Beyond Twilight Episode 1: Dream of Cherry Blossoms: Blindman's Buff

A shadowy figure sits in a traditional room, cherry blossoms falling. The scene shifts to glowing spirits carrying lanterns in a fog, hinting at the supernatural. A close-up shows a smiling, ethereal spirit. Finally, Ritsu stands, thoughtful, in a traditional entranceway, surrounded by petals. The episode title, 'Cherry Blossom Dream ~Blind Man\'s Buff Demon~', sets an ominous tone.

A childhood game of 'Janken Pon' starts with innocent pastel hands. Children giggle, playing blind man's buff in a traditional house. A child, Kana, in a red kimono, smiles sweetly. Her smile falters as the game continues, the bright light on her face turning unsettling.

Kana's face contorts in terror as a pale, ghostly hand grabs her wrist. A sharp gong sound signals a rupture in the moment. She screams, 'No! Help me!' as she is pulled away, her body blurring from rapid movement. Ritsu's Grandfather appears as a silhouette, reaching out, then shouting in distress at unseen hands. Kana's tear-filled face, now blurry, rests on a shoulder, then her eyes close in despair.

The dream ends with Kana's closed eye fading into Ritsu's opening eye. He wakes, alone in his bed, two whimsical fish-like yokai and a small slug yokai on his blankets. He rubs his eyes, his first words acknowledging the dream, 'It was scary.' One of the fish yokai playfully bats his foot.

A single tear falls from Ritsu's eye as he recalls his childhood. He remembers his Grandfather holding a crying Kana, surrounded by smiling family. His internal monologue explains his Grandfather's mysterious powers and the family custom of dressing him as a girl. He reflects on the unresolved dream, stating strange events have been constant since childhood, and he no longer finds them odd.

Ritsu approaches his Mother, Kana, in the hallway, offering to help with a bowl. He then addresses his Grandfather, who is on the floor surrounded by calligraphic papers. Ritsu's narration reveals a shocking truth: his real father died when he was five. The man he calls father is actually Aoarashi, a yokai inhabiting his deceased father's body. Aoarashi expresses fear of Ritsu's Mother's spiritual power, worried she might stop cooking for him.

Ritsu's Mother, Kana, in a red kimono, waves cheerfully to a younger woman, Hi-chan. Ritsu's narration explains that since Aoarashi does not work, Kana and Ritsu's Grandmother support the household by teaching tea ceremony and kimono dressing. The women chat about kimonos. Ritsu observes from a balcony, his role as a quiet spectator emphasized. The family gathers outside, bathed in warm light, with a subtle, smoke-like entity hinting at the hidden world.

The episode transitions to closing credits, accompanied by a theme song. Stylized shadows of figures and charcoal-like drawings of traditional Japanese items, like geta, scroll across the screen. Ritsu's eyes slowly open in a sketch. The episode concludes with a silhouette of the Grandmother and cherry blossom petals falling onto water, rippling into darkness.