"Chika Ito. Twelve years old. Next-door neighbor and friend. Sixth grade and in the same class. Nobue Ito. Sixteen years old. Chika's older sister. Very cool. Matsuri Sakuragi. Eleven years old. Fifth grade... ummm... Lives nearby and hangs out a lot."
This confuses Chika, who says they know that, and is glad Miu has been paying attention, but... "Critical Investigation!" For her Critical Field Investigation Project, she's decided to evaluate the three of them during summer break. Nobue suggests she observe something normal.
Episode 9: Critical Investigation
(The episode page is done up like a sheaf of papers held together with laces. The envelope itself is titled "Objective Assessment of My Friends" and gives the researcher as "Miu Matsuoka, Grade (some kind of Mickey Mouse logo) 6". The note at the bottom says it's nonfiction. The picture on it uses an actual photo as the background. At the right of the picture, Matsuri stands making the "V" sign. She's wearing a black skirt with laces and a belt, a white sleeveless shirt, and the hat she bought in the previous episode. John is perched atop. In the middle, Miu, wearing a plaid sleeveless dress has her hands up because Nobue, behind her, is covering her eyes. Miu's, I mean. On the other side from Matsuri is Chika, wearing a medium-colored "Aussois" something short-sleeved shirt and light-colored shorts.)
Miu instructs the others to pretend she's not there. So Nobue does geometry homework (or perhaps reads HP Lovecraft) while Chika continue reading. The cover is blank, so it's hard to tell what. Maybe it's about the White Album.
Oh man. I just thought about this. When Chika asks Matsuri if she can flip to the next page, it's the last panel. Which means to proceed, you have to... flip to the next page. Nice placement.
Also, at that angle you can see Matsuri's shirt better. It has a cartoony dog on it, and the word "CHIEM", which is almost right. Unless it's the Vietnamese surname.
Miu observes for a while and writes "No change". She observes for a while longer. Still "no change". She yells at them to do something, but Nobue points out that's not very objective. Chika decides to go make something. Miu wonders what. Chika is making Matsuri cookies to take home, which Miu selectively hears as being for her. Miu decides to come along and observe, but Miu says she'll be inconspicuous. As they leave, Nobue wonders if she'll be doing that for an entire month.
Chika finds that she has to go to the bathroom. Somehow, Miu sneaks in behind and starts observing, going unnoticed for a duration that shouldn't be possible in a residential-style bathroom. Or maybe I'm just too aware. Chika does notice, however, hurriedly stands up and pulls up her shorts. Miu notes the subject exhibiting signs of embarrassment. Chika tells her to get out. Miu says she has to scrutinize her. Miu and her notebook are shortly found on the floor outside.
In the kitchen, Chika asks Miu to pass the vanilla extract. Miu is ready to eat the cookies, though I've never considered cookies a fork-and-spoon food. Chika reiterates that they aren't for her. Miu reluctantly gets something. She figured she would just be observing. Chika says she can help out at the same time. Unsure what vanilla extract looks like, Miu offers Chika a bag of sesame seeds.
Chika finishes baking and tells Miu to get Matsuri.
She apologizes for how long it took, but Matsuri thanks her anyway. She leaves, wearing the hat she bought in the previous episode. As she walks, carrying her cookies, she's suddenly aware that she's being followed. It's Miu! Both girls break into a run! Miu almost catches up, and then... passes her?
At Matsuri's home, supper is finished. Miu compliments Matsuri's mother on her cooking, which prompts her to say she's welcome there to eat anytime. The mother, in the one panel in which she appears, says she drew a hot bath so if anyone wanted to jump in, they could. Matsuri offers to let "Mew" go ahead, but "Mew" declined to use Me First, opting instead to use... uh, where was I? Oh, yeah... Miu said that they could go together. Matsuri sits tensely at the other end of the tub. She obviously didn't want to share a tub, but couldn't refuse in front of her mother, who would probably wonder why she would object to such a polite and well-behaved young lady as Miu. Miu says "investigation time" and puts her head underwater. Matsuri stands up with a "Hey!! Hey!! HEY!!!" Miu, upon surfacing, points out that the water's too hot to open one's eyes without protection, a fact which Matsuri acknowledges. Miu thanks her for standing up, showing her what she "needed" to see. Matsuri, probably realizing she'd been tricked, gives a quarter-hearted "You're... welcome..."
In the bedroom, Matsuri turns off the light and gets into her bed. The next two panels are close-ups of each girl with their eyes closed. Then Matsuri's eyes are open. Then we see that Miu is in Matsuri's bed. Matsuri angrily points out that Miu's futon is over yonder, but Miu tries to explain that it's a crucial stage in Matsuri's cycle. Matsuri just wants to go to sleep.
The next morning, Miu comes over, looking for Nobue. As she's searching, she notices some undiscarded beer cans and cigarette butts in Nobue's room. In Chika's room, Nobue checks a text on her phone. It's from Matsuri:
- HELP - night endless
- miu hs tken over
- — merciless — hope
- 4 slp abandoned
Nobue hopes she survived, but Chika points out she had been cracking up last night. Nobue wanted to see what would happen. Miu returns with an adorably cheery greeting. (Apparently, she managed to sleep well enough.) One of the Itos says "Oh goody... she's back." It seems more like a Nobue thing to say, but I wouldn't doubt it was Chika if someone told me. Miu aims a question at Nobue about the period over which the beer and cigarettes she saw were used. Nobue begins to answer, but realizes it's probably going in Miu's "Nobue" file, and tells her to leave that kind of thing out. (Given that it's illegal; in fact, Japan has the second-highest smoking age of places where smoking is merely regulated, just behind Kuwait. See the article on Smoking age at The Other Wiki. Additionally, the drinking age is also 20, which, while lower than in the United States, is still higher than manga-version Nobue. Which is why the anime adaptation has her at least claim that she's really 20 after joking(?) that she's 16. Junior high is 12-15, and so is right out.)
Then Miu asks when she started driving; Nobue answers junior high, and reiterates that she can't write about that stuff. (Again, Nobue is only just at the age where she can obtain certain licences: Ordinary motorcycle, small special, and moped. The ordinary motorcycle licence would apparently function as a small special licence (for operating small special cars) and a moped licence (EWISOTT) as well as for operating an ordinary motorcycle. I can't really tell from the panel that shows her licence back on page 5 which one she has, but we know she drives a moped and has driven, legally or no, her grandfather's car.)
While Miu contemplates this, Chika chides Nobue a bit for these things. Miu decides against replacing "used cigarette butts" with "used crayon butts" (a subtle dig at certain censoring methods?). After a while of thinking, she throws down her notebook. (It's an independent research notebook. In Japanese, it's probably the same thing as that "Independent Study" thing the kids were doing in Yotsuba&!.) She gives up, proclaiming it to be boring. Nobue points out that it's only day two, but Miu too sick of it to continue. She asks if anyone else is hungry, and if Chika has any cookies left over from the previous day. One of the Itos, probably Nobue, asks if Miu is ever going home.
A month later, we get a low-angle shot down the hall, and then a close-up of Miu's report hanging up. (The cover picture is the one from the episode title page.) Chika's silence is so visible that Miu responds to it, disappointed that she only got silver. At the bottom of the ribbon is a note:
[quoteblock]In recognition of your wonderful observations of your interesting friends. Very funny.[/quoteblock]
Chika wonders what was meant by "interesting"; though we see neither thought nor speech bubble, last she heard, Miu called it all "boring". She looks at the report.
- August 16th. Wednesday. Sunny. Nobue decided to move to London, where she's pretending she's from Paris. "I'm in it for the glamour," she announced. (Picture: Commercial aircraft in flight.)
- August 21st. Monday. Cloudy. Matsuri went hunting for old men. (Picture: man on his face on the sidewalk. His shoe is off, and his sock is pulled partway off. His briefcase lies nearby. Matsuri is walking away, looking in a wallet's contents with a serious look on her face. The words "They never see it coming." are near her head.
- August 29th. Tuesday. Sunny. Summer break is almost over. Chika wrapped a turban around her head. (Picture: Well... Chika with a turban on her head. Left eye closed; tongue-tip sticking out the left side of her mouth, pointing up; left thumb up. She looks adorably goofy here. Chika fwaps Miu on the head (ben!) for reporting false information.
Episode dividers!
And now, the pets!
On the first of the two, Satake the dog sits, wearing a kerchief around his neck. (Anybody who wants to identify breed, look up a picture and tell us what you think.) Instead of any names or seasons being marked, a paw print is placed in the general area.
Next up is John the ferret, wearing a hat. His paw print is employed, this time.
Next time: Episode 10!
