Episode 3: "The Curtain Is Raised! The Cursed School Fine Arts Festival - Kutabe!" is the third episode of Ghost Stories.
Episode Ghost: Kutabe
Synopsis[]
The big play is coming up, but the boy in the lead role is scared. He makes a wish for the gymnasium to catch fire—and it does. Then, when the play moves to being held in the old schoolhouse, the boy wishes to be injured—and he is! It seems another ghost needs to be put to sleep, and soon, before Leo gets hurt. Or worse.
Cast[]
- Satsuki - Hilary Haag
- Hajime - Chris Patton
- Leo - Greg Ayres
- Momoko - Monica Rial
- Keiichirou - Christine Auten
- Amanojaku - Rob Mungle
- Keita - Blake Shepard
- Mr. Sakata - Tommy Drake
- Principal - John Swasey
- Leo's Dad - Adam Jones
- Leo's Mom - Brittney Karbowski
- Gay kid #1 - Matt Crawford
- Gay kid #2 - Andrew Love
- Classmates - Emily McCoy, Rebecca McAnally, Kimberly Rogue, Michelle Guevara, Shelly Thomas, Marisa Kreitz, Jay Merritt, Jon Corb, Rod Peters, Charlie Ashley
Plot[]
Keita is worried about being the lead in the upcoming school play. Sitting on the stairs to the shrine that's up the hillside behind the school, he wishes for the school gym to burn down, so he won't have to play the role. He gets his wish as lightning strikes the gym! Later on the stairs, he proposes that if an accident happens to him, then he won't have to play the part. Before the end of the day, Keita is struck by the basketball hoops, and is hospitalized. Leo makes his own wish while at the stairs—to take over as the lead in the play. (In the subbed version, Keita is severely injured; In the ADV dub, Keita dies of the injuries.)
Amanojaku, their possessed cat, taunts the kids about how he hopes that the cursed stairs will hurt them all. However, as the play is about to begin, Amanojaku recognizes who the ghost is. He tries to warn the kids, but they won't listen. Then, they see that Leo is bleeding on stage for real. Desperate, they go to Amanojaku with the ghost diary, but he has run off. They find the ghost of the stairs within the diary, but when they get to the stairs to put it into spiritual sleep, they find that the construction crew has already torn down the entire stairs! Satsuki's mother Kayako takes possession again of Momoko, and explains to Amanojaku that Leo's wish, as recited in the lines of the play, will cause all of the local ghosts to cease to exist. The cat then reveals that they can use the stairs to the stage instead. They bring a Jizo statue to those stairs, and chant the sleep spell. It works, and Kutabe is put into spiritual sleep within the Jizo.
Trivia[]
- The voice actor for this week's guest star Keita, Blake Shepard, was also lead singer and guitarist in a band called Electric Attitude. Shepard is known for voicing Akito/Agito in Air Gear, Leonard Tesatarosa in Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid, Akiyuki Takehara in Xam'd: Lost Memories, Yuzuru Otonashi in Angel Beats!, and Luke Ainsworth in The Sacred Blacksmith.
- Rumours of Keita's death were premature, since he returns in Farewell, Amanojaku... The Arrival of Ohma.
- “He even makes Chris Patton look humble.” – Satsuki
Chris Patton does the voice of Hajime. - “…or Greg Ayres.” – Momoko
Greg Ayres does the voice of Leo.
Gallery[]
Cultural References[]
- “Who are they gonna replace you with, Tom Cruise?” – Hajime
Tom Cruise was the star of such movies as Top Gun. - “Well, Leo, you’re no Dicaprio.” – Satsuki
Leo DiCaprio was the star of such movies as Titannic. - “Look here, white-out Roker.” – Satsuki
Al Roker was a person of color who was one of the hosts of The Today Show. - “If I really want my acting to go into high gear, I gotta go Kaballah” – Leo
Kabbalah is a set of teachings of Jewish mysticism which was popularized by celebrities such as Madonna.