The Monaco Cup semifinals.
With a sports bread made of eel, black beans, nori and silk powder, he surpassed even Kayser.
The Japanese representatives are going to the finals!
We did it Suwabara!
There’s English bread, German bread, and French bread,
but Japan’s bread, Japan, does not exist.
In that case, there’s no choice but to create it.
This story is a serious, biographical ballad of a boy who possesses Solar Hands,
Azuma Kazuma, who will create a Japanese bread made by and for the Japanese people,
which can be presented to the world proudly.
I swore to your shining eyes
kagayaku kimi no hitomi ni chikatta
Yakitate!! Japan
Translated by: Anime-Empire
on an afternoon when the blue sky
chiisana mado kara aozora ga mieta gogo
was visible through a small window
that I no longer wanted to run away.
nigeru koto nante mou shitaku wa nai yo
senaka ni atatakai te no hira o kanjiteiru
I feel a warm hand upon my back.
kizutsuku yori mo tsurai no wa
The only thing more painful than getting hurt is...
ashita wo akiramete jibun ni uso tsukitsuzukeru koto
giving up on tomorrow and continuing to lie to yourself.
daiji na yume wo hitotsu kokoro ni itsudemo
The one precious dream always held in your heart
shinjite mamotte norikoete ikou
Let’s believe it, protect it, and overcome everything.
daiji na yume ga aru kara motto tsuyoku nareru
Because we have a precious dream, we can become stronger
omoiegaita mirai wo dakishimete
holding on to the dream that we imagined and painted
kore kara mo
forevermore.
A menace that exceeds the speed of sound!!
Gopan #97!
A menace that exceeds the speed of sound!!
Gopan #97!
Cheers!
Congratulations on getting into the finals!
It’s amazing that you could defeat that Kayser.
I was worried in the beginning, but...
having defeated Kayser, we’re really the best.
With this, customers will start returning to my store a little as well.
Everything is thanks to you guys.
So eat up.
Oh, you don’t have to do that.
Thank you, Kazuma, Kai.
It was amazing, Azuma and Suwabara.
A toast to the both of you.
This time, I didn’t do anything.
Everything is thanks to Azuma.
That’s not true!
Azuma...
I just happened to see on TV once that silk powder is good for your body.
So, I made Japan #51 for my sister, who was on the track team in university.
At that time, I just added garlic to it since I’d heard it was good for stamina.
This time I had to make bread for F1 racers who overuse their eyes.
But, without Suwabara’s help, I wouldn’t even have thought of using eel,
nori and black soy beans, which are good for your eyes, instead of garlic.
But Azuma, how did you know that black soy beans have anthocyanin in them?
That’s because my grandfather always boasts that he
still has perfect vision thanks to eating black soy beans everyday.
Oh, there’s a lion 5km ahead, Kazuma!
Not possible. This is Japan after all.
Restoration and reforms are necessary to rebuild our economy!
Meeting to discuss earnest politics. Koiizumi Junichirou
So I was sure that it’s a good food for your eyes.
I see.
So, it was your naivete in believing the nonsense of an old man
who couldn’t even distinguish between a human being and a lion...
that helped make the bread this time.
I wonder why he can’t praise him normally...?
But, now that we’ve come this far, it’s an easy win, right?
After all, we even defeated the Kaysers.
And in the end, the American team just has Shachihoko.
So we couldn’t possibly lose.
V for Victory!
But, it’s not you who defeated the Kaysers.
I wonder...
Unlike you guys, who went home straight after your match,
I stayed behind to watch the semifinals between America and China.
And the winners are... them.
All three of America’s breads won.
China lost completely.
That’s probably because China was just too weak.
I don’t think Shachihoko is weak, but...
he’s not an opponent we’d lose to with Azuma on our side.
Right, Azuma-chan?
Ow. Ouch.
Why are you pulling it?
Oh, sorry. Sorry.
Will you still take it easy after hearing that
Shachihoko’s bread placed third in the semifinals?
What was that?!
Then, who placed first?
That inconspicuous stooped guy.
His name is Shadow.
I wonder who he is...
He didn’t look like he was doing particularly well in the matches so far.
To think he’s that skilled...
Even I don’t know that.
But, his Gopan #97 has the potential to surpass even Azuma’s Japan #51.
G-Gopan #97?
Yeah.
Gopan
Like its name suggests, the bread is made with rice flour instead of wheat flour.
Note: rice = gohan (ご飯); pan = bread
Gopan
And it seems that he used black currants as a good ingredient for your eyes.
Gopan
For muscle reinforcement, he added in protein.
Black currants in rice?
It doesn’t seem like a particularly delicious bread...
If you think about it the usual way.
But, in order for the taste to remain unaffected, he processed it scientifically.
It seems that he only mixed in the active ingredients of black currants and protein.
For flavoring, he added in consomme, saffron and seafood as a base.
In the end, he baked it to seem like paella.
Sounds awesome.
Seems like things have turned problematic again, Azuma.
It’s not as problematic as your wig, so don’t worry, Kawachi.
You’re going to make fun of it at this point in time?
Actually, I was thinking the same thing.
That that’s just bad.
Sorry. Me, too.
Secretly, I was thinking so as well.
Don’t get so down, Kawachi.
I’ll do my best.
I won’t lose to someone like the American representatives.
But, it has nothing to do with my slipped wig!
Whatever, do what you want.
I will no longer step forward.
I’ll leave everything to Azuma.
Hey, Kawachi!
Don’t you want to win?
Huh? What are you talking about?
Of course I want to!
But, I don’t want to embarrass myself anymore in front of people.
And with Azuma here, we have nothing to worry about, right?
That’s not good enough.
After all, the finals consist of man-to-man battles.
A battle with no ties.
The first team to win twice is the victor.
Therefore, Azuma’s match and Kawachi’s match have the same value.
Make sure to understand that.
F-For real?!
First, let me congratulate you on making it to the finals.
Would you like some champagne, Shadow-kun?
Anyway...
Just be careful of Japan’s Azuma-kun.
Even though my Gopan might be the best, we can’t get too confident.
Keep the copying to just the bread!
The sound in the F1 is pretty amazing, too.
My eardrums feel like they might burst.
They’re going really fast even though it’s just free runs they’re doing prior to the finals...
The impact is really different from when you’re seeing it on TV.
Note: Reference to F1 racer Michael Schumacher. Kappa = water demon. Another Azuma-ism.
Oh! Isn’t that Mikhail Schukapper?
A Kappa?!
Don’t you know?!
He’s been the world champion five times in a row
and has been getting the best records in the world.
He’s an F1 racer who wants to be known as the best racer in the world.
In yesterday’s semis, he was in the pole position.
As the “Emperor” of the F1, he’s expected to win the Monaco Grand Prix as well.
That Kappa dude is that amazing?!
That amazing man is going to be eating your bread.
There’s no honor greater than this as a baker.
If you don’t show more happiness about it, you’ll be getting some divine punishment.
Yay! Yay! Yay!
They seem really happy.
Compared to them, what’s wrong with you, Ryou?
I’m worried.
Worried?
Shadow’s and Azuma’s breads won first place in the semifinals.
And they’re being assessed by having that Schukapper eat it.
If Schukapper likes Shadow’s Gopan better than Japan, what do you think will happen?
What do you mean, what will happen?
As far as I know, Azuma has never lost in a bread battle.
But, when such geniuses lose for the first time,
they get hurt and may never be able to get back on their feet.
I’m worried about that.
Ryou...
Attention, attention.
Will the creators of the breads that won first place in the semifinals
please proceed to the kitchen.
Azuma and Shadow, I’m talking about you guys.
Oh, I should get going.
Good luck.
Go.
Yep!
Hey guys!
There’s something I want to discuss.
Umm... I wonder where the kitchen is...?
It’s not like I don’t understand your worrying, but...
it isn’t a given that Azuma is going to lose.
Yeah, Kuro-yan.
While you might say that Gopan #97 will beat Japan #51, it’s just a possibility, right?
It’s Japan #51 Kai.
Don’t forget the Kai. The Kai.
No, I think the Japan #51 Kai will lose to the Gopan #97, 100%.
What was that?!
Goal!
The champion just came in, and it’s Mikhail Schukapper!
Another easy win!!
Note: The thing on Schukapper’s head is a reference to the cavity that a kappa has on its head to store water.
Schukapper-san. Congratulations on your win.
Note: “Sara sara” is a sound effect for something smooth.
Thank you, sara sara.
This is your 100th consecutive win!
Thank you, sara sara.
It’s thanks to my fans out there, sara.
And, I tend to play a lot of pranks.
So, I thank my friends and parents in Tongara for forgiving a prankster like me, sara. Kappa!
I used to challenge the mountain paths with our store’s car when I was young.
The trick was to drive the car without spilling the water and tofu.
I’m not really asking for these details...
Schukapper was a hashiriya in the past, huh?
Note: Hashiriya = street racer
But, does Germany even have tofu?
Paella.
I told you the Gopan #97 was flavored to seem like paella, right?
Yeah, I believe so...
What about it?
Hashiriya
Hashiriya.
Ha-shi-ri-ya
Ha-shi-ri-ya.
Pa-e-ri-ya
Pa-e-ri-ya.
Pa-e-ri-ya
Don’t tell me...
But, it’s pretty cool that you were a hashiriya.
It wasn’t really anything particularly cool.
I was really good at driving and playing pranks, but I was a coward and a weakling.
Huh?
Why am I unable to stop myself from talking about my embarrassing past, sara?
When I was 15, Schwienrich-kun from Class 3-B would always...
Hey, Kapper.
Go to the neighboring village to buy bread.
Be back in 5 minutes.
O-Okay, sara!
I got it.
You idiot!
You’re 5 seconds late.
You plan on letting me starve to death?!
Pashiriya!
Note: Pashiriya = a person who is made to do things or to go get things for someone else
Now that I think about it,
it’s thanks to Schwienrich’s training that my driving technique got so good, sara.
Is... Is that so?
By the way, that’s a pretty embarrassing past, right?
Why did you let the cat out of the bag here?
It’s due to the deliciousness of the bread I was fed before the finals.
There were two types of bread.
Both of them had strange names.
One was Japan. The other was Gopan.
Both were great breads, sara.
Even in my fatherland Germany, I’ve never tasted a bread so delicious!
Especially the Gopan.
That was deliciousness suitable to become the world champion of breads.
Wait, Kawachi.
Leave him be.
But!
Accepting the cruel truth before him and seeing whether or not he can overcome it is up to him.
It’s not a matter that others can say anything about.
And I don’t think that a human being who’s been a loser at everything since birth
can comfort the wounds of a genius who’s lost at something for the first time since birth.
Kuro-yan...
Who you calling a loser of a human being?!
Right?
Right.
Yeah...
Shadow, wait a moment please.
Azuma isn’t back yet?
Nope.
I guess it really was a shock to him.
We might have to assume the worst.
What do you mean, the worst?
In his despair, he might commit sui–
Don’t even say that!
Aren’t you exaggerating a bit much for just one loss?
But, it’s already this late.
He’s not familiar with the local area and might be lost and lonely.
We left him alone for too long.
I’m going to look for him.
Let’s split up and search in places he might be at.
Yeah.
Say, Shadow.
I just wanted to thank you.
Geez!
Would you just stop imitating me and have a decent conversation instead?!
If not, I can’t go home even if I want to.
Yeah, that’s true.
After all, imitating you wouldn’t make me the best in the world.
You really made us all worry.
We’d been searching for you until morning.
But, it’s not my fault.
Last night, I went to meet that Shadow guy.
He just kept imitating me.
It’s because of that.
Huh? Imitating you?
What are you talking about?
Like I said. Imitating.
He imitated everything, from the things I’d say to my gestures...
That’s why I got stubborn, too.
And I tried poses that he couldn’t possibly imitate.
But he copied them all perfectly.
That really, really annoyed me.
And before I realized it, it was the middle of the night.
Imitations?
What the hell is that?
If you’re going to lie, then say something believable.
I-It’s the truth I tell you.
So, what exactly did you want to talk to that mimic about?
I wanted to thank him.
Thank him?
I can’t find the kitchen...
Azuma!
Over here.
Good luck to the both of you.
Yep!
I saw Shadow kneading the flour with an expertise that
made it hard to believe that he was a young baker.
I’ve seen bakers with great expertise, like Manager and Old Man Mokoyama.
And, he was on par with them.
No, he appeared better than them.
His movements were clearly those of a veteran baker.
It’s certain that he’s practiced hard day after day.
When I saw that, I felt that I must work harder, too.
That’s why I wanted to thank him.
I see.
So, you didn’t feel the slightest shock upon losing to Shadow, huh?
Shock upon losing?
What are you talking about?
Either way.
I’m glad that you’re all right.
In one hour, the theme of the finals will be announced by Pierrot.
Do whatever you like until then.
Huh?
Geez.
I guess it means that people with real ambitions and dreams don’t break easily.
It looks like you finally made it to the finals.
With this and that, I’ll announce the final theme.
As you all know, the finals consist of three direct man-to-man matches.
Therefore, there are three themes.
In other words, the clothing, food and shelter of bread.
Clothing?
Food?
Shelter?
What’s that supposed to mean?
There, there.
I’ll explain, so don’t panic.
Starting with the theme of the first match.
Clothing
Clothing!
Make your bread beautiful like the things people wear.
This is a match to see who can mold a more beautiful bread.
Next, the second match.
Food
Food!
This is a match to make a dinner bread, suitable to eat everyday.
And the theme for the third match.
Shelter
Shelter!
That bread should have the taste of your homeland.
A match where you make bread that best expresses the taste of your homeland.
It goes without saying that making bread which tastes good is an absolute requirement.
Input that into your heads and please make a bread suitable for the finals.
I see.
Yeah, I see...
And by the way, it matters not which combatant chooses which theme.
Please note that should you lose twice in a row, the third match will not take place.
The choice of combatants should be submitted by tomorrow morning.
Once your choice is made, it cannot be changed at a later point.
Both countries should probably devise a plan by using each combatant’s specialty.
That’s all.
Looks like it’s finally time, right Azuma?
Yep.
After placing third in the semifinals, though, I can’t hope too much.
I may not even be able to fight Azuma.
But, let’s both fight it out fair and square, shall we, Azuma?
Yep. Of course!
The owner Kirisaki... and Shachihoko.
For some reason, both of them seem really interested in this kid.
But he hasn’t left me with an impression of being anything more than a regular idiot.
Since it’s about the taste of your homeland, the third match should go to Azuma.
He’s the guy with the Japan after all.
But, should you have already lost twice, then Japan is done for.
Baldy might lose, but...
even should the Earth revolve in the opposite direction, I can’t possibly lose.
So, don’t worry.
Wait just a moment, you asshole.
Then, we’ll have Kazuma in the third match.
Which one will the two of you take?
Uh... hahaha.
Note: Most schools in Japan give students grades on a scale of 1 to 5 on their report cards, with 1 being lowest and 5 being highest.
Well, I’ve never really gotten higher than a 2 in art...
So, fighting over the molding of bread might be a little...
Only in art?
Other than that, I’d always get comments about not settling well in class...
Kawachi.
Fine then.
The real warrior shows the best swordsmanship without needing to choose his sword.
And he stands on the front lines of the battle to spearhead it.
I will take on the first match.
All right.
It’s decided then.
The theme of the first match, a well-molded bread, goes to Suwabara.
The theme of the second match, dinner bread, goes to Kawachi.
The theme of the third match, a bread with the taste of your homeland, goes to Azuma.
Let’s aim to win!
All right!
boku no te wo nigire issho ni minaikai
Grab on to my hand. Would you like to see it together?
kesshiteraku janai ga saikou no sekai
By no means is it easy, but it’s the best kind of world.
souzoushite mitanda jibun de egaita rakugaki no
I tried imagining it by standing on my future map
mirai no chizu ni tatte soshite kimi to waraerukatte
which I had doodled out,
and wondered if you’d be laughing with me there.
kentou wa tsuitenda ashiato darake no michi wo
I’ve guessed it. That if I were to just follow along
tada aruiterunja itsumademo tadoritsukeyashinainda
this road already full of footprints, I’d never ever reach there.
sore ga iyada to iu nara
And if I don’t like that...
heion nante antai wa kono sai yamemashouka
I guess I should take this opportunity
and stop seeking the peace that comes with security.
kanawanaitte akirameta yume wo sutezu tsumiagete
I’ll pile up the dreams I thought couldn’t be fulfilled
without throwing them away
mucha de mubou na teppen ni aru
and become the foundation stone for the dream
yume wo tsukamu ishizue ni nare
that stands at the peak of the absurd and the reckless.
boku no te wo nigire issho ni minaikai
Grab on to my hand. Would you like to see it together?
kesshiteraku janai ga saikou no sekai
By no means is it easy, but it’s the best kind of world.
kesshiteraku janai ga saikou no sekai
By no means is it easy, but it’s the best kind of world.
Next Episode
I will cut down the first opponent.
No matter who it is, I won’t hold back.
The opponent is the winner of the world pastry tournament.
And for some reason, she’s in a swimsuit.
What was that?!
Next time, on Yakitate!! Japan,
Naked, naked, naked!!
The magnificent bread match!
Naked, naked, naked!!
The magnificent bread match!
Be sure to watch.
Yakitate!! Seed of knowledge.
Black Soy Beans
The jet-black black soy beans.
Anthocyanin
They are very rich in anthocyanin.
Improving eyesight
So, in addition to improving your eyesight, it helps with blood flow
Body fat reduction
and reduction of your body fat.
Oh?!