English Dub Review: Kakuriyo-Bed and Breakfast for Spirits “I’ve Found a Job at the Inn for Spirits.”

Aoi’s debt struggle continues, but this restaurant might just be her way out.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Aoi is caught up thinking about her past; namely the death of her grandfather. To manage her negative flashbacks, she tries to calm herself down by cooking, which accounts for her ability to cook so well. All this has made it very hard for her to turn down Ginji’s offer of opening up a bed and breakfast for the spirits here and finds herself vexed with indecision.

Aoi tries to return to her room to think on the matter, but she is interrupted by the sight of a fight breaking out in the castle. Aoi asks a nearby servant what’s happening, and she explains that the Tengu are fighting with the kitchen chefs in the castle. Aoi listens to try and help with the situation, but soon Oodanna appears and threatens Aoi: if she doesn’t get out of the castle, she’s going to get devoured.

She rushes out of the castle to Ginji’s bed and breakfast. She decides to make some food to help with her troubles but finds a strange old tengu passed out in front of the restaurant. She revives the tengu, who reminds her of her grandfather, and helps the bewildered creature recover its bearings. She does the kindness of feeding the tengu, and soon he is consumed with the desire to eat more of Aoi’s food. His respect earned, Aoi shares a bit about her grandfather, which the tengu reciprocates by saying he knew her grandfather well. He shares with her some stories of her grandpa and tells her that he owes his very life to him since her grandpa saved him from drowning in the river. Turns out, there are a lot of stories about her free-spirited grandpa and the good he did for the spirits here. Aoi finally reveals that her grandpa died recently, which breaks the poor tengu’s heart. He soon thanks Aoi and leaves, taking his old man’s lament with him.

The next morning, Ginji arrives at the restaurant and tells Aoi to come with him. He takes her to the castle, where all the servants and Oodanna are waiting. They reveal to her that the tengu she fed the night before was none other than the leader of the tengu clan, and their most respected elder. He thanks Aoi in front of everyone and informs her that he the reason he was at the restaurant was that he fell off the flying boat he resides on. Her kindness to him after his accident has earned her the tengu elder’s respect. He honors her by giving her a leaf fan, a valuable item in tengu culture.

That day, the elder tengu is planning to depart the castle and has a great offer for Aoi. If she’d like, she can go with the tengus to their mountain home and have her debt here paid off, but Ginji interrupts and tells the elder tengu she can’t because she is betrothed to Oodanna. The elder tengu insists on his offer, but Aoi declines his generosity, feeling that she should find the way to pay her debt on her own means like her grandpa would want her to. The elder tengu soon departs, but not before scolding Oodanna for being cruel to his betrothed, and insisting to Aoi that she open up her restaurant here.

Her efforts have made Aoi a figure of some small respect here, and soon she meets a young tanuki named Kasuga who becomes her friend. Her footing gained, she tries to impress upon the stoic Oodanna her desire to open the restaurant. He responds by taking her on a flying boat ride, and telling her that she better be ready to work hard if she’s going to open this restaurant.

Our Take:

Well, now that things have gotten underway for Kakuriyo, they’ve managed to make a second episode that works much better in comparison to the first. This episode has a mellow, tranquil sort of feel to it; a comfiness that seeks to make for a pretty alright slice of life show. However, the over-reliance on exposition and dialogue makes for a show that’s kinda boring and might get old quick depending on the quality of the writing.