Another episode that heads into horror territory.
The gang are on a beach holiday once again, when Ten finds a love letter in a bottle. In quick succession, Ataru and Mendou find love letters too, and soon they head to Giant Clam Cove to find the lady who is sending them. They are warned against going by locals, who claim a monster lives there – alternately described as a beautiful woman, a giant or a hag.
As it turns out, all three are there and running a hotel to lure potential meals. You see they are cannibals and plan to eat the gang. Much of the humour comes from either the gang’s misreading of the murderous intent of the family of cannibals, or the cannibals failing to dispatch them.
In the end, faced with Lum’s electricity and Shinobu’s super-strength, the monsters end up running in fear from our heroes.
After a couple of slightly ropey episodes animation-wise, Nishimura and Yamazaki pull things together here. One of the better episodes from this production batch.
—
Screenplay: Kazunori Ito
Storyboard: Junji Nishimura
Director: Junji Nishimura
Animation Director: Kazuo Yamazaki