hitori de uzukumari, koe shizume nagara otoshita namida wa
As I was cowering, muffling my voice, the tears that I shed
Nou, City of Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture
Turn out well.
Please turn out well.
“shinjiru koto wasurekaketeru to” to
probably helped me notice that
At last, it’s the final match, huh?
Yeah.
The locale is Nou, in the city Of Itoigawa, Niigata prefecture.
kidzukase tekureta no kamo shirenai
I’ve almost forgotten how to believe.
The theme is Japan’s bread.
Truly appropriate for the final match.
Nou
Right now, Pantasia has three panels.
Nou
egaita mirai wo (kanaerunda)
The future that I painted (I will fulfill it)
Nou
If we capture the final panel,
Nou
the St. Pierre panel in the center will be sandwiched in between and we can recapture it.
hareta sora miagete
Looking up to the clear skies,
It’ll give us a big comeback victory.
Yeah, but only if we win.
But should we lose, we will lose miserably with a score of 6-3.
mouichido hashiri dasu yo. Itsuka ano shiroi sora
I begin to run once again. Someday, I want to dye
No way!
Azuma-san is bound to win!
After all, this is Azuma-san’s place of birth, Niigata.
watashi iro ni sometai na
that white sky with my colors.
Do you honestly think so, Tsukino?
After all, our opponent is Kirisaki Yuuichi’s son...
dokomademo tondoyuku yo. Biidama mitai ni hikaru
I’m going to fly as far as possible, shining like a marble,
Meister Kirisaki!
kono hane wo hirogete
unfolding these wings of mine.
Azuma-kun...
I will not lose this match.
Yakitate!! Japan
Translated by: Anime-Empire
Who is it that you will give truly delicious bread to!?
The Japan, Forever!
Who is it that you will give truly delicious bread to!?
The Japan, forever!
Azuma!
If you lose, I’m giving you a whooping.
You got that?
Nii-san...
Why are you helping that man?
That demon...
He devoured bread right in front of us, even as we were starving.
Say, Sophie-san...
I’ve been wondering about this ever since we were in Monaco, but...
After experiencing something that traumatic, why did you become a baker?
Th-That’s...
And not just you...
In the end, even your brother became a baker.
That’s because the bread from that time really looked delicious!
It made me think that I wanted to make a bread like that someday.
So, in the end, the two of you have followed in your father’s footsteps.
So isn’t it just that, somewhere deep in your hearts, you just love your father?
Of course not!
All we desired was the bread.
We’ve never acknowledged that... demon!
I can already see what the outcome of this battle will be.
Nou
Even at the stage of ingredient selection,
St. Pierre’s Meister Kirisaki has only chosen the highest quality.
Omanta
Niigata Rice
The pure water, melted from the snow of the Alps...
Note: Koshi-hikari (越光) is considered one of Japan’s highest-quality types of rice. It is produced in Niigata.
Rice flour made of Omanta rice,
a product made with further selection of koshi-hikari grains
and raised in the fertile soil of Nou, Itoigawa city, Niigata prefecture.
Note: Miso (味噌) is bean paste; in this case it is flavored with crab.
And he’s liberally using crab miso and meat from the ultimate Nou specialty product,
Red Snow crab, harvested from the stormy waters of the Sea of Japan.
In comparison, the ingredients Azuma is using are...
some nameless variety of rice raised by Azuma’s grandfather and...
mugwort and miso from Nou.
You can’t help but think that he gave up on winning the match against Meister
and decided to make his family happy by using their stuff.
Hey guys...
You’re sure that Kazuma will win, right?
Of course!
Kazuma is using the consummate organic rice that I grew, the Japan rice.
And in his dough, he’s mixing the wild mugwort
that I went and picked from the hills behind our home.
And he’s using the petalite stone for Japan #44 that I have now perfected and remade.
There’s no way he can lose now!
Well, I certainly hope so.
To send out Meister Kirisaki...
Looks like he’s getting into dotage.
And on top of that, he won’t let me sabotage the match at all...
At this rate, there’s no room for action for me.
And it’s the last episode!
Note: Kawachi is imitating a gag by comedian Golgo Matsumoto (ゴルゴ松本) where he cries out, “Ah... Inochi!” (“Ah... Life!”) and then spreads out his arms and lifts one leg, mimicking the kanji 命 (which means life).
Why?!
Kawachi-san!
Why is Meister participating on St. Pierre’s side?
That is definitely a mystery.
Because I believe that Meister hates his father, Kirisaki Yuuichi.
You don’t understand?!
Suwabara!
Even if it means that you have to camp with the enemy,
if there’s a strong opponent you want to defeat, you will want to battle him.
Just like Kai from the past.
In other words, Azuma has...
matured to the point that he can move the heart of a man of Meister Kirisaki’s talent.
Well, it’s true that he’s grown to a fearsome level.
Yeah, before I knew it, he’d completely outdistanced me.
Though a certain person had been outstripped from the very beginning.
And who might you be referring to?
It couldn’t be me, right?
Come to think of it, when did it stop?
What’s that?
Some time ago, Azuma-san stopped saying “Japan number something”...
Now that you mention it...
I believe that he was still saying it during the Monaco Cup.
Oh I see!
During Yakitate!! 9, he hasn’t said it even once!
Tsukino!
I take back my words!
Huh?
It just might be that Azuma will defeat the Kirisaki father and son.
Really?!
Why do you say that?!
Until then, his Japans had been trial products.
But...
Lately, he’s not been calling his creations Japan number somethings!
In other words, it means that he’s completed his Japan!
It’s done.
It’s complete.
Both smell really good.
Old Man... I mean Mister Kuroyanagi...
Could you eat mine first?
Bread baked with petalite is most delicious when fresh.
Petalite?
I see...
It’s the bread that sends you to heaven...
I don’t mind being second.
No.
I will sample Meister Kirisaki’s Omanta Gopan first.
Because, if I go to heaven, I won’t be able to judge the second bread right away.
N-No way!
Please judge mine, will you?!
This is bad...
Not judging it while it is still fresh...
No, that’s not the only worry we have.
You never know what crazy reaction Kuro-yan will have with the Omanta Gopan.
But it’s the final episode after all, so it doesn’t really matter, right?
You moron!
If things go wrong, the broadcast might have to be canceled midway through!
Well then, starting with Meister Kirisaki’s Omanta Gopan.
Note: Omanta Festival takes place in Itoigawa. People in happi coats dance along the streets to the song “Omanta-bayashi.” “Omanta” means “you” in the regional dialect.
Omanta...
Omanta
Note: Minami Haruo (春夫三波; July 19, 1923 – April 14, 2001) was a famous Enka singer in postwar Japan.
This song is Omanta-bayashi by Minami Haruo!
Omanta
This is Kuro-yan’s reaction?
Looks like a pretty straightforward one...
Quiet, Baldy!
Huh?!
What the...
A... A stingray?!
Why has Kuro-yan become a stingray?!
You have holes where you should have eyes?
This isn’t just any old stingray... It’s a giant ray, the manta ray!
Manta?
Oh, manta!
Omanta!
Omanta Gopan!
Exactly.
Hey, wait!
Where are you going?!
Azuma’s judging is still left!
You dimwitted baldy!
Mantas are seawater fish!
They have to swim the seven seas of the world freely!
Farewell!
He went off.
But thankfully, the broadcast didn’t get canceled.
I suppose we should count our blessings.
But what are we going to do?
If the judge disappears, what happens with the match?
Do we have a substitute for Kuro-yan?
You don’t have to worry about that.
In case of unforeseen problems,
should Kuroyanagi be unable to judge, I’m supposed to take over.
What are you talking about?!
You’re from the St. Pierre side!
At this time I am the owner of both St. Pierre and Pantasia.
Therefore, I will make a fair judgment.
Please wait!
It’s true that the owner will judge as the substitute according to the rule book.
But, I believe that it is a requirement
that an additional person unrelated to both St. Pierre and Pantasia also be involved.
I’ve memorized every nook and corner of the rule book.
You cannot fool us.
That’s all right with me.
But only if you can produce such a judge immediately.
And I think that it’s not a good idea for you guys
to let Azuma-kun’s bread cool any more than this.
Eat it quickly!
Nou
Anyone will do!
Just eat my Japan quickly!
What should we do?
At this rate, we might have to depend on Kirisaki alone to do the judging...
This is...
According to Monaco legend,
if you have that ring, a legendary hero will appear before you.
Right now, I have no choice but to pray to the Pierron ring.
I beg of you, O Legendary Hero.
Please taste the bread that has all our hopes in it... Azuma-san’s bread...
Wh-What’s that?!
It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!
No! That’s Pierrot!
Pii-errot-errot-errot!
The legendary hero was Pierrot-san?!
Pierrot!
Yep, now that you’ve called upon me, you can rest at ease!
Come, let’s start the judging shall we?
Old Ma... I mean Mister Pierrot...
Mr. Kirisaki... Are you all right with this?
The crown prince of the Kingdom of Monaco, huh?
He has no shortcomings for the final match.
Fine.
All right!
Now, please eat my Japan.
Pi...
errot.
Th-This is...
Hey, you’re quite talented at this.
Come on, give it some more work.
Okay!
That’s good! Just like that.
Why are we in an image from 10 years ago?!
This is...
My past.
Then why is there a young Azuma here?
This child was Azuma Kazuma?
I was right...
When I returned from France...
To be honest, I didn’t have the confidence to manage in Tokyo, so I ran to my hometown.
I left something behind in order to come back, too...
But, it’s different now.
Watching you try so hard...
I cannot lose, either.
That’s what I thought.
Will I... ever see you again?
If you aspire to be a baker from now on,
and are able to continue pursuing your dream of Japan...
we may be able to meet again one day.
Why?
Why were you kind back then?
After that, when you perfected the Gopan instead of the Japan,
why didn’t you try to help Azuma when he came to Tokyo?
Why did you try to crush him instead?
Japan, is it?
I guess just about anyone can come up with the name, eh?
Ridiculous.
The reason why I want to crush Japan is...
because I HATE Japan.
I’m sorry, but...
I can’t shake hands with you, old man.
The curtain is raised on the final showdown!
Why?
Why did you need to do this?
You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.
Wh-What happened?
I... don’t know.
If it’s all right...
I’d like to request that you try my Gopan this time.
Gladly!
Omanta...
This again?!
Sorry for the wait, Azuma.
I just completed swimming freely in the seven seas of the world.
Oh I see...
That was bloody fast!
But... in the meantime, Azuma’s bread has completely cooled down.
Note: He’s imitating Gou Hiromi (郷ひろみ) and his song, “Nioku Yonsenman no Hitomi” (２億４千万の瞳, “240 Million Eyes”).
Japan.
I see...
This was bloody fast too!
It’s already over?!
Looks like the match has been decided.
No, because of copyright issues, both reactions are similar!
An impressive final match!
It’s a great battle!
Well then, with your permission, I would like to announce the results.
He’s speaking politely!
Kuro-yan’s speaking politely!
Nou
Shut your trap!
When did I ever speak politely?!
Just now!
You spoke politely just now!
What was that?!
It’s my policy to never judge preferentially or speak politely!
Well then, let’s explain from the very beginning.
Explain what?!
Starting with Meister Kirisaki’s Gopan from St. Pierre.
It was truly delicious!
I stand in awe as to how the Omanta rice, wheat and crab were added in a gradient fashion,
producing a bread with slight variations that blended together in perfect harmony.
And, the taste of baked crab was truly one of a kind!
People usually consider boiling the best way to prepare crab!
But by directly baking fresh crab, its original umami is concentrated.
The aroma, together with the wonderful flavor that spreads in your mouth, is truly transcendent.
That’s like a bloody rave review!
And, Azuma Kazuma’s Japan from Pantasia was also delicious!
The bread dough that used the consummate organic rice as the base was wonderful!
This is thanks to Grandpa Umatarou!
Right?
That’s great, Grandpa!
But! The flavor that surpassed even that was the wild mugwort from Nou!
Unlike the cultivated stuff,
due to the presence of superior proteins, it has a dense-flavor and a wonderful fragrance!
Thank you, Grandpa Umajirou!
Right? Right?
Way to go, Grandpa Umajirou!
But! However!
This Japan has a special characteristic to its baking that brought both these things to life.
The petalite stone that emits a high concentration of infrared rays
makes the bread delicious many times over!
I’m really grateful, Grandpa Umasaburou!
Right? Right? Right?
Bread baked with my petalite is #1 in Japan!
That’s awesome, Grandpa Umasaburou!
In addition to all that... The most wonderful thing is...
the Nou miso mixed into the bread!
Note: noumiso (脳味噌) = brains Nou miso (能生味噌) = bean paste (miso) from Nou
Brains, you say?!
No, Nou miso!
Nou miso
Nou miso!
Nou miso
Nou miso!
Nou miso
Nou miso!
Nou miso
Nou miso!
Nou miso
A specialty product of this region, made with Japan’s #1 Echigo rice,
Note: Echigo (越後) is the old name for Niigata.
the pure and clear water that flows in Fubikisando,
and the special soybean oil of emisuburi.
It is then placed into natural wood caskets,
and allowed to mature naturally.
No additives are used in it at all!
Yep! Thank you, Nou miso!
Hang in there guys!
And!
The thing that brought out the taste of the Nou miso to its maximum is...
Azuma’s warm hands that kneaded the rice flour!
The Solar Hands!
The warmth spread the wild mugwort and the fragrance of the miso thoroughly into the dough,
raising their harmony with the organic rice!
And! And!
The truly amazing thing about this bread is...
you take one bite and...
someone like me becomes serious and...
arrogant people like Kuroyanagi... become courteous!
Please stop that.
I am such a person by nature.
That is... In other words...
The Nou miso present in Azuma’s Japan provides a stimulus to our brains...
having the effect of returning us to our original personalities!
Is that why Kuro-yan was polite?
The fearsome Japan...
It goes without saying that the taste is magnificent.
I believe that this greatly surpasses the bread that once changed history, the Cannabis Japan!
Understood.
Then, the result of your judgment is?
That’s right!
Which one is more delicious?
This match is...
A draw!
I can’t decide between the two breads either.
I’m sorry.
A draw?!
Then are we finished with the panels in the 5-3 state?
I wonder if they’ll have an additional match...?
No, we’ve lost.
According to the rule book, once there is a substitute judge,
the three of them have to come up with a conclusion.
If two of the judges claim a draw,
the third judge has the right to decide the match.
In other words...
Everything will be decided by the third judge, Kirisaki Yuuichi.
I suppose our loss is certain.
Damn it!
I completely forgot about that old man’s existence!
You’ve completely forgotten about my existence too.
We did it!
We’ve finally crushed those cockroaches!
W-We’ve lost.
Pantasia will be taken over by Kirisaki!
Sorry for the wait.
The results of my judging are...
The bread that I thought was delicious is...
Azuma Kazuma-kun’s Nou-miso Japan from Pantasia.
That’s Kirisaki’s true face?!
No way!
Such a kind face!
What the hell happened?!
Can something like this really happen?
That old man’s face...
I get the feeling I’ve seen it somewhere.
Nou
Well then, I will now announce the winner of Yakitate!! 9.
With five panels vs. four, it is the victory of the Pantasia team!
Yahoo!
We won!
We did it Tsukino!
Pantasia is now truly and officially all yours!
Yeah...
Thank you, Azuma-san.
He bloody won!
Against Meister Kirisaki, whom even I couldn’t win against!
But, to think that he judged in our favor...
His hidden personality probably came forth after he ate Azuma-kun’s Nou-miso Japan.
You mean to say that in reality, he’s...
Nii-san.
Sophie!
Silvan... Sophie...
Once, I asked you a certain question...
If you’ve created a truly delicious-looking bread,
who’s the first person you’d give it to?
Yes.
The answer was “yourself.”
That’s right.
Just because it looks delicious, doesn’t mean it really is.
In that case, you can’t give it to people yet.
But, once you know that it’s delicious, whom would you give it to first?
Who do you think it is?
Isn’t that obvious?
When you know that the bread is truly delicious...
I see. You want me to eat it, huh?
Me! It’s me, right Kazuma?
What are you talking about?
It obviously has to be me!
I hope you guys live long.
Huh? Me?
While I fought this battle primarily for myself, it was also for your Pantasia, Tsukino.
That’s correct.
You first give a truly delicious bread to...
every person you’d want to eat it.
And in addition, you want every person who loves bread to eat it.
Yep!
Is that so?
Father...
Mr. Kirisaki...
I don’t believe that you consciously knew about the Monaco Royal Family’s tradition, but...
Could it be that like the lion who throws his cub into the valley,
you’ve been purposely playing the villain for the sake of Japan’s bread industry?
Mr. Kirisaki...?
Of course not!
All I want is to make money.
That’s all I make bread for.
What’s with the premature joy, folks?
I’ve only lost ownership of Pantasia.
I still have St. Pierre.
It is now that the true battle begins!
He’s back to normal.
I guess the effect of the Nou-miso Japan has worn off.
Azuma-san...
So, what happens now, Azuma Kazuma-kun?
Is your Japan something that will end at the stage it is now?
Are you kidding?
My Japan can still evolve yet further!
And I challenge you with my Japan!
Somewhere far away, there are people listening carefully.
dokoka tooku de mimi wo sumashiteru hito ga iru
In every place, there are people looking up at the sky.
arayuru basho de sora wo miageteru hito ga iru
Under the night sky, we, who are whistling...
yozora no shita de kuchibue fuiteru bokutachi wa
without words, are just tracing constellations with our fingers.
kotoba mo nai mama yubi de tada seiza wo nazotteru
The dreams of the cold-sensitive... Your cold hands...
samugariya no yume tsumetai kimi no te
The warming magic is to believe in one path.
atatameru mahou wa hitotsu no michi wo shinjiru koto
The single star found on the other side of the comet cloud...
houkigumo no mukou ni mitsuketa hitotsubu no hoshi wa
whether it be a shining or a faint star...
kagayaku hoshi demo kasukana hoshi demo
is the light of only you.
kimi dake no hikari
On the other side of the cloud in your heart,
mune no kumo no mukou ni mienai mama no michishirube
is a sign post that remains unseen.
Now, opening these hands, what will you believe in today?
saa kono te wo hiraite ima nani wo shinjimasuka?