That bike...
Hii-kun!
Hiroshi? What are you doing here?
I thought you went back to Tokyo.
Udon...
I need to eat sanuki udon...
Comfort udon to heal my broken heart...
What?
Poco's Udon World
Episode 9: "Sardine Stock"
Tatami mats!
Tatami!
This house is huge!
The town's, like, so puny!
Kagawa is totally in the sticks!
Why is it, I wonder?
It's fine when I say that,
but hearing an outsider call it "the sticks"
ticks me off.
Go eat your udon and go back to your oh-so-great Tokyo!
This is the house where Rinko-san grew up, isn't it?
Huh?
Rinko-san...
I know you were shocked about my sister, but...
He's emotionally unstable.
Overflowing with energy... I am Gaogao-chan.
Your punches won't work on me.
Little guy...
Th-This is...
This toy is discontinued and sells for a fortune in auctions!
It's a super rare find! How'd you get it?!
Oh, Manabu-san gave him that.
Manabu-san?
W-Wait a second...
The person Dahama-san introduced you to was Saeki Manabu-san?
Yeah, what about it?
You met the legendary creative director?!
I was there, too... How could I have missed him?
No way...
Huh? What's the big deal?
Souta-san! Did you meet him without knowing a thing about him?!
Uh, yeah...
Saeki Manabu-san is best known as the creator of Gaogao-chan.
He set off the Gaogao-chan boom!
What? Him?
Takamatsu Harbor <--> Shodoshima
I love this island.
I've set my roots down in the area, and I do craftsmanship with the locals.
To me, this style is at the cutting edge.
I think it's an ideal place.
For my project to promote that,
someone with strengths in the Web and digital fields will be indispensable.
And that's why...
I'd like to borrow your help.
I had no idea someone so amazing was working in Kagawa.
Huh?
Poco?
Hiroshi?
Tawara Noodles
Udon
Amazing!
Wow, it's a perfect fit!
I like it here.
What are you doing in here?
Souta-san, look!
The little guy fits in the pot.
Wow!
Right. I remember now.
He really startled me at first.
I never dreamed we'd end up living together.
Souta-san!
I have to...
I have to eat some comfort udon!
There's an udon place nearby. You can eat there—
Souta-san!
What?
Let's make some udon!
What?!
Your place is an udon place, right?
Yeah, but this is too out of the blue...
Right? Right?
We make udon?
You too, Poco?
We make udon?
My dad didn't teach me how.
I don't really know how to make udon.
If you still want it anyway...
All right!
All right! All right!
Notes Part 1
This is so cool! A secret recipe passed down from father to son!
It's not that big a deal.
What are you wearing?
You just put water in here and knead it, right?
Wait, wait.
It has to be salt water.
I'll take care of this. You look for a thick plastic sheet.
Got it.
Hey now, Poco. Don't play with the flour.
Th-They've come... The wash basin aliens!
Over here, Poco.
Poco, your ears! Your ears!
I managed to muscle my way out of this last time...
But I'm not confident that I can trick him again.
I'm counting on you, Poco.
Pwomise.
This should do it.
So this is the dough?
It's not done yet.
Souta.
We do "one, two, one, two"?
That's right. How did you know?
Huh? What are we doing?
You step on the dough.
What?!
Are you sure that's okay?
I'm a little reluctant to step on food...
You put it under plastic first, so it's fine.
Besides, if you don't do it, it won't get elastic enough.
Hey, why are you grinning?
Everybody does it, both pros and amateurs.
Well, Souta-san...
You say you didn't learn how,
but it sure sounds like making udon is second nature to you.
I-I don't know that much about udon.
It's not...
Souta loves udon.
You too, Poco?
One, two, udon, udon.
Brings back memories.
One, two, udon, udon.
Huh? What does?
Oh, my dad used to
One, two, udon, udon.
step on udon like that.
One, two, udon, udon.
Oh, really?
One, two, udon, udon.
Man, this takes a lot of stamina...
One, two, udon, udon.
Souta-san, switch with me.
One, two, udon, udon.
So weak...
One, two, udon, udon...
That's a funny shout.
One... two... udon... udon...
One...
What are you doing?
Oh, er... P-Poco's tummy was showing.
Jeez, Poco, your tum-tum will get cold.
Your tail, your tail!
Just because his tummy might get cold? I think you're overreacting...
O-Oh, yeah! Poco, spring onions!
Can you get me some from the field?
You know what they are, right? Please.
Spring onions!
Spring onions, spring onions, spring onions...
Tawara Noodles
Pwomise, pwomise...
Go bye-bye, go bye-bye!
Pwomise, pwomise...
Go bye-bye..
Go bye-bye...
Dried Konbu
Dried Sardines
The dough will be ready after we let it sit a little longer.
The soup stock is almost ready, too.
That smells great.
Hey, the little guy's taking a while.
Want me to go check on him?
Uh, no! I'll go.
He might have gone around back.
Tawara Noodles
Poco?
Poco!
Poco?
S-Souta...
Poco?!
What happened? Why...
You're almost all tanuki!
You have to turn back quick.
Are you saying...
You can't turn back into a human?
Souta-san! Little guy!
Souta...
Poco, listen closely.
Oh, Souta-san.
Did you find him?
Souta-san?
What's up...
What the heck is that?
It's a tanuki.
Kagawa's in the sticks,
so tanuki steal from the fields all the time.
I-It's definitely cute...
Its fluffy cheeks and tiny paws...
The way it's kinda chubby...
It somehow reminds me of the little guy.
Y-You think so?
I don't know what you...
Souta-san?
Wh-What?
You've been acting kind of suspicious.
This isn't like you.
The little guy's missing, and you're stopping to play with a tanuki?
Oh, er...
That Poco... He probably went to the old lady's house next door.
Man, she has a really sharp tongue, you know...
Then shouldn't we go look for him?
Oh, uh, well...
Or...
Is there some reason not to that has to do with the kid?
It ran!
The tanuki doesn't matter right now.
We can't know that.
I'm telling you, I saw it!
When you and the kid came to Tokyo,
the kid had ears and a tail!
It's been bugging me this whole time.
I know I wasn't just seeing things.
Listen, Hiroshi.
If Poco really did
have ears and a tail, like you say...
So what?
D-Do you hear yourself, Souta-san?
It's obviously not normal!
You're Poco's friend, aren't you?
Would ears and a tail undo that?
What's wrong with being a little different?
That kid isn't normal.
Oh, you mean our new programmer?
Right. He dresses weird, and he acts strange, too.
I have no idea why Dahama-san hired a guy like him.
Right, Tawara?
Hmm? Well, yeah. I guess he's different.
But I don't think that's a bad thing.
He's a fast worker, and if you talk to him, he's actually a nice guy.
Huh?
Really?
Hey.
Dahama-san! How long have you been there?!
I have good hearing.
The guy who talked smack about me and Hiroshi...
That's a thousand-yen fine.
F-For real?
Hiroshi...
Poco, listen closely.
Can you turn completely into a tanuki right now?
While I distract Hiroshi, you run away.
Stay hidden until this blows over.
I promise I'll come get you later.
Don't worry!
To me, you're Poco, no matter what you look like.
Souta.
Souta. Souta.
Souta!
Souta-san... I...
I...
Why are you crying?!
No, I'm just...
Spring onions! Souta, spring onions!
Poco!
Great! Thanks!
See, Hiroshi? He doesn't have ears or a tail.
No...
I don't care about that anymore.
I don't care if he has ears and a tail or not.
Honestly, I'm done with it.
Lost civilizations,
cryptids,
soulmates...
I'm a married woman.
I don't believe in any of that one bit.
No More Occult Stuff
Hii-kun.
Let's eat udon. Udon!
Poco and I...
are friends forever!
Time to eat!
Udon?
Er, yeah...
It's udon, but...
I cut it a little too big.
But it should taste...
Mochi?
No, it's udon, Poco.
Tawara Noodles
Oh? Ya found his notes?
Yeah, but it's not as easy
as just following the recipe.
Did ya mess it up?
Poco asked me if it was mochi.
Sis!
Ya cut 'em too big, didn't ya?
If I'd known...
If I'd known things would turn out like this, I would have paid more attention
when Dad was making udon.
Souta...
Notes, Part 1
I wish I'd talked to him more. About all sorts of things.
I wish I'd spent more time with him.
Yeah...
Listen, Souta.
I meant to bring this up on Shodoshima, but then there was all that fuss.
Um, about Poco-chan...
Yeah?
You said you're gonna live with him. Were you serious about that?
Why do you ask?
Why do I... He's your friend's child, isn't he?
You can't stay together forever.
Isn't it about time you thought about that?
You've gotta talk it over with Poco-chan, too.
Souta? Are ya listening?
Sorry. I'll call you later.
Huh? Wait—
I have to talk it over with Poco...
Souta.
I'm sowwy.
I pwomised to make them go bye-bye...
Hey, Poco.
We went to Tokyo, and then to Shodoshima.
It was rough, huh?
That must have really worn you out.
You don't have to force anything.
Listen, Poco...
If it's hard to stay human,
when we go to bed at night, you can turn back into a tanuki.
Souta!
What happened today might happen again in the future.
If that happens, I...
It'll be okay.
It will.
I have to
do what I can to understand Poco better.
So we can always be together.
I'll leave this here for you.
Thanks.
Ah, yes. Sae...
What is it?
That man you introduced to me
at Ritsurin Garden, with the children...
Oh, you mean the man from Tawara Udon.
The smaller child who was with him...
He said that wasn't his child.
He's not?
I assumed they were parent and child.
Do you suppose the child is still here?
I wonder. I don't know too much about them.
Never mind, then.
Okay.
The Tanuki Lore of Sanuki
Gaogao-chan and
The Blue Sky
The Tale of Gaogao-chan and Friends Forever!
Episode 9: "Gaogao-chan and Friends Forever"
From all the way across space,
in Galaxy M87,
Gaogao-chan's friend
Gyaogyao-kun came to play.
We don't have much to offer, but make yourself at home.
Don't speak to me unless spoken to, Earthling.
Here you go.
Gross! It tastes like Earthlings, gyao!
Hey! That's no way to talk!
Don't touch me. I'll catch your stupidity, gyao.
Gaogao-chan, say something!
This guy is way too rude!
Gaogao, what's their problem?
They're too impudent for servants, gyao.
Those Earthlings... No.
Mimi and Momo...
are my friends, gao.
Gaogao-chan!
What? You're friends with Earthlings?
Just as you are a dear friend to me,
Mimi and Momo are also my dear friends, gao.
B-But they don't have fangs or spikes.
Earthlings are weird, gyao!
If you hurt them,
I will not forgive you, gao. Yes, not even you.
Are you serious, gyao?
Very, gao.
I hate Earthlings, gyao. But...
No matter who you call a friend,
you will always be Gaogao to me, gyao.
See ya.
See you all again.
What did that mean?
That we are friends forever.
S-Stop it, Gyao!
Voices Gaogao-chan: Kuroda Takaya Mimi: Makino Yui Momo: Kokido Shiho Gyaogyao-kun: Inoue Shinnosuke Spaceship-kun: Tachibana Shinnosuke Crow 1: Nakahara Mai Text: Crow 2: Makino Yui Crow 3: Hanazawa Kana Narration: Inoue Kikuko
Staff Story: Ikeda Rintarou Storyboards/Production: Yamashita Hidemi Art/Backgrounds: Itou Emiko Coloring: Onodera Emiko Camera: Gotou Haruka Camera: Shiradou Katsunori Production Assistant: Ishibashi Shingo
Narration: Kaname Jun
Udon Prefecture Vice Governor
Since Kagawa doesn't get much rain,
there are many bodies of water like this.
I used to visit them often to fish.
Next episode: "The Reservoir."