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Recap / Ookamikakushi S 1 E 9 Secret Room

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Laughing sinisterly, Sakaki locks Hiroshi in the abandoned shrine with a bound-up Nemuru, saying the game has finally begun. Hiroshi asks him what he means, and to stop joking and let him out, but Sakaki replies that he said he'd show Hiroshi the truth and that by the time everything is over even an idiot like him should understand. Tossing a knife into the room, Sakaki calls Hiroshi a pathetic sheep thrown to an annoying monster, adding that if Hiroshi hadn't been so hesitant they could have been allies, then shuts the door to the shrine. His pleas falling on deaf ears, Hiroshi turns to face Nemuru, who opens her eyes to reveal they've begun to glow red.

Cue opening theme.

Hiroshi asks Nemuru if she's in pain, but she tersely states that she's fine. Hiroshi repeats his question, but Nemuru tells him to leave her alone. Outside it starts to rain. At the highschool, the homeroom teacher takes attendance and notices both Nemuru and Hiroshi are missing, wondering if they stayed home because of the weather or because they lack his skinship. As the class laughs at his joke, Kaname anxiously glances at Hiroshi's empty desk. Later in the day, she visits Hiroshi's home and learns he's not there. Masaki states that Hiorshi went to a university student friend's house to study and that said friend — Sakaki — called the night before to say Hiroshi would be spending the night. Masaki is unconcerned, saying Hiroshi would be the last person to get involved with bad activities, but notices Kaname's concerned expression and asks if she knows something. Kaname pulls out the clipboard with the check list and gives it to him.

At the shrine, Hiroshi is woken up by a flash of lightning to see Nemuru clad in her wolf mask and hunter's kimono, wielding her scythe. He barely dodges as she lunges at him with her scythe, but is left cornered as she looms over him and deals a finishing blow. Cringing in anticipation of being impaled, Hiroshi opens his eyes to see Nemuru standing over him in her school uniform, eyes glowing red. Wordlessly, she approaches and straddles his waist, running her hands up his body to cup his cheeks, whispering that she wants him... and then her fingers transform into tentacles and wrap around his head. Again clad in her hunter's garb, Nemuru's mask opens into a fanged maw as she lunges towards his face. Waking up, Hiroshi sees Nemuru still bound, thinking that she must be in pain due to her panting. Nemuru insists she's fine, and Hiroshi wonders if anyone's looking for them, recalling that Nemuru's father is the head of Jōga's neighbourhood association. However, Nemuru says that her father would not look for her after she violated a house-arrest order.

At the Kushinada family's mansion, Kasai tells Nemuru's father and uncle that there is no trace of her. Shigetsu says he heard Kasai mention he hired a handyman to capture Hiroshi and asks if Nemuru could have gone to save him, wondering if the handyman knows of the whereabouts of his daughter. Kasai sends a Vigilance Committee member to verify if this is the case, and Shigetsu suggests his brother organize a search for her. Jūzō refuses, stating that Nemuru neglected her duties and violated her house arrest, that if she becomes a Fallen she will be dealt with accordingly, and that at the very least Hiroshi will no longer pose a problem to the community. As Shigetsu expresses incredulity at his brother's callousness, Kasai says that the Kushinada family deals with those who break the law without exception, in accordance with the Kamiotoshi ceremony.

In the shrine, Nemuru explains that she inherited the position of the "Karibito" — the scythe-wielding Hunter — from her father, and that the duty has been passed down in her family for generations. Hiroshi exclaims that's absurd, asking how murdering people could be considered a duty, but Nemuru simply states that strange or not it is the law in Jōga and necessary for the survival of her people. More confused than ever, Hiroshi tells Nemuru to explain everything regarding what the Jōgamachi Hassaku Festival is about and what is going on with everyone. Nemuru decides that keeping things secret is impossible, and says she'll explain everything.

At the apartments, Kaname prepares to leave and apologizes for disturbing them. Mana tells her to come again and Masaki says they'll call when Hiroshi comes home and that if Hiroshi doesn't return by the next day he'll organize a search, remarking that the information on the clipboard is very interesting. In the shrine, Nemuru tells Hiroshi that her species, the kamibito, are beings that are neither humans or gods, and that they call ordinary humans ochibito. She states that her distant ancestors, the Jōga wolves, stayed hidden in the mountains due to their instinctive urge to eliminate the ochibito, but that they were nevertheless deified by the humans who settled in the region, bringing about the Jōgamachi Hassaku Festival. This revelation causes Hiroshi to remember Issei's and Isuzu's attacks on him. Nemuru states that Issei crossed a line after attacking Hiroshi, verifying that she killed him as punishment, invoking the ritual of kamiotoshi. She explains that the kamiotoshi law is necessary to protect the human inhabitants of Jōga, or else the kamibito would instinctively attack them. Hiroshi asks why the kamibito don't simply not attack, but Nemuru explains that humans emit a sweet scent called mitsu that kamibito find irresistible, and that Hiroshi's mitsu is especially potent. Hiroshi is horrified with the implication that the deaths and disappearances are his fault, but Nemuru protests he's innocent and it's the fault of the cursed destiny of the kamibito. Hiroshi protests that the law is wrong, but Nemuru insists it's their destiny. Hiroshi asks Nemuru if she'll attack him if she wasn't tied up, taking the knife and cutting the rope binding her despite her protests. Nemuru reveals that she could have broken free at any time, her irises fully turning red.

Wandering through Jōga reflecting on the information Nemuru had revealed to her, Kaname comes across Kasai and a Vigilance Committee member. Kasai asks the committee member if he's spoken to the handyman, and the committee member replies that he's informed Sakaki that the Vigilance Committee will be taking their hands off the matter involving Hiroshi, then asks Kasai why Sakaki involved the Karibito. Kasai remarks that Nemuru is an immature brat who won't be missed, then says it's best to fight an ochibito with an ochibito and to leave things to the handyman. Kaname races back to the Kuzumi family apartment, telling Masaki that Hiroshi and Nemuru are in grave danger. Leaving Mana at home in case Hiroshi calls, Masaki and Kaname set out, Masaki shocked that the old legends of the town are true. At the hospital, Kasai meets with Shigetsu, who asks if he's sure he doesn't know where Nemuru is and what he plans to do with Hiroshi. Kasai snaps that Hiroshi is dangerous and needs to be eliminated, but Shigetsu states that the the problem lies with the kamibito and that taking action against ochibito goes against the law. In response, Kasai reveals he knows Shigetsu turned over data on the kamibito to Sakaki, but as Shigetsu turns and asks how he knows he drops his mug of coffee — which has been poisoned — and collapses, coughing up blood. Kasai calmly states that the fate of those who break the law is death, and that Shigetsu's way of doing things will destroy the kamibito. As Kasai leaves, Shigetsu pulls himself upright and reaches for the phone, calling his brother. Shigetsu tells Jūzō that Kasai has betrayed them, urging him to find Nemuru and Hiroshi. Saying that Nemuru cannot be allowed to become a Fallen, Shigetsu tells his brother that the kamibito and ochibito need to unite and create a town where both species can live in harmony before being cut off by Kasai disconnecting the call, and succumbs to the poison.

The Vigilance Committee members and Jūzō set out in search of Nemuru, coming across Masaki and Kaname. Introductions are made, and the two fathers join forces to search for their children together. In the shrine, Nemuru struggles to keep control of herself and Hiroshi apologizes for making her suffer. She grabs the knife and slices her hand in order to suppress her instincts with pain, but Hiroshi, concerned, approaches her and takes her hand. Succumbing to her instincts, Nemuru pushes Hiroshi to the floor and amorously climbs onto him, exclaiming that she knows it's wrong but that she wants him as she leans in to kiss him. Dawn breaks, and Jūzō and Masaki open the shrine to find Hiroshi cradling Nemuru. Jūzō explains he followed Hiroshi's scent after the rain ended and asks if everyone is alright, and Hiroshi simply states that Nemuru protected him: just before kissing him, Nemuru had come to her senses, vowing to live up to his belief that she would not attack him. Peering into the shrine, Kaname smiles and thinks to herself that Nemuru is not a monster.

At Jōga's hospital, Isuzu wakes up having recovered from her madness; and the Jōgamachi Hassaku Festival begins.

Cue end credits.

Tropes presented in this episode include:

  • Erotic Dream: Hiroshi's nightmare involves Nemuru attempting to force herself on him... before Transformation Horror gets involved.
  • Expressive Mask: In Hiroshi's nightmare, Nemuru's mask opens into a fanged maw and she eats his face.
  • I Have No Son!: Nemuru's father disowns her for running off to protect Hiroshi, saying that she is to be treated as a Fallen.
  • Infodump: This episode, along with the previous one, reveals what is going on with Jōga and why people are so creepy around Hiroshi.
  • More Teeth than the Osmond Family: In Hiroshi's nightmare, Nemuru's mask opens into a gaping maw with two rows of razor-sharp fangs.
  • Nightmare Sequence: Hiroshi has a nightmare about Nemuru trying to kill him, sexually assaulting him, then eating his face.
  • Our Werewolves Are Different: As revealed by Nemuru and her father, many of the inhabitants of Jōga are kamibito - the Jōga wolves in human form. Those that succumb to their bestial instincts are called Fallen and disposed of by the Karibito, a position passed down through the Kushinada family line.
  • Resist the Beast: Nemuru almost succumbs to her instincts and kisses Hiroshi, but stops herself just in time.
  • Self-Harm: Nemuru slices her palm using the knife in an attempt to keep control of herself.
  • Supernaturally Delicious and Nutritious: Nemuru reveals that humans produce a scent called mitsu that essentially acts as an aphrodisiac to Jōga wolves and causes them to lose control of their instincts. Hiroshi's mitsu is excruciatingly potent, explaining Issei's and Isuzu's amorous-to-the-point-of-being-yandere behaviour towards him. This can be counteracted by the scent of hassaku oranges, but the poor harvest only exacerbates the issue.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Yes, Hiroshi, cut loose the horny werewolf girl and take her hand after she explains that your scent is a major turn-on.
  • What Is Going On?: With Nemuru tied up and ostensibly at his mercy, Hiroshi takes the opportunity to press her for answers about what's going on in Jōga, and this time she obliges. Kaname also supplies some exposition during her walk through the city, which is interspersed with Nemuru's explanation.

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