When was that? And where?
I only remember one thing.
Just one sound...
A sound like soaring. Like a ray of light flashing in the dark.
Mom, what's that "whum" sound?
It's called "tsurune."
It's the sound made by the bowstring when the arrow is released.
"Tsurune"...
Rise!
Begin!
The boys' group finals will now begin.
At hall one: Kirisaki Private Middle School.
Middle School Prefectural Tournament Finals Hall One: Kirisaki Middle School Hall Two: Ishikawa Daiichi Quiet, please
Shooting first: Narumiya.
Shooting second: Takehaya.
Shooting third: Fujiwara.
At hall two: Ishikawa Daiichi Middle School.
Shooting first: Komatsu.
Shooting second...
Tsurune
— Kazemai High School Kyudo Club —
I forgot my towel.
Um...
Hey, Kuma!
Well, you're in a good mood today, I see.
Good morning, sir...
Morning, Minato.
Seiya? Why are you here?
Dad's under the weather, so he's not up to walking.
I offered to walk Kuma instead.
Best of luck.
Don't you need to dry your hair first?
You don't want to be sick at your school entrance ceremony, do you?
You'll be there too, won't you, Seiya?
You knew about that, huh?
Your dad told me earlier.
Too bad.
I was hoping to bump into you at school and surprise you.
I'm plenty surprised already.
I'm relieved that we get to go to high school together.
Good thing I passed the exam.
You could have just gone to the affiliated high school.
Narumiya
Kazemai was an easy pass, right?
Nah, I was real nervous about it.
"What am I gonna do if I fail?" I thought.
We, your new arrivals, swear to spread our wings
Kazemai High School Entrance Ceremony
and fly as hard and far as we can
towards this new sky known as Kazemai.
I heard he was the top of this class.
Representative for the arriving students, Takehaya Seiya, signing off.
Wow!
Soccer Club
Fine Art Club
Wanna join the soccer club?
Hey, you've got a good frame!
What's that?
I just thought you might want to play soccer...
Hey, now! Don't threaten our senpai.
Sorry, my boy here can kill with a glance.
Since when am I "your boy"?
It's Nanao-kun!
Nanao-kun!
Hey, there!
What on Earth?
Kazemai excels in both literature and athletics.
It sure makes it lively.
Have you decided, Minato?
Which club you want to join.
I don't want to j—
I finally found you!
Please, stop! I'm not doing any clubs!
It's Minato and Seiya, right?
Reunited in high school, and I'm so freakin' happy!
Wait, are you Ryohei?
Yamanouchi Ryohei?
It's been forever, huh?
How'd you get so tall?
I put on thirty centimeters since I transferred!
No wonder I didn't recognize you.
That was our fifth year of elementary. Has it really been over four years?
Actually, in my second year of middle school—
There is no greater delight
than a friend
who visits from afar.
Tommy-sensei!
"Tommy"?
This is my homeroom teacher, Morioka Tomio-sensei.
We call him Tommy!
I'm a first-year at Kazemai, too, in my own way.
A pleasure.
You're Takehaya Seiya-kun?
Yes.
Narumiya Minato-kun, yes?
Yes.
The truth is, I'm working on an important mission.
In order to complete that mission,
I require the aid of some hip young folks.
"Hip young folks?"
A mission? What is it?!
I mustn't speak of it here.
Would you come along with me?
What should we do?
How should I know?
Let's go!
Wha— Hey! Why?
C'mon, it sounds fun!
I remember that energy, at least...
My mission involves resurrection.
Bringing the dead back to life.
You mean like CPR?
Or like reincarnation? Or zombies?!
Close, but not quite.
There.
Step on in.
Sure!
Wow!
We have this wonderful shooting range,
and yet the kyudo club hasn't had members in quite some time.
Thus, the principal has entrusted me with the mission
Kazemai High School Kyudo Hall
of reviving the Kazemai High School Kyudo Club.
Hell yeah!
My middle school required a martial art,
so I was in kyudo since the last term of my second year there!
You were?
Yeah! I'd been hoping to keep it up in high school, too!
Tommy-sensei!
These two... Minato and Seiya are freakin' awesome at kyudo!
Oh, they're veterans?
Yeah!
They've been in the kyudo club since middle school!
How did you...
What luck, finding three veterans at once!
But...
We have some girls who expressed interest in joining as well,
which means I'm practically in the clear!
Wait a minute!
I wasn't planning to join a club.
Why is that?
Ever since my mother died,
I've been handling most of the housework.
Gracious me...
Your mom passed?
I'm sorry! I never heard!
It was the summer of our sixth year.
It's okay.
I see.
It's a shame, but I won't force you.
How about you two?
I'll do it!
It really stinks that Minato won't join,
but I wanna do kyudo!
How about you, Takehaya-kun?
I'd love to join.
I'm delighted to hear that.
Narumiya-kun, if you change your mind, feel free to come by and watch.
We'll be glad to have you any time.
Yes, sir.
Minato.
Are you sure?
I don't do kyudo anymore.
I know that you still carry your treasure around.
What's the matter, Kuma?
Your master's gonna be late.
Forget him.
I'm okay.
Minato-kun, welcome home!
Oh, hello...
Seiya's not with you?
He had some things to take care of, I think.
I see.
You're the only ones going from Kirisaki to Kazemai, right?
Take care of each other, okay?
Yes, ma'am.
Minato-kun, I've got no business trips this month. Got it! -Minato
I'm home.
Dad No subject Seiya No subject Dad No subject
No Subject From: Dad I won't need dinner tonight, I might also be back late. -Dad
Oh, he's running late?
Here I thought I'd make ginger pork...
Ko-chan, what club are you gonna join?
Basketball.
You, Hiro?
Soccer!
I'm joining the drawing club!
Improving at Kyudo Kyudo Kyudo New Japanese History World History in Depth Modern Society
There's no way!
What's wrong with that?
Episode 1 The Young Man on the Shooting Range
You'll have your physicals next Tuesday,
so be sure to read the print-out in advance.
Club Submission Form Kyudo Club
As for your club forms,
be sure to turn those in next week.
Okay!
It's safe to assume we've both applied to the club, right?
Yeah.
That's fine.
For today's briefing, we were hoping
to demonstrate for inexperienced club hopefuls...
Let's go, Takehaya.
Sorry.
Darn you, Minato!
Why didn't you tell me you'd be going out the back gate?
I was staking out the front gate this whole time!
Ryohei...
Come on, just one favor!
I can't.
Sure you can!
Let's go to the kyudo club briefing!
No way.
The Minato I know would never say that!
When I was near tears 'cause I couldn't eat the pineapple in my sweet and sour pork,
you're the one who ate it for me!
That was ages ago!
Please, Minato!
There's all these weird girls there, and I'm getting cold feet!
Weird girls?
Kyudo Club Briefing We're getting ready. Please wait here.
Merha!
Is Nanao-kun here yet?
He's still getting ready.
Bail me out here!
Minato, you're my hero!
Stop talking like a little kid.
We're in high school now.
What's the problem?
What's different now?
The targets are in place!
Preparations complete, and smooth sailing ahead.
Oh, I have one more bit of good news.
Two more veterans are coming to join us.
I see.
Yes, and it looks like all the targets are in place.
Sensei.
Your mission to revive the kyudo club...
I intend to make it a success.
I'll be counting on you!
In the summer of my second year of middle school, I saw you doing kyudo.
You looked so freakin' cool,
I was freakin' inspired!
That's why I started up kyudo in middle school.
But classes were just once a week, so I barely know the basics.
When I got to high school and learned I'd be here with you and Seiya,
I thought, "This is awesome!"
We have to do it!
It's like we're being told to do it!
If you're busy with housework, I'll help out with that!
I'll carry your bags, too!
Hey, it's okay...
Come on. Please.
Only to watch.
Hell yeah!
Give that back!
Kazemai High School Kyudo Hall
Have you ever done kyudo before?
No. But it seems pretty easy, you know?
I watch them do kyudo on TV around New Year's.
Hakama are so cool!
Yeah!
Whoa, kyudo girls are pretty hot.
Is it the hakama boost?
You think we'd get that boost, too?
That's the plan!
Merha!
What took you so long?
Sorry, a teacher needed my help.
Shut your damned mouths in the sacred kyudo hall.
Up goes the Kacchan barrier!
Who's that?
Nanao-kun's cousin, I hear.
But I can't have you scaring the girls.
Stop calling me "Kacchan."
You're Kacchan, though!
I can't start calling you something else now.
I have to go to the same high school as you, and be in the same club at that...
This blows.
Why not join the soccer club then, Kacchan?
I'm serious about archery.
Merha!
I didn't start doing kyudo just because I want to wear hakama.
But my hakama beauty is more than skin deep!
You guys are our veterans, right?
Could you come over here?
Okay!
Who are all of you?
They're the Kazemai High School kyudo club's female members.
Seo Rika-san.
Shiragiku Noa-san.
Hanazawa Yuna-san.
Nice to meet you!
There's no gender segregation in kyudo.
Please get along.
Okay.
A pleasure.
I'm Takehaya Seiya.
I'm Kisaragi Nanao, and Mr. Scary-Face here is Onogi Kaito!
I don't have a scary face.
You can just call us Nanao and Kacchan!
No, they can't!
Have I met you somewhere before?
The entrance ceremony, perhaps?
I'm here!
Good job, Ryohei!
I see our kyudo club briefing has drawn quite a crowd.
Thank you all.
Feel free to relax your seating posture a bit.
First, let me make a request.
Kyudo is a martial art.
That means I want spirited responses!
Yes, sir!
Now, what's the minimum number of tools required by kyudo, do you think?
Bow and arrow?
Sorry, there's one more.
The yugake!
It's like a glove.
Let's begin with a demonstration of the art by one of our veterans.
You there. Narumiya Minato-kun.
Would you fire one for us?
Good!
That's not what we scheduled...
I can't.
I'm not a member of the club.
Most people here aren't.
But Seiya or Ryohei could...
I hear you've got one heck of a shooting form.
Won't you let us see it, just once?
You'd all like to see Narumiya-kun shoot, don't you?
Um... I...
Hey. What's your draw weight?
Fifteen...
W-Wait a minute!
I never agreed to do this...
No one cares if you suck or not.
It's not about that...
Your name got called, so quit squirming and just do it.
Don't you have the slightest shred of pride as an archer?
Mine are a little long for you, I guess.
That's how you measure your proper arrow length.
Takehaya
You can borrow my gym uniform.
Narumiya Minato, was it?
What's your hand size?
Did you tell Morioka-sensei?
About what?
That I... carry it with me.
No.
Hey, what glove do you want?
I don't need one.
Okay, all ready?
In kyudo, there's a process to drawing the bow.
First, you bow.
Then you take sliding steps to your designated spot.
It's okay.
I'm okay now.
I know I'm okay.
Stand up straight.
Gauge your stance.
Look at the target.
Get ready.
It's not going to be like last time.
Then draw the arrow back slowly.
Too soon!
He released it too soon.
He missed!
I'm sure he's nervous about being watched.
Now, one more time.
I'm not any better.
In kyudo, you'll shoot either two or four arrows in one set.
3rd Tachi
I've never been better.
This whole time... I've still...
Hey, what the hell was that?
At least take it seriously.
I told you, I can't do this.
I'm not talking about that!
That half-assed shot...
Don't you have any pride as an archer?!
I'm not an archer anymore!
Hey, wait!
Minato... do you not feel good, or something?
Minato!
Takehaya-kun, does he have...
Target panic.
What's the big deal? He just has to hold it.
He does it because he thinks he'll hit, right?
Narumiya's finished as an archer, I guess.
He was on such a roll, too.
Poor guy.
I'm sorry.
It's okay, Minato.
Yata no Mori Kyudo Hall
What a...
What a beautiful draw...
Ow!
An owl?
Who are you?
Next Time
"At Wit's End"