You’re a God, and I am not.
Spoilers Below
Despite appearances, last episode’s battle was far from over, as it takes up the majority of “Trials of the Local God”. This Tsugumomo’s first deviation from its typical format of shenanigans + mini-battle. This stormy fight taking center stage just reinforces how awesome these action sequences are.
The local goddess, Kukuri-hime, is still fighting for Kazuya to become a malison cleanser. Since Kiriha refuses for him, she’ll have to kill them instead. She almost succeeds, as Kazuya finds himself in heaven-like existence.
In this bridge to the afterlife, Kazuya meets a woman, who — is that is mom?? I’ve been waiting for the mom to show up. This has to be her. She asks Kazuya to save Kiriha by becoming stronger than her and tells him how to do it. As soon as he’s ready, Kiriha saves him from drowning and brings him back to full life.
Kiriha’s still alive, but she’s weak, and now she’s tiny like a little girl. Kazuya does what the mom-like figure said and commands Kiriha as his obi (that means sash-lady weapon if anyone forgot).
He does amazingly in battle. Just like last week, Kiriha is impressed and allows herself to trust him. Possible Mom comes to Kazuya in a vision and tells him how to fight. He almost beats Kukuri-hime, but as she reminds them, she’s a god. In order to save Kiriha’s life, he agrees to be the malison cleanser.
As the storm clears, Kukuri-hime’s mask falls off, revealing that she’s also a little girl. She and Kiriha wrestle like children. The goddess may have lost her power, but she reveals she’s had a secret plan. Now that she’s forced Kazuya to be Kiriha’s master, and has claimed ownership of him herself, she’s now in charge of both of them.
There’s still a little mystery left, as the goddess alludes, “the bigger problem is right in front of us”. But the mom mystery is all wrapped up. In a flashback, the mom holds baby Kazuya and speaks to Kiriha. She asks her to take care of him, in case anything happens.
Tsugumomo has proven to be a solidly enjoyable show. I wasn’t expecting more of last week’s epic battle, and it was just as fun seeing it finish. The mystery is unfolding with perfectly measured timing, so becoming invested is effortless.
Score: 8/10