With this episode we get what are arguably the last two major characters introduced. There are other recurring characters still to come, but the two introduced here get the most mileage. They notably get featured in Beautiful Dreamer, whereas longer established characters like Ran, Benten and Oyuki do not.
We’re at the seaside again, this time on a cold, out of season day. Frustrated at no shops being open, Ataru, Lum, Mendou and Shinobu spy a teenage boy their age, and his father running from the sea and calling it an idiot. The pair then start fighting one another.
It turns out the warring pair run the Hamajaya beachside cafe. The son, Ryunosuke Fujinami, disagrees with his dad that they should keep the cafe open all year. Shinobu and Lum want to help the pair resolve their differences, but Ataru and Mendou want nothing to do with it…
Until Ryunosuke reveals “he” is actually a girl, and that her father raised her as a boy.
After the pair cross counter each other unconscious, the gang chain them to the opposite ends of the cafe, hoping that, prevented from fighting, they will settle their differences. However they simply end up pulling the restaurant down so they can fight each other some more.
After the break, the pair arrive at Tomobiki High. Ryu to enrol, her dad to run the school snack shop. He first tries to enrol her as a boy, then he offers her a girls uniform only if she can defeat him. She fails when Ataru interferes, and so finds herself wearing the boy’s uniform. Which infuriates the boys of 2-4, because the girls in the class find her more attractive than them. Except Megane, who is uncharacteristically cool, declaring it matters not what other girls think, he only has eyes for Lum.
So restore the balance in class, the boys beat up Ryu’s dad and take the sailor suit, however she refuses to wear it until she has defeated her father herself. And when they boys press the issue, she threatens to the beat them up…
Oshii seems to do a lot of these key episodes himself, and I’m thankful for that. Ryu and her father are two of the better characters in the show, and this is a very strong introduction to them. Lots of the faux-melodrama the show does so well, and as Ryu and her dad are brawlers, there’s a lot of cool fighting scenes too.
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Ryunosuke is voiced by Mayumi Tanaka. Which is perfect casting. Such a large portion of her career has been voicing teenage boys, that playing a teenage girl raised as a boy was a great fit for her. Currently she is best known as the voice of Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece. But other notable roles include Pazu in Laputa – Castle In The Sky, Krillin in Dragonball, Kirimaru in Nintama Rantarou and Wataru in Mashin Eiyuden Wataru.
Mr Fujinami, Ryu’s dad is voiced by Masahiro Anazai. He was Prince Phil in Slayers and I’m not sure I can find much more interesting things to say about his career, partly because it’s been curtailed somewhat due to complications from diabetes in 1997 and partly because there’s not much in English about him.
Screenplay: Kazunori Ito
Storyboards: Motosuke Takahashi
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Animation Director: Asami Endo
