[REVIEW] One Pound Gospel - Round Four
I loved this episode so much I want to marry it and force it to make me pancakes in the morning.
maya_morning is persuading me to join in the Akame fic wave, with a little snippet in every post. However, as this is a drama review I don't think it's appropriate to start here. Next time, ne?
One Pound Gospel - Round Four
Plot: Poor Kojima loses horribly despite everyone cheering him on, and it's up to Kousaku to avenge him in his next match. No problem, if he can stay off the taiyaki. Meanwhile at the convent, Sister Angela gets a surprise guest, Morishita, a nice older gentleman who regularly attends mass and wants to make a request of her.
Turns out it's actually for an omiai (arranged marriage meeting) with his young ward, Wakaouji Mamoru, who is the heir to an Italian restaurant chain and apparently quite a catch. He wants a nice, pure young lady to be his bride and become part of his business empire, and he thinks that Sister Angela is just the woman for the job. Needless to say, Morishita did not mention this before he invited her into his expensive car and drove her to the restaurant. Nobody in this series seems to grasp one crucial concept: nuns can't date.
While Sister Angela is en route to the restaurant, Kousaku and the other boxers are out training their eyes, because Kousaku's next opponent is very fast. They do this by looking at passing cars and trying to see the passengers inside. Kousaku succeeds easily...because he notices what the passengers are eating. Typical. He'll test highly at the optician, but only if the letters spell out a menu. The one person he sees who isn't eating is Sister Angela, and the others tease him that perhaps she's riding in a fancy car because she has a rich boyfriend.
The Sister now has two young men courting her, which is no good for a nun, particularly when a jealous Kousaku defies his ban from the church and goes to demand answers from her. His love rival Wakaouji shows up, armed with sandwiches he made himself (not a good idea, as it turns out, because the genius chef is a fraud and Morishita normally does all the cooking). Kousaku makes a move on both the sandwiches and the nun but is shut down on all fronts. Sister Angela is not particularly pleased with either man, since they attract unwanted attention from other nuns and she doesn't want to get the reputation of being a "loose" woman.
After the opening, Kousaku's back in training and working his hardest to defeat his imaginary opponent - not a boxer, but a chef! Everyone's impressed, up until Kousaku explains about his rival moving in on Sister Angela and starts doing his "Love Punch!" and even better, "Love Swing!" moves. He is so cute it *hurts*.
The nuns say grace over sandwiches, then wish they hadn't bothered as Morishita reveals to the young master that actually, one of his ingredients is a vegetable drink he's drinking for health reasons. If it's anything like the ones in Prince of Tennis, I'm not surprised the nuns look so disgusted. It's hard to be thankful for a poisonous lunch.
That night at the gym, the boxers (not bitchy, this week, but incredibly supportive!) and Katsumi (who is improving by the episode) sit down to help Kousaku construct a love letter to his beloved nun. A lot of help is required, because none of them can get their heads round the idea that asking a nun to go steady with you is kind of stupid. Apparently, Ishizaka is the only one they can rely on, so does that mean he has a girlfriend? He keeps trying to escape but they won't let him.
For the (shallow) record, I will admit that everyone looks adorable here. Not just the clothes, but it's great to see them pulling together for Kousaku, and they do it a *lot* this episode. Katsumi has the only sensible suggestion but Kousaku can't understand it, and Kojima suggests that he do the boxer-like thing and beat up his rival, handing Sister Angela a bloodstained glove that will surely win her heart. Well, she does like boxing. Probably not that keen on bloodshed, though.
Eventually, Kousaku manages to craft a letter, and after stopping in the middle of the road to bestow multiple kisses on it, he arrives at the convent just in time to see Wakaouji try to present Sister Angela with some replacement sandwiches to make up for last time. Kousaku attempts to talk Sister Angela out of an omiai, berate Wakaouji and steal sandwiches all at the same time, because he's prepared to sacrifice himself to stop her eating them and thus falling for his rival. She won't let him, however, since she knows he has a match coming up, and the two dumb men try to outdo each other with how hard they worked on the food and letter.
Sister Angela is not impressed. Well, maybe just a little. She tells Kousaku not to appear before her again, but softens it by saying he makes her heart confused, which to me is a positive sign. She retreats into the convent, leaving Kousaku to take one final, savage bite of the sandwich before he runs off too.
He returns to the gym, but his punches make Bido's look like Seishiro's in comparison. The poor boy is not a happy bunny. Nobody else is very happy either when Wakaouji shows up, walks in with his shoes on, and insists on speaking to Kousaku. Oh dear. The height difference is quite amazing. Kousaku does his best to stare his rival down, but it's a little tricky when he's staring him straight in the chest. From his greater height, Wakaouji asks Kousaku to never see Sister Angela again, because he wants to run a restaurant with her and make her happy with his stash of cash. Kousaku cannot compete financially at all. Seiko has to intervene and Wakaouji leaves, apologising for the trouble.
Apology notwithstanding, they will not forgive him because he is after Kousaku's woman! Ishizaka, as usual, is not exactly enthusiastic in his support, but everyone else is cheering Kousaku on! Seiko and Mitaka are all in favour because Kousaku practises better when he has a rival to defeat. I love it that the guys at the gym can make fun of Kousaku all they want, but when some outsider comes in and tries it on, they band together to defend their hyperactive, hungry little lovestruck lunatic.
Sister Angela prays for serenity, which she's never going to get. Not without leaving town. Kousaku acts on Seiko's advice to defeat Wakaouji in his own way...which unfortunately means that he goes to cooking school in order to set himself up with a rival restaurant, make lots of money and keep Sister Angela happy. That nuns are not exactly known for being big spenders seems to have passed him by.
Kousaku is an enthusiastic cooking student and something of a whiz with a knife (I'm having Ranma-style martial arts cooking flashbacks). He tries to persuade his boss at the diner that he should be the one to inherit...which would mean marrying the owner's daughter. She likes the idea, having something of a crush on Kousaku, but she should remember just how much he'd cost to feed and that loving to eat doesn't qualify you to run a restaurant, much less turn it into a mega-successful chain.
Seiko catches up with him and drags him back to the gym for an intervention. (No, really, that's what it appears to be. Even Katsumi's there.) Seiko tries to explain what she meant by her advice - namely, win the match and make the nun proud - but Kousaku insists he needs money to make Sister Angela happy. Katsumi doesn't help by agreeing with him! Everyone is amazed by Kousaku's desire to run a restaurant, and more so that he's actually studying to become a licensed chef. (I'm not sure I trust any book with a talking chicken on the front, though.) He even persuades the unfortunate Ueda to help him study.
Back at the convent, Sister Angela attempts to tell Sister Millie that she turned down Wakaouji. It's a shame that her explanation is completely ruined by the arrival of a number of expensive gifts from the man in question.
Kojima's a little irked that Kousaku seems to have forgotten all about avenging him. Seiko's more than a little irked that her strongest boxer has defected to cooking school. Mitaka tries to play devil's advocate, saying that it must be tough when the girl you like is taken by another guy, ignoring the fact that never mind the other guy, she's already got God. Seiko just wants someone to make her happy. Mitaka clearly wants to be that someone, but won't tell her. I love these two so much. Probably more than Seiko loves her son, because she doesn't understand what he's thinking.
I suspect what he's thinking goes something along the lines of, "Why do I have to do all the cleaning by myself? I'm way prettier than these jerks". Katsumi's being bullied by his classmates again, and it looks like they're finally starting to get to him. You throw down that mop, Katsumi-chan!
While Katsumi mops the floor for a second time, Kousaku is out for a walk, trying to memorise vitamins and things, when he spots Sister Angela on her bicycle. Naturally, he chases after her, getting in some training even if he's given up on boxing. Kousaku's facial expressions this entire episode are priceless, and here he just can't understand why the Sister is riding away from him. Evidently, having a fanatical suitor running up to you, screaming your name at the top of his lungs, is not supposed to be scary at all.
Poor Kousaku is so proud of himself, telling Sister Angela all about his plans to become a chef and run a restaurant with her, but she's having none of it, telling him he's a boxer and she doesn't need money. He's trying to hard because he likes her, but he doesn't know what to do to make her happy. She rides off, leaving him confused and devastated.
So devastated, in fact, that he's looking to Katsumi for comfort. Katsumi's having his own problems but he tries to be helpful, explaining (twice) that Sister Angela likes Kousaku when he's boxing. Completely revitalised, Kousaku vows to throw himself back into boxing and forget his plans for owning a restaurant.
At dinnertime, the nuns - except Sister Millie - wind up revealing a little more of themselves. Sister Grace likes food and spending money, another one is fond of cats, and when Sister Angela claims her happiness is believing in God, Mother Superior doesn't think much of this. Not surprising, since she's shipping her with Kousaku. Perhaps she should go hang out at the gym for a bit.
Everyone at the Mukoda Boxing Club is pleased to have Kousaku back to his normal, try-hard self. His determination renewed, he goes to the convent to finally deliver his love letter, only to be told she's gone to Wakaouji's restaurant. She went there to return the gifts, but...
At first, it looks like thugs have been by and given the restaurant a good working over. Turns out it's just Wakaouji's pathetic attempts at cooking, as he's hopeless without Morishita, who has collapsed from exhaustion. (I'm not surprised!) Sister Angela, being the kindly sort, rolls up her sleeves and helps out. She even appears to be having fun, which is unfortunate because Kousaku arrives in time to see her with Wakaouji. He wishes her a happy life, drops his letter and runs off. Sister Angela starts to go after him, but gives up. She maintains that this is okay. It would make her life a lot easier, after all. Wakaouji's not convinced, but he keeps Kousaku's fallen letter to himself, anyway.
Back at the gym, and we have this week's equivalent of last week's 'locked door + food' scene. Kousaku lying on his back in the ring, eyes closed. The other four guys come home bearing food and get half-way up the stairs before they notice their felled friend. He kneels up and declares that he has given up on Sister Angela, which they have trouble believing. But the poor boy is sitting there crying in the dark!
Ueda asks him if he's eaten, because as Kousaku's roommate, I'd imagine he knows his comfort-eating habits better than anyone else. He offers him an onigiri, which the others aren't too sure about given how soon the match is, but bless Ueda, he thinks one won't do too much harm and he wants to cheer Kousaku up.
When Kousaku proves too upset to even look at it, Ueda climbs into the ring and sits with him, unwrapping the onigiri and handing it to him. Everyone looks slightly relieved when Kousaku accepts it and says it's delicious, though without his usual fire. (I guess if he hadn't accepted it, they'd have had to call the hospital or something.) The one little rice ball made him gain some weight, so he's not allowed any water now. (This is what gets me about his training. The going without food part, fine. I can handle that. But no water? Isn't it essential for life? I appreciate that it will bulk him out, but still...)
Back to some tough, painful-looking training. Meanwhile, Sister Angela angsts over Kousaku's wishing her happiness, and prays for serenity again. Still not going to get it, love. Wakaouji could do with some serenity, since he's still a walking disaster in the kitchen. (Why does he have no other staff? Was Morishita doing *everything* in the restaurant?) Thoughts of the Sister spur him on, however...and make him take Kousaku's letter to its intended recipient.
Wakaouji makes one final stab at persuading Sister Angela to join him in a life of good food and commercial success, but she turns him down, maintaining that Kousaku is not the reason - he just keeps confusing her heart. Wakaouji is about to insinuate that perhaps this means Kousaku is the reason after all, but thinks better of it as the Sister looks horrified. He gives her the letter, which contains a ticket for Kousaku's latest match. Looking at the date, the match doesn't take place for another few weeks yet - it's the 23rd of February!
Just before the fight, and Kousaku's getting worked over by Ueda. No, not like that. Big grins all round - apparently, Ueda is a reliable second, though we've never seen him fight. Kousaku's enthusiasm is dampened for a moment as he wishes the Sister could be there to watch his match. Ueda attempts to transfer some of his own joy in boxing to Kousaku, with mixed results, as Kousaku admits he's not happy at all. Ueda tries to look on the bright side of things, though, and the other guys show up, having been to check out their opponents. (And stare them down? Did they just go to intimidate them? There's solidarity for you.)
We don't see the fight, but Kousaku wins and an avenged Kojima is thrilled. The guys try to persuade Kousaku to go out to eat with them, now he can have anything he wants, but he's still upset because the Sister wasn't there to watch. Aww. He's so unhappy he's lost his appetite. Cue shock from everyone when Sister Angela shows up after the fight, running very, very late, and it takes Ueda's prompting before they realise that perhaps they'd better go in search of food and leave the young not-couple alone.
Very moving moment here. Kousaku asks if it's okay for him to keep liking Sister Angela, who says "Ah" ("Yes") but covers by making it seem like she's just noticed something about the clock hands. This makes them both give really cute and awkward smiles. Sister Angela can't tell Kousaku she might like him, but she doesn't want to lose him either, so she just keeps him hanging on. Kind of cruel, but she's a nun - making a big lifestyle change is probably a lot to get used to.
It's a happy ending for Wakaouji too, who meets a new girl of his dreams on his way to Italy to study cooking. Morishita has his work cut out for him!
Kousaku might have been an attentive student at cooking school, but when he makes a meal for the gang at the gym, it becomes clear that he wouldn't have made much of a chef. The food looks good but tastes terrible (opposite of mine, really!) and even Kousaku himself can't take it! He's very glad to be a boxer, because cooking is not in his future at all!
Music: One piece really stood out for me this week - there is a short, gorgeous track when Kousaku is lying in the ring, thinking about Sister Angela with Wakaouji.
Obligatory Kame commentary: Oh, darling! Lots of zany facial expressions for the comedy, and heartbreaking, teary ones for the sad moments, of which there were many. Kousaku swings between two extremes, most of the time, and Kame plays them both equally well. Either he's one hell of an actor or he's had some serious heartbreak in the past, because everything seemed just right, you know? The fake smile that doesn't reach the eyes, the slight tremor, the false cheeriness when tears are threatening to fall. I love watching Kame get a chance to play such an open, crazy character as we really get to see what he can do. Kousaku's very honest - he'll admit when he's not happy, or when he's done something wrong, or when he's just not sure what to do - and Kame does it beautifully.
Best scene: As usual, there were a lot to choose from. For comedy, I'm going to go with "Love Swing!", with Kousaku clinging cutely to the sandbag. Nice move, sweetheart. I'm sure your opponent will go down with that one.
The one that really got me, though, was when the other boxers walked in on Kousaku lying in the ring, and tried to cheer him up when he was crying. That was gorgeous. You can tell they care, even if they mock a lot, and they want him to be happy. I loved them for it (even Ishizaka, the jerk), and it makes me glad to see the way they take care of him and support him.
Conclusion: I probably laughed and got teary-eyed over this episode even more than the first three, because it was a) incredibly wacky and b) unbelievably heartbreaking. Actual boxing took a backseat again, along with food issues, as romance and togetherness ruled the episode. Well, romance of a sort. Wakaouji just wanted a type of girl, not really Sister Angela in particular, but it made Kousaku more serious about his devotions and it certainly helped Sister Angela to clear things up a little about Kousaku. I think her smile at the end reflected that.
But for me, the romance plotline was secondary to the Mukoda Boxing Club family, all of them pulling together for Kousaku even though they all logically know that letting him try to date a nun is a bad idea. The letter writing, the onigiri, the cheering him on in the gym - all very heartwarming. If I was rating the episodes, this one would've got a 10/10 from me.
maya_morning is persuading me to join in the Akame fic wave, with a little snippet in every post. However, as this is a drama review I don't think it's appropriate to start here. Next time, ne?
One Pound Gospel - Round Four
Plot: Poor Kojima loses horribly despite everyone cheering him on, and it's up to Kousaku to avenge him in his next match. No problem, if he can stay off the taiyaki. Meanwhile at the convent, Sister Angela gets a surprise guest, Morishita, a nice older gentleman who regularly attends mass and wants to make a request of her.
Turns out it's actually for an omiai (arranged marriage meeting) with his young ward, Wakaouji Mamoru, who is the heir to an Italian restaurant chain and apparently quite a catch. He wants a nice, pure young lady to be his bride and become part of his business empire, and he thinks that Sister Angela is just the woman for the job. Needless to say, Morishita did not mention this before he invited her into his expensive car and drove her to the restaurant. Nobody in this series seems to grasp one crucial concept: nuns can't date.
While Sister Angela is en route to the restaurant, Kousaku and the other boxers are out training their eyes, because Kousaku's next opponent is very fast. They do this by looking at passing cars and trying to see the passengers inside. Kousaku succeeds easily...because he notices what the passengers are eating. Typical. He'll test highly at the optician, but only if the letters spell out a menu. The one person he sees who isn't eating is Sister Angela, and the others tease him that perhaps she's riding in a fancy car because she has a rich boyfriend.
The Sister now has two young men courting her, which is no good for a nun, particularly when a jealous Kousaku defies his ban from the church and goes to demand answers from her. His love rival Wakaouji shows up, armed with sandwiches he made himself (not a good idea, as it turns out, because the genius chef is a fraud and Morishita normally does all the cooking). Kousaku makes a move on both the sandwiches and the nun but is shut down on all fronts. Sister Angela is not particularly pleased with either man, since they attract unwanted attention from other nuns and she doesn't want to get the reputation of being a "loose" woman.
After the opening, Kousaku's back in training and working his hardest to defeat his imaginary opponent - not a boxer, but a chef! Everyone's impressed, up until Kousaku explains about his rival moving in on Sister Angela and starts doing his "Love Punch!" and even better, "Love Swing!" moves. He is so cute it *hurts*.
The nuns say grace over sandwiches, then wish they hadn't bothered as Morishita reveals to the young master that actually, one of his ingredients is a vegetable drink he's drinking for health reasons. If it's anything like the ones in Prince of Tennis, I'm not surprised the nuns look so disgusted. It's hard to be thankful for a poisonous lunch.
That night at the gym, the boxers (not bitchy, this week, but incredibly supportive!) and Katsumi (who is improving by the episode) sit down to help Kousaku construct a love letter to his beloved nun. A lot of help is required, because none of them can get their heads round the idea that asking a nun to go steady with you is kind of stupid. Apparently, Ishizaka is the only one they can rely on, so does that mean he has a girlfriend? He keeps trying to escape but they won't let him.
For the (shallow) record, I will admit that everyone looks adorable here. Not just the clothes, but it's great to see them pulling together for Kousaku, and they do it a *lot* this episode. Katsumi has the only sensible suggestion but Kousaku can't understand it, and Kojima suggests that he do the boxer-like thing and beat up his rival, handing Sister Angela a bloodstained glove that will surely win her heart. Well, she does like boxing. Probably not that keen on bloodshed, though.
Eventually, Kousaku manages to craft a letter, and after stopping in the middle of the road to bestow multiple kisses on it, he arrives at the convent just in time to see Wakaouji try to present Sister Angela with some replacement sandwiches to make up for last time. Kousaku attempts to talk Sister Angela out of an omiai, berate Wakaouji and steal sandwiches all at the same time, because he's prepared to sacrifice himself to stop her eating them and thus falling for his rival. She won't let him, however, since she knows he has a match coming up, and the two dumb men try to outdo each other with how hard they worked on the food and letter.
Sister Angela is not impressed. Well, maybe just a little. She tells Kousaku not to appear before her again, but softens it by saying he makes her heart confused, which to me is a positive sign. She retreats into the convent, leaving Kousaku to take one final, savage bite of the sandwich before he runs off too.
He returns to the gym, but his punches make Bido's look like Seishiro's in comparison. The poor boy is not a happy bunny. Nobody else is very happy either when Wakaouji shows up, walks in with his shoes on, and insists on speaking to Kousaku. Oh dear. The height difference is quite amazing. Kousaku does his best to stare his rival down, but it's a little tricky when he's staring him straight in the chest. From his greater height, Wakaouji asks Kousaku to never see Sister Angela again, because he wants to run a restaurant with her and make her happy with his stash of cash. Kousaku cannot compete financially at all. Seiko has to intervene and Wakaouji leaves, apologising for the trouble.
Apology notwithstanding, they will not forgive him because he is after Kousaku's woman! Ishizaka, as usual, is not exactly enthusiastic in his support, but everyone else is cheering Kousaku on! Seiko and Mitaka are all in favour because Kousaku practises better when he has a rival to defeat. I love it that the guys at the gym can make fun of Kousaku all they want, but when some outsider comes in and tries it on, they band together to defend their hyperactive, hungry little lovestruck lunatic.
Sister Angela prays for serenity, which she's never going to get. Not without leaving town. Kousaku acts on Seiko's advice to defeat Wakaouji in his own way...which unfortunately means that he goes to cooking school in order to set himself up with a rival restaurant, make lots of money and keep Sister Angela happy. That nuns are not exactly known for being big spenders seems to have passed him by.
Kousaku is an enthusiastic cooking student and something of a whiz with a knife (I'm having Ranma-style martial arts cooking flashbacks). He tries to persuade his boss at the diner that he should be the one to inherit...which would mean marrying the owner's daughter. She likes the idea, having something of a crush on Kousaku, but she should remember just how much he'd cost to feed and that loving to eat doesn't qualify you to run a restaurant, much less turn it into a mega-successful chain.
Seiko catches up with him and drags him back to the gym for an intervention. (No, really, that's what it appears to be. Even Katsumi's there.) Seiko tries to explain what she meant by her advice - namely, win the match and make the nun proud - but Kousaku insists he needs money to make Sister Angela happy. Katsumi doesn't help by agreeing with him! Everyone is amazed by Kousaku's desire to run a restaurant, and more so that he's actually studying to become a licensed chef. (I'm not sure I trust any book with a talking chicken on the front, though.) He even persuades the unfortunate Ueda to help him study.
Back at the convent, Sister Angela attempts to tell Sister Millie that she turned down Wakaouji. It's a shame that her explanation is completely ruined by the arrival of a number of expensive gifts from the man in question.
Kojima's a little irked that Kousaku seems to have forgotten all about avenging him. Seiko's more than a little irked that her strongest boxer has defected to cooking school. Mitaka tries to play devil's advocate, saying that it must be tough when the girl you like is taken by another guy, ignoring the fact that never mind the other guy, she's already got God. Seiko just wants someone to make her happy. Mitaka clearly wants to be that someone, but won't tell her. I love these two so much. Probably more than Seiko loves her son, because she doesn't understand what he's thinking.
I suspect what he's thinking goes something along the lines of, "Why do I have to do all the cleaning by myself? I'm way prettier than these jerks". Katsumi's being bullied by his classmates again, and it looks like they're finally starting to get to him. You throw down that mop, Katsumi-chan!
While Katsumi mops the floor for a second time, Kousaku is out for a walk, trying to memorise vitamins and things, when he spots Sister Angela on her bicycle. Naturally, he chases after her, getting in some training even if he's given up on boxing. Kousaku's facial expressions this entire episode are priceless, and here he just can't understand why the Sister is riding away from him. Evidently, having a fanatical suitor running up to you, screaming your name at the top of his lungs, is not supposed to be scary at all.
Poor Kousaku is so proud of himself, telling Sister Angela all about his plans to become a chef and run a restaurant with her, but she's having none of it, telling him he's a boxer and she doesn't need money. He's trying to hard because he likes her, but he doesn't know what to do to make her happy. She rides off, leaving him confused and devastated.
So devastated, in fact, that he's looking to Katsumi for comfort. Katsumi's having his own problems but he tries to be helpful, explaining (twice) that Sister Angela likes Kousaku when he's boxing. Completely revitalised, Kousaku vows to throw himself back into boxing and forget his plans for owning a restaurant.
At dinnertime, the nuns - except Sister Millie - wind up revealing a little more of themselves. Sister Grace likes food and spending money, another one is fond of cats, and when Sister Angela claims her happiness is believing in God, Mother Superior doesn't think much of this. Not surprising, since she's shipping her with Kousaku. Perhaps she should go hang out at the gym for a bit.
Everyone at the Mukoda Boxing Club is pleased to have Kousaku back to his normal, try-hard self. His determination renewed, he goes to the convent to finally deliver his love letter, only to be told she's gone to Wakaouji's restaurant. She went there to return the gifts, but...
At first, it looks like thugs have been by and given the restaurant a good working over. Turns out it's just Wakaouji's pathetic attempts at cooking, as he's hopeless without Morishita, who has collapsed from exhaustion. (I'm not surprised!) Sister Angela, being the kindly sort, rolls up her sleeves and helps out. She even appears to be having fun, which is unfortunate because Kousaku arrives in time to see her with Wakaouji. He wishes her a happy life, drops his letter and runs off. Sister Angela starts to go after him, but gives up. She maintains that this is okay. It would make her life a lot easier, after all. Wakaouji's not convinced, but he keeps Kousaku's fallen letter to himself, anyway.
Back at the gym, and we have this week's equivalent of last week's 'locked door + food' scene. Kousaku lying on his back in the ring, eyes closed. The other four guys come home bearing food and get half-way up the stairs before they notice their felled friend. He kneels up and declares that he has given up on Sister Angela, which they have trouble believing. But the poor boy is sitting there crying in the dark!
Ueda asks him if he's eaten, because as Kousaku's roommate, I'd imagine he knows his comfort-eating habits better than anyone else. He offers him an onigiri, which the others aren't too sure about given how soon the match is, but bless Ueda, he thinks one won't do too much harm and he wants to cheer Kousaku up.
When Kousaku proves too upset to even look at it, Ueda climbs into the ring and sits with him, unwrapping the onigiri and handing it to him. Everyone looks slightly relieved when Kousaku accepts it and says it's delicious, though without his usual fire. (I guess if he hadn't accepted it, they'd have had to call the hospital or something.) The one little rice ball made him gain some weight, so he's not allowed any water now. (This is what gets me about his training. The going without food part, fine. I can handle that. But no water? Isn't it essential for life? I appreciate that it will bulk him out, but still...)
Back to some tough, painful-looking training. Meanwhile, Sister Angela angsts over Kousaku's wishing her happiness, and prays for serenity again. Still not going to get it, love. Wakaouji could do with some serenity, since he's still a walking disaster in the kitchen. (Why does he have no other staff? Was Morishita doing *everything* in the restaurant?) Thoughts of the Sister spur him on, however...and make him take Kousaku's letter to its intended recipient.
Wakaouji makes one final stab at persuading Sister Angela to join him in a life of good food and commercial success, but she turns him down, maintaining that Kousaku is not the reason - he just keeps confusing her heart. Wakaouji is about to insinuate that perhaps this means Kousaku is the reason after all, but thinks better of it as the Sister looks horrified. He gives her the letter, which contains a ticket for Kousaku's latest match. Looking at the date, the match doesn't take place for another few weeks yet - it's the 23rd of February!
Just before the fight, and Kousaku's getting worked over by Ueda. No, not like that. Big grins all round - apparently, Ueda is a reliable second, though we've never seen him fight. Kousaku's enthusiasm is dampened for a moment as he wishes the Sister could be there to watch his match. Ueda attempts to transfer some of his own joy in boxing to Kousaku, with mixed results, as Kousaku admits he's not happy at all. Ueda tries to look on the bright side of things, though, and the other guys show up, having been to check out their opponents. (And stare them down? Did they just go to intimidate them? There's solidarity for you.)
We don't see the fight, but Kousaku wins and an avenged Kojima is thrilled. The guys try to persuade Kousaku to go out to eat with them, now he can have anything he wants, but he's still upset because the Sister wasn't there to watch. Aww. He's so unhappy he's lost his appetite. Cue shock from everyone when Sister Angela shows up after the fight, running very, very late, and it takes Ueda's prompting before they realise that perhaps they'd better go in search of food and leave the young not-couple alone.
Very moving moment here. Kousaku asks if it's okay for him to keep liking Sister Angela, who says "Ah" ("Yes") but covers by making it seem like she's just noticed something about the clock hands. This makes them both give really cute and awkward smiles. Sister Angela can't tell Kousaku she might like him, but she doesn't want to lose him either, so she just keeps him hanging on. Kind of cruel, but she's a nun - making a big lifestyle change is probably a lot to get used to.
It's a happy ending for Wakaouji too, who meets a new girl of his dreams on his way to Italy to study cooking. Morishita has his work cut out for him!
Kousaku might have been an attentive student at cooking school, but when he makes a meal for the gang at the gym, it becomes clear that he wouldn't have made much of a chef. The food looks good but tastes terrible (opposite of mine, really!) and even Kousaku himself can't take it! He's very glad to be a boxer, because cooking is not in his future at all!
Music: One piece really stood out for me this week - there is a short, gorgeous track when Kousaku is lying in the ring, thinking about Sister Angela with Wakaouji.
Obligatory Kame commentary: Oh, darling! Lots of zany facial expressions for the comedy, and heartbreaking, teary ones for the sad moments, of which there were many. Kousaku swings between two extremes, most of the time, and Kame plays them both equally well. Either he's one hell of an actor or he's had some serious heartbreak in the past, because everything seemed just right, you know? The fake smile that doesn't reach the eyes, the slight tremor, the false cheeriness when tears are threatening to fall. I love watching Kame get a chance to play such an open, crazy character as we really get to see what he can do. Kousaku's very honest - he'll admit when he's not happy, or when he's done something wrong, or when he's just not sure what to do - and Kame does it beautifully.
Best scene: As usual, there were a lot to choose from. For comedy, I'm going to go with "Love Swing!", with Kousaku clinging cutely to the sandbag. Nice move, sweetheart. I'm sure your opponent will go down with that one.
The one that really got me, though, was when the other boxers walked in on Kousaku lying in the ring, and tried to cheer him up when he was crying. That was gorgeous. You can tell they care, even if they mock a lot, and they want him to be happy. I loved them for it (even Ishizaka, the jerk), and it makes me glad to see the way they take care of him and support him.
Conclusion: I probably laughed and got teary-eyed over this episode even more than the first three, because it was a) incredibly wacky and b) unbelievably heartbreaking. Actual boxing took a backseat again, along with food issues, as romance and togetherness ruled the episode. Well, romance of a sort. Wakaouji just wanted a type of girl, not really Sister Angela in particular, but it made Kousaku more serious about his devotions and it certainly helped Sister Angela to clear things up a little about Kousaku. I think her smile at the end reflected that.
But for me, the romance plotline was secondary to the Mukoda Boxing Club family, all of them pulling together for Kousaku even though they all logically know that letting him try to date a nun is a bad idea. The letter writing, the onigiri, the cheering him on in the gym - all very heartwarming. If I was rating the episodes, this one would've got a 10/10 from me.