Waiting for you.
Waiting for your knock.
The only thing that stands between us is a single door.
Shining my shoes, and placing a piece of eternally fresh bread in my pocket, I prepare for my journey.
When you're ready, just look up at me.
Right now, I'm just waiting for you.
Waiting for your knock.
Come on, everyone's watching Cosmos vs. Alien
Their battles are always marvelous
He commands a fleet, but he's really been an alien since before he was born
The distance between "micro" and "macro" is so important
At least when it comes to misunderstandings in space treaties
If it's this or be the second coming of Adam and Eve
Everyone's probably better off how they are now
Come on, take a closer look
Come on, be a little more eager
Come on, let's hold hands gently
Come on, put a smile on
Talk and talk, gossip up a storm
But soon it's more than just a joke
Cross the mountains, cross the valleys
Get to the planet he lives on
Come on, everyone's watching the captain, the queen, and the ace
Yes, the missile counterbarrage is ready
But the man aiming has really been an alien since before he was born
Now, the cosmos is space
It's just one wide sweep
The cosmos's sugary taste
It's just one sweet
Just a pinch of magic when you're together with her
Just a pinch of sugar and you can have her
Episode 122 "Message from Venus"
Nino and I had previously traded rooms,
but at night she just sleepwalked back, so everything just went back to normal.
And now, I'm cleaning my room.
Because...
It smells like fish!
What are mythical fish doing in my sofa!?
Oh, hi, Ric. It's nice and breezy up here, so I thought it'd be a great place for drying fish.
I just figured this out when we traded rooms.
So it was you!
All right, I'm taking the ones that are done down to the church.
My room reeks of fish!
Huh?
There's something under the sofa.
A metal case and a tape deck?
They're not mine. Are they Nino's?
Venus...
That smells terrible!
Nino's fish-drying must have stunk it up too.
Oh man...
There's already a tape in there?
What's he saying? It doesn't sound like Japanese.
God, I'm an idiot!
Why am I listening to that!?
That tape must be really important to Nino.
It's not something other people should just go and listen to.
Yeah, other people...
Then again, I'm not 'other people', I'm her boyfriend.
Huh?
I think this still smells a little fishy.
And—
I... I pushed it!
I'm such an asshole!
But I'm curious! I don't really know anything about her!
We are Venusians. This is a warning.
It's really a tape by a Venusian!?
Yesterday, I went to Aita in Shinjuku for the first time.
I was disappointed. It was just a normal department store.
Don't get your hopes up.
"Go Ahead and Laugh" Studio Audience
You won't meet Morita.
Even if you cut your hair, you won't get in.
What? Who cares about that?
Brush your teeth!
What the hell? He's not saying anything important!
Take a bath! Make sure to wash your hair!
I got worked up for nothing!
Oh well, it's probably better that way.
I guess I should stop it now.
And now for the important message.
Our lovely Queen of Venus.
Hey, Ric, are you drying something too?
You must keep this secret from everyone.
You found...
This isn't what it looks like!
Oh man, what do I do? I really shouldn't have done that.
But Nino's usually pretty hard to annoy. If I just apologize, she'll understand.
Just apologize sincerely...
I'm sorry!
I just know so little about you that I got curious!
I'm really sorry!
Nino?
Was she trying to intimidate me!?
It looks like he really ticked her off.
Episode 123 "Up a Telephone Pole"
Please, Nino, wait!
I just want to talk!
Not up there, Nino!
C'mon! I'm really sorry!
Just come down from there!
Ric, what did you do to Nino!?
Man, she's fuming.
Nino!
Ric. You can't just yell at her.
Sister!
In times like these, we must rely on the power of God's love.
Nino. Can you hear the voice of God?
The voice of God isn't going to be what gets her attention.
It's working.
Wow, you're right.
Sister, what did you put in those cookies?
I guess if it gets her—
Did she just use a bird to take them!?
Looks like she's serious about not coming down.
If she's up there, I can't even talk with her
Very well. If pushing forward doesn't help, falling back might!
I understand, Nino.
There's no way you could forgive me for doing that.
I'm sorry I kept bothering you about it.
Okay, everyone, let's go.
What are you talking about? Are you just gonna leave Nino alone like this?
Even if it seems like I'm running away, I know she'll come down once everyone's gone.
After all, it's a bit far from the riverbank up there.
It'll be fine.
She'll get lonely, and—
Wow, what kind of bird is that?
It looks positively lethal.
That's too reassuring!
Episode 124 "Message"
What do I do now?
Oh my. Ric, you just don't understand a woman's heart.
Maria?
What? I came to help you out.
To tell you the words a girl wants to hear.
I'll be your cue card.
Cue card?
Here, go for it.
Maria...
Well, she is a woman, so I guess she understands what Nino's feeling...
Thank you.
Hmm...
Nino.
I'm a whiny cockroach.
Please crush me with your slippers.
What was that supposed to be, Maria?
If Nino actually wanted to hear that from me, I don't think I'd have any chance.
Oh, right! Sorry, that was the wrong one, try this.
This is just a comic book! How's that supposed to help!?
Don't worry. it has some wonderful lines.
Put your heart into reading them, and...
And I'm sure she'll come down.
This smile...
I'll believe her one more time.
Nino!
Nyanyanyanyan! We're waiting for mew to come home, myaster!
This isn't even human speech!
Episode 125 "Weightier than Words"
Mem Mew Maid Story
Mew Mew Maid Story
Kazuya Okayama
Just forget it! I was a fool to ever believe you!
Yeah, you were.
That's right. I can't just use other people's words.
I need to put it in my own words!
Even if she's way up there, I need to properly explain it!
I'm sorry, Nino!
But you shouldn't have been hiding it, either!
I'm fine with anything about you, Nino!
Nino's relaxed her guard...
Hey, what—
Then go ahead and listen.
Of course!
She seems even angrier than before.
Think hard, Ric.
It might weigh down your heart far more than that box weighs down your body.
Human hearts break under that kind of weight.
It's not as simple as just saying you'll accept anything.
If you can't... They shatter.
At that moment, the box I caught suddenly felt a lot heavier.
All right, Star, we're leaving.
No way! Nino's still sad!
We're outta here. Think hard.
Wait, Mayor!?
What, aren't you going to listen?
Well, I thought I'd think it over a little more...
I guess.
That smile looked like it would break at any moment...
Ric! Come on, think it over!
No matter what, I want to know.
—lovely Queen of Venus.
Why you make that face...
You must keep this secret from everyone.
Ric...
Leech, leech leech leech leech!
Whaddaya think?
I found those a while back and all they had were some weird noises, so I taped over them.
Star's surprise present was too heavy to accept.
Episode 126 "Pajama Party"
I can't believe you!
You go picking through Nino's secrets, chase her up a telephone pole,
all for nothing!
That wasn't my—
I don't want to talk to you about it!
Men are nothing but aphids swarming over crops!
Well, you're kinda right about that, but I just want to talk to Nino...
She doesn't even want to see you!
Poor Nino, what did that insensitive man do to you!?
All right, tonight we girls are going to talk it all out!
We'll have a pajama party!
That sounds like such fun!
P-ko!
You can spend all night out there thinking about what you've done wrong!
Wow, pajama parties bring back memories.
We used to have them all the time in high school.
Really? That sounds fun!
I brought plenty of snacks!
Wow, Nino, that looks great on you!
You're like a golden corn fairy!
I can't believe Ric would be mean to a cutie like you.
It looks like he gave up and went home.
What, he left just because I told him to? He's such a wimp.
Really?
Yeah!
In this kind of situation, you need to be a bit more pushy!
Wait!
I'm fine until my bowl dries out...
So listen to me...
I've used all the techniques of love on you... My sweet yokozuna...
Stupid...
Like that.
What was that about?
You're not supposed to tell people that, P-ko.
Oh no!
Anyway, sometimes they need to be a little forceful!
Yeah, you're right.
Guys need to be strong.
If we're talking about our dream men...
I want someone tall, strong and kind, like Sister!
That way I can get even stronger and protect him!
What, Stella, you want to grow up to be that big?
Ah, talking about it is so embarassing!
Do you have a dream man, Maria?
Who, me?
Well, I think men are all undisciplined dogs, but.,.
A man who'd come climbing back after being shoved off a cliff 100 times...
That's the minimum I'm looking for.
Maria, you're like a Chinese mother lioness! That's so cool!
Um!
I decided I was going to bother you about it!
Oh my.
Well, I guess you have at least as much guts as a lion cub.
What are you talking about?
There's something I want Nino to have!
You can't just buy women's hearts, you know!
No, it's not like that.
I don't think it'll make up for her prized tape...
But in exchange for listening to the tape with Nino's secrets,
I'm giving her a tape with all of my embarassing secrets on it!
Well, well, Ric, I always knew you had it in you.
Nino. Don't touch that.
Catch your breath and sit down, Ric.
P-ko had already judged it a terrible present.
Embarassing
secrets
Episode 127 "Ric's Secret Tape"
Well, uh, it's not really like that...
I regret just going ahead and listening, but I really do want to know more about Nino.
Don't look so lazy when you're sitting!
So I guess I should tell her more about myself first...
Well, it sounds like you at least thought it out a bit.
Are you gonna give it a shot, Nino?
Thank you!
Hello, this is Recruit—Ko Ichinomiya.
This may be a shock, but I've never scored below 100 on a test.
What, are you just messing with us!?
No! Listen!
But just once, I scored a 105.
Ichinomiya
It was for the signature I had doodled on the back.
What a cool signature. Do you want to be an idol singer when you grow up?
Writing 'Ko' as 'go' is clever
I had planned on erasing it, but...
Anyway,uh, whoops. Let's skip to the next one.
Okay, next, during my first year of middle school...
They always picked me for the relay race when we did track.
I went first, in order to boost everyone else's morale.
In order to make my runs perfect, and avoid making the biggest mistake possible and dropping the baton...
This way I'll never drop it!
I figured out a new way to hold it.
Then, the day of the race...
The baton was far harder to get off my fingers than I'd expected, and I had to run the whole course alongside the others.
They selfishly nicknamed me "Ko with the Leaden Touch",
Of course, we won anyway.
And then there's the first time I went to karaoke in high school...
Just stop it!
But why!? I'm being completely frank in front of Nino!
We don't want to hear things like this!
Just look at the face she's making while listening!
I just can't take it anymore!
Well, I mean, if I could make them never have happened I would, but I'm only human. Everyone has failures like this.
Wow, that was surprisingly mature.
Were I too perfect, perhaps I'd be an imperfect human...
So I don't mind having minor problems like these at all.
If you remember saying that in a decade, you should still be so embarrassed you could die.
Episode 128 "With a Heavy Heart"
Jeez, this isn't going to make her happy at all!
Get the hell out of here!
Wait, I just want to—!
No way. Nino doesn't have anything to say to you.
Nino! That face...
Please, stop!
What, sliding?
If I left now, my body wouldn't be able to take it!
What, are you talking about that hereditary thing again?
You get asthma if you feel like you owe someone something, right?
No, it's not asthma...
This may or may not be a new disease, but when I see or think of Nino making that face...
Something inside me feels like it's going to burst!
So I'm not leaving until she smiles!
How rude! You're the one who made Nino sad to begin with!
No, that's not right,
I'm not angry or sad.
I already remember exactly what the tape said.
Then—
So...
Even though I feel like I should tell you all of it,
I feel like I'll lose you if I do...
I'm afraid.
I had nothing to say to such an unexpected response.
I'll keep this tape. I'm happy that I can learn about you.
I'd said over and over that we'd be together forever.
But those words hadn't really gotten through to Nino.
I finally realized this.
Ric...
Nino...
I'm sorry.
Looking back at the end of my journey,
as the days I long for pass
I see you wrapped in your red coat,
playing without waiting for winter
Farewell, mazelike days , I'd thank you if I realized days
Oh, oh, goodbye days
Looking forward at the beginning of my journey,
I take a deep breath so I won't have to stop
We're both swimming upstream toward tomorrow,
Swaying side to side like fish
Pain? No thank you days, sadness? No thank you days
Oh, oh goodbye days
Yeah, it's too early to let him hear this.
Wow, you're nimble.
Episode 129 "Arakawa Gag Contest"
What's that?
My assistant is in stage black, of course.
Got a problem with that?
I'm more curious what you're going to do!
Quit with the pretense and get to the show.
I'm making a pun.
It caught the cot.
You're too quiet and your enunciation was terrible. I couldn't understand a word of that.
Come on, be a little more adventurous.
Give me your right hand.
My life line's incredibly long.
Wow, you really are long-lived.
Next time, 4 Bridge×2.
Huh, it goes all the way up by my armpit and onto my back.
Is that really a life line!?
Illustration: Oh!Great
Next time too!