We begin with a close-up of Matsuri's face in the mirror. There's no real dialogue on this first page, but four instances of Visible Silence. She looks at a photo. There are ten kids in it. A close-up of the photo shows a cute girl to her left, and a... boy? to her right with his(?) hand on her back. (I can't really tell. The kid's a Japanese preteen, and has none of the cultural markers of being a girl, so.) She puts her fingers through the black portion of her hair, and sighs. She looks at herself again, and has an Idea Bulb. How about... a hat?
Episode 8: The Hat's Meow
(The episode page has the girls in four different quadrilaterals, each with a single right angle and a background of strawberries. Each girl is wearing a hat. And other clothing, too, but given the title, the hats are noteworthy. (I like that Miu's hat has "TinkeRbell" on it for no apparent reason, along with a teddy bear, a rainbow, a flower, and a butterfly.))
Matsuri tells Nobue that she's thinking of buying a hat. Nobue wonders why. Matsuri says she's the only one she feels she can talk to about that kind of thing. Miu and Chika peek in as Nobue asks her if she doesn't have any hats at her house, and Matsuri replies that they're all old lady stuff. Nobue notices the two, and calls them in. She asks if Miu has anything suitable. Miu considers it, and can't think of any she'd give Matsuri. Just as well, as Matsuri whispers to Nobue that Miu's hats suck. Miu is dejected at this. Nobue says she also has none for Matsuri, and puts down Chika's fashion sense. "Dying library mouse", indeed. So, Nobue decides to take Matsuri hat shopping.
Nobue notes that going hat shopping means they're going to be walking around in the middle of town. Now that Matsuri thinks about it, she's overwhelmed by the idea of going out in public like that, prompting Nobue to wonder how she gets to school. (The greater fear of missing, perhaps?) Nobue has Miu go to her house and pick out a hat for her.
Ten minutes later, Matsuri is wearing a hat with kitty ears, which is nice, but... tail? Nobue asks if she just wants to stick with that one, but Matsuri does not. They get on the scooter, Matsuri in front (wearing the helmet), then Nobue (actually the one steering), and Miu hanging on to Nobue. Chika objects on the grounds that it's not safe for four people to ride a scooter. Nobue says it may not look pretty, but it'll get 'em where they're going. Chika is not particularly concerned with how it looks, but with niggling little issues such as the weight limit, and the utter lack of seating once you do have three people on it. She suggests the bus as an alternate mode, and is not seen for the rest of the episode.
In public, Matsuri notices people staring. Nobue points out that the hat kind of makes her stand out. Matsuri freaks, thinking she has to hide, but Miu advises her to "be" a confident, cool cat, dubbing her "Cat-suri". (Readers with the original Japanese are welcome to tell us what she actually called her.) Matsuri asks what she's supposed to do. Nobue tells her to say "meow" ("nya", likely) at the end of every sentence. (A note at the bottom of the panel advises us that what Nobue is smoking is "not catnip".) Matsuri gives a couple of initial attempts before the next panel: "I...I'm Cat-suri.... meow." Meow-velous. An imaginary bowling ball strikes pretend pins in Nobue's mind, and when Matsuri asks how it was, Nobue says it was perfect. She adds how amazing it is that it works when Matsuri does it, and that Miu had tried it, she would've slapped her hat off.
(An actual photo of a store interior!) At the store, Miu sets to the business of trying on outfits and asking Nobue's opinion. Nobue notices Matsuri having difficulty selecting a hat, until she spies... a gingham hat with a small ribbon and flower on the side. Nobue tells her to go buy it, but reminds her that she's Kitty-Cat-suri. She wasn't anticipating retaining her felinity that long, but she buys it, anyway. (Delighting and confusing the cashier, no doubt. Miu, of course, is still trying on outfits while Nobue says everything she puts on is equally cutest.) Nobue is ready to go, but asks Matsuri if there's anywhere else she wants to stop at. Matsuri asks where Miu is, and Nobue says that it's dangerous taking her to a clothing store, the implication being that she gets so involved in trying on outfits that she "never" leaves.
(More photos!) Back at home, Matsuri thanks Nobue, then realizes she still has the kitty hat with her. Nobue tells her to keep it; Miu has millions. Matsuri sees her off.
Inside, Matsuri tries that kitty hat on again. She's starting to dig it. ...Meow. (Nya.) Aww. :)
Meanwhile, back at the store, a worker goes up to Miu, who says, "I'm just browsing!"
Episode dividers!
It's Miu, in a white hooded dress with floppy bunny ears and a bow tied at the base with little pom-poms in lieu of agulets, dark knee socks with two little white pom-poms on the outside of the top of each sock, and black shoes. Her name is marked with a little drawing of a bunny head, and "winter" is marked with an eighth note.
Matsuri is wearing a dress with a very soft-looking collar, and boots. She's carrying a soft-looking purse.
Next time: Episode 9!
