Japan’s #1 bakery chain, Pantasia,
was to gather the newcomers from all 128 of its branches from the country at once
to hold a serious newcomers battle, one to determine who would stand at the summit.
Azuma Kazuma and Kawachi Kyousuke of
the Southern Tokyo branch, who were to participate in this,
had to be able to pass the preliminaries, whose topic was to make dinner bread
on which it is hard for mold to grow.
This is the wasabi dinner bread, Japan #32.
This is Kawachi style-sake-bread, which will become Osaka-pan #1.
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.
Somewhere far away, there are people listening carefully.
dokoka tooku de mimi wo sumashiteru hito ga iru
Yakitate!! Japan
Translated by: Anime-Empire
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?
Each One’s Opening Curtain!!
The Pantasia Newcomers Battle Begins!
Each One’s Opening Curtain!!
The Pantasia Newcomers Battle Begins!
Time until the newcomers battle finals
is three weeks...
If I build up my muscles,
I’ll attain a power similar to that of Solar Hands,
the Solar Gauntlets.
There’s no doubt that I’ll pass the preliminaries with my Osaka-pan #1.
The problem is the newcomers battle finals that lie ahead.
If only I were to attain the Solar Gauntlets,
I’d be able to win against Azuma and Suwabara.
Then, the victor’s award of 1 million yen,
and the possibility of getting into Pantasia’s main store, will fall into my hands.
He’s moving forward and training by himself, even while working...
I no longer see any hesitation in him.
Kawachi-san.
Should we start increasing the weight that you carry on your wrists by a little?
Sure...
If we don’t increase each weight to at least 5 kilos, I won’t be feeling it anymore.
Wow! That’s really promising.
Kawachi, that’s really cool.
This is cool?
Fine, then I’ll give it to you. I no longer need these weights.
Yeah!
These are really heavy.
Azuma!
That’s some muscle there.
For winning against you.
To win against me?
At arm wrestling?
Of course not!
Whatever.
If you think I’m the same as before, you’re making a big mistake.
I’ll win!
I will not lose to you, even if I die.
Remember that well.
Kawachi.
Oh, that’s right.
Don’t speak to me unnecessarily for a while.
I don’t want to talk to you.
Kawachi...
Pantasia Main Store
Room temperature: 23°C.
Room humidity: 55%.
The conditions of a regular room are being maintained.
Forward!
Of the 512 newcomers,
just about half,
226 that is, submitted a bread that did not grow mold.
With so many submissions, despite however much we’ve warned them,
there will be some that try to cheat.
Nawata Masaki, of the Sapporo branch.
Hayashi Masato, of the Northern Ginma branch.
Nomura Atsushi, of the Kyuushuu Main branch.
Disqualified for the illegal use of artificial preservatives.
Trash.
What about them?
The two from Matsushiro’s place?
They still remain, at present.
Whether their bread will grow mold over the next 3 weeks or not, we still don’t know.
It won’t grow.
I will never acknowledge the fact that artisans,
who cannot even pass the preliminaries,
could push me aside!
That’s right.
If they don’t come,
all meaning of my taking part in the finals will be lost.
I will definitely return the debt I owe from that time.
Suwabara...
eagerness is a good thing, but... if you lose, you won’t be let off lightly.
If a Main Store employee who was exempt from the preliminaries
loses in the first round of the main stage...
you can safely assume that you have no future in Pantasia.
Me? Lose in the first round?
Ridiculous!
There’s no hesitation in my swordsmanship.
Such a waste...
Kai,
why do you wish to follow the path of excelling at bread,
when you possess a skill as great as this?
Master.
The path of the sword is one in which life is destroyed.
However, the path of bread is one of life.
That is all.
The path of the sword cannot save people,
but the path of bread can help them live.
Is that what you’re saying?
However, Kai...
that expression on your face is not very convincing.
Because that is not the expression of one wanting to help people live.
That’s none of your business.
Kawachi...
I’ll win!
I will not lose to you, even if I die.
I don’t want to talk to you.
Azuma...
Manager.
I don’t know the reason, but...
it seems that Kawachi hates me.
That can’t be true, can it?
But Kawachi said that he’d win against me.
You try to win against someone only if you hate them, right?
I like Kawachi,
so I don’t think that I want to win against him.
He hasn’t returned to our room in the boarding house for a long time, either.
He doesn’t even want to see my face.
He hates me.
Listen up, Azuma,
you’ve been acknowledged by Kawachi... as a man.
A man?
That’s right. A man.
I’ve been a man ever since I was born.
I didn’t quite mean it that way.
Listen up!
Almost nobody’s enough of an idiot to go that far,
just to win against someone he hated.
Because you’re a person whom he has acknowledged as a man,
Kawachi is seriously trying to win against you, as an artisan.
What should... I do?
When someone comes at you with all he has, you face him with all you’ve got.
That is a man’s etiquette.
That is, a true rival.
A true rival.
Note: “Otoko” (男) means “Man”. Kan (漢) can also mean “man”, but is used only as a suffix.
It’s written as “Kan,” and read as “Otoko.”
It’s what a true man is.
Azuma Kazuma.
Man
If you wish to stand as a man,
then use this afro!
Oh, Azuma-san,
are you going out somewhere again?
Note: Gifu lies between Tokyo and Osaka. To get to Gifu from Tokyo, it takes an hour by plane to Nagoya, after which it is an 18 minute train ride.
To Gifu.
To Gifu?
Kawachi. You’re my rival.
So I’ll definitely win, too.
For that, I’m going to Gifu.
Bring it on.
It’s finally over.
It’s more intensive training again at the gym from here.
Huh?
What in the world... is this?
Afro (For Kawachi’s use)
Why?
Time until the newcomers battle finals
is one week...
Thank goodness, there isn’t one for me.
Gifu: The outskirts of Toki city
The clay from around here looks really good, too.
Something like this is no big deal.
Grandpa Umasaburou!
I got quite a bit today.
Oh, you’ve worked hard.
With this much, we should be able to make “that.”
This earth around the outskirts of Toki city
has a high content of the special ingredient petalite.
It’s indispensable for making “that.”
Note: Petalite is essentially a lithium feldspar that contains a high percentage of silica. It is often used for glazes in clay firing.
First of all, petalite is...
I’m tired of hearing about that bit of your vast knowledge.
Please make it quickly.
Leave it to me!
This Azuma Umasaburou, who was called Japan’s #1 artisan,
will still not lose to anyone who is younger!
Let’s make Japan’s #1 fired product!
I’m depending on you, Grandpa Umasaburou.
But Umatarou has a good grandson, doesn’t he?
He’s probably really happy beneath the shadows of the leaves and the flowers.
He’s not dead yet!
My grandfather’s still alive.
What?
Grandpa Umatarou is still as lively as ever.
Is that so?
In that case...
Azuma Umasaburou
This will do.
You shouldn’t make your mortuary tablet yourself!
Aren’t you also still living?
It doesn’t matter.
Sooner or later, people die.
If I don’t have such a level of preparedness, I cannot make “that.”
Kazuma, let’s get to it immediately!
O-Okay.
I wonder if the fish have been grilled yet.
Note: A silly rhyme. Sakana = “fish.” Yaketa ka na = “wonder if it’s grilled.”
Time until the newcomers battle finals
is three days...
The results of the preliminaries have come in...
So, what are the results?
Report of results
D-Don’t tell me... Did we both fail?
Or is that just one of us...
You’ve passed the preliminaries.
Both of you.
Hang on!
Don’t do such confusing things!
Manager!
It was today’s lunch, wasn’t it?
Thanks for the treat.
Hang on, just once more!
That’s not right.
I made sure to bet on both of you passing.
Also, this was something that the manager suggested.
That’s not the problem.
And by the way, what I bet on is a secret.
Moreover...
Kawachi.
Manager...
It’s still not quite up to mark, is it?
Huh?
Hands. Your hands.
I guess...
Well, I guess it’s good enough for one month’s work.
However, there’s still more work required for obtaining the Solar Gauntlets.
Yes!
Everyone, your big brother’s going to do it.
He’s definitely going to win.
It’s almost complete.
By the way, Kazuma,
when this is done, will you bake one for me first?
I want to eat it once more before I die.
The best of the Japan masterpieces,
Japan #44!
Of course.
I’ll make one more delicious than ever, Grandpa Umasaburou!
I’m so happy...
I see it. I’ll win!
Time until the newcomers battle finals
is one day...
I wonder if Azuma-san is all right...
It’s been 3 weeks since the news reached us. Even I’m beginning to get worried...
He messed around in Izu and Miura quite a bit, too...
I hope he didn’t try to run to Gifu.
It could be that he’s completely forgotten about the finals,
and is taking it easy in Gifu.
That’s possible, isn’t it?
I’ll try calling Azuma-san’s home.
We may be able to figure out what the circumstances are.
Gifu?
In that case, he’s probably at his Grandpa Umasaburou’s.
Oh, is that so?
Then, please do.
Okay, I’m hanging up then.
It appears that he has some relatives in Gifu.
So, he’s probably over there.
We should be able to get in touch with him.
That idiot.
The first day of the finals is tomorrow.
Does he really understand?
Hmm? Grandpa!
Where’s Grandpa Umasaburou’s phone number?
We don’t have such a thing.
He doesn’t have a phone.
Because he’s not a Momo like me.
Note: She is referring to Hideo Nomo, of Dodgers fame. He helped Japan win the silver medal in baseball in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and was nicknamed “Tomado” for his distinctive pitching style.
Nomo?
The one in the Major Leagues?
Tornado
No!
Momo of Modern Boy!
Note: The Kindaichi Case Files are a long running detective series similar to Detective Conan.
It’s like the story of the boy Kindaichi.
What part of Grandpa is Modern Boy?
This part...
This part is Momo, the same as that of Kazuma, who’s gone to Tokyo.
I’m the smartest in the world...
Well, it can’t be helped.
I guess I’ll have to go...
I overslept!
I have to go! This is terrible!
Kazuma!
Sis!
You really cause a lot of trouble, don’t you?
I’ll give you a ride to Tokyo.
Grandpa.
Grandpa Umasaburou.
Is something wrong?
He’s so soundly asleep that he won’t wake up.
Poor thing, don’t wake him up.
Where are you going?
The toilet, the toilet.
Okay, this is it.
Thank you for this, Grandpa Umasaburou.
I’ll make #44 again.
See ya.
Kazuma, thank you.
Being able to live with you in the end,
and being able to do the best job ever,
I was really happy.
But the scary Japan #44...
it was so good that I transcended into the next phase of death.
Azuma Umasaburou
That was supposed to be a joke, you know...
He’s forgetting it. The proof of being Momo.
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!
Hang on tight!
I’m going to die.
Sis! I don’t want to die!
Sis!
I beg you! A little slower!
That idiot!
He’s not here!
He may have really forgotten about the finals.
What do we do, Manager?
I don’t know!
Man...
just when I’ve obtained the Solar Gauntlets...
This is dodging the problem...
Kawachi.
Suwabara... Kai.
Where’s the other youngster?
The two of you together have hurt my pride.
There’s one more coward.
Being alone, you might find it too much to handle, right?
Either way, the two of you must need to team up to pass the finals, right?
Azuma is my rival.
So, I will beat Azuma.
And Suwabara!
I plan to fight you fair and square, and then win.
Oh?
That’s a good expression you have there.
Let’s see you come up to my feet.
That’s an order.
Suwabara...
Azuma, what are you doing?
Hurry up!
This is no good.
At this rate, I won’t make it.
I’ll run.
Kazuma. You forgot this.
Good luck!
Yeah!
If you lose, I’ll beat you up.
O-Okay.
Attention please.
We’ll now begin the Pantasia newcomers battle finals.
Pedestrian
and Bicycles
I... am your examiner, Kuroyanagi Ryou.
The winner will receive a monetary award of 1 million yen,
and an extra prize of three months of studying abroad in France.
Also, the winner can look forward to an appointment at the Main Store.
“Okay, let’s explain the method of the competition,” is
what I’d like to say, but...
This time, of the 510 newcomers, 58,
which is more than expected, passed.
So...
He just doesn’t mature...
It looks like I made it in time.
Azuma.
Azuma-san.
We were worried.
What is it?
I made it in time, so it’s okay, right?
You’re late again?
You...
Oh, you’re going to be the examiner again?
Old man Kuroyanagi!
Old man?
I, who is only 22 years old, is being called...
Azuma Kazuma!
For being 5 minutes late, minus 5 points!
What?!
It’s a scene that I’ve seen somewhere before.
If I think of you, and even utter the clichéd phrase “I love you,”
tsukaifurusareta “aishiteru” mo kimi wo omotte kuchi ni sureba
it makes such a nice sound, and you continue talking.
konna ni suteki na hibiki ni naru soshite kimi wa shaberi tsuzukeru
The hopeless tears your bold self sometimes shows me form flag of truce.
tsuyogari na kimi ga tokodoki miseru hakanage na namida nya shirohata desu
If nothing is said, then all the more,
nani mo iwanakerya iwanai dake ni
I just can’t look away. Things like sadness and pain...
yosomi nante dekinaindayo kanashimi dano kurushimi dano
Well, that happens a lot in life, after all.
sorya ikiterya yappari iroiro aru kedo
When you casually say, “Do your best,” it gives me strength.
nanigenaku kimi ga iu “ganbatte” ni chikara moratteruyo
Whenever your small back trembles, I will embrace you right away.
moshimo chiisana senaka furueru toki ni wa boku ga sugu dakishimeru kara
Even if the scenery outside my window changes...
mado kara mieru keshiki kawatte ittemo
Stay with me as you are, bad sleeping habits and all.
neguse no hidoi kimi no mama de soba ni ite
If you sulk, and utter
tsukaifurusareta “daikirai” mo
Even the clichéd “I hate you,” it comes across as the opposite.
kimi ga fukurete kuchi ni sureba hantai no imi ni kikoeruno sa
I will love you, no matter what. It’s just another Sunday to me.
donna toki datte aishiteru itsumo to onaji sunday
Next Episode
The next task is butter rolls!
First, choose your butter!
Okay, I’ll go with this one.
Don’t! Don’t do it, Azuma!
That’s... That one is...!!
Next time, Yakitate Japan:
Garbage and trash!! Kazuma selected the worst possible butter!
Garbage and trash!!
Kazuma selected the worst possible butter!
Be sure to watch!
Yakitate!! Seed of knowledge.
Note: Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) was the first individual to attempt to unify Japan at the end of the Warring States period.
The name of the place Gifu was given by Oda Nobunaga.
Gi San
Kyokufu
The “Gi” comes from “Gisan,” and the “Fu” comes from “Kyokufu.”
Note: “Gi” was taken from the name of a Chinese city conquered by a powerful king who eventually united China, matching Oda Nobunaga’s ambitions for Japan, and “Fu” means foot of the mountain.
Gifu
It’s the only administrative division of Japan with a Chinese name.
But that has nothing to do with us, does it?