TSKR Episode 2
It was originally featured in the January 2008 issue of Jump Square on December 4, 2007. It was also published in second volume of Jump Square Masterpiece, on October 23, 2009.[2]
Summary
Rohan Kishibe meets his editor, Minoru Kaigamori, while reading a De Staël's artbook. Bankrupt because he's bought a large piece of land for research purpose and couldn't resell it, Rohan is only left with his artbook and asks for an advance on his upcoming one-shot. As Rohan explains that he's investigated a mere yokai legend, he enthusiastically begins to tell the result of his research: he saw a genuine yokai, the Mutsukabezaka.
The story is that of the young student Naoko Osato, the heir of a wealthy family who murdered her boyfriend. In the family mansion located far in the mountains, Naoko and her lover Gunpei Kamafusa the gardener met in the guest house. Here, Naoko abruptly ended their relationship, as she was expected to have an arranged marriage with a certain Shuichi from another wealthy family. The break-up became a fight and Naoko suddenly pushed Gunpei into a bag of golf clubs. Gunpei died, a club having pierced through his skull and a small wound visible at the back of his head. Coincidentally, her betrothed and father were coming to the guest house, wanting to find Naoko. Panicked, Naoko delayed them while trying to stop Gunpei from bleeding, but he mysteriously kept gushing blood out of his head wound. Desperate as Shuichi entered the house, she resolved to put Gunpei at the top of an armoire and drank the blood as it came out.
Naoko graduated, then married with Shuichi and had children, but never went far from her house as she continued to have Gunpei's corpse hidden inside, meticulously collecting the blood as it kept gushing out, and eventually developing a strange attachment to the corpse.
Rohan heard of the legend of the yokai and investigated it in the mountain, then met Naoko and read her memories. Thus he went to her house to see Gunpei with his own eyes. On the way back, Rohan is surprised by Naoko's daughter. When she tries to run away, Rohan reaches for her and she falls head first into a rock, seemingly dying. Recovering from the thought he accidentally murdered her, Rohan notices the girl's unnatural eyes and realizes it is in reality a child Naoko had with Gunpei. Fortunately for Rohan, he can write that the girl doesn't know him and cannot see him right before her death erases his ability to influence her. Rohan briefly sees the yokai's true form shrieking at him before turning back into the girl and going away.
Rohan dubs the yokai Mutsukabezaka, a monster living off people's affection to reproduce since times immemorial. The mangaka comments that this creature's most blessed moment is when they "die" in front of someone else. At least, he thinks, Naoko is happy with her children, who uncannily resemble Gunpei.
Appearances
Author's Note
| Author's Note | |||
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“
When I have to deliver a short story, the theme that always comes to my mind is "Horror and youth".
"Mutsukabe Hill" is a terrifying episode. By dint of drawing this "creature", I came to believe it really existed somewhere in Japan. It really sucks. Besides, why this title "Mustukabe Hill"? I don't remember how I came up with it and that scares me even more...” |
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Gallery
Jump Square January 2008
Jump Square Masterpiece #2
