Lum-A-Day 096 – Shine! The Blessed Bra!!

It’s been a while but here’s another episode introducing a recurring character. This time it’s Soban, the grotesque gang leader from a neighbouring school who has a massive crush on Shinobu.

Ryuu believes she’s finally saved up enough money to buy what she’s been dreaming of for years – a bra! However her concept of money has been warped by her upbringing and she doesn’t actually have enough money for one. As she discusses it with Shinobu, they are spied upon by members of Soban’s gang, who mistake Ryuu for Shinobu’s boyfriend. First they try to get them to split up, which just ends with Ryuu beating on them for thinking they are a couple.

Then they think if they can convince Soban that Shinobu is taken, he’ll stop being so lovelorn and start being a proper gang leader again. So they want to take photos of Shinobu out on a date with Ryuu to convince that Soban that they are a couple. They bribe Ryuu into it by promising her a bra. However it turns out that they still think she’s a man, and is simply a pervert.

So they go out on the town, and Ryuu is single-mindedly thinking “Bra! Bra! Bra!”. In fact so determined to win the bra is she, that she tries to kiss Shinobu for a photo, much to Shinobu’s displeasure. Ryuu has to protest that she’s not a pervert, then they carry on with the fake date. However it’s not long before Ataru appears, offering his own bra in return for Ryuu to end the date, so he can take her place. Lum puts a stop to that, but then Ryuu’s dad shows up with a photo of Ryuu’s “mother” (well one of the possible candidates) so she can meet Ryuu’s future bride.

And so the episode can end in chaos, Soban then shows up and gets beaten up by Shinobu. His gang give him the bra, telling him it’s Shinobu’s in order to calm him down. Ryuu tries to take it back but it get’s ripped in half. Before she can get Ataru’s her dad takes it and burns it so he can send it to his wife in the “afterlife”.

Then it gets a little creepy when Ryuu has a breakdown and tries to rip off Shinobu’s bra, before having to protest once more that she’s not a pervert. Just seems a little of character, as she’s normally just attacked men up to this point. Obviously that teaching from Kazuo Koike that Rumiko Takahashi had was at work here!

Despite the slightly creepy ending it’s a fun script. The best gag being the shrine Ryuu’s father has to his “dead” wife which pans out to show that he has photos of all the possible women he might have been married to. Animation-wise, still a little ropey as I’ve come to expect from this batch.

Michiru Shimada’s first appearance as screenwriter on UY. He’s pretty much worked constantly since 1980, currently writing the adapation of Before Green Gables.

Iku Suzuki’s first appearance as episode director on UY. He makes a lot of future appearances in that slot, and judging by some of the drek he’s made, that might not be something I’m looking forward too. Most recently in charge of the infamous Training with Hinako…

Screenplay: Michiru Shimada
Storyboard: Kozima Tamiko
Director: Iku Suzuki
Animation Director: Noboru Furuse