Episode 13 - A Bikini Divides the Eyeline Between Top and Bottom, but a One-Piece Shows Off the Figure So They Only Flatter the Slender
Mikoto and Kuroko are sitting outside Tokiwadai, complaining about the hot weather. Wannai and Awatsuki come up to them with a request: the swim club has been asked to do some modeling for their sponsor, a swimsuit designer, but most of the club members are busy. They ask if Mikoto and Kuroko would be willing to model with them; Mikoto is reluctant, but Kuroko manages to persuade her.
With some additional recruiting, they are joined on the day by Saten, Uiharu, Mitsuko Kongou and Mii Konori. The others are unnerved to discover that Kongou has brought her pet python, Ekaterina, along with her. A company representative shows them an array of swimsuits and asks them to wear whichever ones they like. Mikoto is tempted by a cute frilly two-piece, but hastily puts it away after Konori describes it as childish. Kuroko picks an extremely skimpy bikini and shows it off for Mikoto, to the latter's discomfort. Then everyone note is stunned by how well Konori fills out her swimsuit.
Once everyone is ready, they are led into a high-tech studio where advanced holographic technology is used to create a variety of scenes on demand. The cameras are all automated, so the girls are instructed to just act naturally and the machines will take care of everything.
After going through various different scenes, the projectors start behaving erratically, rapidly cycling them through several unusual locales. The company representative calls a break to adjust the equipment, and provides the girls with a variety of food ingredients to do with as they like. After a brief discussion, they elect to make curry rice. Kongou gets herself cornered into claiming she's an expert curry chef, and ends up assigned to make some along with the eager but ignorant Wannai and Awatsuki. After they try and fail to get anywhere with it, Kongou admits that she's never cooked anything in her life, and asks the others for help. In the end, all the food turns out delicious, even Kongou's — and she now has several new friends, too.
As they leave, Mikoto lingers behind to secretly try out the frilly swimsuit she was admiring earlier. As she goes to back into the studio, she accidentally projects herself onto the large monitor on the outside of the building... just as a certain spiky-haired high school boy is wandering by.
Tropes
- A-Cup Angst: Mostly averted. Kuroko isn't the slightest bit insecure about her figure; she's only irritated when Kongou comments on it because it's Kongou. Uiharu does get mildly embarrassed when Kuroko brings up her lack of development, but doesn't seem overly bothered otherwise.
- Barely-There Swimwear: Handkerchiefs have more fabric than Kuroko's bikini.
- Beach Episode: The episode is mainly an excuse to get the girls into swimsuits.
- Breather Episode: There's not much plot to speak of here. It does, however, feature the beginning of Kongou's friendship with Wannai and Awatsuki, which continues throughout the rest of the series. She makes friends with Mikoto here too, which also has ramifications going forward.
- Character Development: Kongou, who's been mostly a one-dimensional joke character up till now, starts to receive some in this episode. This will continue over course of the series.
- Fanservice: Pretty much the main point of this episode.
- Hard Light: The shooting studio is basically a holodeck.
- Holodeck Malfunction: A very low-key one. The system starts rapidly cycling through random scenes, so the studio calls a break to do some readjusting.
- Homage: The last holographic scene is one to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- Recognition Failure: Kongou not only doesn't recognize Mikoto as The Ace of Tokiwadai, she doesn't even clue in when told her name, other than to muse that it sounds familiar somehow.
- Title Drop: Wannai repeats the title verbatim as she gives Uiharu advice on choosing a swimsuit.
- Walking Swimsuit Scene: Basically the entire episode, for everyone.
