It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Friday the 13th! (although as a Christmas lover, I can’t disregard my excitement for that too.) These rare events come only a few times a year. 2024 only has two (the first one was in September).

When I was a teenager I was terrified of Friday the 13th. In middle school, one of the worst days I had just so happened to be Friday 13th. I was convinced it bad luck. I then marked every Friday 13th on my calendar, and did my best to prepare myself for the inevitable. A year or so of this mental agony, and I was walking to my next class, thinking about how today has been a great Friday, and how it was a shame that next Friday was the 13th. I was so focused on dreading the 13th that I totally missed that it was the 13th

I’ve come to find over the years that life is strange and funny like that.

Much like “Senritsu Kaiki File Kowassugi!”, a bizarre Japanese horror show. It’s hard to figure out what to put the emphasis on, the bizarre of the horror? The show (subtitled in English), follows director Kudo and assistant director Ichikawa as they hunt down paranormal monsters to capture on film. Kudo is quite abrasive, somewhat of an idiot and very determined to not only prove that the paranormal is real, but to make a livelihood off of filming the evidence of such things. Ichikawa is much more mild-mannered, the wonderful balance to Kudo’s…Kudo-ness.

Each episode is focused around a Japanese urban legend or myth. Some might be familiar (such as Episode One’s Slit-Mouthed Woman), while others are more obscure. Either way, each episode becomes more bizarre and more intense as the series goes on. Aside from seeing character antics, I’m delighted by the twists on Japanese myths and legends and finding that thread of fate throughout the series. Don’t let the camp fool you, the acting is brilliant. These are some of the best found-footage mocumentaries I’ve seen, and I’ve seen quite a few.

A friend of mine found it and our friend group has been watching it together. Tonight is the last episode of the series for us before we move on to the movie. I’ll miss it when it’s all over, but you can bet that I’ll be re-watching my favorite episodes (1, 4, 8).

So now, I pass it on to you in hopes that you’ll enjoy the odd antics, mythology and uniqueness of the show. I will say that Kudo has quite a number of flaws, and there’s quite a few elements throughout the series that could be triggering. So first and foremost, please protect your mental health. Beyond that, enjoy the show! It’s well worth the watch.

For those of you waiting on newsletter news: Unfortunately it’s going to be on an indefinite hiatus. There’s quite a few quirks in building and maintaining a newsletter, and at this point, I can’t quite pull it off. In the meantime, I recommend subscribing to the blog so you’ll never miss an update!