Overview (Spoilers Below): Mogura and his companions uncover the underbelly of Yaeko’s island.
Our Take: As usual, it didn’t take us too long to uncover some mysterious events lurking around Yaeko’s hometown. In addition to the massive merfolk residing next to the island, Yaeko and the others discovered her old childhood friend, Mori, during the festival. However, he not only has been acting strangely, but his appearance is quite different from the last time Yaeko saw him. This is evident when Yaeko shows the group his high school photo, which surprisingly shows him looking thinner compared to how he looks now. Initially, it may seem like a pointless topic brought up by Yaeko and the others. However, this week’s episode shows that there’s more to Mori’s predicament than just his strange behavior. It’s revealed that the island’s villagers have constantly shunned Mori, but that’s only a part of the real truth that lies upon the island and its spiritual resident. It turns out that the villagers were secretly manipulated by a royal family that rules the hometown, consisting of its president, Samajia, and his great-granddaughter, Yuri. Given the demonic voice Yuri possesses, I wouldn’t be surprised if she turns out to be a demon in disguise, unless it’s only played out as a joke. The true mastermind behind this mysterious plan is Samajia’s mother, who seeks to find new companions for the president and Yuri, and yes, she’s extremely picky with her choices, even going as far as to pick Yaeko as the candidate. This ruse serves as a means of driving negative emotions to make the merfolk spirit bigger. At least, that’s what I got out of it since the series loves to over-complicate certain elements. This reveal would’ve made the final few episodes more interesting now that the masterminds behind the manipulation have been revealed. Unfortunately, given the complex expositions and underwhelming direction, it actually makes me more relieved that we’re in the home stretch of the supernatural series.