Tawara Noodles
I got time off to come back here,
but I can't keep doing this forever...
Jeez, how'd you end up like this?
At the end of the day, you really are a tanuki...
Huh?! What the?!
Souta-kun!
Come out an' play!
Poco's Udon World
Episode 3: "The Red Lighthouse"
Let's go fishin'. Fishin'!
Uh... It's 3:00 AM.
We'll go out on a boat
and catch us some big ones.
What about the hospital?
You said you were busy. Did you get a day off?
It's fine!
Ain't no one at death's door today,
and I shouldn't get called in, either!
"Death's door"?
Souta?
Poco!
Po...?
What's with the runt?
Oh... Er...
Remember the kid I told you about on the phone?
As it turns out, I guess this is the child of a friend of mine in Tokyo.
Anyway, it's a long story...
But we decided that I'd take care of the kid for a while.
Sounds like a headache, so I won't ask for the details.
I don't wanna hear 'em, either.
But I do happen to know a darn good lawyer.
If ya ever need help...
Don't talk like I'm breaking the law!
He can turn black to white!
Yikes, look at all the handprints...
Don't touch the car!
Touch, touch!
Look, Poco.
This is Nakajima Shinobu.
We've been friends since we were kids.
He doesn't look it, but he's a doctor.
Po... co?
Nakaji.
I know kids can't choose their parents,
but not only did they stick ya with that name,
they left ya with some strange old guy, too...
Poor little thing...
Did ya think that was what I'd say?!
Stupid! Stupid!
Whoosh Whoosh
I wanna go have fun with you, stupid!
You always show up unannounced, and you have no common sense!
What's your problem?
Here I came by to hang out with ya while you're in town!
I can't go boat fishing!
Not when I have Poco. Who knows what could happen?
Nakaji.
Wh...
What?!
Whoosh Whoosh
What's with that look of pity?! You makin' fun of me?!
Please just go home!
I told you I wasn't going, didn't I?
This ain't boat fishin'.
Yeah, but still...
You can at least fish from here for black porgy or rockfish, right?
What I really wanted was to take a boat out,
and I don't want a kid here, either.
How many compromises do you think I made for you?
Huh? Why are you making me out to be the bad guy?
Touch, touch...
Don't touch the car. Now let's get a move on.
Souta!
There, there.
Souta.
What the heck...
Poco, this is called a "lighthouse."
Lighthouse?
A lighthouse is a guide for boats out at sea
to follow when they want to go home.
Go home?
That's right.
Touch, touch!
I don't think you can reach it...
I touch!
Oh, all right.
Ow...
Ya still got that?
Huh?
Ah, yeah.
It hurts now and then.
Stitches are our job in orthopedics.
Next time you hurt yourself, let me sew ya back up.
I'd do a better job than that.
I'll be counting on you.
Just say "Countin' on ya"!
Huh?
Seriously, you sound so wrong without your accent.
Hey, Souta.
I've been wantin' to ask you something.
The kid...
What is it?
Wh-What... is it?
B-Back there, did he...
Did he see?!
So? What is it?
Er...
Actually, uh...
A girl, right?
Huh?
I said, "Poco's a girl, right?"
Oh, you meant that?
"That"?
What else would I mean?
Nothing, nothing.
I hate to tell you, though, but you're wrong. Poco's a boy.
Seriously?
Seriously.
Right, Poco?
You're too overprotective.
D-Do you think so?
If I'd known he was a boy, I would've swung him around like crazy.
Please don't!
All right! Let's get fishin'.
Like a robot...
Poco, we use this as bait to catch the fi—
He ate it?!
Souta! Yummy!
Huh? It is?!
No, you can't!
You just can't!
It's for fish!
That's right. You hold the rod like this...
Like this...
Right. Then you take this...
I've got a lot of thoughts about this,
but to sum it up...
It's just wrong...
What's with that?! Don't arbitrarily sum it up!
10 Minutes Later
20 Minutes Later
He got bored.
Well, nothing's biting.
Oh, yeah.
You remember Kimura from our class in middle school, right?
Sure.
I ran into him not too long ago,
and he said he's trying for a second kid. Looked all happy about it.
Wow! A second, huh?
"Wow"?
You're basically a parent now, too, aren't you?
I guess, but it's like I skipped the marriage part and went straight to parenting...
What about you? Aren't you going to get married?
Don't nag me like my ma.
Huh?
The other day, I dropped by my parents' house...
Pathology
Pediatrics
Pediatric Orthopedics
Shinobu?
You should have told me you were coming home!
I only came by to grab a book.
Goodness... At least stay for dinner.
What are you eatin' before dinner?
Do you want some?
No!
It's oiri. Brings back memories, right?
I got them as a wedding favor.
You remember Machiko-neesan's daughter, don't you?
The one who's your age?
She looked so beautiful.
It must be nice to have a girl...
I hope you bring a bride home soon, too...
Shuffle Shuffle
Hey! Wait, Shinobu!
These days she's been bringin' up
arranged marriage interviews.
Why not try it?
I ain't interested in marriage interviews!
While we're on the subject, how's your dad doing? Good?
Our hospital director is still alive and kicking.
That's good.
But I hear that after his last checkup,
he can't smoke or drink anymore.
You "hear"?
When we talk face-to-face, we always end up arguin'.
Well, not as much as we used to, though.
We've both gotten older, I guess...
Yeah, we're 30 already.
Old enough to think about giving them grandkids.
The other day, I was talking to a senpai.
Yeah?
He said that a man's vector for happiness tends to fall on one of two sides.
There are guys whose family is their happiness,
and guys who put their career first...
I've always been the son of a doctor.
Now that I have this career, I want to work hard,
learn more,
and help every last patient that I can.
So to be honest, marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.
I guess before we can really talk about getting married,
we'd have to get girlfriends first, huh?
Did ya really have to say that?
In any case,
you're going to stay here in Kagawa, right?
Why ask that all of a sudden?
Well...
The thing is,
we might sell the house and the restaurant.
My sister and I discussed it on the phone,
and we decided that we need to at least get them cleaned up,
so I came back here...
But if we do end up selling it,
I don't think I'd be coming back to Kagawa that much anymore.
When I saw how empty the house looks with Dad gone...
I thought... I don't really want this place to be gone.
Losing a place to go home to...
It's kind of... lonely, I guess.
Once I started thinking that,
I couldn't concentrate on work.
Then you should move back here, shouldn't ya?
That's easier said than done.
I'd have to quit my job.
So bite the bullet and take over the udon restaurant already.
Huh?
Right... The udon restaurant...
The udon restaurant, huh...
What's this about a technical school in Tokyo?
I won't be an inconvenience to you.
I'll get a job an' pay the tuition myself.
That ain't what I'm sayin'!
Instead of goin' off to some strange school,
help with the restaurant!
No. I don't wanna
run some dumb udon restaurant.
No matter what you say, I'm goin' to Tokyo!
Do what ya want.
It's not so simple for me to take it over.
Then hurry up and sell the house and the restaurant, and go back to Tokyo.
But as things are now,
I can't go back until I sort through my feelings, I guess...
Can't ya work from here?
Well, I've managed to do this for ten years now.
I think I have the skill to work as a freelancer.
But I'm not sure there's really any Web design work out here.
Then you'd have to go back to Tokyo, right?
I guess, but...
I have Poco now, too...
Sheesh!
You're always pussyfootin' around. It drives me nuts!
Souta!
Huh?!
We can't catch any fish because you're like that!
Huh?! What gives?
It's not my fault they aren't biting!
Nakaji...
H... H... Here...
Huh? I don't want your crab!
Don't take it out on Poco, too! You're such a child.
Which of us is the child here?
What's that supposed to mean?!
Souta... Nakaji...
If you've got something to say to me, then say it!
Souta! Nakaji!
Poco?!
It's heavy! Is it a black porgy?!
Porgy, yummy?!
Porgy are disgusting!
Hey, Souta! What are you waitin' for?!
Get the net! The net!
Where is it?! Where's the net?! Where?!
Poco! You gotta hold on 'til the end!
'Til the end!
That's it! Just like that!
Here goes!
I didn't know you could catch them here.
It's my first time catchin' an octopus, too.
Souta...
Octopus, octopus...
Octopus...
Nakajima.
Yeah?
We've fished here before, haven't we?
All right! We're gonna catch a lot today!
The home page you made for me...
It's gettin' tons of views!
Nickname: Nakaji Kagawa Prefecture My hobby is sea fishing. I also like eating.
We're gonna catch some big ones and get even more views!
That's fine with me, but...
Why are we in our school uniforms?
So we can go straight to school after.
Because we'll be fishin' 'til morning!
'Til morning?! How much do you wanna catch?
I got a bite!
Souta! Get the net! The net!
Huh?! The net? The net?
What're you doin'? Hurry!
Where's the net?!
Whoa...
This's a good one!
Souta, upload the rubbing I make of it to my home page, would ya?
You got it!
Listen, Nakajima.
What?
I'm thinkin' about goin' to Tokyo.
I want to study Web design up there.
Honestly, I haven't gone fishing or anything since then.
You know, I... How do I put this?
It's like for the longest time, I forgot there was a life like this.
And now, coming back to Kagawa, spending time with Poco...
Realizing all these things, thanks to Poco...
I know this is late in coming, but...
I think I actually like it here a lot.
You really have changed.
Huh?
Hmph! Nothin'.
Hey, Poco!
Amuse me more!
Wait up!
Hey, hey, hey! Look at the octopus!
Hey, hey, hey!
A lighthouse is a guide for boats out at sea
to follow when they want to go home.
Souta!
Get over here!
Over here!
Hey now, Poco. Don't copy me!
He's so...
Nakajima! Carry something!
Kagawa
Tawara Noodles
Huh? Shinobu-chan's car?
What's he doin' here so early?
Good grief.
What are you grown men doin'?
Gaogao-chan and
The Blue Sky
The Tale of Gaogao-chan and
Episode 3:
"Gaogao-chan and Earth in Danger"
Earth in Danger!
Mimi and Momo took Gaogao-chan
to a beautiful spot from which they could see the sea.
If they could talk together while looking at the sea,
surely Gaogao-chan would reconsider his plans to conquer Earth.
Gao?
That's the Red Lighthouse Cannon.
He's protected the sea for years and years!
Mimi and I used to talk about
all kinds of bittersweet things here.
We were so young!
Uh-huh!
Young... Gao...
Gaogao, what are you going to do when you grow up, Gyao?
I will conquer that blue planet, Gao!
Cool!
Once you've conquered it, can I come over to play, Gyao?
Gao. Come join me, Gao.
Help!
Gao?!
That hurts!
I-I'll break!
Is that an alien octopus, Gao?!
I'm taking these women, Octopus!
Release those girls at once!
I will not allow anyone to disturb the sea's peace!
Red Lighthouse Cannon, fire! Boom!
Impossible! The Red Lighthouse Cannon is powerful enough
to burn up Earth twice over with only one shot, and he deflected it?!
Octopus!
Nooo! Anywhere but the face!
It's all over now!
He'll use these slimy things to...
Take this!
Gaogao-chan?!
Get your filthy hands... er, tentacles... off of them, Gao!
Which tentacles might you mean?
Too bad for you, Octopus!
Gaogao-chan!
Stop!
The eyes!
Aim for the eyes!
How underhanded...
Very well!
Special attack... Gaogao Lancer!
Argh! He got me, Octopus!
Gaogao-chan, thanks for saving us!
I was merely acting in self-defense.
Hey, Gaogao-chan, you came here
to conquer Earth... right?
This planet... is beautiful...
Gaogao-chan had begun to
take a liking to Earth.
Voices Gaogao-chan: Kuroda Takaya Mimi: Makino Yui Momo: Kokido Shiho Gyaogyao-kun: Inoue Kikuko Alien Octopus: Fukuyama Jun Red Lighthouse Cannon: Sugita Tomokazu Narration: Fukuyama Jun
Staff Story: Ikeda Rintarou Storyboards/Production: Yamashita Hidemi Art/Backgrounds: Itou Eriko Coloring: Onodera Emiko Camera: Gotou Haruka Camera: Shiradou Katsunori Production Assistant: Ishibashi Shingo
Udon Prefecture Vice Governor
Narration: Kaname Jun
In high school, I went to the track and field stadium here
for track competitions quite often.
Naturally, I rode the Kotoden.
Next time: "Yashima."