みなみけ おかえり Episode 02
Minami-ke Okaeri 02

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Touma brings over a box of sweets (cookies?) as a New Year’s gift, but Chiaki won’t let Kana open it until Haruka gets home. Kana issues a math challenge to Chiaki regarding the box, causing her Good and Evil to have a debate. Fujioka stops by for a visit and notices how easily Touma (whom he believes is a boy) and Chiaki get along to the point of being very touchy–feely as they tickle each other at one point. When Kana decides the box of sweets will be all hers, Touma goes after her, getting very close to Kana physically. Fujioka feels a little jealous, causing his Good and Evil to emerge and debate whether he has a chance or not with Kana. In the end, he decides to go for the box himself, so Kana quickly gives it to him — in the face.

Chiaki comes home from school to find a message for her from Haruka on a dry maker board, asking her to buy some mayonnaise, eggs, and cream puffs. The last item has Chiaki suspicious, so her Good and Evil come out to weigh the options. Considering Kana was the likely suspect, Good says to skip the cream puffs but Evil says they should buy them and play innocent. Since Kana might alter the board after Chiaki leaves, a digital photo of the board as it is now might be in order. Good and Evil notice Kana spying on Chiaki, so Chiaki turns and confronts Kana. Kana confesses she wrote “cream puff,” but only because when she tossed her bag on the table, it accidentally smudged out part of Haruka’s message. Chiaki has a big heart, so Kana’s please for forgiveness are heard.

After Hayami hears Maki’s disgust for Hosaka, she decides to have some fun by putting the thought in Hosaka’s head that to get to Haruka (the King General in the game Shogi), he must first get through the knights (or “keima,” also from Shogi), in this case Maki and Atsuko, by befriending them. Hosaka likes the idea and sets out for Maki first. His actions toward her cause her to flee, but he simply thinks she must be busy. Next, he finds Atsuko in the library where his actions cause her to drop her books and disappear. Later, when Hayami tries to find out how things are going, Hosaka decides to be friendly with her, resulting in him getting slapped.

Haruka is writing down spices on a sheet of paper and when she says she needs to go to the grocery store, Chiaki volunteers. However when Chiaki gets there, she finds she doesn’t know what half of these things are (spices). Hosaka is also in the store and hearing Chiaki speak some of the spice names, he gets the idea to make curry, whereby he fantasizes playing a piano concerto and sings a song of spices for curry. Because he’s also singing out loud, Chiaki declares him to be the Curry Fairy. Coming home, Chiaki sings the song Hosaka sang while Haruka discovers that she gave Chiaki the wrong list. Since Chiaki bought the spices, Haruka makes an unusual but tasty curry, which Chiaki says is all thanks to the Curry Fairy.

The next day at school, Hayami probes Hosaka on what he made for Haruka’s bento, and he says curry and is going to open the bento box to show her. Knowing this will cause a crowd to come, she tries to stop him, saying he’ll be known as the Curry Fairy if he does that. Hosaka finds that title to be quite appealing and opens the box as he hums his curry and spice song.

Thoughts/Review:

Oh yes! This is the stuff I love. This is the stuff I crave. Even if the art and animation are dodgy at times, this is the Minami-ke that I want.

The “sweets in a box” story wasn’t so hot in and of itself, however, seeing Chiaki’s Good and Evil side was a hoot. I’ve seen many variations on the Good and Evil personalities, but this is the first time where I’ve seen the Evil for a kid done as an adult. *lol* However, it is Fujioka’s Evil that stole the show. Oh, that outfit just cracked me up. I can see someone doing cosplay of it at Comiket in front of Tokyo Big Sight. Too freaking funny.

The story with the board asking Chiaki to do some shopping, only it had the cream puff request on it amused me, partially because Chiaki’s Good and Evil returned and partially because from the start, you just knew that Kana wrote that. However, I didn’t expect the who “Chiaki is an angle of mercy” aspect of the ending, but that was amusing in and of itself.

Hayami getting Hosaka to try to befriend Haruka’s friends Maki and Atsuko really had me laughing. I’d forgotten just how funny Hosaka can be. He was not used well at all in Minami-ke Okawari. I’d also forgotten just how much Hayami is like Kitsune from Love Hina. The Hosaka love continuing in the next story with Chiaki naming him the “Curry Fairy” was even funnier. Having Hosaka fantasize himself in a piano concerto and making up a curry spice song which Chaiki memorized was something that I just found so outrageously funny. Even now, I giggle at the memory, yet I also thing, “There are people who wouldn’t find this funny at all.” Fortunately, my sense of humor is just weird enough to love it. ^_^

I’m so glad Minami-ke Okaeri has returned to the goodness of Minami-ke.