Shigofumi Episode 6 Dropped

The official Japanese website for the "Shigofumi" supernatural suspense anime has confirmed that the sixth episode ("Sakebi" or "Shout") will be preempted by the Sun TV broadcasting station in central Japan. No explanation was given for the preemption. The sixth episode would have aired on February 12. Instead, the station will skip this episode and air the seventh episode ("Kirameki" or "Glittering") on February 19.

The "Shigofumi" anime centers on a girl who delivers the last letter from the dearly departed to those left behind. The story of the sixth episode will deal with ijime (bullying) in a school and on an anonymous online forum like 2ch, for example. There have been highly publicized cases of accidental deaths and suicides that were tied to school bullying in Japan in the past decade, but none have been reported in Kobe's Kansai region recently. KBS Kyoto, another station located in the Kansai region, is still planning to broadcast the episode on February 12.

On another note, "Shigofumi's" third episode, "Tomodachi" ("Friends"), was "altered in light of recent circumstances in the society at large," but not preempted entirely. All participating stations, including Sun TV, showed this episode with the edits during the week of January 16.