All right. I will now announce the prizewinner
for the best work in this round’s theme, yakisoba bread.
The prizewinner for best work is Koala of the New Tokyo Branch.
We will award him the prize of 100,000 yen!
Well, it’s to be expected.
After all, my Koala-chan is Pantasia’s best newcomer.
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?
The Green Marvel!!
It’s the Magician Kazuma!
The green marvel!!
It’s the magician Kazuma!
Since Mizuno placed that bet with so much confidence...
I expected him to be pretty skilled, but...
Mizuno is pretty confident about everything...
But, to think he defeated even Suwabara...!
Azuma!
The worst enemy you have in this newcomers’ battle may be Koala, not Suwabara...
No, I’m not really trying to scare you, Azuma...
I think Suwabara is a strong enemy too, but...
Kawachi!
Just because I’m listening quietly, you’re just going on and on...
You heard...?
A fellow who can’t even judge the loudness of his own voice...
won’t last on a battlefield!
What’s he talking about?
Listen well.
I’ll have you know that I didn’t make any yakisoba bread.
Wh... What?
What in the...?
Even if you don’t put it into words, your back is speaking to me.
Is that so? Another win by default...
You couldn’t fight, could you?
I’m sorry...
Get this, Kawachi.
Had I been able to make a bread myself, beating you would have been nothing...
And I wouldn’t have lost against that Koala either.
Remember that well.
I can’t win against his intensity...
It’s not surprising that a more timid person would run...
I wonder if that’s really the case...
What was that?
If you were watching the match, then... I’m sure you realized it.
That Koala is too strong!
Your yakisoba bread was... for some reason, the best!
Congratulations.
I wonder if even you could’ve won...
His skill is that of a manager of a famous first-class store.
No. It may be above that.
He’s not an opponent that a newcomer can match up to.
Damn it.
No way...
Don’t worry.
Ryuu-san.
In that case, I can just assassinate that Koala.
And then the prize money will be mine!
Like I said... Something like that is no good, right?
I was joking.
But...
That muscle... he’s on a different level than us.
He’s definitely no ordinary guy.
He seems to be quite an expert.
I’d like to have a contest with him.
Both of us being martial artists...
Oh. Hey! Ryuu-san!
In honor of Koala’s highest grade, I now present the prize of 100,000 yen!
Here you go!
I am Ryuu Ryoumen.
The successor of the ancient Chinese assassination group Ryuuke Shinken.
Now... I give you the usual challenge!
Wh... Who is he...?
The prize is gone!
Prize for best work
100,000 yen
Ryuuke Shinken 100 Consecutive Flying Bird Kicks!
This fighting aura...
Just as I expected. He’s exceptional.
Just as I thought!
Koala is Mokoyama!!
Huh?
What?
A strange and dangerous intruder has been sighted!
Capture and hold him!
You... You say it’s Mokoyama?
Yeah. There’s no mistake.
I didn’t notice by his bread, but...
From his fighting aura, it’s now clear.
Mokoyama and I worked at different places in the past, but...
in order to acquire the powerful Solar Gauntlets,
we did similar training together.
There is no other baker capable of emitting that kind of fighting aura.
To... To be able to realize from something like that...
Honestly, what are these guys...?
Then...
Mokoyama-san was fired by St. Pierre...?
And there, Mizuno must have...
Yeah. St. Pierre’s owner isn’t the kind of man who’d forgive a failure.
I guess it ended just as I feared...
Who the hell are you?
I’m going to tear off that mask no matter what.
And I’m going to expose your true face.
Another Koala from within the Koala?
No! That’s Mokoyama crying.
I wonder what the circumstances are...
In truth he must not have wanted to fight in the newcomers’ battle.
100,000 yen
Prize for best work
What are you doing?
Hurry up and subdue him!
Bring more men!
Damn it!
When did he get my prize...?
It’s a waste, but... I’ll withdraw for now.
Thi... This is the 4th floor.
That was quite an interruption we had there, but...
In preparation for the schedule of the third round,
I’ll now announce the theme.
The third round will be the same as the first round, with the A group going first.
We’ll have the match tomorrow.
The B group goes the day after tomorrow.
The theme is...
animal bread.
What’s wrong?
Although I said “animal”...
any living being, from crabs to insects, will qualify.
This time, artistic presentation will be evaluated in addition to taste.
We’re looking forward to unique designs that will please women and children.
That is all.
Animal bread, huh?
It’s a surprisingly difficult bread, you know...
Right, Manager?
Hmm? Did you say something?
What’s up Manager? You’ve been acting strange for a while.
What happened?
No, actually...
Animal bread is a surprisingly difficult bread, so...
Huh? That’s what I said.
It’s the bread which earned Mokoyama the title, “God of sweetened buns.”
Amongst animal breads, there’s a bread called “fish.”
Making it usually involves a technique called “five-loop braiding.”
That helps make the delicate scales of the fish, but...
It’s quite difficult to make successfully.
I know that.
It’s the thing listed under the most difficult section of a textbook on baking, right?
But, if that’s all, it’s an easy win for even me.
Is that so?
Then, how about a twenty-loop braid?
20 loops?!
It’s probably because Mokoyama’s disposition, but...
In contrast to his large frame...
he specializes in knitting.
I wonder if Ken-chan will like this...?
Mokoyama probably has Japan’s #1 bread braiding technique.
He can use his twenty-loop braiding technique to form the scales of a dragon!
A dragon?!
Mokoyama probably has Japan’s #1 bread braiding technique.
He’s the man who can even make a dragon’s scales with his twenty-loop braiding technique!
Hmm...?
You shouldn’t be saying “Hmm...,” should you?
He’s going to be your opponent, right?
Tha... That’s right...
On top of that...
This time Kuroyanagi said that artistic presentation will also be evaluated, right?
20-loop braiding means
that it’s four times the regular five-loop braiding technique!
You can’t do such a thing, right?
Yeah, I can’t...
You moron!
Have you forgotten that Tsukino’s succession fight is depending on this?
You won’t win if you don’t pull yourself together.
I know that, but...
Whether or not you can do twenty-loop braiding
isn’t going to determine your victory or loss, right?
That’s true I guess, but...
Oh no! It’s already this late.
The shops will close.
Tsukino... please come shopping with me again.
O... Okay.
You’ll fall if you run that fast!
Man...
He just doesn’t feel any pressure... Does he have some way to win?
Well, his last match against this guy was a draw.
I don’t think he’ll lose all that easily, but...
I wonder...
He trained at the same martial arts as me in the past...
The young Mokoyama was a wonderful martial artist and...
a baker whose talent I envied.
The Manager... envied him...?!
But...
His employment at St. Pierre turned him into a mere haughty, power hungry man.
He’d leave the bread baking to his subordinates and...
he’d always be at beauty or nail art salons.
He stopped coming to the dojo as well.
Note: dojo is a hall used for martial arts training.
Earlier, I went up against him and
made Azuma fight him because...
What did you say?!
Try saying that again!
I’ll say it as many times as you want.
An artisan of your level is no match for this boy.
Is Pantasia’s new bread, Japan, superior?
Or is St. Pierre’s new bread superior?
Let’s settle it... on TV.
Beautiful!
I accept the challenge!
This is why you’re my Ken-chan!
A man among men!
Of course...
advertising for the Southern Tokyo Branch was the primary motive, but...
If Mokoyama could find his old self once again, then...
I had hoped a little for that as well...
Is that so...?
Mokoyama has lost everything...
He’s probably at the end of his tether...
There is no sign of the self-conceit which he had the last time he faced Azuma.
If he comes at him without worrying about anything...
Even Azuma definitely can’t win!
No... No way...
Guru Market
Azuma...
Let’s see... We got the spinach and the powdered tea, right...?
Note: mugwort is an aromatic culinary herb.
The mugwort and... And...
But, we couldn’t find the most important thing...
There’s still more, Azuma-san?
I’m sorry, Tsukino.
We’ll have to go again tomorrow.
I haven’t bought the most important thing.
I don’t mind that, but...
Somehow everything seems to be green, right?
Yeah!
Tomorrow, Japan #8 is going to be baked all in green.
Baked all in green?
Next Day
All right.
Starting now, the third round of the newcomers’ battle,
the quarterfinals for the A group will begin.
But, before that, the examiner...
That moron is late again.
He really will be disqualified this time...
What should we do, Manager?
Well, that’s an inborn habit.
It can’t be helped, can it?
It’s not here either...
What should we do, Azuma-san?
If we don’t leave now, we won’t make it in time.
But...
If we don’t have that, I can’t make Japan #8.
I can’t say anything to that.
By the way, Azuma-san...
What in the world are we searching for...?
What is it?
A cheap candy store.
Wai... Azuma-san...
Let’s see...
Umm... Azuma-san...
What are you doing, Tsukino?
Come over here.
But... it’s the first time I’ve come to such a store...
But, Azuma-san! Don’t you have to go find your important thing?
Yeah. The thing I was looking for is here.
Oh my... And where’s Kazu-kun...?
Ah! Don’t tell me he’s run off.
Mizuno!
I don’t see Tsukino-oneesan, either...
Hmm...?
Could it be that she’s given up on being the successor and eloped?
Moron.
Oh, that’s right.
Your name’s Kawachi or something, right?
What?
You’re also unexpectedly skillful, so...
Rather than working at the
Southern Tokyo Branch, which will have no future once that woman has lost...
wouldn’t you rather work for us?
As a cashier.
Check out
Thank you very much.
Hey! Why as a cashier?!
This little witch... talking too much...
See ya...
That flat-chested girl!
It’s now the quarterfinals!
Which means that examiner will be...
And... from the third round onward, the examiner will...
We made it!
Y... You’re late again...?
You dumbass!
How could you leave me here to be insulted by that half-pint Mizuno?!
Whatever...
I don’t even have the energy to be angry anymore.
Even death won’t change Azuma’s tardiness.
Well then, before starting the third round,
I wish to welcome the new examiner.
Huh? Kuro-yan is being replaced?
Who are you calling Kuro-yan? Don’t get so familiar with me!
Don’t worry. I’ll still be here of course.
But from here on, even though you’re newcomers, you’re the best eight.
It would be difficult for just me to decide on the outcome of the match.
That’s why someone with greater capability and
judgement than me has been asked to come.
To think that the proud Kuroyanagi accepts
someone as being more capable than him...
What kind of person can it be... this examiner...
Don’t tell me! Meister...!
Wh... What?
And we have the sensei making his appearance!
He’s here.
Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh... What the...?
What just happened?
Let me introduce you.
The special examiner: Dave Hashiguchi-sensei.
Aaah, so busy, so busy...
And... his assistant Haijima-san.
Note: Dave, pronounced as “debu” (デーブ), also means “fatso.”
Dave Hashiguchi?
What...? It’s a name I’ve heard before.
Dave Hashiguchi.
He’s the author of the big hit manga Takitate Gohan.
Note: takiitate (炊きたて) – to boil; gohan (ご飯) – rice.
He’s released countless gourmet manga into the world.
All of those were big hits. A famous ex-manga artist.
Ex?
With money from royalties coming in, he started devouring gourmet delicacies greedily...
and began to get fat rapidly. Not only did he begin to stop doing his work,
he even forgot how to walk, and now his movement solely relies on a bulldozer.
Now, only the memory of how he was busy all the time in the past remains...
And they say he can’t say anything other than “Aaah, so busy, so busy.”
Aaah, so busy, so busy.
Are... Are you sure about this?
Leaving other things aside,
there is no one who can compare to him in his ability to taste things.
He’s called every year to the newcomers’ battle.
Don’t tell me. He breaks the wall every year?
So, since sensei has appeared as well...
we’ll start the third round.
Begin!
All right!
Azuma.
I won’t lose.
A... Amazing!
It’s like it’s Chinese martial arts.
And compared to that... What the...?
He’s surrounded by grasses.
All that green stuff...
Tsukino... what did Azuma take you to buy?
Well... He said he wanted to bake the bread green... So...
A green bread, you say?
So, you mean that the dough inside is green?
No. He said that the outside would also be green. Or something...
Huh?
You’re not a beginner either, so...
I think you know that...
you can’t possibly make a bread that’s green on the outside.
Once you bake bread, it becomes brown.
If it’s a steamed bread, then I understand, but...
Unless you use magic, you can’t add color to a baked bread.
I think so as well, but...
I wonder what Azuma is thinking...
If he loses in this round, you lose your bet as well.
Oh yeah.
Would you like to eat these?
What?
We just bought it at a cheap candy store.
Tsukino... You’re also saying quite the carefree thing there, aren’t you...
It’s not the time to be eating sweets, is it?
Right, Manager?
Oh. You’re eating.
What happened?
Tsukino...
Did Azuma buy starch syrup by any chance?
Manager!
How did you know...?
He definitely bought it.
He was saying it’s the most important thing.
Just as I thought.
So, what happened?
Oh, the sticks coming off...
What the...?
Kawachi!
I withdraw all previous remarks!
He may win!
Azuma will use magic.
Magic?
Amazing!
It’s a whole dragon!
That crystal-like shine is marmalade.
The luster of marmalade is making the shine of the dragon more pronounced.
This is...
This is like a fine art.
There’s really no way you can win against this unless you use magic.
That’s so true!
This time, presentation is also evaluated.
I have no choice but to give this full marks.
This is what Koala-chan’s true skill is...
Give up on being the successor, okay, onee-san?
Not yet.
Some more.
More.
Some more.
A blackout?
Don’t panic.
In 20 seconds, the backup generators will start.
It will have no effect on the ovens.
Azuma Kazuma.
You seem to be taking your time baking it, but...
your defeat is now inevitable.
But, Azuma Kazuma...
you can take all the time you want.
Even if you lose, it’s just because your opponent was too good.
You’re not trash. I can affirm that.
You’re rare without a doubt, and one of the best newcomers in recent years.
I really enjoyed being with you.
Thank you.
And, goodbye, Azuma Kazuma.
Don’t be tardy any more.
It’s done!
Ma...
It’s magic!
The baked bread is...
It’s all green.
Now everybody move
Can you get a little somethin'
Got to do
So better believe in
Better believe in
Better believe in yourself
C'mon!
"D-r-e-a-m"
"Dream"
Kono mune ni dekkaku tsuyoku
On this chest, big and strong
Hikari kagayaite makenai manazashi
A look that glitters and doesn't lose.
Tesaguri de sagashita kaze n naka
That's what I searched for, fumbling in the wind.
Kotae nanka mada Un...
The answer for now is...
ima wa mada Chance ukagatte matsu I got shitatakasa
For now, I'll watch the situation and wait for a chance. I got the patience to wait at a distance.
Sakenderu dake no Prisoner ja dame da
A prisoner who just screams is no good.
Just Follow Me! toki ni kata kasu kara
Just Follow Me! I'll lend you my shoulder occasionally.
Yo got
"D-i-g-g-y"
"Step into tha game"
It ain't nothin' nobody can say
'Cuz I neva can let my dream get away un
Kesshite hakanai yume ja nai
It's by no means a fleeting dream.
kono omoi todokeyou Heart to Heart, Soul to Soul
Let this sentiment reach you. Heart to Heart, Soul to Soul.
meguru kisetsu Spring Storm no you ni goukai
The seasons turn. Splendid as a spring storm.
Win Big ga motto
Win Big is the motto.
Some say, "Nothin' lasts forever"
eien no mono wa hatashite aru no darouka?
Does a thing like eternity really exist?
Dakara oretachi wa C'mon
And so we... C'mon.
Sou sa oretachi wa kirameku shunkan wo furu ni ikiteitainda
Yeah, yeah, we live to touch the one shining moment.
With all tha love
1-2 S.O. Cru
Stay true to you
So, what you gonna do? C'mon!
Now everybody move
Can you get a little somethin'
Got to do
So better believe in
Better believe in
Better believe in yourself
oikaze riyoushite kyou to tatakae ALL THA SOLDIERS
To all the soldiers fighting today using the tail wind...
Better believe in
Better believe in yourself
Next Episode
That Azuma... He really made a green bread!
Roar!
And Kuro-yan is flying! And he’s breathing fire!
He’s having a greater reaction than usual!
Next time, on Yakitate!! Japan, The great decisive battle!!
Koala’s dragon vs Kazuma’s turtle!
The great decisive battle!!
Koala’s dragon vs. Kazuma’s turtle!
Be sure to watch!
Yakitate!! Seed of knowledge.
In Europe, braided breads are often baked on celebratory occasions.
Braided Bread
In German, there’s a bread called Zopf.
Note: Zopf (German for “braid”) is a golden braided loaf often served for breakfast. It originated in Switzerland.
Zopf
In the Lausanne region of Switzerland,
it may have been the custom to give braided breads instead of flowers.
Yeah?!