かんなぎ Episode 04
Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens 04

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis: There’s a new cosplaying idol in Kannagi City calling herself Zange-chan — Nagi’s younger sister. So while she’s gaining popularity and followers due to her ¥100 confessions and her appearances on TV. Meanwhile, Nagi is angry because her sacred tree stump is being uprooted, meaning her powers will continue to wane. Nagi, not knowing what Zange is doing, decides she needs to be an idol, which had Jin thinking aloud during his Art Club time. After some teasing by Shino and Takako, Akiba has an astonishing amount of knowledge about idols, including Zange-chan, whom Jin does not know.

Jin volunteers to pick up some gesso for the Art Club and after school that evening, does just that. He’s running behind and goes to take a shortcut down an alley when he notices three adult men trying to force a girl (Zange-chan) to have sex with them. Jin is going to sneak off an get the cops but a can of gesso falls out of the bag and alerts the three thugs. One comes up to punch the nosy Jin, but he avoids the punch and uses the bag full of gesso cans to knock the man out. The girl takes advantage of the other two men’s confusion to grab Jin and escape.

Well outside town near the river, they stop at a bridge. Zange thanks Jin and introduces herself as “Zange-chan.” Realizing he’s with an idol shocks Jin at first but then he and Zange talk. She answers his question about why she does the confessions and even offers him a free one as a way of reward. He begins to say something about his childhood friend but then decides to tell her in person, which Zange agrees is best. Before they part ways, Zange notices that Jin has been scratched on the face. So she licks it and then tells him goodbye by name, even though he’d never told her his name.

The next morning at breakfast, Nagi complains about the lack of food the night before. Jin doesn’t want to hear it after what happened the following evening and when Zange comes onscreen, he points her out to Nagi as the girl he met. Nagi is stunned to see her little sister there and Jin is stunned that Nagi is related to Zange. Nagi realizes that Zange is is using this idol thing to gain followers, thus gain power. Jin doesn’t believe that Zange is doing anything bad, which irritates Nagi, especially after she peeks into his mind and sees his “ero” images of Zange.

Nagi is out looking for Zange with Jin following, trying to convince Nagi that she and her sister should get along. Nagi heads to the sacred tree that Zange comes from and sees that it is in a church, which explains Zange’s choice of costume. However, since Zange’s tree is still there, it means that she has chosen another vessel to use. Nagi explains to Jin how there came to be two kami for the same region of territory (the river splitting the land). Despite everything, Jin still refuses to believe Zange is up to no good, angering Nagi so that she leaves him.

Failing to find Zange anywhere, Nagi dons the school uniform she borrows from Tsugumi and returns to school, wondering why Zange was at that church. It is then that she discovers Zange also in the same uniform, being addressed as “Hakua.” Zange convinces Nagi to discuss this in private, so they go to the storage shed for P.E. equipment. Zange confirms Nagi’s weakened state and has Nagi pinned to the ground. Zange confirms Nagi’s suspicion that Zange has taken over the body of a human female named Hakua (who apparently likes Jin and agreed to the merger). Zange binds Nagi and puts her foot on her, deciding to strip Nagi so that she’ll be humiliated. However, Jin walks in and sees what’s going on, causing him to be shocked.

That evening at home, Zange-chan is on TV again as Nagi comments on the lack of food. She’s not complaining that Jin didn’t do the shopping and they are making do with snack foods and bread. Despite having seen how Zange is, Jin still thinks they should get along. Tsugumi arrives and is stunned to see what they are eating. She tells them that she’ll make food but gets another shock when she sees a fridge full of snacks, not food. While she’s only good at fried vegetables and fried eggs she’s still willing to help them out. The doorbell rings and Zange is there with a bento and a request to stay at the house so she can take care of Jin.

Thoughts/Review: Ah. Now I see where the harem element comes from. So Tsugumi and Hakua-Zange like Jin and now Nagi will likely start doing that as well. Of course if Zange does move in, Tsugumi will be there more often and well, BAM! Harem. Question is, will Takako factor into this after her explosive nosebleed over Jin in episode 3? We’ll see I guess.

So, how will Zange reconcile being Nagi’s little sister while Nagi is supposedly Jin’s half-sister? *lol* I guess that will be fun addressed soon.

As for Zange, she certainly does add a sinister element and depending on how the story goes, a potential plot thread with her in a human body that may in the end be unable to contain Zange. While certainly there were a few comedy elements between Zange and Nagi, there were more dark elements. Personally, I’d rather things be more comedic but if the plot elements are good enough, then I’ll take the darker elements as well. I’d rather the series not head into a contest over being an idol in Japan, but considering the OP and Zange’s goal, I’m guessing that is where we are going.

I think back to Zange nearly getting raped by the three thugs and I can’t help but think she staged that. After all, if she is a kami, she should have the power to take care of three thugs with no problem. Plus, seeing how scheming she is, it seems like this would be something she’d do, but then she’d have to know that Jin would take that alley as a short cut. Meh. Maybe I’m reading too much into things.

In the end, this episode didn’t have the really funny comedy moments of earlier episodes, but the comedy is still there and the anime is both fun and interesting. I look forward to seeing more.