Episode 9: Leave It! Chase It! Caught In The Middle!

Try as I might, I cannot come up with a reasonable explanation for the
title of this episode. Leave it, chase it…it makes no sense. Thankfully, that falls
just in line with the episode itself. It moves from ridiculous situation to ridiculous
situation with ease and a cheerful lack of coherency. This is one of the few Haunted
Junction
episodes that doesn’t overplot, so it can just be what the series needs: a
hilarious and off the wall half-hour of pure wackiness.

Haruto begins this episode by reading a love letter that he hopes will be the harbinger of
a more normal life ahead. This leads to one of the creepiest images in all of Haunted
Junction
(the chairman in little girl clothes…shudder sounds). After that bit
of unpleasantness, the council is sent to an elementary school under some thin pretense
where they have to confront a troublesome school spirit with a rusty pair of scissors and
sickle (is this a communist thing?). This leads to an encounter with a pair of wrestling
Hanakos, a pond spirit that really really wants to give away gold stuff, and the
school spirits’ transformation into an enormous despiser of envy. I think.

The scenes throughout this episode have only the most tenuous of connections, jumping from
ridiculousness to ridiculousness with absolute abandon. In that way, it’s an admirable bit of
animated comedy. There are several gags that are drag-out hilarious, and performances from
the Red Mantle, Bones, and Haruo that have to be seen. It is also a rare instance of
Mutsuki’s shouta complex making her humorous rather than just turning her into a creep.

Overall, this episode is a light and enjoyable romp without the need for overexamination.
It just exists to be enjoyed. It may lose a bit of its luster if looked at too closely, so
I won’t.
Rating :A-

About Kent Conrad

To contact Kent Conrad, email kentc@explodedgoat.com