neko’s thinkbox

Awww, I’ve been playing over 15 hours of Pangya in just a two day’s time. I’m addicted x_x But then again I am sure I will not be able to play it at dorm anyway so I’ve had my share XD

Anyway I needed a break. Badly. So, what would be a good way to relax a bit? Of course, a nice Getsumen episode and some carrot juice! Delicious stuff, please have some as well!

And, Baseball: Serious Business.

Click here to proceed to the thinkbox.

Episode Summary - #3: The Promised Magic Ball 「やくそくの魔球」

Another Spoluna broadcast is starting, but Miina’s seat is empty. What happened? Well, it’s the same thing which happens at least twice a year to everyone: she simply overslept. Miina still manages to sneak half-unnoticed behind the studio desk about twenty seconds late, apologizing and introducing herself.

In Kanchi’s room, Spoluna is running on TV but Kanchi himself is sleeping soundly. Until his sister, Nakoru, enters the room and wakes him up by pulling away the blanket. While the siblings are arguing, Miina’s three-minute corner is about to begin, which directly catches Nakoru’s attention. Kanchi turns off the TV though.

After school, while Kanchi is training his pitching at the sports field, Miina gets a call from the producers to join them for a reportage. On her way out, she crosses Nakoru who is practicing in a cheerleader outfit. Nakoru asks Miina to cheer for Kanchi as well, but since she must go to work, Miina kindly refuses and leaves… only to come back with the Spoluna staff. Because today’s coverage is about the Tsukishima Academy’s baseball team and their upcoming match.

Kanchi notices the fuss all around the field and spots Miina in her Spoluna announcer outfit, surrounded by hundreds of students. Miina’s friends are calling her, but the team takes her away even before she could start a conversation. Kanchi doesn’t seem too pleased by her presence though. This is especially noticeable as Miina is trying to interview Tsukishima’s ace pitcher: He doesn’t answer to anything what the staff is telling him and just looks away - and when the camera is running, he simply goes away.

Nakoru finds her brother cooling his head under a faucet and asks him why he’s rejecting Miina. He replies that she has changed too much ever since she became an announcer, and that she would prioritize her work over her old friends now.
Miina, at the other end of the field, is very sad that Kanchi didn’t want to talk to her. But in that same moment, the baby rabbit pops up right in front of her and rubs her face, warning Miina that an UFO has been spotted over the city and that a new alien strike is imminent.

Later in the afternoon, Nakoru is running around the academy to search for Miina, who is resting near the Spoluna van. She asks her once again if she would not rather cheer for Kanchi than to work, but Miina says that she can’t do that since she needs to stay impartial as a sports announcer. She says she hasn’t forgotten about their promise though, and shows a Nakoru a complicated hand signal.

Hidden behind two fake trees near the bush, Escartine is yet again eavesdropping on her rival “Tsukudani-san” (which is a pun on Miina’s last name, Tsukuda; dani (壁蝨) means “tick” or “mite” in English), and whispers to herself that she is more skilled than Miina and better suited to make the interviews.

Evening, the baseball match has just begun, and Kanchi is already striking the first batters out. Miina in the commentator’s box rejoices but gets angry glares from Katou D, especially when she gets a phone call. But why would a mobile phone ring when it’s been previously turned off? Obviously, it’s that baby rabbit having yet another fancy appearance, this time through the screen of Miina’s mobile phone. It tells Miina that the alien is on the move.

While the cheerleaders of the opponent team are cheering, Escartine acts up and cheers in her own ridiculous style. Behind her, a spectator trembles and blows up, revealing a little cheerleading rabbit alien with pompons. At the same time, a transparent UFO appears in the sky and creates a huge wind gust which spins and twirls the opponent cheerleaders all around through the air.

The baby rabbit explains to Miina that the culprit is an alien who loves to cheer. Not that it actually is a bad thing, but like all those aliens, it tends to go overboard quite quickly. So, in order to stop it, she gets herself some vegetable juice that obviously contains carrots, and transforms into Tsukishiro Miina.
She promptly goes to face the alien, who directs the gust in her direction, sweeping the cheerleaders along. With her huge carrot weapon, Miina manages to catch everyone and wraps them into a huge ball (a bit Katamari-style). But as always, Escartine is the only one who falls down to the ground and gets knocked out.

Eventually, Miina spotted the UFO which also is the origin of those strong winds, and blows it up with her Carrot Hammer attack. The alien is captured and everything is back to normal.

Miina gets back to the commentator’s box and resumes her work, but more seriously now. It’s still 1-0 for the Tsukishima Academy, but Kanchi is getting exhausted and throws one foul ball after another. Miina can’t stand watching that scenery anymore and runs to the grand-stand where she calls for Kanchi and makes the same hand signal she showed Nakoru earlier. In a flashback from Kanchi’s childhood, Miina tells him that once he became an ace he should be able to throw a Magic Ball in the end, and that signal (that coincidentally looks like a rabbit) would stand for that Magic Ball.
Fired up, Kanchi gathers all his strength and makes an incredibly demonic throw called “Dragon Spider X”. But it seems that the ball got hit nevertheless.

Finally, the Spoluna staff is spending their time at the restaurant after work, Escartine wrapped in bandages as always, and Katou D ranting about Miina’s performance. A pretty normal day is coming to an end.

Next Episode: Mutsumune’s Big Break!

Thinkbox mode: on

Hmm. It was once again a funny episode with lots of win and randomness. As always, I love Miina’s facial expressions; she’s just so awfully cute, aww….. This time we FINALLY get to know that Kanchi guy a bit better. Yet with only one flashback, we didn’t really get to know much either. But at least it was way better than those cameo appearances in the first two episodes. Okay next time I want more of Miina’s parents now, I gather they are busy and all in her restaurant or whatever but now it is them who don’t get more screen time. Either show them a lot or don’t show them at all.

In three episode’s time, baseball has been targeted twice. It maybe would have been better if Kanchi was in a football team or so: The alien waiting for a touchdown, then swirling the cheerleaders around… Bah.
Now what will it be next time, soccer, basket, tennis? Next episode is called Mutsumune’s Big Break… What sports do usually have breaks? I know that term in snooker, in tennis, but what else…? Breakdance? Ah that’s not a sport.

Anyway. Miina’s transformation part, they finally shortened it a bit! It would have been too annoying to waste at least over one minute on those flashy animations everyone knows already by now. But, Miina used the same attack as in episode 1, the Carrot Hammer. While it might look badass, it’s once again the same animation. They should show it from different angles, or I don’t know, at least make it vary a bit, geez. Best would be to innovate and to simply create new moves, like that one machinegun carrot mode in episode 2.

This might sound totally random now, but Spoluna’s van is actually a Volkswagen Minibus (also called Barndoor, Microbus)… Look here
Only the VW brand logo has been replaced with a bunny, lol.

I wanted to add something but I already forgot what I wanted to say… Whatever. I’m done anyway ^^ So tune in next time as well, and don’t forget: delicious carrots, YOU MUST EAT THEM! *goes off to play some Pangya*
~neko