Yukari opens the door, comes in, slams her papers on the desk, and quickly writes up the kana for "summer break" on the board. She announces that their break will be starting tomorrow, and asks if anyone has plans. A boy says his family is going to New Zealand. "Oh my! Sounds great." Kaorin has Astronomy Camp. "Oh my! Sounds great." Chiyo asks if Yukari's going anywhere; she replies that she's flying to Neptune. (horn honk, enhanced by Doppler effect)
She passes out report cards. A boy notices that his report card is accompanied by something much thicker: it's a book of buildup drills for English Reading Comprehension. He wonders what that's about.
Summer Break
Yukari explains that the ones who got drills are to stay there and finish.
That scene is peeled away from the lower left corner, revealing an outdoor scene. The kana for "...and summer break" appears. That gray cat is 'laxing on a wall. He looks up, seeing Sakaki looking at him. She wonders if he gets hot from the sun. She reaches out and approaches him; he bites the hand that would pet him. She looks at the hand afterward, and there's a red ring around her index finger at the knuckle closest to the end. She looks at it, and licks it.
A bell rings. It's Nyamo. Yukari gives her a sleepy "Good morning..." but Nyamo says it's early evening, and asks if she's turned night owl. Yukari says she sleeps at night, and gets back into bed. The room has random things scattered on the floor. Nyamo doesn't believe this, and tells her to sit at a table. She has to tell her twice. Yukari tells Nyamo to shut up and tries to get back to sleep, but is somehow persuaded to sit. She asks what Nyamo wants to do so early in the morning; Nyamo repeats that it's early evening.
Nyamo is having her set up a daily schedule. She tells Yukari that she shouldn't be so lazy just because it's summer break. Yukari asks if she's a teacher; Nyamo points out that they both are. Yukari says she can't do it with Nyamo watching, so has her turn away. She finishes... it's a pie chart, indicating that Yukari's idea of a schedule involves spending 2/3 of the day sleeping, with 1/3 devoted to free time. Nyamo tells her she has no drive, and Yukari agrees. (Or, in the subtitling, Nyamo tells her she's unmotivated, but Yukari says she's not.) Nyamo tells Yukari (who has gone back to bed) that summer break is a great opportunity, and asks if she doesn't want to spend some of her time productively, such as reading, lesson planning, etc.. Yukari wants her to put a lid on it, but then has an idea.
She wants to have fun somewhere tomorrow. "Have fun, huh?" Yukari lies on her back and kicks and hits the floor, and curls up and rocks side to side, saying it's better than being lazy. Nyamo can't. Yukari, instantly back in bed, repeats it mockingly. Nyamo can't help it; she has swimming. Yukari repeats this too, but then realizes. She's back at the table, saying she'll go with her. Nyamo points out that it's the school pool, and she's the swim team adviser. After a few seconds, Yukari asks if the school pool wouldn't be free. (I assume she means that you wouldn't have to pay to get in, not that it would be unoccupied.) Nyamo says she's not going there to have fun. After a few seconds, Yukari starts kicking and stuff again, and saying what she was the last time. Nyamo can't help it; she's the teacher. Yukari stops, but says she is also a teacher. Nyamo is aware of that...
Yukari gets another idea. She revises her schedule. She's taken a little less than 1/6 of the pie for swimming... out of the Free Time slice. Nyamo reiterates Yukari's lack of motivation. Yukari agrees.
On a wall, the gray cat yawns.
Yukari says you've gotta be in a swimsuit for the summer. And she is: she's wearing a pink bikini with white stars here and there. She's going for more Fanservice: two times as much!
She relaxes on a lounge chair with some kind of green drink.
Then she's poolside, inflating a shark with a foot pump.
The team members stare, the boys with blank white eyes. (Is it fanservice or Fan Disservice for them?) One of the female team members, is, of course, Kagura. She tells Kurosawa that the woman in lane 8 (Yukari, swimming back and forth with her shark) is in a world by herself. Kurosawa tells her not to let it bother her, but Kagura can't help it.
A crayon-drawn sign appears. It's time for Summer Break Home Inspections! Part 1: Chiyo-chan's residence! Yaaay!
Welcome to Chiyo's Room
Osaka, Tomo, and Yomi are standing in front of the station. Tomo's making the V-Sign. Yomi starts walking away, Tomo trying to slow her down. Yomi is embarrassed by Tomo shouting in front of the station. Tomo tells her not to let it bother her; after all: "Three makes a rowdy bunch!" Yomi knows the saying, and doesn't want part of that. Osaka turns and asks an elderly man selling sweet chestnuts if they're a rowdy bunch, but Tomo clamps her mouth, saying she gets it. (There are hiragana "A"s all over that stand.)
She starts over, but quietly. Yomi still walks away, as Tomo's presence hurts her ears. Tomo doesn't think it should bother her that "their" presence is rowdy. Yomi doesn't want to be lumped in with... them? Uh, Osaka's not generally that rowdy, or loud... Osaka asks the man if their presence is too rowdy for him. Tomo clamps Osaka's mouth again. Just for that, Tomo says she's not going to let Osaka make copies with her when they're at Chiyo's.
Osaka wasn't aware that there was going to be copying involved. See, Tomo made plans to copy Chiyo's homework so they don't waste their summer actually doing it themselves. Yomi realizes that that's why they're going, or at least that's why Tomo was going. And so, Osaka's out of that loop. Yomi doesn't want to do that, at any rate. Tomo asks why she doesn't. Yomi's going to do it herself. Tomo mimics Yomi's pose while saying that's great for smart folk, and how it's nice that she has her figure, and getting carried away with her oh-so-cool summer style. Osaka asks if they have boyfriends to show off their style to. Yomi goes to buy cake for a visiting gift. Tomo gets excited about that, and after a second, Osaka does too.
Back to the gray cat. This time, Sakaki has a popsicle. She waves it in the direction of the cat as she approaches, but it bites her finger, this time closer to the hand. (The other spot is bandaged.) She licks this new bite.
Yomi, Tomo, and Osaka are on a street in a residential area somewhere. Tomo asks if they shouldn't be getting there soon. Yomi says they're in the right neighborhood, based on the address. They find themselves in front of a large, green opaque gate with a fence on top of a half-wall. Tomo asks if it's really the place. Yomi points out the nameplate. Osaka is certainly amazed. Tomo reaches for the button below the Mihama nameplate. She's scared to push it, thinking it might be a self-destruct button. (You know, because the self-destruct button for a house is normally put out by the street.) Yomi doesn't think it likely. It rings when she presses it. Tomo starts to run off, but Yomi grabs her. The video intercom comes on. Chiyo's been expecting them, so she says to come on in. The gate slides open; Tomo is still trying to run off, and Yomi is still keeping her from doing so.
Now, while this mansion of a house is impressive, what really indicates the family's affluence is the amount of land. There's a long, wide brick walkway to and around the house, and grass, bushes, and trees filling space on either side of the walk. Tomo muses that maybe they should've gone with a melon (which would've been more expensive than getting cake). Yomi thinks they're fine keeping it simple.
From the bottom of the stairs, Chiyo welcomes them to her home. She's excited because it's the first time high school friends have visited. Now we get a look at the large foyer. From the... mezzanine? she tells them not to be so formal, and come in. They're still downstairs, probably in awe still. Tomo thanks her for having them.
In her room, Chiyo says they have lots of rooms, that one being hers. They're awed by it. Chiyo pours tea. Tomo says the place is awesome, but Chiyo says it's not that great. (I wonder if it's one of those cultural things where the protocol isn't just that you thank the person, but you downplay compliments you receive.) Yomi figures it's pretty great. Tomo thinks Chiyo may have won already. She asks Osaka to confirm, but she was looking out the window. She wants to have fun somewhere. Tomo figures they would've if they could. Osaka wonders why they don't. Tomo collapses on the table and says it's because of the money. Yomi sighs. Chiyo gets the idea to invite them to her... summer home!
Tomo & Yomi: S...summer home?!?
Osaka: Summer home?
The episode dividers feature the yellow cat-thing, and Chiyo.
The Summer Break Special sign makes a return.
Part 2: Chiyo's summer home! (Believe it!) Yay!
Invitation
Osaka says it turned out to be a nice day, and the perfect day for going to a summer home. Tomo thinks it may or may not be, but... she asks if Chiyo invited Sakaki. Chiyo did, and asks if that was wrong. Tomo says that was good, but... who invited these guys (Yukari and Nyamo)? Yukari tells her not to call them "these guys"; because of them, they're getting free transport to this summer home! Tomo is still dubious about it, so Yukari points out that she must be taking the train. This makes Tomo much happier with the idea. Since neither car can take the full complement of seven, Yukari asks who wants to go in her car. Actually, it's her parents' car. It costs more, she claims. (Now whether she means the initial price, bringing it up to inspection, just keeping it from falling apart, or a combination of the three, I couldn't say.) Osaka is more concerned about the quantity of dents, and what they might imply. Yukari tells her not to worry about it, and that she won't live a full life if she just worries all the time. (The thing is, Osaka generally gives off this "relaxed" vibe...) Osaka doesn't seem entirely sure. Nyamo decides to take three, leaving two to go with Yukari. Chiyo, the smart kid who doesn't know what dents imply, points out that Yukari's looks roomier, and asks if it wouldn't be better to swap quantities. Nyamo figures it's better to minimize fatalities.
"JAN-KEN—PO!" (a.k.a "ROCK, PAPER— SCISSORS!"
So they've arrived. Yukari compliments the appearance and location of the summer home. Yomi looks in on Chiyo and Osaka.
Both have twitching eyes and have experienced Color Failure. Yomi saw everything. Osaka says they're not afraid of roller coasters.
Tomo is excited about the ocean. In a salmon pink bikini, she holds a watermelon over her head and says it's time to smash it. Yomi, in her lavender bikini, asks if you don't need a bat or stick for this classic pastime. Tomo starts looking around for one. Chiyo, Sakaki, and Osaka, in a light blue bikini, yellow bikini, and pink one-piece respectively, look on. (This is the only episode where Chiyo wears a bikini.) Then we see Osaka and Sakaki's fronts as Osaka repeats the name of the pastime. Now it's Chiyo and Sakaki. (And here's the best shot of Chiyo in it. By the way, the top is almost like a sleeveless shirt, but it comes down to the level of the bottom of her ribcage. Sakaki's is quite a bit more revealing.) Sakaki notices Chiyo looking at her, seeming awed. She asks what's up. Chiyo asks how you get big like that. (Well, generally, you be an age other than 10... I suppose she wants to be big like that when she's 15, and wants to know how to get there.) Sakaki gasps, and hides her breasts with her arms. I don't think she knows; she doesn't seem the sort to aim for it or anything.
Tomo decides to use spirit to smash the watermelon. (She's going to use a Spirit Bomb?) She ties a blindfold on, kneels beside it, and starts chopping away... at the wrong place. As in, the same wrong spot each time. Yomi looks on. (Is that heat distortion or some kind of emotional indicator?) The teachers, in their bikinis, have currently opted for the shade of the umbrella. Yukari looks asleep or something, but Nyamo is propped up on her hands and actually watching.
Tomo, Yomi, and Chiyo splash about in the water as Osaka and Sakaki relax on shore, looking on. Out of the blue, Osaka mentions hemorrhoids. If you're writing it in hiragana, you put the dots on the chi rather than the normal shi. But when she looked it up, she saw the normal dotted shi. (As I understand it, the chi ending was popularized by an error on a product for them.)
Next is seals (azarashi), which in kanji is written as "sea" + "leopard". Osaka extrapolates that they must be ferocious, even though they don't look it. Sakaki thinks she's pretty knowledgeable.
Osaka thinks she'd like to ride a dolphin. Sakaki agress that it's be nice. Osaka recalls that they write dolphins (iruka) as "sea" + "pigs", but if you write "river" instead of "sea", you get "puffer fish" (fugu). (That "river" doesn't look like two parents with a child sleeping between them...)
Sakaki imagines riding a dolphin in the moonlight. Yomi asks what the two are up to, and Osaka says they're thinking about hemorrhoids. Sakaki didn't think they were. (Maybe Osaka still was...)
Summer Break Special: How to Fully Enjoy Summer Nights
Osaka figures you have to tell horror stories.
Someone With Experience, Speak
They're inside, now, wearing the clothes they wore up there. Yomi notes that that's pretty standard, but asks if she knows any really scary ones. She doesn't, which causes Yomi to ask who cares. Chiyo is reminded of something. (Sakaki gets up and walks somewhere.) She thinks of a story about another summer home. Yomi urges her to tell it. Well, there was an enormous outbreak of cockroaches. Giant cockroaches all over— BONK.
Tomo ends the story abruptly with a chop, and says summuh naghts ah fuh duhty tales. So she goes to the teachers for stories that they can really learn from. She assumes they have a vast store of adult experience. She goes first to Yukari. Chiyo covers her ears and makes a little noise so she won't hear. Yomi tells Tomo to lay off, as they're too stunned. Yukari just says that being a single woman isn't that bad. Tomo doesn't think that helps, so turns to Nyamo, at least partly on Osaka's suggestion that she looks popular. She says she's single, so doesn't have that kind of story. She apologizes for letting them down. Yukari points out that she wasn't single last summer... causing Nyamo to shake and growl. Tomo figures the mood has been killed.
Speaking of killing, Osaka recalls that situations like that, in the drama genre, sometimes are the settings for serial murders. Yomi finds that true.
Osaka: First one, then another. Y'think thatcha haven't seen someone for a while, but actually...
Tomo: Ooh, creepy... (gulp) So, so then what?
Osaka: Victim #1 would be Tomo.
The image is of Tomo lying dead with a thick string around her neck.
Osaka: Then, one bah one, y'all get killed...The next series of images:
- Chiyo lying on her face with a frying pan bearing the imprint of Chiyo's head in it. How do we know it's Chiyo's? The pigtails! Man, Chiyo has hard hair in Osaka's imagination...
- Sakaki lying on her back, dead from drinking Poo. (Seriously, that's what the bottle says. Hopefully, it's just romaji for a Japanese word that means something entirely different... the picture is of some animal head, possibly a bear. I don't see Poo's head on it.
- Yukari and Nyamo lying on their faces near each other. Nyamo has, uh, something on her neck, while Yukari has written something in kanji on the floor in ketchup. It's not "Osaka", "Ayumu", "Kasuga", "murder", "blood", "ketchup", "red", or "rum", at least as far as the translations on Answers.com go, so I'm out of guesses. If you know what that kanji is, you're welcome to tell us.
- Yomi lying on her back, with a plate of rice and... curry, I guess.
Osaka: So y'see...
Tomo: What? See what?!
Osaka: Ah am the murderer!
Yomi repeats the denouement, and Tomo pronounces it lame. Granted, it's not a good story, but it was well told. Now Tomo knows what summer nights are for...
Fireworks! A lot of aerial fireworks. Yukari's hyper over them, Tomo's... just standing there, Yomi's squatting and watching, Nyamo's sitting on a rock, and Sakaki and Chiyo are holding sparklers. (See my description in Yotsuba&! chapter 16.) Nyamo remarks that she's excited about them now, given that she didn't have to pay for them. Chiyo tells Sakaki she's good with sparklers. Osaka's walking side to side. She rummages through a bag of fireworks, and pulls out a spinner-type firework. It has a traditional heart shape, and it says "Light Your Heart". She obeys this instruction, and stealthily sets it behind Chiyo. After a few seconds, Osaka gets impatient and leans over to check the fuse... and it goes off. (Did it set her on fire...?)
They watch fireworks in three groups now: the teachers; Sakaki, Osaka, and Tomo; and Yomi and Chiyo. Yomi remarks that the place is great, and wishes they didn't have to go home. Chiyo agrees, but... thinks that if they are to go home, she at least wants to make it alive. She's suffered Color Failure again. Yomi figures she's talking about riding in the Yukari-mobile again. Chiyo laments her lack of skill in Rock, Paper, Scissors.
It's that cat on the wall again. Sakaki with a popsicle again. Same intent, but this time, the cat jumps high into the air and escapes being petted. Sakaki notes that it's the last day of the break. She licks the popsicle.
Done For
At school, Tomo lets out a hearty "Good morning!" and asks how the others have been. She's brought photos from the trip. Kaorin wants to see, as does Chiyo. Kaorin wishes she could've come. She looks through the pictures, remarking that if her camp hadn't been as the same time, she would've—
Then she sees a picture that impairs some of her brain function: Sakaki in a bikini. She trembles and stutters, asking if Sakaki went with them. Tomo gives an affirmative answer in an "Isn't it apparent?" kind of tone. Kaorin asks why she didn't go. Tomo reminds her that she said camp got in the way. Kaorin sweats profusely, even through the pores in her clothes. She starts hyperventilating, then swiftly looks through a few more pictures. She reacts strongly to one of a sleeping Tomo with an arm over a sleeping Sakaki. Tomo notes that she apparently tosses and turns a lot. Kaorin asks her why, but Tomo doesn't think there's a reason. Kaorin hyperventilates again, then flips through more pictures until she comes to one that stops her: it's Tomo with a dented car. Kaorin asks what it is; Tomo identifies it as the Yukari-mobile. Kaorin apparently heard about it, and that Chiyo had a rough time. Oh dear, now her color has failed again. They notice the look on her face. Kaorin says her name cautiously while waving a hand in front of her face. Tomo says it while wiggling her pigtails.
Chiyo: Would you please stop the car?This startles them.
Chiyo: Miss Yukari, please stop... please stop... please be more careful... I'm sorry... oh no... we're going to die... grandpa... LOOK OUT, MR. GRANDPA! MR. GRANDPA, LOOK OUT! RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY!Kaorin doesn't know what to do, but Tomo has decided to wait it out.
Somewhere, a cat on a wall yawns.
Tomo tells Sakaki she's got photos. Sakaki thinks to herself that these are photos from her very first trip with friends. She thanks Tomo. Tomo looks at one of them, and thinks she sees a ghost face behind Sakaki. This shocks Sakaki. Yomi sees it, too. Sirens accompany the turning of heads a lot in this sequence. (And I don't mean the sirens that turned sailors' heads in mythology. These are the sirens of emergency vehicles.) Sakaki turns her head and looks at Yomi. Chiyo thinks Sakaki is lucky to have such a photo. Sakaki looks back at the photo. Ayumu thinks it looks like an old neighbor of hers, Horikoshi-san. All three turn to look at her, then back. Osaka adds, "Well, prob'ly."
Yukari opens the door, comes in, slams her papers on the desk, and quickly writes up the kana for "Second Semester". Yukari announces it, and wants to make sure they study hard. She asked if anyone went somewhere fun. The boy from before? Well, a lot of stuff happened, so they didn't go anywhere. "Oh, my! Isn't that just too bad!" Kaorin did go to astronomy camp, but she's less than thrilled about it. "Oh, my! Isn't that just too bad!" Chiyo knows where Yukari went, so she doesn't ask, so Yukari doesn't claim to have been to Neptune.
Yukari says that the size of your summer break hangover is related to the amount of fun you had. Tomo figures Yukari must be in the worst shape of all. Yukari agrees, and sits down, wondering when winter break starts. (My guess? In or around winter. But I could be wrong on that count.) She puts her head on her desk to sleep.
Next time: Episode 6!
