English Dub Review: In/Spectre “Electroshock Pinocchio”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Tae is an active octogenarian who lives with an unusually talkative cat. Why do the fishermen in her seaside town find dead fish coming in with the tide every morning?

Our Take:
There’s something fishy going on in the Goddess’s latest supernatural mystery, and I mean that in the literal sense. This week’s episode sees Kotoko and Kuro investigating a seaside town with a history as peculiar and disturbing as our previous cases. However, that part only happens at the tail end of the episode. So instead, we have another moment in the season where it introduces the supernatural threat through a different character’s perspective. One that resembles a classic tale about a specific boy made of wood. You’ll know what I’m referring to if you read the episode title.
This time, we’re introduced to Miss Tae, an elderly lady living in a town with a very talkative spirit cat. Tae is quite stubborn regarding the town’s negligence and the cat’s annoying peeves, but that doesn’t mean she cares less. The seaside village is affected by a phenomenon that’s been killing plenty of fish every morning. It turns out that this happened since one of the townsfolk, Zenta, died after creating a wooden puppet shaped like his dead grandson. In a shocking turn of events that I saw coming a mile away, the puppet was responsible for killing the fish with its electric abilities coming from its stone. Even worse is that the puppet poses a severe threat to the other yokai, prompting the cat to hire Kotoko and Kuro to tackle the monstrosity.
I’m pretty amazed so far that the show’s second season continues to focus more on the supporting characters compared to Kotoko and Kuro in season one. It provided different perspectives on the supernatural while delivering more insight into the people and the yokai Kotoko will be helping out later. However, the approach also makes me miss hanging out with Kotoko and Kuro a bit in specific episodes. I won’t be surprised if this becomes the primary standard for season two. Aside from its predictable outcome and derivative narrative, “Electroshock Pinocchio” is a less-than-shocking start to another supernatural case that’ll make you think twice about the story of “Pinocchio”.