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Summary:
As part of the city’s promotion for traffic safety, the idol Chikorin was supposed to take Ryou’s place as chief for the day. Having breezed through a stack of papers, Ryou is informed by vice chief Kubo that Chikorin’s arrival had been postponed due to bad weather. This becomes a problem since Chikorin was to judge the drunk driving exhibit. Ryou tells the staff that even without Chikorin there to judge, the events will continue as planned with the inspectors acting as the judges. Inspector Narasaki suggests that they find someone else be the chief for the day and asks if they could let one of Ayanagi’s citizens be the chief. Ryou agrees and gets Kubo to make arrangements.
Back at school, Shin goes over to Takurou’s dorm to see how he is holding up from the shock of his friend’s death. He runs into Megumi in front of the dorm building as she was leaving to visit her friend in the hospital. She tells Shin that Takurou is apparently still sleeping since he didn’t answer her phone call. Megumi goes on to say that he and Takurou shouldn’t take out their Persona’s anymore and that they should leave matters to the police from now on. She then suggests that Shin that take Takurou to see Chikorin at the park since that would cheer him up. As they finish talking, Jun walks up to Shin. He is introduced to Megumi and they exchange formalities.
Later on at the bus stop, Megumi finds a wallet on the ground, looks inside, and decides to turn it in to the police. In the city, Inspector Narasaki stops his car at an intersection to search for possible “Chief for a Day” candidates and sees Kanaru. She is apparently lost and approaches his car to ask him where she is. Kanaru tells him that she often winds up in places where she doesn’t know how she got there. As he listens to what she says, Inspector Narasaki gets and idea and asks Kanaru to lean in closer to the car. He looks at her then tells her that she has a cute face. When she jumps back in shock, he tells her that he didn’t mean it that way and tries to explain himself. However, in his chaotic rambling he asks her if she wanted to “do it.” Meanwhile back at the police station, Ryou is on the phone and tells the caller that he is relieved that Chikorin is not coming – he is not good with famous people. The caller tells Ryou that he shouldn’t look down upon the Chikorin, but that he would have picked Fukorin, the cosplay idol, as his choice for Chief of the day. His phone call is interrupted when Eiko arrives. He thanks her for coming in on her day off, but he tells her that she is being asked to officially help with Imuseido inspection and not for help on the reverse cases. He also tells her that she should stay away from him for the time being and that she not visit him as often. Soon after Kubo and Inspector Itou arrives and tells Ryou that a charming girl had turned in a lost item and they would like for her to be the chief for the day. All of the sudden Ryou receives a phone call saying that there is a possible reverse situation at the harbor. Ryou departs immediately and leaves the decision for the chief to Kubo. Soon Ryou arrives at the harbor but finds out that it was a false alarm. Annoyed, Ryou starts to walk back to his car, but sees a man in a bear suit pass out on the boardwalk. Ryou runs over to the man and asks if he is ok.
Back at the police station, Megumi and Kanaru are both surprised to see one another there. Kubo enters and tells the girls that he brought them to the station because he wanted to ask them to help him with their traffic safety event. Kanaru asks what they would be helping out with, but as Kubo starts to explain, his subordinate rushes in to tell Kubo of a situation. Meanwhile in Takurou’s room, they boys talk about the Personas and the past week’s events. Takurou asks Shin if Ryou had any information, but Shin said that although he thinks that Ryou does, he will not tell them. Shin then has a heartfelt conversation with Takurou about his strained relationship with Ryou while Jun listens quietly. Takurou notices the time and says that they have to hurry to Kaehen Park because the Chikorin will be featured there. Takurou’s spirits seemed to have risen as they walk out of the dorm. He then turns to Shin and Jun and says that he believes that Takashi is still alive somewhere – even though his Persona had been stolen.
At the harbor, the man in the bear suit tells Ryou that he became dizzy because he was hungry. The man struggles to keep the bear head on as Ryou tries to help him out of it. Ryou tells the man to stay put as he gets him some food to eat, but when he returns, only the empty bear suit is left. A half naked Yuuji watches Ryou from behind a tree and let’s out a sigh of relief for not being discovered by Ryou. Nearby a boy is consoling his little brother who is crying because he wanted a balloon, but had just missed the bear.
A situation arises at the police station as they are informed that the Hiiragi children were kidnapped. Kubo reads the ransom letter and tells them to call the chief as soon as possible. Meanwhile back at the harbor, Ryou dresses up as the bear and cheers the crying boy up by giving him a balloon. As he walks away, his phone rings. Ryou decides not to answer his phone when the little brother says that he believes that the bear is truly real. Back at the station, Kubo informs the team that the kidnappers have contacted the Hiiragis and that they have requested the ransom to be paid at the event. When Kubo tells Narasaki to send the girls home, both Megumi and Kanaru refuse to leave and asks to be apart of the rescue mission. Itou agrees that the girls should stay and help saying that it is the best option that they currently have considering the fact that the event had already started and that they would arise suspicion if they changed anything now.
Back at the harbor Ryou entertains the two boys by dancing for them in the bear costume. The kidnappers approach the two boys and they run to the bear for safety. Across the harbor Shin, Takurou, and Jun are surprised to see Megumi and Kanaru on stage talking about the dangers of drunk driving. The girls tell the crowd that ten years ago the city of Ayanagi lost many people because of crimes and accidents, so they should value their lives even more so now. The police scan the crowd for the kidnappers while the girls continue their speech. Itou and Narasaki vows to protect the girls with their life, but Itou remembers the events at the karaoke bar and says that they thought probably wont be much help. As the crowd listens, Jun suddenly lifts his head as if he can hear the thoughts of Inspector Itou. He tells Shin and Takurou that there has been a kidnapping and that they are at the exchange place. As Jun spots the undercover cops, he tells Shin and Takurou that everyone maybe in danger but that they should not use their Personas. As tension builds up, Jun suddenly knows that everything is safe again – the boys have been rescued and returned to their father.
As the sun sets across the ocean, Ryou bear looks at the row of balloons that he has left. Ryou sees a blue balloon and begins to daydream of a much happier past with Shin when their parents were still alive. Much to Ryou’s surprise, Shin appears before him and asks the bear for a blue balloon. As Shin and the rest walk back home, Takurou tells Shin that he thinks he is weird for getting a balloon but that the weirdness suited him. He then asks the girls how they became chief for the day. After the girls explain, Shin asks what the real chief does when there is a chief for a day. As they continue to walk home, Jun turns around and watches Ryou bear relaxing after a hard day’s work.
Preview
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This episode sucked! The plot sucked and the humor sucked too. How is Gonzo getting away with this filler episode in a 13 episode series? I know some of you kitties are going to comment on how cute Ryou was and how funny this episode was – are you freaking kidding me? I think the only good thing about this episode is that we finally see that Jun has some type of ESP. I wonder how they are going to develop that gift. Do all Personas have special abilities like that? I would love to blog more about this episode, but I would just be rambling… Hmm – interesting. First off, I don’t consider a teddy bear a viable foe, unless it is Gloomy bear. Where the hell was the action? They didn’t even let us see Ryou bear kick the kidnapper’s asses – why – WHY? Maybe I’m being too harsh kitties. I should be thankful for what we have right? Thankful for the cosplaying Megumi and Kanaru, thankful for the lighter side of Ryou, and thankful for falling asleep half way through the show. You guys tell me what the point of this episode is – I’m all yours.
Sanada_kikyo
13 episodes!!!! Oh MAN this anime would be sucks!!!
Agreed this episode was pretty crappy.. (amazingly the subs came out pretty fast for this) The thing i don’t get is why would they waste an episode if they only have 13.. it added nothing to the plot at all!
Least next week looks…. interesting?…. i guess O_o;;
Persona isn’t done by Gonzo though
It could be longer than 13 too, I don’t think I’ve seen any official statement that lists it as 13 episodes only…
Kanaru is totally awesome!
She’s committed 3 homicides…is addicted to spiritual sadomasochism…is currently participating in a police coverup…all while looking like your average geeky girl…
…and now we find that she’s a world class sleepwalker who not only does things that no one have a clue that she’s doing…but also have the wit to dress up for it…
…I swear we are going to find out that she’s cracked…
haha..seems my prediction was rite..i was betting that ep6 will be a bit boring after watchin the preview on ep5. huu..ep5 rawks! i need more Persona battle scenes!! >XDDD
I found the Ryou’s phone conversation with the ‘mysterious person’ rather funny. But I agree, with only 13 episode, the story is moving too slowly >_
According to the preview of episode 1 (in December 2007) and the radio, this anime is 2 cours(26 episodes).
ahh the life of a furry
Point of this episode is to show Ryou’s other side. Other than that, it’s just pure filler.
thought you dropped this, aired few days ago ^^
I would still say Ryou is cute, I get a little teary-eyed when Shin said please give me that blue balloon after seeing Ryou’s flashback……..maybe it’s because I love my family so much that anything related to family gets into me ^^.
But well, I can’t disgree that this is a pure filler though.
Lol,what makes you think that GONZO animate this?Its not GONZO,but A-1 Pics
Hang on–this series is mad by GONZO? I better drop it before it disappoints me…
No, iamandragon, this anime is made by A1. Not Gonzo. I have no idea where that idea came from. 13 episodes? That doesn’t sound right either.
Sanada, I’m disappointed in your blog entry this time. “this episode sucked”? No professionalism or restraint on that one and I disagree that the episode was a total failure. I thought it was cute with the police chief in the bear suit.
Is all that intentional misleading or just a colossal mistake?
I feel sorry for all the viewers who are mislead by that one post.
Where did you see it was only 13 episodes? I’ve seen one (unreliable) site say it’s 26, but nothing definitive yet.
I thought it was cute and it showed a side of Ryou that I haven’t seen. The brief family flashback was really sweet. As for it being 13 episodes, I highly doubt it.
i dont think this is 13 episode…..how on earth are they going to stuff everything into 13 episode?
…you keep on using kitties…who are you, Zelos?
It’s funny how this episode is getting the god-like episode treatment on 2ch and every other good Japanese blogging site and only the person over here gives it this kind of review.
@Ronin
Just watch the episode fully, I have to say I agree with you about the conversation between Ryou and “Akihiko???” is rather funny hahaha.
This is the obligatory beach episode, except without beach and a bearsuit replacing the swimsuits…
I don’t like this show. Boring.
It’s not done by Gonzo.
And I agree with you, persona has been sucking for two weeks.
No action, but more character development. Not bad but not spectacular.
@az_0k: What was so bad about last week’s episode?
Think about this show’s source. The game isn’t an all out Persona summoning fest…
…that’s less than half of the game…the rest is interacting with the cast and building up you social links…you can’t fight the last boss without doing this…
…so everyone who’s expecting this show to be nonstop, high intensity battling is way misinformed…in the end it is going to be character driven rather than action driven (if they do it right that is)…
…and it tickles me pink that Fuuko (I mean FUUKO!!!) became a professional cosplay idol…
I agree that the blog entry was quite unprofessional. I’ve seen the episode 2 days before and I quite liked it because it showed another site of the quite unsociable police chief :p
Character development is also quite important. If you want action go watch bleach.
Oh come on? Am i the only one who thought “Fumoffu” when the chief donned the bear costume?
It was pretty sweet episode, but it could have been placed better, as having a soft episode after a crazy persona fight is bad timing =/
You guys are right – it’s not by Gonzo. I have no idea where I got that idea from – I think that I used it in my first blog too – naughty.
Shipoyasha – Point taken – I’ll be more descriptive next time.
Nanashi – I’m glad that you read other blogs and get on 2chan – but I don’t know where you are getting the “God” review from, I’ve talked with a few subbers and bloggers and they all think it’s not living up to the hype. It’s not even in the top 15 of current anime shows on Japanese tv.
Shinigami – Have you read my previous blogs? Where is the character development in this episode? I understand the need for a balance of action and drama, but so far I haven’t seen it in this show. You always hope that these shows would turn out like Cowboy Bebop or like an Elfen Lied (though I know this show isn’t supposed to be as violent as EL), but I haven’t seen that potential – trust me, I’m really trying hard.
AJ – I see conflicting information as well, so I’m with you.
I get what some of you guys are trying to convey – you guys like it and want me to give it some more time and thought. I’ve given this show plenty of time to redeem itself, and I honestly thought that episodes 4-5 were artistically solid – but eps 6? It doesn’t matter if it is going to be a 13 or 26 episode show, there isn’t a good enough reason to validate a filler. So in the end, I’m sticking with my afterthoughts, but thankies.
This show is an embarrassment to the Persona and Megami Tensei series. Look at the anime in Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment and, of course, in Persona 3. That’s what a series should be like. Does this show even have any of the hallmarks of the Persona series? Is Atlus even involved? This series should be like Paranoia Agent not a Build-a-Bear store.
Eh sorry but I’m with him on this one. I went in expecting some persona awesomeness but…
Sure, I agree the episode was filler. But the Gonzo, 13 eps and the rest, it just felt weird. But yeah, it’s also strange how 2ch is loving the show. I think it’s still above par, but I still think higher of Mai Hime/Otome in comparison.
I am definitely sure this isn’t 13 episodes. If it is, it will be a sequel like what they did randomly with Da Capo II.
We still don’t know why Ryou is doing what he is doing, who he might be working for, the people trapped in the persona tanks, what he the evil organization he is fighting against…Too many questions to be answered in 13 episodes considering the pace of the anime.
BTW…I know everyone is entitled to leave opinions. I understand Sanada that you were expecting some sort of action and it was anti-climatic. Still, I am sure everyone of us has bashed Gonzo at least once and has become tired of it. Gonzo bashing has become overrated just as much as Bush bashing. It is SAD to bash them especially when Persona is done by A1. I disagree with you. I love this episode alot. Yes, Ryou was cute.
even 50 episode Eureka 7 don’t waste such precious time…and schedule.
My gosh, fail, big fail.
You’re quite right that it depends on what you’re expecting.
I haven’t played the Persona games and I didn’t know anything at all when I started watching the show.
Nevertheless, I like it because of the catchy opening and the characters which are quite interesting. I would compare the show with “Darker than black”. There are a lot of mysteries to be solved (like in darker than black).
In my opinion, the episode also showed that the ice is slowly cracking among the brothers. It was a filler episode – no question with that – but there were for sure worse ones because this one actually was related to the story. So I don’t think this episode deserves the “sucky” rating.
The entire series has been mediocre at best, barely grasping me and very boring. To be quite honest I think this anime was just released to milk ratings out of Persona game fans over in japan.
This episode is absolutely terrible and they’ll have to pull something amazing out of their ass to redeem themselves on the next one. I doubt that will happen, though, and the slide to mediocrity will be complete soon enough.
You say there should be a mixture of action and drama? Well, there hasn’t been any drama (aside from NII-CHAN WHY WON’T YOU LET US STAY IN THE HOUSE? and YOU KILLED MY FRIEND WHO REALLY ISN’T MY FRIEND I JUST READ HIS NAME IN A COMPUTER!) and to be honest, with the Personas (or Personae, they’re both correct pluralizations) being translucent you can’t even appreciate the fight scenes that well.
Nevermind the fact that the Personas that we’ve seen so far have pretty boring design.
You guys just do not get japanese humor.
Didnt you get the meanings hidden behind this episode
MA I totally get the Japanese humor, but it doesn’t fit in with the series. I’ve been reading Sanada’s blog since the begining and I agree with his comments. I think his summaries are one of the most detailed ones out there and I appreciate that – it’s hard work. As for his mistake on Gonzo, it’s forgivable and not that big of a deal. I am also disappointed in this series – it hasn’t turned out nearly the way that I hoped – it’s nothing like the game. Thanks Sanada for putting up with this.
is jaalin dead?
Hmm, this episode does seem a bit random, but let’s think about it for a second…the idea of personas (up until this episode, and in classical drama, etc) is that there’s an outside to someone and an inside. A persona is something you take up in acting, for instance. In which case, having someone acting as police chief, and the police chief acting as a bear giving away balloons, which happens to reveal Ryou’s inner self…it doesn’t advance the plot, maybe, but the episode advances the symbolism, if you ask me.