Synopsis: The passengers are hiding something about Setsuko’s death.

The Medicine Seller finds it interesting that the Mononoke wishes for its Truth to be known. The boy asks whether the person who committed suicide is the lady holding the stanchion. The others don’t see anything. The boy says that the lady is dressed like a fashion model, holding a cat. Moria says that Ichikawa Setsuko didn’t have a cat.

The boy wonders why he is the only one who can see Setsuko’s ghost. He asks the Medicine Seller if he can. The Medicine Seller replies that he needs the scales because he cannot. The others wonder too why only the boy can see. The Medicine Seller says it’s because he saw it. He says Setsuko’s thoughts brought forth the Bakeneko. Haru then remembers the voice she heard earlier. Was it Setsuko’s voice?

The other passengers comment that Setsuko killed herself, why do they have to suffer the consequences. Masao looks at the window and sees a scene at the Kirigahara bridge. He trembles in fear of the sight and pees in his pants. The others have no idea what the boy is seeing. He runs around the car, wanting to get out. The others panic and scream. Chiyo sees cat people outside. The driver rushes back to his room and tries to control the train.

The journalist, however, calmly writes in his notebook. He says to himself everyone seems to be hiding something regarding Setsuko’s death. The Medicine Seller hears him. Moria hides his notebook. The Medicine Seller asks him if he meant suicide. The detective says that Ichikawa Setsuko threw herself off the bridge. He gulps after saying it. The Medicine Seller asks him to tell more about it. The detective becomes frightened.

Moria says that Setsuko was hit. He did not believe she committed suicide. The detective says that during the investigation, the journalist said she was having trouble at work. Moria says that it was true. She had a good lead but he couldn’t follow it through that’s why he had to do something. Moria is asked if Setsuko didn’t give it all up. He says she didn’t. She was determined to rise to the challenge.

Meanwhile, Masao is looking at the window. He sees himself in front of him, but this one is blind. The boy becomes even more scared.

Moria says that though Setsuko was a newbie reporter and a woman, she had the skill. Her future was bright.

Chiyo asks if there was a witness. The detective says there wasn’t and besides, the case is already closed. He says that even Chiyo saw that Setsuko was depressed. Chiyo stammers. The detective tells her to spit it out. The Medicine Seller comments that the weaker the dog is, the louder its bark. The detective does not understand. Chiyo says that what she said back then was that it couldn’t have been a suicide. The detective tells her that she said it had to be one. Chiyo says that it was so long ago already, she forgot.

The Medicine Seller tells her that she remembered Setsuko’s name. Chiyo says that she was in the newspaper that’s why she remembers. Chiyo apologizes. The Medicine Seller asks her what for. She says she was just talking to herself. Chiyo then remembers what she said that time. She said that maybe Setsuko is already dead. Chiyo apologizes again. The Medicine Seller asks again for the reason and she replies she is sorry she doesn’t remember too well.

The driver screams that he didn’t do it, that he didn’t see anything. Chiyo then says that she remembered the detective told her something, that there was someone who saw Setsuko walking near the bridge that’s why the case was investigated as a suicide. However, the detective said that there were no witnesses. Chiyo finds it odd. The detective tells her she doesn’t understand. Her shoes were found neatly arranged on top of the bridge.

Moria says that her suicide could have been faked. Haru says that when the detective questioned her, he said there was a witness too. Moria asks if the detective asked leading questions. The detective replies that even if he did try to lead those he questioned into one direction or another, nobody said anything to contradict him. The stanchions move wildly. Masao looks very frightened.

The Medicine Seller then says that Setsuko’s suicide was faked and that it is the Mononoke’s Truth.

The driver still couldn’t stop the train. Cat spirits pass. The passengers scream.

The passengers then find the train at a station. They wonder if they were rescued. They thank the driver but he says he didn’t do anything. The detective wants to get out. He demands the door be opened because he’s got work to do. The door, however, doesn’t open. Moria tries to help him. Haru feels relieved that they can go back already.

However, when the door is opened, they realize that they are still in some dark place. The Medicine Seller says it’s a trap. The detective says he doesn’t care as long as he can get off. The Medicine Seller says he cannot. A monstrous cat appears in front of the door. The detective stands still in shock. The monster pulls the detective’s face with its claws. The Medicine Seller attempts to help but it is too late, the detective is pulled into the darkness.

Chiyo then sees the mayor’s dead body lain on a bench outside, surrounded by cat people. The detective is with him.

The remaining passengers panic. The Medicine Seller says that it is all the Bakeneko’s doing. If they leave, their lives will be forfeited.

Chiyo ask the Medicine Seller for help. The driver says that people are dying already. The Medicine Seller says that whether they get out isn’t entirely up to them.

Haru tears her ticket saying she didn’t win the raffle. She just got on in someone’s place. The Medicine Seller asks her who won. She doesn’t answer.

He says that if they assemble their stories, it will likely form the Mononoke’s Regret.

Masao then speaks up. He is calmer than before. He says he saw it happen but he thought it wasn’t any of his business, so he kept quiet. He was in a hurry and he didn’t think of stopping. When the suicide was printed in the newspaper, he figured it was what he saw. He forgot about it soon. He is asked if it was a man or woman. Masao says he doesn’t remember. He says that if it wasn’t a suicide then that person could be the culprit. The boy scratches his eyes. Chiyo notices the boys eyes have become dark. He says it hurts and itches. The boy then says he can’t see. He disappears all of a sudden.

Chiyo says that Masao told the truth but why did the Mononoke have to take him. The driver says everyone seems to be hiding something. Moria then says he suspects Setsuko was killed by the mayor’s attaché but he doesn’t have any creduble evidence that’s why he didn’t say anything. The driver asks why the mayor is involved. Moria explains that a lot of people had vested interest in the subway’s construction. The government and the construction companies were tapping into a source of cash. Those were Setsuko’s allegations.

He remembers the time when Setsuko handed her the report. He told her that it’s a big scoop. He’ll have it published if she can track down one more lead. He told her to be careful of the ones they are up against. Moria says that the night before she died, Ichikawa told him that she had evidence. Moria scratches his arm. He says that he was busy so he turned her away. He thinks if he only listened then, she might still be alive. Moria says he came so he can trace everything back to the mayor and avenge her death. The Medicine Seller tells him that he was involved.

Haru says the mayor must have killed Setsuko. Chiyo says she’s shocked the mayor would do such a thing. Moria continues to scratch. Like Masao, he says it itches and hurts. He trembles then disappears.

The Medicine Seller comments that now only three are left. He asks them to talk. Haru says she won’t. If she’s going to die, there’s no use telling. She says it was Chiyo who lied in the first place. Chiyo said she didn’t. Haru says Chiyo is suspicious of her but she’s ignorant of what happened. She never saw nor heard anything.

Chiyo then says the worst of all is the driver since he was the one who ran Setsuko over. He insists he didn’t. He says he thought it was a cat. He remembers that time but he was sleepy and didn’t do anything about it. Chiyo says he knew it was a living thing and yet he didn’t stop. The driver says they’re too many cats to stop and besides if he stopped for every cat on the track, the train wouldn’t make it on schedule. They argue.

The Medicine Seller picks Haru’s crumpled ticket from the floor.

The driver says that Chiyo was the one who said it was a suicide. Chiyo pauses. She remembers the time she was asked if she knew Setsuko. She said she thinks she saw her around. Haru then tells her that she lied that Setsuko was a regular customer. When the detective was investigating, she thought she could be in the newspaper or magazine.

The passengers hear a strange sound. Picasso-like human figures are shown. One has something to do with seeing, the other with talking, and another with hearing. A blind Masao passes by on a bike. He looks at the passengers and smiles.

The Medicine Seller finds out that Haru’s ticket is for a Sakai Shoujiro. He asks how he got hold of it. She says she only came in his place because he couldn’t come.

Haru had an affair with a man, probably the one whose name is on the ticket. One time while she was at his place, she heard a man and a woman arguing outside. Chiyo tells her that if she only told what she heard, it wouldn’t have been ruled out as a suicide. Haru says it’s rich coming from Chiyo. Chiyo says she was close enough to the truth. Haru tells her she should be arrested for perjury. She says she didn’t know anything. The widow says what Chiyo did the worst of all. Chiyo scratches her mouth. She says the mayor was the only criminal.

The Medicine Seller tells Haru that she was listening. She says that her mother-in-law didn’t even know she was out so she couldn’t say anything. She had to be careful. She leaves when her mother-in-law is asleep but she has to be back by dawn. Haru scratches her ears. Chiyo keeps on scratching her mouth. The driver scratches his leg. The three argue. The driver tells Chiyo to shut up. A strange sound is heard and the windows break. The three disappear.

The Medicine Seller finds out there’s one more. Someone approaches. The Medicine Seller readies his sword. He says they should end it soon. The door opens and a strange-looking Moria appears.

So the passengers each have something to hide with regards to Chiyo’s death. Most of them weren’t key players but were involved in some way.

The scratching part was interesting. Masao’s eye itched because he witnessed what happened but he didn’t say anything about it. He thought it was none of his business.

Haru’s ear itched because she heard Setsuko and someone arguing before the incident and yet did not say anything about it either, not wanting her affair to be known.

Chiyo’s mouth itched because she was the one who said it was a suicide, even without knowing anything.

Moria’s arm, face and neck itched because he told Setsuko to get one more lead but when she did, ignored her.

Kinoshita’s leg itched because he did not stop when he saw something falling in the tracks. He was sleepy.

What looked like each of the passengers’ corpses are also shown juxtaposed with the Picasso-like figures. We already know that Masao, Chiyo, Haru and Kinoshita are associated with the eyes, mouth, ears and legs respectively. In these scenes, the mayor is shown with a butt. Could it be because he did dirty things? Or maybe he was such an asshole. I don’t undertsand what Kadowaki is associated with. It looked like intestines. Furthermore, in Masao, Chiyo and Haru’s case, the body parts associated with them are labeled. One thing that puzzles me most, though, is that Moria isn’t included.

Anyway, one more episode to blog and I’m done with Mononoke.

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