Don’t get me wrong – Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid is a very good series. But it’s for moments like this that the experience is really crafted. You can go through long stretches of- well, certainly not mediocrity, but pleasantness. Nothing exceptional, just breezy and accessible entertainment. But it does have these peaks every so often to remind you what it’s capable of. And to remind you not to take it for granted (as it’s so easy to do), because what it’s capable of is real emotional profundity.
As soon as the episode began and I realized where we were, I flashed back to the manga chapters and remembered how hard they hit me (especially that part at the end). After much build-up we finally meet Liz, Bocchan’s grandmother and the wife of Victor (who in so many ways is the key figure in the story). In Nakahara Mai they cast a seiyuu who could go toe-to-toe with the great Banjou Ginga as Victor. She arrives at the mansion on a rainy night, and something seems off right from the start. Alice’s sixth sense pops into mind, and one begins to put the pieces together about what’s really going on here.
It’s easy to see that Liz is a lot like Sharon in many ways – and that will prove a crucial plot point soon. We learned some details of Liz’ passing from Rob last week, and many more here. But this backstory, as moving as it was, is as much about filling in Sade’s story as Victor and Liz’. Fortunately thanks to Zain Bocchan can share Alice’s ability to see these visitors, and it’s the first time he’s seen his grandmother. Victor soon joins them (he wanted to spend some time taking in his old house) and conversation turns to the events of the past.
We knew how Sharon was cursed, if not exactly why. Long before that happened, Sade entered into a contract with Victor. She later reveals that she can read minds (whether she wants to or not) and knows how desperate Victor is to see his wife again. The deal she offers him is a guarantee that he’ll become a ghost after he dies, so he can travel the world with Liz as they promised. The price? Twenty years of Victor’s life, the fated length of which Sade claims she has no knowledge of. He agrees – faster than anyone ever has – and thus begins what can only be described as a very strange friendship.
We learn a fair bit here. For example, her nun outfit is “the one gift” Sade and Daleth’s father gave her. Victor intrigues her, sparks her curiosity, but that eventually develops into something more. The arrival of Sharon (and Alice) at the mansion is a watershed, and it soon become clear that Victor is developing feelings for Sharon. I don’t think he ever acted on them – it’s not specifically addressed – but for Sade it doesn’t matter. Victor loving Sharon means that he didn’t love her, and that was enough. She surely never intended to fall in love with a human, but not even the queen of the witches can control her own heart, it seems.
One thing is perfectly clear in all this. As far as Bocchan and his grandfather are concerned, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Bochhan’s father appears only briefly in silhouette, but Bocchan is his true heir in kindness – both of them are kind to a fault. It’s not even totally clear why Sade cursed him specifically – perhaps because Victor and Alice were out of her reach – but Bocchan feels only empathy for Sade despite what she did to him. Liz reveals that one of the rules of the contract is that they can never visit the same place twice, which means their time at the mansion is over. But it’s a big world, a place is just a place, and they have plenty of time.
I remember thinking as I was reading that it would be wrong if Liz and Victor never spoke with Rob. And Bocchan – of course – realizes this. Knowing what the pair of them mean to Rob, and how much regret he carries with him, that moment when he donned the glasses and saw them for the first time in decades hit really hard. It’s the sort of emotional payoff that’s earned honestly, through patient character development and organic storytelling. And those are the most powerful kind. A perfectly fitting end to one of the very best episodes of Shinigami Bocchan, and one of the best anime episodes of the year.
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