Episode 2: Banquet of Marionettes
Released: 1988 October 21
Duration: 30min
On the display window of a shop in Kyoto, there's a Kyo-doll (doll made in Kyoto). A boy and a girl passing by sees it.
Boy: Don't you think Kyo-doll is kind of scary?
Girl: Why?
Boy: Well, I heard stories like the doll's hair growing..
Girl: Oh, come on...
The vampire girl in school uniform passes by. "So, your time, too,
has stopped hasn't it?" In the school she is going to, there's a handsome
boy named Kei Yuzuki. The girl eyes on him. He is the target of admiration
by many of the girls in school, jr.high, senior high alike. But Kei's attention
is solely devoted on Ranka, who is actually Shinma. She promised an eternal
life to Kei. Kei met Ranka while he was having trouble with his mother.
Meanwhile, Himiko is getting a request from a father of a girl who went
missing. He tells that a student saw a wood doll at the place where the
girl was supposed to be, and the doll disappeared. She decides to take
the job, because she senses that Shinma is behind the incident and that
means the vampire girl would be around as well. In the school, the girl
who finally reveals her name, Miyu, drops by at the room where Ranka keeps
the wood dolls she collected. Miyu isn't intending to fight with Ranka,
yet.
Miyu: Why haven't you transformed Kei Yuzuki into a doll? You
who transforms young people into dolls to trap their souls, to absorb them.
Why, only him?
Ranka giggles.
Miyu: Stop it!
Ranka:I mean.. I didn't know that you were interested in him.You
are making a mistake. I'm not interested in him a bit. Kei is the one who
made the first move. It seems he somehow found out that I possessed a power,
different from other people. Saying that he wants me to entrap his youthfulness.
I wonder if he wants to be like these dolls.
Miyu: Larva!!
Larva tries to approach to Ranka, but he and Miyu are surrounded by the dolls. Larva tries to slash his way through, but finds that these dolls actually bleed when they get cut. While Miyu and Larva are startled, Ranka gets away. Himiko arrives at the school, to start the search for clue to the disappearance. She accidentally meet Kei. "wow, handsome boy.." In the library, Miyu warns Kei not to get close to Ranka. Kei answers that he doesn't care even if Ranka is not human. To him, the promise of the eternal life is an excuse to be with her. He loves her, and that's all. "Love her? human and Shinma? !!" She senses something, and disappears. Himiko enters the teacher's lounge, and notices that there's nobody inside. Then the space around her closes. Miyu appears. "I thought I said not to get involved anymore." Himiko throws a bottle. Miyu just licks away the water that sprinkled on her hand. "Hmmmm holy water... nice." She starts explaining about herself.
Miyu: I'm Miyu. The last survivor of the people of vampire, one
of Shinma, that was once feared as either god, or demons. To me, to live
and to drink blood is the same thing. He is Larva. Shinma that became my
servant because he received my blood. Anymore questions, Himiko-san?
Himiko: You and those Shinma are the one of the kind, right?
Why do you hunt them? On the side of human?... Can't be..
Meanwhile, Kei is trying to persuade to Ranka to give him the eternal life, because somebody started to snoop around him. Ranka is starting to get troubled with her feeling toward Kei. Back in the teacher's lounge, Miyu continues to explain about her duty to Himiko.
Miyu: On the side of human? Once I found out that I'm a vampire,
I changed all views. I'm returning them under my responsibility. My people
have been doing this over generations.
Himiko: Responsibility?
Miyu: It has nothing to do with you.
She disappears and the space opens up again, throwing Himiko in the middle of teacher's lounge. Meanwhile, Ranka is waiting for Miyu in a chapel, setting up a stage, using the woods of the chairs. Kei is lying on the floor in front of Ranka. Miyu appears in rather stormy manner.
Ranka: Greetings
Miyu: First, hand him over to me,. Then I'll send you back to
the darkness.
Larva starts to engrave Shinma's name in mid-air. "Ranka" Before he can finish, Ranka sprays spindles of strings and traps Larva.
Ranka: I don't feel anything to him, but I don't want to give him to a greedy girl.
She starts to handle Kei like a marionette. Miyu tries to cut off the binding between Kei and Ranka, but she gets trapped by Ranka's obi. Larva, who managed to cut all the strings loose, slashes away the obi. Miyu manages to get her hand on Kei. When she proudly tells Ranka that the boy will become Miyu's, Ranka transforms into her real form, and dashes towards Miyu. Transformed Ranka gets Kei back, and she starts to transform him into marionette as well.
Ranka: You asked why I didn't transform Kei into a doll. I'll answer that question. I fell in love with Kei. That's why I couldn't transform him into doll for food. Shinma and human are different. I tried to forget the love, but that was mistake.
Kei's transformation is complete.
Miyu: Kei....
Ranka: Can you love him? Even that handsome man became like
this? Can you drink his blood? I can love him. He is all mine.
The two girls face each other. Just then, Himiko enters the room, and stares at the turnabout of events. Miyu painfully orders Larva. "Return Shinma to the darkness!!" Both Ranka and Kei are swallowed into the portal that Larva creates.
Himiko: You lost didn't you?
Miyu: Shinma, Ranka was sent back to the darkness. I didn't
lose.
Himiko: Not as hunter. I'm talking about you as a woman.
Miyu leaves with a lonely face. Ranka and Kei are entering the gate of the darkness together....
"Her golden eyes, they are strange, and
yet beautiful...
They'll close the gateway to your te...ars...
Stopping the flow of the hourglass of time...
Severing the string... known as misery,
the sound... and the rhythm... disappear..."