions of udon, they are seriously under the impression of the district being haunted. They bring Tamako and company snacks (tuna cuts, garlic and salt) and not-so-subtley pour some sake around the storage unit where the haunted house is to take place.

As a test run, Shiori and Dera enter the haunted house, with Dera under the impression that having two people enter a haunted house will make them be together forever. Shiori seems a little frightened while the haughty mochi-eating bird gets the shit scared out of him. This kind of reaction attracts attention from onlookers who then line up for the haunted house. The shopkeepers finally decide to warn Tamako of the oddities occurring around the district, only to be shot down by Shiori’s rational thinking. However, the mystery of the blood-covered office worker and the disembodied souls still remain.

The haunted house ends up being a huge success, drawing in a large crowd, scaring the pants off of the homeroom teacher and even bringing more attention to the other shops in the district.

After the day’s fun, the whole gang gets together for a celebration. When the question of the two oddities in the district are brought up, Kanna reveals that they were her doing. Wanting to spice things up, she included the oblivious Dera in her plans. Given a can of paint, the bird flies around the district and is mistaken for a spirit. The can of paint also spills on an unsuspecting passerby, making him look as if he is covered in blood.

Clever thinking, Kanna.

Dera throws a tantrum over being used for Kanna’s plan, but ends up knocking himself out and turning into a projector. Again, we catch a glimpse of the prince that Dera talks of, saying that he is sending someone over.

That someone has already arrived and like Dera, she seems to think Buddhist statues are meant for throwing at your enemies.

Next episode will be all about her!

Stay tuned for the brown loli.

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I finished Hyouka last night. Needless to say, I will have to pay more attention to KyoAni releases. It was damn good!