Beyond Twilight Episode 4: Over here, Mr. It: Blindman's Buff

The episode opens with a series of spectral images: monks, a pale woman, and a dragon mural, all setting a deeply unsettling mood. Ritsu stands before this mural, cherry blossoms swirling around him as if caught in a time eddy. The camera then reveals a grand, traditional Japanese house, silent and foreboding beneath an overcast sky. This introduction suggests a past not merely remembered, but still alive and reaching.

Ritsu moves through his family home, the old wood groaning under his weight. He calls out "Doko da?", his voice echoing in the oppressive quiet. The shadows stretch long, making the empty rooms feel vast and watchful. His unease is palpable, a premonition of something more than just solitude.

A sudden, violent vision of a child's hand seized by a spectral limb startles Ritsu. A chilling nursery rhyme, "Oni-san kochira, te no naru hou e," begins to sing. He freezes, his breath catching as a pale hand in a purple kimono sleeve, adorned with cherry blossoms, slowly reaches for him from the darkness of a sliding door. The supernatural is no longer a vision, but a physical presence.

A terrifying female spirit in a dark kimono lunges from the shadows, seizing Ritsu by the head with a piercing scream. He collapses in agony as his mother and grandmother rush to his side, frantic with worry. Ritsu's ghostly grandfather, Zen, watches sternly from the background, a silent, disapproving observer. Ritsu then utters a chilling question to his mother, "Okaa-san, me ni nani ka tsuiteru?" before revealing he cannot see from his left eye.

At the clinic, a doctor shines a light into Ritsu's unseeing eye, finding no physical damage. The diagnosis is "psychogenic," blindness caused by extreme stress. Ritsu's mother looks worried, but Ritsu knows the truth the doctor cannot see. Later, the spirit of his grandfather, Zen, appears behind him, muttering "Bakame," a stark indictment of Ritsu's apparent weakness.

Ritsu struggles with his new reality, his impaired vision making simple tasks difficult. He fumbles a tea bottle, creating a small domestic chaos that highlights his vulnerability. His mother and grandmother fret, urging rest, but their concern cannot alleviate his true burden. Through his fingers, Ritsu sees the blurred face of the kimono-clad spirit, still watching, still bound to him. He understands now: the entity caused his blindness and remains a constant, terrifying presence.

The episode concludes with a stylized ending sequence, echoing the somber, eerie tone of the narrative. Silhouettes of creatures and people move across traditional screens as a melancholic song plays. Visual motifs of eyes, hands, and abandoned zori sandals underscore the persistent presence of unseen forces. This artistic reflection emphasizes the show's theme: a world where the past and the supernatural constantly impinge upon the present.