Otogi Zoshi: Full Circle

It’s the final volume of the Tokyo arc and the title ‘Full Circle’ is apt in more ways than one, for not only does it refer to the direction that the main characters’ lives are taking but it’s also a nod to the Yamanote railway line in Tokyo where many of the events take place.

It’s December 21st, the Winter Solstice, and snow is falling over Tokyo. Hikaru is trying to make sense of the sad memories of her past life that have returned to haunt her. She is determined to separate herself from her friends to prevent history repeating itself. “As long as I disappear, everything will be fine,” she reminds herself as earth tremors begin to shake the city. Mansairaku needs her help to seal off the final distortion that is causing all the problems. But time is running out. Tokyo will be destroyed if they don’t act very soon. Before sundown. As the tremors get worse, Hikaru becomes more and more confused. “Meet me at Tokyo’s Gate,” Mansairaku tells her. But can she trust him?

Tsuna and the other three are worried about Hikaru. Fortune-teller Urabe, seeing the map where all the locations of the mysterious events are marked, sees that each occurrence so far is linked to one of the five elements. Using her knowledge of onmyogogyo, she is able to predict that the final and fifth event will take place at Tokyo station. They set off through the snow to try to find Hikaru.

There’s half an hour to go till sundown and the tremors have become so intense that the station is to be evacuated. Hikaru, reunited with her friends, is intent on investigating the lower levels of the station. Chased by the station staff and police, they make a desperate attempt to find a room once used as a morgue deep below ground.

Mansairaku appears as time stands still. “Neither the past nor future exists here.” He takes her on a journey back into their shared past where only she can put things to rights. She must uncover the secret of the fragment of stone in her pendant, a family treasure passed down through the centuries. But she can only remember her last anguished encounter with Mansairaku as Heian Kyo was destroyed in flames. “Break the chains of karma,” he urges her, “and you and I will find fulfilment.”

The final three episodes pack in plenty of action and conflict: dramatic time shifts, hordes of panicking rats, and a train that travels through time. There are comedic moments, too, as when young Kintaro creates a diversion in the station office by running through, yelling, “Gotta pee!” Look out for the little reminiscences of the characters’ Heian Kyo selves as well, especially in the case of faithful Tsuna.

I really like ‘Otogi Zoshi’. It’s not turned exactly the way I expected at the start of the first story arc, yet it’s none the worse for that. Rather than being just a samurai story and a reincarnation ‘let’s put right the ancient wrongs’ tale, it’s also a thoughtful and poetic reflection on the passage of time. At first I was a little disappointed by the two ‘extra’ episodes ‘Kimon’ and ‘Minato’ because they add nothing to the conclusion of the series, acting more as background material. The first shows how Urabe finds Hikaru’s missing cat, Torakuma in unusual circumstances and becomes another lodger in the Minamoto building. The second shows Mansairaku in conversation with an old man through the passing seasons of a Tokyo park. To get the full experience, it’s important to listen closely to what the characters are saying to one another. There’s a lot of meaning packed into their words and both Japanese and US voice actors do a superb job.

In Summary

There can be no conventionally happy ending for ‘Otogi Zoshi’ but nevertheless, the final episodes provide a genuinely satisfying resolution to Hikaru’s story.