anime episode summaries

Yawara and the Blue-eyed House Guest

Yawara and Jody.Jody Rockwell (last year’s judo world champion) came all the way from Canada to see our Yawara. She challenges Yawara to a match but Yawara refuses. The judo team blocks Jody’s way (they were no match for Jody though) so that Yawara can escape. When Yawara gets home, her grandfather tells her he enrolled her in Saikai College (the athletic school). As usual, Yawara gets upset because she wants to go to Mitsuba Women’s College (a home economics school).

Jody Rockwell visits Yawara’s house. Since Yawara doesn’t want to fight Jody, Jigoro (the grandfather) challenges Jody instead, saying he wants to see her strength before he let his granddaughter fight her. As the match commences, Jody moves forward to attack grandpa but when she feels his aura, she then breaks down, cries, and gives up before anything even happened. Grandpa decides to take her in since she was able to ascertain his strength even before they fought and that makes her a suitable sparring partner for Yawara. Yawara worries because Jody eats a lot though. The next morning, Jody and Yawara train together. Yawara worries because she should be studying for Mitsuba’s entrance exam instead of practicing judo. Jody tells her she’s not going home to Canada until she fights Yawara.

Sayaka and Kazamatsuri-san are attending a ball in Belgium. Sayaka says the only reason she came to Belgium was to challenge Belgium’s own judo champion, Belkens. However, since Belkens is out of town, Sayaka settles for Stelkes who is just as strong as Belkens. Sayaka easily throws Stelkes though.

At school, Jody asks Yawara to train with her even when she’s studying. Yawara finally has enough and tells Jody off. Yawara regrets her decision and Jigoro tells her that Jody even stayed up all night just to study Japanese so that she can speak with Yawara. Yawara feels guilty and surprised that although Jody spent the whole night studying, she was able to do morning practices. Yawara apologizes to Jody and agrees to a match (everything was all planned by Jigoro though).

Dream

Beck’s CD.Mit-chan shows Ryuusuke a copy of Beck’s CD cover. Izumi-chan clears up with Maho the misunderstanding about her and Koyuki. Izumi-chan bids Koyuki farewell. Maho-chan and Koyuki make up. Ryuusuke suspects Erica Blige was killed by her boyfriend Malcolm. No record label wants to sign Beck because of Ran’s influence. Beck resolves to record the best CD. His teacher tells Koyuki that since his grades are failing, he has no chance of getting into his school choices for high school. Koyuki develops a fever but it subsides after he dreams of all the famous rock stars (Sid Vicious, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, etc.) picking up the trash after Beck’s concert. Beck finishes their first CD.

(more…)

Ciel Bleu

Ciel Bleu performing.Beck reads about Erica Blige’s death in the papers. Koyuki tells Saku that he hasn’t seen Izumi-chan nor Maho-chan since that day. Tanabe volunteers to be the vocalist (he’s a horrible singer though) for Koyuki’s band at the school festival (Tanabe is trying to score with the ladies). Tanabe names the band Ciel Bleu (French for blue sky) and while they’re practicing, Hyodo and gang comes in, trying to cause trouble. Saku tells Hyodo he’s a fan of Hyodo’s father and Hyodo punches him. Beck worries about financial matters. During the school festival, Ryuusuke, Taira, and Chiba show up to see Ciel Blue perform. Chiba meets Rikiya in the bathroom and he tells Rikiya about Hyodo’s blackmailing (i.e. asking Koyuki to pay Y50,000 for Rikiya’s guitar). Ciel Bleu plans on wearing their DyBre shirts on stage but Hyodo’s gang rips their shirts up so they have no choice but to go in their PE clothes.  Hyodo’s band plays first. Hyodo is good, as usual, but Ryuusuke comments that Hyodo’s playing lacks feeling and is all technique. Ciel Bleu goes on stage next. Hyodo’s gang works up the crowd to boo Ciel Bleu. Ryuusuke grabs a microphone, climbs a table and tells everybody to shut up. As soon as Tanabe saw the crowd booing them, he backed out and Koyuki has no choice but to sing in his place. Ciel Bleu starts playing and soon, the crowd starts cheering for them. Hyodo leaves the gym, only to meet Rikiya who then beats him up. After the performances, the awards are give and Ciel Bleu wins as the best band (Tanabe gets to hold the trophy). Rikiya makes Hyodo apologize to Koyuki and return his money back. Koyuki and Hyodo both win as best guitarist but since there is only one trophy, Koyuki shares it with Hyodo.

Kappa Kappa Fujiki!? I saw a mermaid in the midsummer sea!

The kappa.Yasuda has a smaller brother who is just as perverted as he is. The gang finds another magic book and instead of a clown, out comes a kappa. The kappa says it will grant them one wish if Fujiki would go into the sea to save a person from drowning. Everybody goes to the beach to look for drowning people. A young girl and her father drowns and Fujiki swims to save them. Fujiki gives his lifesaver to the father who then saves his daughter. Without his float, Fujiki drowns but Megu comes to save him. Apparently, the kappa is a ghost whose daughter drowned, too, many years ago. After everybody is saved, the ghost ascends into heaven, without granting them a single wish though. The End. Not much of a story, IMHO.

Each One’s Opening Curtain!! The Pantasia Newcomers Battle Begins!

Minus five points for
being five minutes late!More preparation for the Newcomers’ Battle. Kawachi challenges Azuma. Azuma gets upset because he thought Kawachi hates him. The manager talks to Azuma and tells him that Kawachi just sees him as a rival so Azuma should do his best to win, too, as a man. Azuma runs off to Gifu to his Grandpa Umasaborou and asks him to make something (out of petalite) that would enable Azuma to make his Japan #44, his best bread yet. Kuroyan grades the entry submissions for the bread that won’t grow mold and both Kawachi and Azuma pass. Suwabara is eager to battle the two to avenge his loss in the Employee Selection Exam. Before the day of the Newcomers’ Battle, everybody at the Southern Pantasia Branch worries because Azuma hasn’t come home yet. Tsukino phones Azuma’s home and Azuma’s sister answers. Azuma’s sister goes to Gifu on her motorcycle to fetch Azuma. Before they leave Gifu, they try to rouse Grandpa Umasaborou from sleep to say good-bye but they couldn’t wake him up. Grandpa Umasaborou’s soul is floating, watching them, and he thanks Azuma for baking him bread. During the day of the battle, Azuma arrives five minutes late (because of heavy traffic) to Kuroyan’s chagrin. Azuma greets him occhan (an old man) which pisses Kuroyan even more who then deducts five points from him already.

Naruto Special: The Raging Battle Between the Cool Guys!

The 64 Points of Divinity didn’t work since the enemy ’s skin secreted a metallic substance to shield him from Neji’s attack. The enemy levels up and simultaneously attacks Neji with thousands of black spiders (coming out of a gravid creepy big-ass giant spider) along with thousands of kunai. Neji fights back with his kaiten but he is unable to fend of one kunai which strikes his back. Kidoumaru (that’s Spider-man’s name) discovers the Byakugan’s weakness and continually attacks Neji’s weak side with kunai. Spider-man levels up again, then aims giant arrows coming from his mouth at Neji’s back. The first arrow hits Neji but misses his heart by a few inches. Neji runs from the second arrow but it hits him nonetheless. Neji takes on the third arrow without flinching but not without concentrating his chakra on his weak side first. The third arrow goes through Neji but he then pours his chakra onto the string which connects it to Kidoumaru (the jyuuken). Kidoumaru drops and Neji uses his 128 (or was it 64?) Points of Divinity on the enemy. Neji recalls his Naruto’s words during their match at the Chuunin Exam. Kidoumaru drops dead but Neji falls unconscious, too.

Note: not to be missed in this episode is Neji’s flowing long black hair –> looks like a shampoo commercial to me! And doesn’t Kidoumaru look like a more evil, creepier, uglier version of Iruka-sensei?

Your Opponent is Me!

After defeating Jiroubou, Spider-man is next. Neji stays to fight him because only he, with his byakugan, jyuuken, and excellent chakra control, can cut through the enemy’s chakra-filled web. Spider-man’s web-shooter has no effect on Neji but he then paralyzes Neji’s hands so he is unable to use his jyuken. However, as Spider-man prepares to pierce him, Neji releases chakra simultaneously from all his chakra points and breaks free from the web. Neji prepares to use his 64 Points of Divinity (the technique he used on Naruto during the Chuunin exam).


Game over.