Zombie Loan – Episode 3
22 July 2007
Well, after watching episode two, which rubbed me the wrong way for some reason, I wasn’t really expecting much from episode three. I didn’t even have an entry on two, so, it was kinda like, oh well, here goes, gotta do something after having spent the entire day reading. Anyways, it turned out better than I expected. Nothing really happened, but several characters were introduced and the build up for the next episode was pretty good.
Plot Michiru is talking to Yuuta when one of her other, nameless friends comes up to her and asks her to get lunch. Gathering her strength and determination, Michiru replies, no, she’s not buying lunch today. Faced with no other choice, the other nonchalantly takes on the task of buying lunch. Yuuta asks for an apple juice. After the other girl leaves, Yuuta congratulates Michiru on sticking up for herself. She always thought Michiru was so shy and selfless that it was good she refused this time. She also hands Michiru her class notes, saying that since she missed three days of school and she was a bit slow, she’d have a hard time catching up. Overwhelmed by this act of kindness, Michiru begins to cry.
Later, she arrives at the Zombie Loan office, with her luggage. As she enters, she see a man on his knees begging for more time. Yuuta, the on that works at the Z-Loan office explains that it’s just another guy on the contract who can’t pay for his debt. Yuuta is also a zombie, showing Michiru her ring. She also has two ‘friends’, her right hand is Kenken, and her left is Konkon. Or was her right Konkon and her left Kenken? Anyways, Kenken’s the hothead and Konkon is the intellectual. They actually remind me of Chika and Shito.
Chika and Shito arrives with a small girl in tow. They ask Michiru what she was going to do with her housing situation and she replies that she was going to try capsule hotels (que?). Chika remarks that it’s a waste of money and the girl they brought will take care of all of her problems. Perplexed, Michiru leaves with the girl. Driven away in a limo, Michiru asks if the girl’s a zombie. She shakes her head. Was she running an errand for her parents? Another shake of her head and the child’s very blue eyes remain fixed on her laptop. Curious, Michiru scoots over to see what she’s doing and is shocked to find see “Utopia Serial Murder Case.”
Back in the Z-Loan office, Ferryman says that the nurse (from episode two) did not have a proper contract. Yet, she claims that her ring was a sign of the contract, Chika says. Ferryman concludes that this meant there were people making zombies. Since the higher ups don’t have the manpower to get rid of this problem, the reward for zombies are going to go up. Chika grins, saying as he leaves that he’ll get rid of the guys messing around with other people’s lives. Scathingly, adds Shito.
Turns out, the little girl in the limo was playing a ‘retro game’ as Michiru calls it. Michiru herself was into these games, I’m guessing it’s just a computer game and gives the girl instruction. It’s a murder case and she accidentaly spills the ending. Apologetic, she introduces herself as Kita Michiru and asks for the girl’s name. The little girl is actually the chair of Kobuka Academy, Kuze Shimotsuki. This freaks Michiru out to no end.
The girls takes Michiru to the old school building, closed 62 years ago (1940’s? a lot of things closed in the 40’s, hello world war two…) and says that there are two conditions for people to be housed here. One was that they have personal problems, which Michiru is chock full of, her parents passed away and all that. As they walk through the deserted school building, Kuze abruptly says, “Thirty centimeters ahead.” And thirty centimeters later, Michiru trips on the old floorboards.
As she begins to stand up, a cheery voice calls out to the chairperson. Turning around, they’re greeted by a green haired girl in a red sweat suit, happiness exuding from her every orifice. She also falls into the floorboard. The chair person introduces her as Koyomi, Lily Class, Third year, Michiru’s senior in the dorms. The chairperson leaves the two to get acquainted and for Koyomi to show Michiru her room. The room’s old, full of spiderwebs and covered completely in dust, and also overlooks a cemetery. Hower, undefeated by her predicament, Michiru sets out to clean her new apartment.
A shot of the city at night, a woman screams, “Rai, save me.” In an abandoned building, the woman, presumably, is killed. There are a bunch of numbers, form the opening, written next to her chair, with a butterfly. A man with his back to the moonlight, music player in hand, cigarette in mouth is seated across her on the windowsill. Judging from that two second close up of his face, he’s pretty hot and also a zombie with the black ring around his neck.
Back at the dorms, Michiru is exhausted having just finished cleaning. Retreating to her room and looking forward to sleep, she’s surprised that the boys and Koyomi was throwing a party for her. Overwhelmed, again, by this act of kindness, she profusely thanks them. However, as Chika reveals, she owes them for saving her life and only because she has Shinigami eyes did they save her. Disgruntled by this explanation, she mutters if only she could use her inheritance. Shito advises her not to and she’s slightly annoyed by his attitude.
Koyomi passes out, drunk from a soda, I guess. Chika and Shito, seeing this, decide to leave as well. When Michiru asks them where they’re going, the two reply in unison, “It’s a secret.” And they proceeded to jump out of her window. With the two boys gone, Koyomi wakes up, but with an obvious change. She crawls over to Michiru and kisses her full on the lips. Freaked out to no end, Michiru backs up and asks what she was doing, calling her Koyomi. The other girl replies that her name is Yomi and Koyomi or whatever, was just a room mate. She pushes Michiru down on the bed and begins to touch her…in places. Just as the action gets uncomfortably steamy, the chairperson returns, tranquilizes Yomi or Koyomi and drags her off, remarking that for Yomi to show herself, she must really like Michiru.
Somewhere else entirely, a report of a murdered woman implies that it was the girl early in the abandoned building. A bespectacled man in a sweatshirt types rapidly on a keyboard, a computer monitor showing a butterfly.
Next day at school, Koyomi greets Michiru, who is still freaked out. Showing no signs of even remembering the events last night, she tells Michiru not to tire of her so early on and leaves. Chika and Shito immediately appears and asks her how she knew Yomi. Before she fulls explains, they conclude that they can use her.
At the Z-Loan office, Michiru is refusing completely to do what they’re telling her, screaming and yelling “No!”. I’ve gotten use to her screaming by now. In the end, Michiru acquiesces to kissing Koyomi to bring out her alter ego, Yomi. Kenken and Konkon demonstrating the act, much to each other’s disgust but having no of preventing Yuuta from bring them together.
Yomi shows herself, happy to see Michiru, but not to see Chika or Shito. Despite being annoyed, Yomi helps the two, tapping into her powers. I’m guessing this is why the episode was called “Dead Man’s Tongue.” She closes her eyes, falling asleep. Several moments later, she twitches and utters, “Rai save me,” among other incoherent mumblings. Yuuta takes all of it and Shito muses that he’s heard “Rai, save me,” somewhere and deems this be the start of his investigation. Chika says he has to go to his part time job, dragging Michiru along with him.
At the part time job, Chika sits around and Michiru does all of the work. As they bicker, Michiru catches sit of a man shoplifting a magazine. Chika, angered, runs after him, chasing him down the street. The fleeing man bumps into another person, sending his items flying. The other man deftly catches the objects and tells, calmly, for Chika to stop. As Chika turns around to see who it is, his is amazed to see Shiba Reiichiro, who, in my mind, is very hot.
Preview The conclusion to arc and the start of something bigger? We get to find out the deal behind the shoplifting computer nerd and Shiba. Looking forward to this one because Shiba is so darn hot. Oh, and that guy, with the little glasses, from episode one makes an appearance.
Impressions Well, I really liked the new characters, Koyomi, Kuze and Shiba. Finally getting to see where this is headed. The whole thing about a guy turning out zombies reminds me a lot of D.Gray Man with the Millennium Earl, but it might be different. Koyomi also struck me as an interesting character, especially with Yomi, the lesbian alter ego. That scene was pretty weird to say the least. Totally not expecting them to kiss or even touch. Anyways, it happened.
Every show it seems, needs to have a loli, or at least a very small girl. Zombie Loan has Kuze. Her role, I’m assuming, will be much like Ferryman’s. Speaking of Ferryman, he reminds me of Linali’s brother, whose name I can’t recall, from D.Gray Man. This reminds a lot of D.Gray Man, maybe it’s the whole zombies thing.
And now, speculations regarding Shiba: Is he the guy in the trench coat in the opening and ending? Is he the guy with the cigarette who killed, presumably, the woman? Is he the villain? Chika and him appear to be on good terms, is he just another guy with a contract? Who the bloody hell is he? And why is he so hot?!
Speculations regarding the next episode: I’m guessing that computer nerd is behind all of it, though he might just be a pawn. Judging from the opening and ending, the entire cast of characters haven’t appear yet. Not even close to the entire cast. There’s a guy in a beige suit in the ending that plays with his hair, though not white, reminds me a lot of Near. I’m really not sure where the series will go. There’s potential with that very brief exchange between Ferryman and the boys and I’m assuming that’s what the show is riding on. And also with Yomi’s hint. Out to catch the murderer? Yes, no?
And one last thing, when are we going to get a straight pairing from the show? Chika and Shito are inseparable. They talk in unison, strike poses, bicker, they’re glued together and neither one is showing an interest in girls, hello yaoi fangirls. Yomi kissed Michiru, felt her up and molested her, hello yuri fans. What about the heterosexual fan? What about the person that wants a straight pairing? What if I, unlike my yaoi and yuri loving peers, don’t want to see two guys or girls kiss? I want a straight, canon pairing! Like Michiru and Shito, Michiru and Chika or something along those lines. What’s a fangirl got to go on these days…
I second the call for straight pairings. I do NOT like Yomi. Just because it’s a female doing the molesting, it does not make it less a molesting.
Fortunately, there isn’t any signs of Chika and Shito being yaoi. And Michiru seems quite reliably heterosexual.
Some good possibilities there, I hope.
This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title . Thanks for informative article