Deep in the French countryside, the girl Pico's love is laid out in beautiful imagery.
Her crush, Maes York, is engaged to Ninophy,
but they're such a perfect match that she's happy just to see them together.
But...
Two gazes, never meant to cross,
now entwine.
How presumptuous! Doing that with Maes...
He's just doing it to be kind.
The prelude to the storm...
No way! You know I've always loved you!
Even I—!
This is the story of a storm of love,
and the girl who blossomed for a moment and then fell, Pico.
Flower of Paris
The Too-Lovely Flower of the Antoine Academy
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 130 "Arakawa Cinema Bulletin"
Flower of Paris
The Too-Lovely Flower of the Antoine Academy
Thanks, I think I can really get inside your head with this.
I'm impressed, Ric. I didn't think you'd have the stuff to make a movie.
Well, I am the man who has everything.
Why did you decide to up and write a film script, though?
Well...
I wanted to make something out of your relationship with Nino...
Plus, I wish I had that kind of thing with the Mayor.
If it's like that, I just -have- to man the camera!
I understand your love so well it hurts!
Wow, thanks so much!
Then Ric can be the director...
Wait, you expect me to do it?
What a waste of time...
I'm not into this at all...
Wow, great! It looks like you're already having more fun than you expected!
To be honest, one of my hobbies used to be making short films.
I've already finished casting. They're waiting in the green room over there.
Wait, we're already filming!?
I'm not even comfortable with the characters or the setting yet!
Just read it! It'll suck you right in!
Well sure, but there's a pretty big cast.
Pico's crush, Maes York.
Kind and serious.
SG president, heir to an industrial empire, and an all-around athlete.
And talented enough at catching girls' hearts to be a model.
Doesn't he just catch your heart?
I'm just curious why you didn't cast me as him.
With so many characters, everyone will be able to pick one to empathize with!
Oh? Like who?
Pico's classmate, the hopeless delinquent Stalin.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not fighting for you.
Secretly, he loves Pico.
Pico's neighborhood friseur, Rusty.
Don't just laze around looking like that! You need to realize how beautiful you are!
Secretly, he loves Pico.
Billy the hitman. Hired by a rival to rub out Pico.
That's enough to move even my heart.
Secretly, he loves—
That last line makes it impossible for me to feel like any of them!
Plus, he likes the rain!
Well, Billy already turned me down anyway.
I wonder why?
Green Room
All right, Director, time to say hi to the actors!
With this mess of a cast, I'm surprised that only Billy turned her down.
CAST - Pico Maes York Stalin Rusty Billy
P-ko Mayor Star Last Samurai Billy
——
Oh well, if casting's already over, I don't need to worry about it. Just start filming.
All right, I'm here!
I'm Ric, I'll be directing "Flower of Paris: The Too-Lovely Flower of Antoine Acade"—
Green Room
Leave it shut. We were just getting into our roles.
Sorry about that.
Green Room
Not a single one of them even read the script!
All of them looked like they thought they were the lead.
Episode 131 "Camera, Action"
P-ko! None of them have any inclination of being a side character!
Bonsoir!
Dammit, she's already set in her role too!
Ko, I'm ready to film!
The set's ready, Ric!
We tuned up the church!
I don't want to tell them I can't do it now that we're in this deep...
The camera's set up and everything, so even though I really don't want to, I have to go through with it!
Ric, am I on yet? I'm already in costume.
Brothers! Give me a breeze from the right and some nice diffuse lighting rather than a spotlight!
Sure, director!
Stay just like that, Nino!
If you like uniforms that much, I'd be glad to wear one anytime!
All right, now I'm getting into it!
CAST - Pico Maes York Stalin Rusty Billy
Ninophy Friend 1 Friend 2
So Nino's role is as Pico's rival, the daughter of a company president...
All right, let's start with the Pico-Ninophy scene!
Action!
A scene where Ninophy, her fiance being stolen away by Pico, challenges her to a duel...
Wait, can Nino even act?
The white glove!?
What do you mean by this, Ninophy!?
Wow, she can be that expressive!?
All right, now for the line about beautiful roses having thorns...
Tasty eggplants... have thorns?
Wait, no, potatoes?
I guess potato sprouts are poisonous...
Wait...
Ah, whatever,
Nino, did you forget your lines?
Whatever! Take that!
A... A duel!?
What, we're going with that!?
It's impossible! There's no way a man like Maes could love someone like me!
Okay, now Pico's friends are supposed to appear and cheer her up...
Editing's going to be tough with the camera moving around like this.
What's wrong? You look sad.
You're scaring happiness away!
I'm sure Maes loves you.
Yes, be happy!
Guys...
Cheer up!
I haven't even started on the editing and it's already turning into a CG-spam fantasy flick!
Cut, cut, cut!
A three-character party—elf, dwarf, and hobbit.
Episode 132 "To the Ends of Delusion"
P-ko, what are you doing casting Sister as a girl anyway!?
That's a girl!
Wait, you were serious!?
A uniform accessorizes well with a machine gun.
What is this, a homage to Yakushimaru?
Maybe if you at least wore stockings...
Forget about that!
Just get back to directing, Ric!
This is where the princes appear and the love story speeds up!
Should both of them be in topknots?
Oh man...
The three men fight for Pico's hand. In order to stop them, she sacrifices her life.
In the final scene, Maes, consumed with sadness, follows her to the grave.
Oh man, it's raining again, too.
Whatever, ignore it, just get through this...
Action!
Stop it, you three! You don't have to fight over me!
I only have eyes for Maes!
Please understand, Stalin!
Shut up!
Just who are you calling reckless?
I'm just blessed a little too much by the God of Punk...
Stalin, you're so insensitive!
Okay, I guess I can at least feel like Pico now.
Don't you understand, Rusty?
I can't.
Choshu and Satsuma must ally for the sake of a new Japan!
Man, he sure loves Ryoma.
None of them actually read the script, did they?
And the Mayor's the worst of them...
Wait...
I love her more than anyone!
You can't even have her over my dead body!
Ma... Maes...
He followed the script!?
So you want to take her for yourself?
Very well...
Stop it, you two! There's no need to resort to violence!
He's the furthest off from the script...
Wait, is he realizing P-ko's feelings embedded in the script and responding to them in character?
I can't allow that to happen!
I'm better-suited!
I'm the one best-suited to play Sakamoto Ryoma!
Stop it!
Not bad...
You either.
Look... Look at Japan's sunrise!
~Fin~
All right, that's a wrap.
Great work!
P-ko... You really are the heroine of a tragedy right now...
One week later...
Okay, it's time to start the show!
Everyone, be sure to set your phones to vibrate.
Wow, I can hardly wait!
You sure are optimistic for someone who was on set.
Weren't you cut from both sides in the last scene?
Now, now, Ko.
We just had so much good material that something had to get cut.
You're such a flatterer, Mr. Takai!
It's starting!
Wow, it even has that!
What do you think beauty is?
That's my voice!
Sometimes beauty leads to tragedy...
Yes... Beauty is a sin.
Stop it! You don't have to fight over me!
This is the person I love the most! His name is—
Takai!
He's the only one for me!
I love you,
Takai!
Stay with me,
Takai!
Hold me,
Takai!
It's a masterpiece!
It's said that not a single person left their seat until after the credits.
Episode 133 "Riverbank of Horror"
What's going on? Seems like quite the ruckus...
Are they holding a festival on the riverbank?
If they're in a ring like that, maybe a Bon dance?
Yay!
Grudge!
Yay!
Keep going! 30 more times!
So it's not a Bon dance?
Wait, they're wearing weird headbands too...
Not good enough!
You think you can test people's guts with that kind of yell!?
Grudge!
What the hell are you guys practicing!?
Great timing, Recruit.
We've got all the ghosts appearing in "Riverbank of Horror" gathered.
Those are some pretty healthy-looking ghosts.
Ha
un
ted
Ho
u
se
Where'd this come from, anyway? How long have you been planning a haunted house?
We use the same set every year.
Look, Ric! Look!
We're one-eyed brats!
Wow, you scared me.
Everyone just loves getting dressed up!
They're in such a hurry to dress up that no one's ever left to be the audience!
So whose guts are being tested, anyway?
You guys haven't thought this through at all, have you.
Try not to make trouble, I guess.
Oh man...
Welcome. The entrance is right that way.
No thanks, I'm fine.
That's right, Star. Ric is afraid of ghosts.
Wait, Nino!?
What, ghosts?
I can't believe it! Your guts must be size extra-small!
Well, there we go, Star.
Just like your brains?
What!?
Plus, why would I be afraid of something as unscientific as spirits?
Fine, then go right in!
There's no need! My guts are perfectly settled already!
There's no such thing as ghosts, right, Sister?
Yeah, you're right.
I only believe in things I can shoot.
See? Even the holy man, Sister, agrees!
Why would I be scared of things that don't exist?
Missed 'im.
That means... It must have been a hallucination.
It must have been a hallucination.
What were you looking at, Sister!?
Episode 134 "Practice Test of Guts"
Let's go, Ric!
We'll show you around the haunted house!
Ric, I'll stay by the entrance trying to scare people.
You don't have to! Being welcoming is fine!
Do your best!
See you, Ric!
Why am I even doing this?
Oh, it's Ric!
Stella!?
Why are you crying in here?
I'm so scared that I can't walk!
You can't?
Wow, I never expected her to be this scared...
Okay, fine, I'll carry you.
You'll carry me?
You mant to make it to the end too, right?
I'd rather go with someone too, anyway.
Thanks...
Somehow, Stella's light weight reassures me.
You don't need to cry anymore.
This heavy weight...
No, this crushing weight...
It's gotten so heavy...
It's a crying king of fists!
Tee-hee! I got you!
That's terrible!
Using such a clever trick right from the start!
This is...
I've gotta calm down and keep going!
What's that!?
Who's using this old trick?
I was ready for that one!
Lemme see who—
Wait, Whitey!
That's too short!!
Let go, Ric! It's not too short at all!
As long as I use this stool, there's more than enough rope to dangle that piece of konnyaku!
You're using that rope to dangle konnyaku!?
Stop being so misleading!
Huh? How?
Just never mind.
The scary part was how it seemed like he'd really do it if he slipped!
It surprised me, but it wasn't really ghoulishly scary.
Kappa? So the Mayor's here?
He must be trying twice as hard as anyone else.
He'll probably put on a great performance...
Behold! This is the kappa!
I don't wanna look scared...
Okay, I'll just stay calm no matter what!
Here goes!
The fearsome kappa, Lord Kappa! - Arakawa Riverbank Residents
Oh, hi there. I'm the current kappa.
The modern world is all about dirty tricks and using force.
You'd better watch your back.
I'm a kappa. I'm a creature of instinct.
You'd better keep an eye on your shiri-kodama.
He's acting like an A-list actor!
Terrifying live kappa!
He's really scary!
Episode 135 "The Greatest Fear"
Grudge!
Lick, lick!
Yeah. Sure. Fine.
What's with that reaction, Ric?
You aren't perturbed at all!
Oh, I'm just so stuffed that scary things paralyze me.
What's with him? I thought he'd really be freaking out by now!
This is better.
No, Nino, it's terrible.
You can't have a haunted house without screaming.
If he's doing that, no one's having any fun, not even him!
Really? Then what kind of scream would you like?
Something like "Mommy!", of course.
So scaring Ric that bad would make him happy, right?
Of course! Let's team up and pull it off!
I set up this mirror before...
Hm, not that great. In my experience, the scariest haunted houses are "sound horror"
I think there's sunglasses in this box.
It's dark, so they're enough to blind him.
Okay, so I'll put them on him from behind...
And I'll make scary noises all around. It's perfect!
I'll scare you to death, Ric! Enough to show Nino what a scaredy-cat you are!
There he is!
Wow, this room is pretty dark...
What!? There's something on my face!
Stop messing with my hair! What are you doing!?
All right, now it's my turn!
Wait, Nino, those aren't sunglasses you put on Ric!
What's going on?
What the hell!?
This doesn't do any good at all!
Da—
Da-da-da-da-da-daddy!
He's so scared!
It's said that his shriek echoed along the riverbank...
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
Episode 136 "Arakawa Parlor Trick Championship"
I made it to the party!
This isn't your daddy's belly joke!
I, Takai, will replicate Ric's wink on my stomach!
Wow, he winked.
Not bad, Takai!
Wait, Takai, it's running!
It looks like a curse!
Oh no!
Hey, Billy, why did you turn down P-ko?
Next time, 5 Bridge×2.
I don't want to star alongside anyone but you, Jacqueline.
Billy!
Illustration: Nasou Shoha
Watch again next time! ♥