In Memorian (Cat-Eyed Boy Episodes 7-8)

Between the Halloween release of Cat-Eyed Boy episodes 4, 5, and 6, and this Christmas release of episodes 7 and 8, the anime world lost two major contributors of particular relevance to this show: the author of the original manga, Kazuo Umezz, and the seiyuu who voiced Cat-Eyed Boy himself, Junko Hori; they were 88 and 89, respectively. Umezz Kazuo was best known as a horror mangaka, for works such as The Drifting Classroom and Cat-Eyed Boy, but his works span a far broader range: comedies such as Makoto-chan and science fiction such as My Name Is Shingo. Junko Hori voiced the title roles in the Ninja Hattori-san franchise, Rain Boy, Chinpui, and of course, Cat-Eyed Boy, and appeared in numerous other shows. They will both be missed.

These two episodes of Cat-Eyed Boy don't differ materially from the previous ones, except for the monster of the week. Cat-Eyed Boy is continuing his lonely journey to find his mother. He meets a kind woman or girl who befriends him and offers him comfort, reminding him of his mother. Then, the monster appears. Cat-Eyed Boy must fight and defeat the creature, often at great cost to himself and greater cost to his new-found friend(s).

• Episode 7 - The Nullface's Curse. Cat-Eyed boy saves a young woman named Misako from  a vicious dog. He also unknowingly unleashes a powerful spirit that had been locked in a tomb for centuries. The spirit looks like a stone soldier come to life

but is in fact the Nullface:

• Episode 8 - The Hellant. Cat-Eyed Boy meets Yae, a pilgrim visiting a spirit medium in hopes of talking to her deceased son. He goes along, to see if his mother is dead or alive. Both get what they want, but they must confront the resident spirit, the Hellant:

The credits, so carefully translated, only have room for five or six voice actors. Two are always Junko Hori (Cat-Eyed Boy) and Katsuhiko Ikeda (Narrator). The others in episode 7 are:

• Saiko Egawa (Misako) appeared in Mazinger Z, Reideen the Brave, and under her real name, The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today.
• Kyoko Kano (Sumi) appeared in Yatterman.
• Seizo Katou (Nullface) played Jashinsai in Tengai Makyou, Admiral Putyatin in Bakumatsu Spasibo, Ii Naosuke in Hidamari no Ki, Abraham in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, Norbert in Apfelland Monogatari, Hatsutori Juuzou in Kage, Billy Bones in Shin Takarajima, the old stationmaster in Sotsugyou: Graduation, Nanni Spannu in Tottoi, and Jeigan in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases. He had many other featured roles in the span of a 50 year career.

In episode 8:

• Saiko Egawa (Yae) - see above
• Michirou Okada (Hellant) appeared in Manxmouse and Kuroi Ame ni Utarete, both Orphan releases. He also played Ru Shako in the Armored Trooper Votoms franchise, the chief in the You're Under Arrest franchise, and the narrator in the Transformers movies.
• Aso Miyoko (Medium) played Fune Isano, the main character in Sazae-san, for 45 years, Cologne in the original Ranma 1/2 franchise, Pinako Rockbell in the original Fullmetal Alchemist, Melmo's mother in Fushigi na Melmo, the grandmother in Lucy May of the Southern Rainbow and Maegami-Taro, and Machiko's aunt in Maicching Machiko-sensei. She appeared in Bocchan, Nine, Blue Sonnet, and Yamatarou Comes Back, all Orphan release.
• Toshiko Sawada (Pilgrim A) appeared in Akado Suzunosuke, Appleseed, Akane Sasu Shoujo, Hello WeGo!, Judo Santa, and Zillions. She played Asuza's mother in Laughing Target, an Orphan release.

Once again, Skr was the driving force behind this release. He translated, timed, edited, typeset the credits, and encoded the show. kokujin-kun helped with translation checking. I did a little actual typesetting. Nemesis and Skr QCed.

I'm glad the team was able to get more Cat-Eyed Boy episodes out this year, both to honor its now departed principals and to keep up the momentum on this long project. You can get these episodes of Cat-Eyed Boy from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net. 

P.S. It's also CP Day, the anniversary of the passing our good friend and teammate, CP. He was a major contributor to many Orphan projects.