Occult Academy 4 – romantic fantasies

The vice-president indulges in her romantic fantasy.

Episode 4 of Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin (Occult Academy) delivers more Maya kicking ass, the true story behind #6, the rescue of Kozue, and more rabu-rabu for Uchida.

Maya doesn't pull any punches.

Maya’s back, but, unfortunately for Uchida, her attitude hasn’t improved. Uchida finds her lost underground, and the two of them find a cavern full of giant moth creatures. They also find the phone that #5 was carrying when he was eaten. It is Maya who has the presence of mind to use the new phone to check the moth creatures … and finds out they aren’t the key either. Maya brutally calls Uchida out for his uselessness, and this provokes a confession.

A far more credible future for Fumiaki Uchida.

Uchida admits to Maya that he has no psychokinetic power. He was picked up on the street by the organization in the future, and was essentially sent back against his will. Uchida truly is a coward and a liar. He abandons Maya while she is trying to rescue Kozue. He even abandons Mikaze, the curry girl from last week, in some underground caverns when he gets spooked by a drop of water on his neck. He’s willing to leave anyone and everyone in a lurch just to save his own skin.

Crybaby.

Now many people have criticized Occult Academy because Uchida one of the main characters is a wimp. Consider psgels:

“Okay, so now Fumiaki has reached the point where he’s just gotten annoying. In the previous episode he was still cute, but for the creators to carry this through in even this episode… it’s starting to get on my nerves.”

I’m completely willing to admit that Uchida’s character is distasteful. Not only is he cowardly, but he is an absolute liar. He lied about the future, and he is shown lying in the future, and when everything is over, and he runs into Mikaze (curry-girl), he lies to her, telling her that he saved the missing student, and he was looking for her. But I like the way the seiyu (Takahiro Mizushima, Tsubaki from Giant Killing) plays him. As he talks with Mikaze, his voice drops in pitch. He is obviously despicable, and he actually deserves to be physically abused.

For those about to rock, we salute you!

So who did save Maya and Kozue from the swarm of mothmen? JK and Smile. Smile was obviously going to be helpful, since he punched the possessed Kozue, back in the first episode, but his giant wrench made me wonder if he is intended to be a reference to Graham Specter from Baccano! JK, however, was truly a surprise, busting out all kinds of cool. This fight was the big action scene of the episode, and I really enjoyed it. In part because the mothmen made a very satisfying squeal when they where killed.

Chihiro-chan.

Somehow, despite being useless, cowardly, lazy, and a liar, Uchida (AKA Abe Minoru) has managed to attract the attention of two ladies. Last week I said that Mikaze must be a monster, well, nothing bore that out this week. I have a tough time believing she is real, however. Vivi agrees with me. The other woman after Uchida is the vice-principle, Chihiro Kawashima. I was really happy to see that her interest in Uchida was sincere, since it really deepens her character beyond the bitchy villain role. The fact that the person she is in love with is a pathetic loser who is in no way interested in her, makes her story rather tragic and endearing.

Over all the balance of comedy and action seemed to work better this week. I’m still enjoying this series, even if it is just a goofy diversion.