みなみけ Episode 09
Minami-ke 09

SPOILER Summary:

Haruka doesn’t have to go to school that day and Kana is not happy about it. Knowing her older sister as she does, she figures that Haruka is sitting at home, drinking tea, which is true because Haruka has finished the laundry and the cleaning and is bored. Chiaki hopes Haruka-neesama has a quite, relaxing day. Kana, however, gets more and more annoyed at the thought of Haruka being at home and figures that she’d better have a really good cake made when they get home. Indeed, Haruka does make a strawberry cream cake but ends up eating the whole thing.

When Kana and Chiaki come home, Kana is looking for the cake, seeing evidence of it on the corners of Haruka’s mouth. Haruka tries to hide the evidence and Chiaki, realizing Haruka’s relaxing day will be flushed because of Kana, gets Kana to go along with the idea that it isn’t cake cream on her mouth, but shaving cream. Reflecting on this, Kana decides that Haruka is at the age where she’d grow a beard, which Haruka finds more horrible than being caught having eaten an entire cake.

Kana is tired of being awoken by Chiaki jumping on her back every morning. So, she decides that she will be the one waking an over-sleeping Chiaki next time. That Saturday night around 11PM, Kana wakes Chiaki with the idea of keeping her up talking about things so that she’ll then oversleep. In the living room, a sleepy Chiaki wants to know what Kana wants and Kana wants to discuss why Chiaki thinks of her as an idiot. Even though tired, Chiaki is happy to discuss this subject, saying she’s long wished to tell Kana just what a true idiot she is (using hundreds of thousands of words), but her tongue can’t move that fast. As such, all she can say is “bakayarou.” Still, “bakayarou” doesn’t really help Kana to understand how deep of an idiot she truly is.

Chiaki wishes she had the time to write a 10,000 page report on the subject, and asks forgiveness for being an inadequate sister. While this is heavily insulting to Kana, she has to stick with the plan. She manages to keep Chiaki from going back to bed until they both fall asleep in the living room. When they awake at the same time, it is 3pm and an annoyed Haruka tells them that they won’t be getting a snack. The following Saturday night about 11pm, Chiaki wakes Kana up and brings her to the living room. She presents her 10,000-page written report (compiled into several numbered notebooks) which she strongly suggests that Kana read and reflect on. Kana decides to leave, but Chiaki won’t let her go.

Kana is very ill and so Chiaki stops in her room to see her. Chiaki’s normal insult of Kana’s intelligence doesn’t provoke a reaction and indeed, Kana believes she sees a bus to take her to the underworld. Chiaki sits with the sick Kana and confesses that she ate Kana’s cake the other day. Kana doesn’t get mad and says its OK, leading Chiaki to think this is serious. Kana weakly confesses to having eaten Chiaki’s piece of cake only yesterday, leading Chiaki to fist-mash Kana’s face. Chiaki prepares a damp towel for Kana’s head and as the two talk, Chiaki is surprised when Kana thanks Chiaki for all she’s doing and tells her its OK to watch her favorite TV show. Chiaki says that it is OK to miss her show to sit with Kana as seeing Kana sick is much more entertaining. That provokes a reaction from Kana who demands an apology, then suddenly discovers that her fever has broken which Chiaki is now suddenly sick. Now Chiaki is in bed with Haruka and Kana looking at her. Kana asks Chiaki if she wants and apple and when Chiaki says yes, Kana pushes it hard into Chiaki’s face.

Its dinner time at the Minami residence and Haruka has to force Chiaki to eat her vegetables. When Chiaki and Kana start to fight over this, Haruka becomes like a very annoyed mother. Afterward, Haruka has their clean school uniforms and Kana suddenly decides she wants to try on Chiaki’s uniform. However, she’s unable to get it on and when she thinks she tears it, an angry Chiaki forces her out of it. Haruka enters and suddenly decides to see if she could try on Kana’s uniform, which is still the same design as when Haruka was in Kana’s junior high. Kana isn’t too happy about that, but she’s even less happy when Chiaki tries on Kana’s uniform and finds the skirt too loose but the shirt just right.

Chiaki is studying and Kana is eating cookies and thinking about how much she wants a cheese lemon custard chiffon pie. She doesn’t think Haruka will make one, at least not immediately. So, she hatches a plan and convinces Chiaki that Haruka wants said pie, and that they should make one to thank Haruka for taking care of them. Chiaki thinks it is too hard for them, but Kana tells her that even if they mess it up, its the thought that counts. Kana’s plan is that Haruka will see Chiaki’s feeling and then make a proper pie. Chiaki is very impressed this selfless, non-idiot thinking on Kana’s part and immediately agrees to help make the pie. In the end, Chiaki does all the work, but to Kana’s chagrin, the pie comes out perfectly. Haruka comes home and when Chiaki returns with Haruka to present her the pie, the plate it was on is empty as Kana has eaten it. Chiaki is very angry but Haruka is happy with the thoughts from both of them. This shames Kana, who tells Haruka she’s a good person and weeping, tells Chiaki to beat on her. Haruka won’t allow it and instead says the three of them should work together to make another pie.

Thoughts/Review:

I laughed at how Kana knew exactly what Haruka was going to do, right down to making a cake and yet Haruka ended up eating the whole thing. *lol*

The best laugh I’ve gotten thus far was Kana having to endure being heavily insulted by Chiaki as part of her plan. I laughed so hard at that because of Chiaki’s words and Kana’s facial expressions as Chiaki’s frank talk carried on. Indeed, I had to watch this part of the anime twice, it was that funny to me.

Hey! Kana is a Bruce Lee fan I guess (or at least, the anime staff are). The third story was getting a little sentimental and I thought, “well, we know the sisters do love each other.” The comedy twist on that was pretty funny to be sure.

Kana is the idiot genius to be sure.

Finally, the old “Cheese Lemon Custard Chiffon Pie.” I had to Google that and naturally, there is no such beast in the English-speaking world. So, its off to the Japanese world to look for “チーズレモンカスタードシフォンパイ.” I found this blog entry (blog has since been removed) which shows a picture of one supposedly. I found another blog (also removed) where Google had the right Kana listed but it showed in English as “Cheese Lime Custard Chiffon Pie.” I checked out the blog and could not find the right Kana for to say this was a “lemon” one so I don’t know what Google was hitting on.

Still, I kept looking and found this blog (you guessed it, removed as well), with a nice picture of a slice of this pie.

I find myself very much wanting to make this pie. As such, I’m going to beg my Japanese teacher to see if she can find a recipe. IF I score one, I’ll be sure to share it with you guys.

Update: Recipe –> HERE!