Episode 20 is calming.
Really, it is the most relaxing episode since Episode 10. And ooh boy, do they pack everything in, granted that next week is the beginning of a new arc already.
Overall, it's a good episode. I haven't lurked to see what anime-only viewers think of the episode but I know there's a few things missing in here….
Nitpicking time.
! I love Giryou's scene, but Jie Mei's sacrifice happened too quickly. I know I'm biased towards the manga in a way, because this part was supposed to be narrated and seen in Ushio's perspective.

With all the deaths, what really hurts me most is actually how Ushio handles it.
It's heartbreaking to see him just watch everyone die. Really. He believed in saving people so much, and then that got shattered again and again.
What makes it painful is that Ushio wanted to stop any tears from falling, and he had saved all those girls and see them smile in the end.
And then there's Jie Mei who DID smile but he failed to save.
:sad:
Throughout the manga, even with the uncle face and hot-blooded thing going on, Ushio grew on me as a kind-hearted and generally sweet-natured kid. Watching him suffer is just too sad.
And then at the beginning, even with all the bad thing that's going on at least Hakumen's looking suave and evil and plotting like a true weasel-fox thing –--
! BUT WAIT. In this ep the anime didn't show Hakumen as the asshole he truly is. There were a LOT of jerkfaced eyeball shenanigans that's not animated, like grinning like a glorious bastard after ruining the whole city, charred dead bodies and people running around in flames and whatnot. And Ushio in despair horizon watching all those piled up bodies –-- graphic cruel things. Funny they decided to skip those scenes, since I think it really shows how terrifying Hakumen could be. I think there's a difference between animating silly gore (flesh-ripping, close-up bone breaking) and genocide. I was waiting for this part to get animated
!
I'm not cruel, I just like big monsters with flaming bazooka breath but they decided to cut the budget this ep ;___;
Lots of revelation and emotional scene (done amazingly well) but i didn't get my giant flying fox wrecking absolute hell, oh well.
Oh, Ushio's name translates as 'tide' btw.
! since the ocean tide is the only thing accompanying her all these years alone under the sea :sad:
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
@Sander:
I'm not even sure whether Hakumen's ploy was to buy it time to recuperate or if it was just messing with Jie Mei for evulz.
I wouldn't put that past it.
The anime skipped a LOT of information: simply put, he was BADLY injured and needed time to heal himself. With all the yokai and human chasing him all he could think of is to submerge himself into the pillar that supports the island of japan. He lodged himself in the pillar deep enough and with his power, even moving a single tail can cause that pillar to crumble.
If the yokai attacks him, Japan will sink.
If he escapes, Japan will sink.
Jie Mei's barrier can only buy time until the arrival of the Beast Spear.
In a way, he IS using Jie Mei. But now he wants out.