Usagi Drop/うさぎドロップ Manga Volume 04
Bunny Drop Manga Volume 04

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SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Daikichi and Rin are cleaning the bathroom when Rin states she’d like to see Reina-chan again. Rin gets her wish sooner than expected when Haruko arrives with Reina and some luggage. Haruko announces that she’s run away from home to get away from her in-laws she lives with and from the husband who spends all his time at work.  As such, she wants to stay with Daikichi.  The four go grocery shopping where they encounter Nitani and Kouki. Daikichi doesn’t want to give Nitani the wrong idea and desperately explains that Haruko is his cousin.

That evening, Haruko and Daikichi have a long chat about the situation and the fact that Daikichi called her husband to let him know that Haruko and Reina are OK and with Daikichi. The next morning, Haruko is stunned to see Rin making breakfast and Kouki drops by.  That evening, Daikichi comes home with Rin to a lit house and thinks that this might not be a bad thing.  He and Haruko have another chat and she announces that she’ll return home on the following day and just bury her feelings to get by.  The next day, her husband comes by and Daikichi leaves the invitation to have Haruko and Reina stop by for a visit again.

Daikichi goes to Rin’s school festival and befriends some other fathers. Nitani comes by and her chat with Daikichi makes her relieved about Kouki’s future since Daikichi admits to having been a lot like Kouki as a kid. Nitani notices Rin’s flushed face and determines that Rin is sick as she has a fever. Daikichi takes her to a doctor and learns she doesn’t have the flu.  At home, Rin doesn’t want to eat and Nitani stops by with Kouki. Seeing him flustered, she advises him to get a grip and be strong for Rin. He takes her advice and though it is tough, he tends Rin until she gets well.

After Rin returns to school, Daikichi goes to pick her up from daycare and discovers from Kouki that Nitani is now sick. Daikichi gets permission to pick up Kouki as well and they stop by the supermarket on the way to Nitani’s home to get her some things. Rin is worried she is the cause of Nitani’s illness so Daikichi tries to assure her that the germs could have come from anywhere. He agrees to let Rin pick some things as a get well present for Nitani and they head to her apartment. She’s happy to receive Rin’s gift and the groceries and agrees to let Daikichi pick up Kouki to help her out. When she recovers, Rin asks Nitani why Kouki and Daikichi didn’t get sick.

Daikichi learns of Rin’s forthcoming jump rope competition at school and seeing himself as starting to get flabby, decides to train with her.  At the park, Daikichi and Rin meet up with Nitani, Kouki, and other parents and kids. Daikichi teaches Kouki and Rin some techniques before having fun teasing Kouki with various jump rope activities Daikichi can do. The parents have a chat before Daikichi takes the boys for a basketball game with the fathers, leaving Nitani with Rin and Sayaka. Eventually, the parents get back together while the kids play and Daikichi ponders his former single life and the changes he’s experienced.  At the contest, Rin messes up normal jump rope but scores first place for backward jump rope.  After their shared bath and chat, Daikichi sees he’s lost some weight and wants to do more jump rope with Rin at the park, but she’s not interested. Kouki, on the other hand, drags his mom out to the park because he loves jump rope.

At dinner one evening, Daikichi discovers that Rin’s front baby teeth are becoming loose. He thinks about the other kids, including Kouki. At work, he has lunch with Gotou where they talk childhood illnesses and losing teeth. It is there that Daikichi learns of the keepsake cases for teeth and laments the fact he didn’t know earlier since he’d been having Rin toss her bottom baby teeth on the roof, in Japanese custom. Daikichi ponders this for a bit and sees Nitani, who gives him the keepsake case she’d bought for Kouki since Kouki only wants to throw his teeth out in Japanese fashion. So, he gives the case to Rin from Nitani and she says she’ll now keep her teeth in it.  She then remarks on how Sayaka puts her teeth under a pillow and finds money the next morning instead.

Rin and Daikichi take a trip to his parent’s home where she’s excited to show them her jump rope skills and her loose teeth. At dinner, her tooth falls out and that night, Daikichi and Kazumi have a chat about her forthcoming wedding and having children. After they return home, Rin loses a second tooth and is eager to have her picture taken and e-mailed to Daikichi’s parents.

Review/Thoughts:

Again, it is interesting seeing the changes in the manga and anime, more so since the anime just ended and apparently, volume 4 of the manga ends the first half, after which there is apparently a scary change coming. ^_^;;;

Anyway, the main changes were the order in which stories were presented, but that’s a minor thing. The manga made it more clear that Rin had lost bottom teeth, something lost in the anime. The only thing cut from the anime was Daikichi’s conversation with Gotou-san.  It was a minor thing, but it still had a nice look at things Daikichi worried about, like calling in sick for Rin’s sake.

I’m not sure what age is considered inappropriate for parents to bathe with kids, but I guess that Rin is still considered young enough since this volume of the manga showed her in the bathroom or bathtub with Daikichi several times and no one had a problem with it.  Well, it is a cultural thing, but at Rin’s age, I wouldn’t want to be in a bath with her at all.  Helping her bathe would be one thing, but I’d feel icky being in a tub with her at that age.  That’s just me though.

As I mentioned in the anime reviews, I like how Daikichi has made two father friends and that they and Nitani can hang out as parents.  The manga doesn’t specify if either man is currently married, which I find odd. I’m going to take a stab in the dark and assume they may be single dads but I could be wrong.

Regardless, the manga did indicate that Daikichi had been involved with a girl at an earlier age but was selfish then, which he now regards as the reason their relationship didn’t work.  The manga still isn’t pushing the Nitani-Daikichi romance angle either even though they seem perfect for each other and Daikichi is seemingly attracted to her.  Considering Daikichi’s experience with that floozie at work, one would think that he’d be more encouraged to go for Nitani but I guess he’s too afraid to do anything.

On the Yen Press side, honorifics remain and there are some translator notes too, which is a good thing.

So, now there’s the wait until the “evil” second half of the manga series starts with volume 5.  ^_^;;;