Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube

Episode 24

Opening with bloodier violence than expected for the series, this episode of Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube is the closest it's been to out-and-out classic horror since it began. “Miss Mary” is the specter of the week, and she's pretty damned terrifying. A “psychic ghost” who threatens her victims with dismemberment if they can't complete the task she sets them within a week, she's multiple horrific childhood fears merged into one.

Mary's innocent victim is pink-haired student Noriko, whom I think we've only really glimpsed in the background of previous episodes. A talented pianist, all she wants to do is practice for an upcoming recital when Mary lands her with a mutilated doll, commanding her to find its missing limbs before the week is up, lest she rips Noriko's living members from her torso as replacements. She's not messing around either, as we see her make good on this threat against some poor nameless boy in the pre-credits teaser.

Thankfully, the rest of Noriko's classmates volunteer to help scour the school for the unsettling doll's missing pieces, but ultimately come up short. I can't help wondering if this is an impossible task – perhaps Mary doesn't hide enough doll pieces for her victims to find in the first place? Noriko's convincingly terrified, even dreaming about Mary tearing off her arms and legs. This is meant to be a kids' show, right​?

Even Nube isn't much of a match for Mary, as he explains that psychic humans, after death, can potentially become evil spirits with even stronger powers. An encounter with Mary leads a defeated Nube to recall his own difficult childhood, and the bullying he encountered for being different, for having psychic powers. This gives him some insight into Mary's psychology, as he finds in her something of a kindred spirit – as she herself was so relentlessly bullied as a child she took her own life, her twisted post-death remnant stalking the Earth for victims to torture.

With traditional exorcism methods out of the question, Nube saves the day with something he's particularly skilled at: empathy and heartfelt tears. We already know that his Demon Hand allows him to share emotions with inhuman entities, and he helps the lost and broken Mary move on.

It's a pretty effective and fast-moving horror setup, with some genuine moments of threat experienced by the desperate Noriko. There are folklore equivalents of Mary in almost every culture, especially around places like schools. Even in my own school, I remember that kids used to get totally freaked out that the toilet mirrors were haunted by “Bloody Mary” who would come out to claim your soul if you chanted her name three times. Thankfully, I don't remember anyone being torn limb from limb, though.

A legitimately disturbing episode is only leavened by a few moments of welcome Miki-related humor, such as when she tries to crash Noriko's musical ambitions to launch her own course to stardom as an idol, and when she uses her extendable neck to comedy-horror effect. I'm sad we only have two more episodes of The Miki Show to go after this.

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Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube is currently streaming on YouTube.