Yakitate!! Japan ep.18

February 26, 2005 | 7 Comments

No matter how many times I see this story in different formats, it never cease to make me wish that I can reach out through the pages/screen and wring Yukino's neck myself. She and Shiho (of Mai Hime) are two of the most despicable characters I've had the misfortune to endure this month. It's funny that I say this considering that some of my favourite characters include Suigintou from Rozen Maiden, Fuuma Monou from X, and Yagami Raito from Death Note. I think it's because in Yukino (and Shiho's) case, their actions and reasons are extremely tasteless and petty. While they do make good antagonist, I doubt I'll miss/feel sorry for them if they're gone at the end of the series. At any rate, this episode definitely rates as one of my favourites in the series. In fact, I think I've gone overboard with my screencaps because of it.

The episode begins with Tsukino waking up inside her room and whispering that this will be the fourth year, as she looks into a photograph of herself and her parents. Meanwhile, Kawachi and Katsuo are in the middle of preparing for their animal bread match. Kawachi notices that Katsuo is being cheered on by a pretty girl on the side. He, however, tells himself that he also has Azuma, Ken, and oops, no Tsukino here because she's on her way to another destination. After getting over the initial shock, Kawachi becomes depressed because Tsukino is not there to cheer him. The manager, however, tells him that Tsukino is there in the form of his well-toned body since she's the one who trained him. Upon hearing this, Kawachi becomes enthusiastic again while Ken quietly snickers and tells himself that Kawachi is so easy to dupe.

Meanwhile, in the nearby area, Suwabara is being approached by a pretty girl with a pink hair. Well, the girl turns out to be a guy called Kanmuri Shigeru, a participant from the Central Shinjuku branch store. It turns out that just like Suwabara, he's been winning his match by default because his opponent always run away every time he offers them one of his breads. Suwabara doesn't seem to like Kanmuri. However, when Kamuri gives him two of his bread, Suwabara admits to himself that he has never been given a bread that wets his appetite as much as the breads that Kanmuri has now given him. Anyway, not long after this Kawachi and Katsuo present their bread to be judged by Kuroyan. Kawachi shows off a crab-looking bread while Katsuo's bread has the shape of a girl's face. Kuroyan seems to prefer Katsuo's bread more because he likes its shape.

Buta (Piggy - Kuroyan's nickname for Katsuo) tells Kuroyan that the bread is a rendition of his 'Momma', referring to the pretty girl who's waving her hands at him. Of course Kuroyan doesn't believe him and tells Katsuo that she's too young to be his 'Momma'. Katsuo realises that Kuroyan misunderstood him so he informs the grumpy judge that 'Momma' is just the nickname he gives to his wife. This revelation surprises Kuroyan and the others. Ken even make a Tsukino-like mask to pretend as if Tsukino herself is in the room and is equally surprised about the entire thing. The guys, however, get a bigger shock when they find out that Katsuo is actually 31 years old and met his wife while working at one of Pantasia's branch store. The reason he entered this tournament was because his wife likes bread so much.

Buta, er... I mean Katsuo then starts to drool as he and his wife flirt with each other. What happens next is anybody's guess since the episode decides not to show Katsuo asking for 'advanced payment' from his wife. But the truth is, the animators' decision to not show the scene actually makes the scene 10 times worse. I ended up imagining some horrific...thing *shudders* happening off-screen between the two. The classical music and the pig noises that go together with the scene don't help either. Apparently I'm not the only one who's traumatised with it because Kuroyan also looks upset, to the point that he immediately picks Kawachi as the winner of the round even though he hasn't tasted the breads. Kuroyan also tells Katsuo that there will be no negotiation since Deebu-sensei himself already awarded Katsuo -500 points. Poor guy.

Kawachi is also upset about this because he wants Kuroyan to see that his crab bread can move if its body is pressed. He specifically uses Chiffon cake in order to ensure that the body doesn't crumble when it is pressed. At the same time, Kanmuri observes the entire situation and remarks to someone off-screen that he's not sure if he should face the guys with all of his capabilities. All of a sudden, a woman comes out of the hiding and tells Kanmuri that since Mizuno failed to get rid of 'the pest', Kanmuri is now responsible to exterminate everything. Kanmuri doesn't seem to like the idea but nevertheless agrees to carry out the wish of the woman, who is now referred to as Yukino. Elsewhere in town, Tsukino is seen stopping at a local flower shop to pick a Daffodil. As she picks up the flower, she starts to remember the time when her mother was still alive.

Meanwhile, back inside the main Pantasia store, Kawachi desperately tries to persuade everyone to touch his crab bread. In order to stop Kawachi from pestering him and the others even more, Kuroyan decides to gulp the bread and shows some kind of reaction. Unfortunately, Kawachi becomes even more depressed when Kuroyan's reaction ends up being so simple and uninspiring. Kuroyan can't care any less though, and moves on to tell everyone that the next competition's theme will be to make a bread that they're good at. Later on, however, it's revealed that Kuroyan hasn't been able to bend his finger normally after eating Kawachi's crab bread. Kanmuri and Azuma decide to tell Kawachi about this to stop him from being depressed. It's interesting to note that Kanmuri actually calls Kuroyan 'Sempai' here, suggesting that the two know each other.

Kanmuri and Kawachi then wish each other the best in the next tournament since they're going to face each other. Once Kanmuri left, however, Kawachi reveals that he wasn't exactly sincere when he was conversing with Kanmuri. He thinks that Kanmuri is afraid of his bread-making skills to the point that the only way Kanmuri tries to suck up to him. Well, Kanmuri isn't exactly nice either. When Yukino asks him why he makes friends with Azuma and Kawachi, Kanmuri tells her that he just tried to encourage Kawachi because the likelihood of Kawachi beating him is slim. Yukino, however, is not happy about this and tells Kanmuri that he wants the Southern Pantasia store's staffs to be humiliated in front of the owner so they'll never show their face again. It is obvious here that Kanmuri actually detest Yukino but he seems to be willing to follow her order for now.

Back to the Southern Pantasia's staffs, Azuma is seen busy trying to complement Kawachi. Kawachi then tells Ken that since he and Azuma makes it to the top four, the three of them and Tsukino should celebrate. While he says this, poor Kinoshita feels a little bit of chill while he works at the store. The poor guy has been ignored again. Anyway, Ken tells Azuma and Kawachi that they should be on their way to see Tsukino now if that's the case and proceeds to lead them out of the building. After a while, however, Azuma and Kawachi realise that Ken is taking them to a cemetery. The two are puzzled about this so Ken informs them that they are at the cemetery today because it is the anniversary of Tsukino's mother's death. He also tells them that Tsukino's mother used to be a general manager of the Pantasia main store. The same store where Tsukino's father worked.

The two eventually fall in love with each other and gave birth to Tsukino. However, four years ago, Tsukino's mother passed away due to cancer. The three then stops at a very large tomb, which supposed to be Tsukino's mother grave. Azuma and Kawachi marvel at the size and look of the grave and think that the grave is amazing. Ken, however, thinks the grave is horrible and points his finger to a dead tree located not far from the grave. Kawachi and Azuma are confused with this and even more so when they see Tsukino praying underneath the tree. Because of this Ken explains that the tree is actually the real gravestone of Tsukino's mother. Four years ago after the funeral was completed, the Azusagawas brought the ashes of Tsukino's mother to the grave for burial purposes. However, before they can buried the remains properly, something happened to the remains.

Yukino, who clearly hates Tsukino and her mother, managed to grab the pot containing the remains of Tsukino's mother and scattered it towards a dead tree. Tsukino tried her best to stop Yukino's vile act but she ended up getting a roundhouse kick from Yukino. Yukino then continued to scatter the remains towards the dead tree and screams how the bones of a dog is normally used to make a cherry blossom bloom so she wonders what kind of a flower will bloom from the remains of a cat burglar. It's hard not to be angry while witnessing this vile act perpetrated by the b*tch while Tsukino is paralysed with extreme grief and terror at this horrific act. Yukino's action here reminds me of the fact that there are a few things that a human can do to hurt other humans badly without physically harming them. What Yukino has done here, however, is the vilest thing I've had seen so far.

Anyway, Ken explains to Azuma and Kawachi, who now also try to repress their anger that eventually all of the remains are carried off by the wind. He also tells them that while he understands their anger, they must not let it to get over them. Unlike Mizuno, Yukino is one of those people who'll do anything to achieve what she wants. He believes that Kanmuri has been hired by her specifically to participate in this tournament. Upon hearing Ken's explanation, Kawachi and Azuma promise each other to beat Kanmuri for Tsukino's sake. The three then approach Tsukino and the tree to give their respect and prayer. Tsukino is surprised to see her friends coming unexpectedly. She, however, smiles and realises what it means so she quietly whispers to her mother that the three are the friends she was talking about. They are the reason that she doesn't feel lonely anymore now.

Impression:

I actually have some expletives that I have reserved for Yukino but I don't think it's a good idea to use them here. So I'll just re-iterate my point about how I like the execution of this particular episode. The character developments and the friendship that has been developed between the four main characters finally becomes prominent here. It is therefore, unfortunate that the anime writers decide to make Tsukino wonder around the town on her own while Kawachi is in the middle of an important tournament. It's probably done to up the comedic element of the story. But the problem is, I think the scene in question was funnier with Tsukino in it instead of with Ken pretending to be Tsukino. If anything, the scene makes me feel sorry for Kawachi because it seems Tsukino doesn't care enough to watch him competing in the tournament.

Thankfully the emotional part of the story works really well. Because of this, Tsukino's decision for not attending Kawachi's competition can be chalked down to the possibility that she feels sentimental about the fourth anniversary of her mother's death and wants to be on her own. I'm also glad that the animators didn't tone down Yukino's action in this version even though her action here is really vile. If there is something that the series lack thus far is a presence of a serious antagonist. So far the competitors that Azuma and Kawachi had to face are either friendly competitors such as Steven Henry Hokou or a minor annoyance such as Mizuno. Yukino, however, is an entirely different ball game. Judging from the way she acts in this episode, I won't be surprised if it turns out that she is willing to kill in order to achieve her goals.

© memento 2003