[REVIEW] Gokusen 2 - 06
Sep. 5th, 2009 02:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mecSee disclaimer in first post.
Gokusen 2 - Episode 06
Plot: Nobody except Yankumi expects the guys in 3-D to have much of a future ahead of them, so when the episode starts off with the other teachers bragging about the fabulous universities their students will be attending after graduation, it's not surprising that the futures of most of the 3-D guys are undecided. (Really? We've got a pimp, a bride, a rich man...) They've also got terrible attendance records (even Ryu, who was ordered not to attend? Has he somehow got negative attendance for attending school?) and must therefore come to school everyday, while the good boys have to come only once a week. How unfair is this?
In class, I'm amused to see there's a 'Nakanishi' on Yankumi's list of students. Where's that CKT director? (Okay, he could be Chuusei or something for all I know, but I'll assume this reading for now.) There's a guy with a *fabulous* scarf in the front row. Yankumi wants to talk to them about their future, about how there's a need to choose their path in life if they don't already have one. She's going to give them all a fifteen-minute interview about it. No one is happy about this idea, though Hyuuga is fast asleep over his desk and so probably doesn't hear it. Ryu gives him a puzzled look. I guess Hyuuga's not normally the one you expect to see sleeping in class. Hayato, on the other hand...
As Yankumi interviews students I am again impressed by the quality of 3-D's graffiti. Is that 'The Scream' by the basketball hoop, or just a scary-looking panda? They've also got a battery underneath the clock, a train, some random English about moving and working, a workman with a pickaxe, and what looks like a pink warrior queen but who knows?
I'm not impressed by their ambitions, though the guys who want to form a comedy duo are at least thinking positively! Hyuuga, however, not only has a job in mind but he's actually got experience. A bartender's apprentice, he says. Yankumi's so thrilled to have someone who's put at least a little effort into thinking about his future that she ignores his barely-awake state. Of course by the time he's finished, everyone else has vanished...
That's not unexpected. What *is* unexpected is Shiratori-sensei asking Yankumi to go for a drink with her and give her some advice on love. Poor girl's hopelessly in love with Tetsu. Little does she know she's asking the perfect person for advice on this particular man...if only she knew who he was.
Hayato and co. have a new hangout - a slide. I'm sure they could do better, but Take and Tsucchi both seem to enjoy sliding down it while standing. Aww. But even now he's out of his interview (which the others have skipped) Hyuuga can't stay and play. He's got to work. None of the others have heard about this before, and are extremely suspicious when he starts taking his future seriously and disappears. Ryu gives him that look again, but to be honest, anyone would give Hyuuga strange looks - the man is skipping away like a little girl.
Back to people who are actually old enough to drink, and Tetsu and Minoru are shutting the stall for the day and preparing to go out when Yankumi shows up to tell them she'll be back late, she's going drinking. Tetsu faints when she tells him that Kujo-sensei will be there too. That does it. He and Minoru aren't going wherever they were planning originally - it's time for a bit of well-intentioned stalking.
Unfortunately, Baba-sensei has invited himself along to the party, and Yankumi's stuck sitting opposite him. Everyone thinks Shiratori's tale about Tetsu is fantastic, though Tetsu himself is unable to appreciate it from his location just round the corner from their table, where he's sitting with sunglasses and an agonised expression at seeing Yankumi try to romance Kujo.
Elsewhere that night, Hayato and Ryu are alone again. Date? Hayato wants to know what Ryu plans to do after he graduates, but Ryu hasn't decided yet. Neither has Hayato, when Ryu returns the question, and he's about to say something else when Ryu notices a wallet on the floor. There's just something about the way Hayato turns round and says "Demo..." ("But...") that makes me think he's about to ask Ryu if, you know, he wants their future to be together. Like, getting an apartment together or something. If only Ryu hadn't got distracted, damn him.
It's a weird wallet they've found, with Minoru's picture on the back, and they don't have to look far to find the owner. At an oden stand a few feet away, Minoru can be heard protesting about how he has money on him, honest! Hayato and Ryu cautiously creep under the curtain to return the wallet. Minoru is thrilled by their honesty and pulls them down to drink with him. Minoru's red face says he's had a lot already! Oh dear. I've got the player paused so I can type, and you know that expression Jin makes when someone touches him that's half "Get me out of here!" and half "Do that again?", which we see a couple of times in Yuukan Club? He's doing it here. It would probably help if Minoru had grabbed him a little higher, but since he was sitting down, his aim was pretty low... Ryu just looks resigned - and even smiles a bit at the thought of food - but points out that they're too young to drink.
Back with the teachers, Shiratori's all of a fluster - she's spotted her destined man. It must be fate! She has to go confess, and Yankumi has to go with her. She and Tetsu manage to avoid complications by explaining that she only knows him because he sells takoyaki in her neighbourhood. Yankumi doesn't want him seeing Shiratori, so poor Tetsu has to drink and run.
Minoru's had a lot more to drink than Tetsu has and is not capable of walking alone, never mind running, so Hayato and Ryu have to carry him home. Poor guys. Unfortunately, being completely plastered, Minoru talks about their fourth-generation leader and how wonderful she is. When he gets to mentioning the Oedo Family, both boys - in unison, I might add - are rather alarmed by their potentially mob-related charge.
It's obviously the night for being out and up to no good. Yankumi admonishes Tetsu on the way home but gets distracted by the sight of Hyuuga, looking all slick, walking with an older man - Tatsumi, from his workplace. He looks less trustworthy than every gangster in the series, but Yankumi doesn't notice because he says she's cute. Tetsu notices, though! Takes one to know one?
At the Oedo Family house, Ryu and Hayato have finally managed to get Minoru inside and are now faced with...dammit, what's his name again? The guy I think of as 'Joey' and the other one, who Minoru drunkenly calls 'Suga-chan'. Ah, Sugawara, there we go. They bow to the boys and offer them a thank you gift. Clearly weirded out, Hayato and Ryu just want to leave. They turn for the door but don't make it - Yankumi comes home, doing a brilliant double-take when she finally realises that she's talking to them and inviting them in. It's all Minoru's fault, but he's fallen asleep. :-(
Everyone gathers round the table, looking serious, so perhaps it's not wise that the first thing Hayato does is question that Yankumi is the "beautiful ojou" Minoru was talking about. The henchmen try to look good and harmless, as Yankumi says they are, but her grandfather just looks on in disgusted resignation. Ryu works up the courage to ask exactly what the Oedo Family is, which makes everyone uncomfortable until Yankumi has the bright idea to explain them away as a theatrical company.
And I just about die laughing. Sugawara is an actor, who suddenly has to introduce himself with a fan in hand. Wakamatsu plays female Kabuki roles, Minoru does the stage set and Tetsu is their leading man. Yankumi's grandfather refuses to carry on with the charade, though, pointing out that the students probably already know. I find it somewhat ironic that Hayato says they're really bad at acting. The old man takes the opportunity to explain a little about how society works, but all I can think about is how Hayato's lipstick is a much more flattering shade than usual and his hair looks so nice and fluffy. Bottom line: if the school finds out, Yankumi gets fired. Everyone is :-(
Bless them, Hayato and Ryu don't care about her background and say they won't tell on her, earning themselves an unwanted hair-ruffle. It's a cause for celebration, but the boys can't have a drink from the massive bottle Wakamatsu produces. (Hayato looks like he wants to, though!) The poor boys are so uncomfortable being asked to look after their teacher.
Random scene of Hyuuga at work, apparently doing a good job. Sinister looking men say so.
The next morning 3-D is lively as ever, aside from the totally silent Hayato and Ryu and the absent Hyuuga, who should be at school but is probably at work. As Hayato points out, he has had a lot of money lately...and hasn't been going home. His friends are clearly worried, and so is Yankumi, and not because Ryu's overdone it with the eyeliner again. She's concerned that Hyuuga might be involved with something dodgy, unfortunately using some slang that catches the class's attention - she is, as Ryu points out, bringing it on herself.
So, I'm pretty sure now that the sign says 'Cafe de Rovne', but I like to think of it as "the chocolate place". Hyuuga, all spiffy and with flat hair, meets up with Hayato-tachi there. It should come as no surprise that Hayato and Ryu have the power chairs again. Not sure what Hayato's doing, but he's making the right actions for rolling a ball of wool when knitting while Hyuuga talks about how great his job is. They're staging an intervention! Hayato and Ryu try the rational approach, which only makes Hyuuga mad and leads to Tsucchi lifting him practically off his feet. Take leaps in too, but Hayato and Ryu don't actually move. Mob bosses already? Hyuuga pays with a 5000 yen note, treating them all, and takes off. I wonder who gets the change?
It sure isn't his mother, who tells Yankumi she hasn't seen him for a week. Well, he comes home to change clothes, but won't tell her where he's going. He does answer when she phones him, though. Turns out he didn't tell her anything because she doesn't know about the job, as they discover when he suddenly comes home. Mrs. Hyuuga gets a lecture about being too soft on her son and not forcing him to go to school, while her son tells both women to stay out of his business. Nice kid, huh?
Cut for more alcohol and grandfatherly advice on the state of mind of eighteen-year-olds.
When Hyuuga's absent the next day, Tsucchi is fuming about him and doesn't care. These guys switch desks a lot - Tsucchi's between Hayato and Ryu today, dwarfing both of them. Take explains the problem, and Hayato and Ryu basically share one speech about why they can't be happy for Hyuuga with his job. While Yankumi lectures them on how they should still be his friend 'cause he's insecure and all that, Kizuna plays in the background and we see shots of Hyuuga learning bartender stuff. These three things really don't go together. Ryu is master of the art of "acting through minute facial twitches".
I don't know when Hyuuga sleeps, as he appears to work all night and all day. (Is he secretly Kame in disguise?) He doesn't have time to talk when his mother phones and the poor woman angsts over the lecture she received from Yankumi.
Hyuuga's still the main topic of conversation for Hayato and the gang, who are playing games while they brood. Ryu pouts, Hayato poses, and I think Take's on drugs. Somehow, they're still able to laugh about it...until Ryu points out that isn't it strange for an apprentice to be getting paid so much? He's a smart cookie, that boy. Take speculates that perhaps night jobs have higher pay. Uh, you could ask Ryu that, he used to have one - which is exactly why he knows it's too good to be true. Yankumi pulls one of her surprise appearances in time to hear this.
Wherever Hyuuga's working is clearly in a seedy part of town...which is unfortunate, as his mother is out tonight, searching for it. It's sheer luck that she spots him going into the bar.
Back at the cafe, and Hayato and Ryu are in the power seats again, but the other way round, this time. They've all just settled down for drinks with Yankumi (who's paying?) when her phone goes. Why the heck does Mrs. Hyuuga have her number? It doesn't surprise me that Ryu knows the place is dangerous, though. There are rumours about illegal gambling. Guess Yankumi's grandfather isn't into that kind of action? But never fear, Mrs. Hyuuga. World's most enthusiastic teacher and four of her precious students are on their way to help!
There is indeed illegal gambling going on, in a back room Hyuuga saw earlier, only now he's getting a look in. They've got girls in there too. Too bad his creepy-looking boss and some other heavies catch him peeking. Creepy boss explains that he'd planned to have Hyuuga work on that side of the business too, eventually, and Hyuuga's the only one not entirely happy with it being illegal. Cue threats. I've finally remembered where I've seen creepy boss guy before! He was the manager of that weird beauty salon in Biyo Shounen Celebrity, the one with the so-camp-he's-probably-straight stylist, the hotshot who made all the tea, the cute young innocent, the seriously angsty one with no confidence, and the two incredibly slashy ones who were at each other's throats the entire time. It's too bad I only saw three episodes - I always wondered if Go and Ryo were going to kiss each other or kill each other.
Anyway, I digress. If Hyuuga's not in, he's dead meat, and he's definitely out. By which I mean he gets taken out back to have his mind changed, not that he's started embracing an alternative lifestyle. I have to say, for hardcore villains, they kick like wimps. Hyuuga's mother spots them beating the living daylights - or attempting to - out of her son and rushes in to protect him, which they find hilarious. Mother and son try to protect each other, without success. Yankumi and gang to the rescue! And I think Take's wearing one of my shirts!
Here we go, it's time to make yourself a cup of tea or something while Yankumi does the usual routine. Lecture, argue, fight, win. With hair up and glasses on, this time! I looked away to type this and it was practically all over. Yankumi smashing a bottle looks a lot better than Yankumi taking a guy down with an open hand to his stomach.
It's Hyuuga's turn to get slapped by Yankumi, for calling his mother lame. He thinks she shouldn't have come out to a place like this. Cue Yankumi lecture on the great parenting struggle and why children shouldn't be ungrateful. Please, not another lecture. I'm losing the will to live. Hyuuga, you jerk, be nice to your mother. Even Take looks half-asleep. Hyuuga's mother grows a backbone and takes her wayward son home. They bid him farewell with a reminder to come to school tomorrow. Again, I find it ironic that Hayato is the one telling him not to be late.
Everyone is happy. Yankumi muses on how great parents are. Everyone smiles indulgently, except Ryu, because as we know, his father does not approve of his lifestyle. Or maybe he just doesn't think Hayato is good enough for his son, I don't know.
3-D welcomes Hyuuga back with open arms - or open fists, more like, as they appear to be re-enacting the fight. Meanwhile, at the back, Hayato, Ryu and Yankumi talk secrets. The boys look utterly uninspired when she explains why she became a teacher and have no answers when asked about their own dreams. I'm thinking "move in together and do whatever we want without worrying about Hayato's dad walking in" is probably not what she wants to hear. Luckily, a ball to the head interrupts Yankumi's final attempt at a guidance speech, and she goes after the culprits. Hayato and Ryu can now coordinate their Yankumi-insults and the little smiles that follow afterwards. I think they may be sharing a brain this episode?
Obligatory Akame commentary: Hayato and Ryu do like their night-time dates, don't they? I wonder where they were headed this time, before they found Minoru's wallet? I guess given their families, they don't hang out at home much. The old guy might as well give them a spare room above the cafe. For all I know, he already does. They're very in sync in this episode, as far as I can see, thinking along the same lines, sometimes resulting in the same speech, or one starts and the other finishes. (Is this art mirroring RL?) I would dearly love to know what Hayato was going to say to Ryu just before they found Minoru's wallet, because it must've been something about the future, given the topic of conversation. There was absolutely no need for that little bit in there, so it's obviously in the script to drive the fangirls crazy wondering about it.
Best scene: Hmm, not much to choose from here, despite the Ryu/Hayato yumminess. Probably because Hyuuga was a total jerk this episode. I'm going to have to go with the henchmen pretending to be part of the theatrical troupe, which did give me a good giggle. They make a valiant attempt to convince. That whole section's quite nice, actually. I always like it when Yankumi's students accidentally invade her house, though I have to wonder what would happen if any of them ever said they'd expose her secret. Would Tetsu and co. beat them up?
Conclusion: All work and no school makes Hyuuga a Grade-A jerk, the Oeda Family theatrical troupe couldn't act its way out of a paper bag, Take is clearly on something but I don't know what and Ryu and Hayato have taken their relationship to the next level - telepathy.
Gokusen 2 - Episode 06
Plot: Nobody except Yankumi expects the guys in 3-D to have much of a future ahead of them, so when the episode starts off with the other teachers bragging about the fabulous universities their students will be attending after graduation, it's not surprising that the futures of most of the 3-D guys are undecided. (Really? We've got a pimp, a bride, a rich man...) They've also got terrible attendance records (even Ryu, who was ordered not to attend? Has he somehow got negative attendance for attending school?) and must therefore come to school everyday, while the good boys have to come only once a week. How unfair is this?
In class, I'm amused to see there's a 'Nakanishi' on Yankumi's list of students. Where's that CKT director? (Okay, he could be Chuusei or something for all I know, but I'll assume this reading for now.) There's a guy with a *fabulous* scarf in the front row. Yankumi wants to talk to them about their future, about how there's a need to choose their path in life if they don't already have one. She's going to give them all a fifteen-minute interview about it. No one is happy about this idea, though Hyuuga is fast asleep over his desk and so probably doesn't hear it. Ryu gives him a puzzled look. I guess Hyuuga's not normally the one you expect to see sleeping in class. Hayato, on the other hand...
As Yankumi interviews students I am again impressed by the quality of 3-D's graffiti. Is that 'The Scream' by the basketball hoop, or just a scary-looking panda? They've also got a battery underneath the clock, a train, some random English about moving and working, a workman with a pickaxe, and what looks like a pink warrior queen but who knows?
I'm not impressed by their ambitions, though the guys who want to form a comedy duo are at least thinking positively! Hyuuga, however, not only has a job in mind but he's actually got experience. A bartender's apprentice, he says. Yankumi's so thrilled to have someone who's put at least a little effort into thinking about his future that she ignores his barely-awake state. Of course by the time he's finished, everyone else has vanished...
That's not unexpected. What *is* unexpected is Shiratori-sensei asking Yankumi to go for a drink with her and give her some advice on love. Poor girl's hopelessly in love with Tetsu. Little does she know she's asking the perfect person for advice on this particular man...if only she knew who he was.
Hayato and co. have a new hangout - a slide. I'm sure they could do better, but Take and Tsucchi both seem to enjoy sliding down it while standing. Aww. But even now he's out of his interview (which the others have skipped) Hyuuga can't stay and play. He's got to work. None of the others have heard about this before, and are extremely suspicious when he starts taking his future seriously and disappears. Ryu gives him that look again, but to be honest, anyone would give Hyuuga strange looks - the man is skipping away like a little girl.
Back to people who are actually old enough to drink, and Tetsu and Minoru are shutting the stall for the day and preparing to go out when Yankumi shows up to tell them she'll be back late, she's going drinking. Tetsu faints when she tells him that Kujo-sensei will be there too. That does it. He and Minoru aren't going wherever they were planning originally - it's time for a bit of well-intentioned stalking.
Unfortunately, Baba-sensei has invited himself along to the party, and Yankumi's stuck sitting opposite him. Everyone thinks Shiratori's tale about Tetsu is fantastic, though Tetsu himself is unable to appreciate it from his location just round the corner from their table, where he's sitting with sunglasses and an agonised expression at seeing Yankumi try to romance Kujo.
Elsewhere that night, Hayato and Ryu are alone again. Date? Hayato wants to know what Ryu plans to do after he graduates, but Ryu hasn't decided yet. Neither has Hayato, when Ryu returns the question, and he's about to say something else when Ryu notices a wallet on the floor. There's just something about the way Hayato turns round and says "Demo..." ("But...") that makes me think he's about to ask Ryu if, you know, he wants their future to be together. Like, getting an apartment together or something. If only Ryu hadn't got distracted, damn him.
It's a weird wallet they've found, with Minoru's picture on the back, and they don't have to look far to find the owner. At an oden stand a few feet away, Minoru can be heard protesting about how he has money on him, honest! Hayato and Ryu cautiously creep under the curtain to return the wallet. Minoru is thrilled by their honesty and pulls them down to drink with him. Minoru's red face says he's had a lot already! Oh dear. I've got the player paused so I can type, and you know that expression Jin makes when someone touches him that's half "Get me out of here!" and half "Do that again?", which we see a couple of times in Yuukan Club? He's doing it here. It would probably help if Minoru had grabbed him a little higher, but since he was sitting down, his aim was pretty low... Ryu just looks resigned - and even smiles a bit at the thought of food - but points out that they're too young to drink.
Back with the teachers, Shiratori's all of a fluster - she's spotted her destined man. It must be fate! She has to go confess, and Yankumi has to go with her. She and Tetsu manage to avoid complications by explaining that she only knows him because he sells takoyaki in her neighbourhood. Yankumi doesn't want him seeing Shiratori, so poor Tetsu has to drink and run.
Minoru's had a lot more to drink than Tetsu has and is not capable of walking alone, never mind running, so Hayato and Ryu have to carry him home. Poor guys. Unfortunately, being completely plastered, Minoru talks about their fourth-generation leader and how wonderful she is. When he gets to mentioning the Oedo Family, both boys - in unison, I might add - are rather alarmed by their potentially mob-related charge.
It's obviously the night for being out and up to no good. Yankumi admonishes Tetsu on the way home but gets distracted by the sight of Hyuuga, looking all slick, walking with an older man - Tatsumi, from his workplace. He looks less trustworthy than every gangster in the series, but Yankumi doesn't notice because he says she's cute. Tetsu notices, though! Takes one to know one?
At the Oedo Family house, Ryu and Hayato have finally managed to get Minoru inside and are now faced with...dammit, what's his name again? The guy I think of as 'Joey' and the other one, who Minoru drunkenly calls 'Suga-chan'. Ah, Sugawara, there we go. They bow to the boys and offer them a thank you gift. Clearly weirded out, Hayato and Ryu just want to leave. They turn for the door but don't make it - Yankumi comes home, doing a brilliant double-take when she finally realises that she's talking to them and inviting them in. It's all Minoru's fault, but he's fallen asleep. :-(
Everyone gathers round the table, looking serious, so perhaps it's not wise that the first thing Hayato does is question that Yankumi is the "beautiful ojou" Minoru was talking about. The henchmen try to look good and harmless, as Yankumi says they are, but her grandfather just looks on in disgusted resignation. Ryu works up the courage to ask exactly what the Oedo Family is, which makes everyone uncomfortable until Yankumi has the bright idea to explain them away as a theatrical company.
And I just about die laughing. Sugawara is an actor, who suddenly has to introduce himself with a fan in hand. Wakamatsu plays female Kabuki roles, Minoru does the stage set and Tetsu is their leading man. Yankumi's grandfather refuses to carry on with the charade, though, pointing out that the students probably already know. I find it somewhat ironic that Hayato says they're really bad at acting. The old man takes the opportunity to explain a little about how society works, but all I can think about is how Hayato's lipstick is a much more flattering shade than usual and his hair looks so nice and fluffy. Bottom line: if the school finds out, Yankumi gets fired. Everyone is :-(
Bless them, Hayato and Ryu don't care about her background and say they won't tell on her, earning themselves an unwanted hair-ruffle. It's a cause for celebration, but the boys can't have a drink from the massive bottle Wakamatsu produces. (Hayato looks like he wants to, though!) The poor boys are so uncomfortable being asked to look after their teacher.
Random scene of Hyuuga at work, apparently doing a good job. Sinister looking men say so.
The next morning 3-D is lively as ever, aside from the totally silent Hayato and Ryu and the absent Hyuuga, who should be at school but is probably at work. As Hayato points out, he has had a lot of money lately...and hasn't been going home. His friends are clearly worried, and so is Yankumi, and not because Ryu's overdone it with the eyeliner again. She's concerned that Hyuuga might be involved with something dodgy, unfortunately using some slang that catches the class's attention - she is, as Ryu points out, bringing it on herself.
So, I'm pretty sure now that the sign says 'Cafe de Rovne', but I like to think of it as "the chocolate place". Hyuuga, all spiffy and with flat hair, meets up with Hayato-tachi there. It should come as no surprise that Hayato and Ryu have the power chairs again. Not sure what Hayato's doing, but he's making the right actions for rolling a ball of wool when knitting while Hyuuga talks about how great his job is. They're staging an intervention! Hayato and Ryu try the rational approach, which only makes Hyuuga mad and leads to Tsucchi lifting him practically off his feet. Take leaps in too, but Hayato and Ryu don't actually move. Mob bosses already? Hyuuga pays with a 5000 yen note, treating them all, and takes off. I wonder who gets the change?
It sure isn't his mother, who tells Yankumi she hasn't seen him for a week. Well, he comes home to change clothes, but won't tell her where he's going. He does answer when she phones him, though. Turns out he didn't tell her anything because she doesn't know about the job, as they discover when he suddenly comes home. Mrs. Hyuuga gets a lecture about being too soft on her son and not forcing him to go to school, while her son tells both women to stay out of his business. Nice kid, huh?
Cut for more alcohol and grandfatherly advice on the state of mind of eighteen-year-olds.
When Hyuuga's absent the next day, Tsucchi is fuming about him and doesn't care. These guys switch desks a lot - Tsucchi's between Hayato and Ryu today, dwarfing both of them. Take explains the problem, and Hayato and Ryu basically share one speech about why they can't be happy for Hyuuga with his job. While Yankumi lectures them on how they should still be his friend 'cause he's insecure and all that, Kizuna plays in the background and we see shots of Hyuuga learning bartender stuff. These three things really don't go together. Ryu is master of the art of "acting through minute facial twitches".
I don't know when Hyuuga sleeps, as he appears to work all night and all day. (Is he secretly Kame in disguise?) He doesn't have time to talk when his mother phones and the poor woman angsts over the lecture she received from Yankumi.
Hyuuga's still the main topic of conversation for Hayato and the gang, who are playing games while they brood. Ryu pouts, Hayato poses, and I think Take's on drugs. Somehow, they're still able to laugh about it...until Ryu points out that isn't it strange for an apprentice to be getting paid so much? He's a smart cookie, that boy. Take speculates that perhaps night jobs have higher pay. Uh, you could ask Ryu that, he used to have one - which is exactly why he knows it's too good to be true. Yankumi pulls one of her surprise appearances in time to hear this.
Wherever Hyuuga's working is clearly in a seedy part of town...which is unfortunate, as his mother is out tonight, searching for it. It's sheer luck that she spots him going into the bar.
Back at the cafe, and Hayato and Ryu are in the power seats again, but the other way round, this time. They've all just settled down for drinks with Yankumi (who's paying?) when her phone goes. Why the heck does Mrs. Hyuuga have her number? It doesn't surprise me that Ryu knows the place is dangerous, though. There are rumours about illegal gambling. Guess Yankumi's grandfather isn't into that kind of action? But never fear, Mrs. Hyuuga. World's most enthusiastic teacher and four of her precious students are on their way to help!
There is indeed illegal gambling going on, in a back room Hyuuga saw earlier, only now he's getting a look in. They've got girls in there too. Too bad his creepy-looking boss and some other heavies catch him peeking. Creepy boss explains that he'd planned to have Hyuuga work on that side of the business too, eventually, and Hyuuga's the only one not entirely happy with it being illegal. Cue threats. I've finally remembered where I've seen creepy boss guy before! He was the manager of that weird beauty salon in Biyo Shounen Celebrity, the one with the so-camp-he's-probably-straight stylist, the hotshot who made all the tea, the cute young innocent, the seriously angsty one with no confidence, and the two incredibly slashy ones who were at each other's throats the entire time. It's too bad I only saw three episodes - I always wondered if Go and Ryo were going to kiss each other or kill each other.
Anyway, I digress. If Hyuuga's not in, he's dead meat, and he's definitely out. By which I mean he gets taken out back to have his mind changed, not that he's started embracing an alternative lifestyle. I have to say, for hardcore villains, they kick like wimps. Hyuuga's mother spots them beating the living daylights - or attempting to - out of her son and rushes in to protect him, which they find hilarious. Mother and son try to protect each other, without success. Yankumi and gang to the rescue! And I think Take's wearing one of my shirts!
Here we go, it's time to make yourself a cup of tea or something while Yankumi does the usual routine. Lecture, argue, fight, win. With hair up and glasses on, this time! I looked away to type this and it was practically all over. Yankumi smashing a bottle looks a lot better than Yankumi taking a guy down with an open hand to his stomach.
It's Hyuuga's turn to get slapped by Yankumi, for calling his mother lame. He thinks she shouldn't have come out to a place like this. Cue Yankumi lecture on the great parenting struggle and why children shouldn't be ungrateful. Please, not another lecture. I'm losing the will to live. Hyuuga, you jerk, be nice to your mother. Even Take looks half-asleep. Hyuuga's mother grows a backbone and takes her wayward son home. They bid him farewell with a reminder to come to school tomorrow. Again, I find it ironic that Hayato is the one telling him not to be late.
Everyone is happy. Yankumi muses on how great parents are. Everyone smiles indulgently, except Ryu, because as we know, his father does not approve of his lifestyle. Or maybe he just doesn't think Hayato is good enough for his son, I don't know.
3-D welcomes Hyuuga back with open arms - or open fists, more like, as they appear to be re-enacting the fight. Meanwhile, at the back, Hayato, Ryu and Yankumi talk secrets. The boys look utterly uninspired when she explains why she became a teacher and have no answers when asked about their own dreams. I'm thinking "move in together and do whatever we want without worrying about Hayato's dad walking in" is probably not what she wants to hear. Luckily, a ball to the head interrupts Yankumi's final attempt at a guidance speech, and she goes after the culprits. Hayato and Ryu can now coordinate their Yankumi-insults and the little smiles that follow afterwards. I think they may be sharing a brain this episode?
Obligatory Akame commentary: Hayato and Ryu do like their night-time dates, don't they? I wonder where they were headed this time, before they found Minoru's wallet? I guess given their families, they don't hang out at home much. The old guy might as well give them a spare room above the cafe. For all I know, he already does. They're very in sync in this episode, as far as I can see, thinking along the same lines, sometimes resulting in the same speech, or one starts and the other finishes. (Is this art mirroring RL?) I would dearly love to know what Hayato was going to say to Ryu just before they found Minoru's wallet, because it must've been something about the future, given the topic of conversation. There was absolutely no need for that little bit in there, so it's obviously in the script to drive the fangirls crazy wondering about it.
Best scene: Hmm, not much to choose from here, despite the Ryu/Hayato yumminess. Probably because Hyuuga was a total jerk this episode. I'm going to have to go with the henchmen pretending to be part of the theatrical troupe, which did give me a good giggle. They make a valiant attempt to convince. That whole section's quite nice, actually. I always like it when Yankumi's students accidentally invade her house, though I have to wonder what would happen if any of them ever said they'd expose her secret. Would Tetsu and co. beat them up?
Conclusion: All work and no school makes Hyuuga a Grade-A jerk, the Oeda Family theatrical troupe couldn't act its way out of a paper bag, Take is clearly on something but I don't know what and Ryu and Hayato have taken their relationship to the next level - telepathy.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-06 10:27 am (UTC)I feel like I'd forgotten all about this episode - I think out of Hayato and Ryu's friends Hyuuga is the one who interests me the least. But now that you've reminded me I do remember enjoying the scene when Hayato and Ryu are at Yankumi's home, so I think it might be worth a re-watch sometime today. ^_^
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-06 08:06 pm (UTC)