ケロロ軍曹 Episode 32

SPOILER Summary: Keroro has his new plan for invasion of Pekopon (Earth) and Kururu has a new weapon which will transform an animal into a humanoid. That night, the platoon heads to the zoo where the first recruit is the panda, which Keroro assumes will be a powerful soldier when transformed. However, it turns out to be a girl who’s not happy to be disturbed. The next stop is an Indian Elephant, but while the transformed elephant is a skilled person, he too won’t join, though he does tell them a long tale both happy and sad of his time at the zoo. Other animals are tried, all with failures until they reach the Bengal Tiger. He agrees to join if they can best him in combat, which Dororo does. In the end, he too realizes he cannot leave the zoo. Having failed to gain a single recruit, the platoon returns home where Keroro tries his luck on two crows, only to have them turn on him.

The cat, hereafter known as “Neko,” that Keroro befriended earlier returns to the Hinata residence. Giroro is cleaning his weapon when he thinks he sees a grenade and dives for cover. The grenade is actually a pinecone. Keroro, still recovering from their previous adventure, summons the platoon. He wants to know where the transforming weapon is, but no one knows and he was the last one to have it. One the meeting is over, Giroro decides to make the pinecone into a charm that he will give to Natsumi. Neko wants the charm and is unhappy when learning she can’t have it. When Neko sees Giroro’s reaction to Natsumi, she reacts negatively to Natsumi’s attempts to befriend her.

Dororo and Mutsumi play shogi on a nearby roof where they’ve observed what has happened. Mutsumi figures animals have something to say too. Neko enters the Hinata home and is friendly with Fuyuki but is still hostile to Natsumi. Fuyuki feeds her some dried seaweed which she’s happy for but rejects Natsumi’s. Neko leaves and Natsumi gives chase. Neko hides in Giroro’s tent and sees Giroro is hiding something. He imagines she’ll be touched by his gift but when she grabs the charm from him, she doesn’t see it as anything special and doesn’t know it was to be a gift for her. Giroro is crushed, so Neko rescues the charm. Neko decides to get the transformation gun for Giroro, which was in the Hinata home, and accidentally makes herself human. As such, she gets her revenge on Natsumi by startling her enough to make her fall back in her chair. She takes a moment to thank Fuyuki for the seaweed before leaving and returning back to cat form and taking her place next to Giroro.

Thoughts: A couple of fun tales from the manga, though expanded somewhat IIRC. I liked how Neko got some spotlight time.