Jigoku Shoujo Ep. 18

Episode title: 縛られた少女 (Shibarareta Shoujo: The Bound Girl)
This week's main character, MikiShimono Meiko uses Miki like her personal slaveMiki's dogs have been taken hostage
Ai looks up to Miki's condo after Miki's made contactTsugumi asks if Ai has to be stopped

This episode was a bit of a let down after last week's great episode, however, you felt satisfaction after the target gets sent to hell. The main character this episode is a girl named Miki who is being coerced into being basically a slave of a fat, ugly woman (both inside and out) who is keeping her two dogs hostage. Miki endures a great deal of abuse to keep her two dogs safe, but contacts the Jigoku Shoujo after one of her dogs is killed.

Tsugumi receives a Jigoku Shoujo vision, and Hajime decides to stop another person from being sent to hell. Tsugumi, however asks, "Do you really have to stop this from happening?" (as if she knows some cases deserve Enma Ai's action). Hajime is initially taken aback, but says strongly, "Of course!" He heads toward the neighborhood and begins investigating.

However, it's been 3 days since Miki has received the straw doll, but has taken no action. In addition, Hajime saw her running out of the fat bitch's house happily (her surviving dog had given birth to puppies). At the house of the Jigoku Shoujo, Ai's helpers complain that nothing's happened, and mention that Wanyuudo must be bored. "Not so," says Wanyuudo's voice. "She opens her bag every day and contemplates vengence." (One of the things Shimono says to coerce Miki is to say, "I can kill at any time!" and Miki thinks, looking at the straw doll, "But I can kill at any time too...")

Through a flashback, we see that this situation came about because one day as Miki was walking her dogs, they got away from her, entered the yard of Shimono and bit her. The bitch screamed at Miki that she'd trampled all over her flower beds and that her dogs had bit her, and that she'd have to take responsibility.

Tsugumi approaches Hajime with a bag containing a change of clothes. "You stink!" she complains to Hajime.... he hadn't taken a bath in 3 days as he had been staking out the case. Tsugumi asks him a good question: "Is what the Jigoku Shoujo is doing bad?" "Taking a human life, no matter what the reason, shouldn't be allowed," he answers. "But there are people who do more evil things in the middle of the night without batting an eye, right?" she says.
Ai patiently waits for things to happenHer helpers are not soNew pupsHajime hasn't taken a bath or changed his clothes in 3 days

At Shimino's house, a police officer and Miki's school teacher rings the bell of the house. Shimono screams that Miki had called the authorities and threatens to kill the puppies (forgot to mention that she had already killed the other dog). The officer and teacher can hear the crazy woman screaming about killing, and they try to get in the house. Hajime appears and shows them to the back of the house where her yard is. The officer and teacher struggle with Shimono, Shimono screams that she has to protect her fortune, and Miki is horrified when a clump of dirt from her flower bed is kicked up, revealing a decomposing human body.

Shimono gets taken away in a police car, and Miki is sitting, stunned, holding the straw doll. Hajime tells her she doesn't need the straw doll any more, when suddenly Miki remembers the puppies. She runs to the bathroom, and sees the pups drowned in the bathtub. In deep sadness and anger, she pulls the string, saying that she should've done it earlier.

Ai's helpers torment Shimono in the police squad car that takes them to hell. There, Shimono confesses without shame that she killed her own parents for the inheritage, along with her own child (I think; I'm not sure). When Ai says, "Ippen shinde miru?" the voice sounds a little more adultlike or deeper, and a little more emotional. In the boatride to hell, Shimono says she can't be going to hell; she needs to go back to protect her fortune. Ai comments, "You don't know what you look like, do you?" Shimono looks over her boat to see her reflection, and her face now looks like a dog (an improvement, I think). She screams.
Some buried "treasure"Being hounded to hellNo babying this one to hellShimono's so ugly, she looks like a dog... oh, wait, she is one.

Well, it was basically a "regular" episode, that is, someone gets sent to hell episode; however, Tsugumi asks some good questions, and I was certainly glad when this one got sent to hell... she was just a horrible person and her voice was damned annoying. On the other hand, there really was no need to send this one to hell, as she was already arrested by the police, and she'd get punished legally and eventually go to hell anyway. Kids... they have no patience or logic.