When Mendou doesn’t show up at school for days, his concerned friends pay him a visit to find out what’s up (and to sponge some free food). It turns out he is doing “special training” to cure him of his nyctophobia and claustrophobia, by sealing himself in pots. Lum offers him a “better” idea though, why not travel back in time and cure Mendou as a child. She puts a time machine on a pot and Lum, Ataru, Mendou, Shinobu & Ryuu leap in and travel back to Mendou’s childhood.
I’m sure you have already figured out how this is going to end up, but let us continue. While Mendou (present day) is beaten by Mendou’s (past) bodyguards, the other kidnap Mendou (past). They try to make friends but it doesn’t go that well, first Lum scares him by flying around, then Ataru gets into a fight with him. Then they put him under a bell, but it turns out that Mendou (past) doesn’t have Mendou’s (present) phobias yet, When Mendou (present) catches up with them he too gets into a fight with the little brat, so Mendou (past) flees into Shinobu’s arms and tells her he wants to marry her. This sets Shinobu’s heart a flutter, asking if Mendou (present) heard what his past self said. Then he tells Lum the same thing, so Ataru hits him, which in turn sets Lum’s heart a flutter. With Mendou (past) crying and no one to comfort him, Ryuu pats him on his head, but Mendou (past) tells her he doesn’t want comfort from a man, so she beats him up. When Ataru and Mendou (present) try and get him to apologise to Ryuu, Mendou (past) sprays them with octopus oil, escapes, and lures the pair into a trap. The girls see this, but realise they need to be cunning to rescue them.
Meanwhile in the present, Megane and Perm are searching for the five missing friends and end up getting pulled into the past, just in time to see the three girls beat up three of Mendou’s (past) bodyguards and change into their uniforms. Megane and Perm’s entire involvement seems to be to fill out the running time and to get to this scene of Ryuu and Shinobu half undressed…
Back in the Mendou mansion, Mendou (past) is torturing Ataru and his future self. Ataru frees himself and starts to offer Mendou (past) hints on how to torment his older self, while assuring Mendou (present) that it’s all part of a longer plan… Disguised as the bodyguards the girls are ordered to bring a giant bell to the young master which they put Mendou (present) under. This is too much for Shinobu, and she goes berserk, so Lum and Ryuu have to start fighting too. Mendou (present) bursts out the bell and chases Ataru and his younger self around the mansion. The pair hide in a room full of jars as Mendou (present) goes insane. Ataru acts as a decoy and knocks Mendou (present) out and they return to present, still unaware how Mendou’s fears manifested.
Cut to the past and we see the young Mendou still hiding in a jar, reciting the mantra “It’s dark! It’s confined! I’m scared”.
Even if the padding to make it a full length episode story is obvious, this a good episode, with a fun script. There’s nothing wrong with the ending being signposted from mile off if the route there is a fun one, and Akira Tamiya’s dual roles as the Mendous definitely make it one.
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Animator Toshiyuki Sakurai makes their only appearance as an actual director of an episode here.
Screenplay: Kazunori Ito
Storyboard: Kozima Tamiko
Director: Toshiyuki Sakurai
Animation Director: Yuji Moriyama