| R.O.D the TV episode | |
| "Seduced by the Night" | |
 | |
| Episode no. | TV 08 |
|---|---|
| Airdate | October 16, 2003 (Japan) October 8, 2004 (US) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Episode chronology | |
| Previous episode | "In a Grove" |
| Next episode | "Heart of Darkness" |
Episode Synopsis[]
The Library Club is facing a new problem: a mysterious ghost that wrecks the library every night. To deal with this, Hisami Hishiishii is ordered to stake out the library so she can catch the ghost. Anita King offers to keep company, and what was supposed to be a quiet night turns into a class slumber party.
Extended Summary[]
The Library Club leader opens the library the next morning to find it wrecked, similiar to "The Right Stuff".
Hisami is talking to her friends at lunch, explaining the situation and how she is told to try to catch it instead. Hisami is to stay overnight in the library, alone, which quickly changes to a class wide "exploration" party.
Nenene Sumiregawa and Lee Linho are walking through a declining Jinbocho, discussing her new book. Lee is concerned for Nenene's health, which Nenene brushes off, and tells Nenene to get the girls to do whatever chores she needs, which Nenene already does.
Anita leaves school late, having class duty, and finds Junior standing alone, staring out a window. Anita tries to explain clubs and friends to Junior, who's confused because he doesn't have friends. Anita invites Junior to the poltergeist hunting that night before running off.
Back home, Nenene comes downstairs to find food being prepared for an outing. Maggie has prepared several bento boxes for Anita to take to school. Michelle is jealous of Anita's mysterious excursion.
Dokusensha is busy experimenting on a subject, installing letters into the subject's head. The experiment fails, much to Joseph Carpenter's applause: the man was illiterate, but was briefly a genius. While Dokusensha is disappointed, Joseph Carpenter seems faithful that Dokusensha will succeed in its goal.
The students are at the school library, with Natsume presiding. After an explanation from Hisami over what a poltergeist is, the students hide. This bores the students quickly, since the poltergeist doesn't appear, and the students instead break for food and games. Hisami leaves to get drinks and Tohru Okahara accompanies her. Anita, surprised by a revelation, follows Hisami and Tohru but is surprised herself by Junior.
Anita talks to Junior, describing what friendship is like because she never had friends before coming to school and wants Junior to understand what it feels like. At the same time, Tohru and Hisami confess their emotions for each other, in their own awkward fashion.
When Tohru and Hisami return to school Michelle is inside, entertaining the students with paper based magic. She hugs Hisami, explaining that she couldn't find Anita. Meanwhile, Anita and Junior are discussing about why only the library is haunted. Junior casually suggests that there may be a book in the library that is haunted, and Anita suddenly realizes what the "poltergeist" may be looking for. However, she is unconcerned, and unknowingly reveals to Junior how she hid the book.
Michelle and Hisami come out to find Anita walking in. Anita explains that she met a friend, Junior, and Michelle rushes up to him, claiming him as their new sister (although Junior points out that he's a boy). Anita pulls the two apart, defending Junior from Michelle and before an audience of her girlfriends.
As everyone goes home for the night, Junior goes and finds the book in Anita's hiding place. However, he does not take it, returning to Wendy and saying that he still can't find it.
Trivia[]
- The library was originally destroyed by Anita in "The Seventh Grade Course", but it appears it was in perfect order before "the ghost" began haunting it.
- The students who have duty for the class are Anita and Kurata, a nod to creator Hideyuki Kurata.
- Anita complains about Japanese being a hard language to learn. Anita hears and speaks it well enough, revealed in The Seventh Grade Course, but probably has poorer reading and writing skills (although in general she is good enough to enroll in school at her age level). The sisters are from Hong Kong and would know English and Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin) as native languages. While Maggie and Michelle get along in foreign countries such as "They Shout" and Michelle works as a translator in Read or Dream, Anita probably relies on them more for translation.
- As Nenene works on her novel, she has turned the photograph of her and Yomiko Readman around. ALso notice the post-it message she has put by its place.
- There are shoes outside the library: in Japanese schools, students have an indoor set of slippers to keep the school clean.
- Anita, despite all the hints, does not realize Tohru's crush on Hisami until Tohko tells her.
- The students suggest that they celebrate Anita's new "boyfriend" with red bean rice. Sekihan is a festive dish used to celebrate happy events, as the red color signifies good luck. Yellow signifies power.
- As Michelle is busy retrieving Anita, Maggie is with Nenene, giving her a back massage.