Finally back to blogging anime episodes after taking a break due to getting ready for/going to Otakon. I restart with Nagasarete Airantou Episode 15. This week, Mai-Mai tells her story of how she met her friend Tohno (I wrote Tona last episode. Blame that on the fansubbers XF) the Kappa. Suzu and Ikuto also take her around to get stuff for her new house.
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It appears some time has passed since the last episode, and Mei-Mei and Tohno decide that they’re going to live in the water mill next to the river and near Suzu’s house after having camped in the nothern forest for a while. Suzu remarks that it’s a good place since Kappa’s need water, but Ikuto just thinks that Tohno is a turtle, to which Tohno takes offense.
Suzu asks Mei-Mei how she and Tohno came to travel together. Mei-Mei says that one day on her travels, she took shelter under a bridge when it started raining. There she sees an enchated statue and smashes it with a hammer, releasing Tohno, who had been sealed by a monk ages ago. However, the river that Tohno was used to was now unlivable due to pollution, so Mei-Mei invited him along to find a new river to live at.
Next, Mei-Mei thinks of more things she’d like to have for her house, and so she goes with Suzu and Ikuto to get some stuff. First, it’s off to Rin’s house. Mei-Mei, after much struggling, thanks her for fixing up the watermill so she can live with it, and Rin gives Mei-Mei some pans of questionable quality that she made. Next they run into Yukino while walking home. To say hi to her, Mei-Mei dressed up in…a giant bear costume (I guess because she thinks Yukino likes animals?) This causes Yukino to run away in terror (but not before getting a face-full of drool on her).
Next they run into Chikage fishing by the river. Mei-Mei gets nervous again, but Ikuto erroneously advisers her that Chikage is just fine. However, in no time, Chikage’s curiosity about Mei-Mei’s China dress takes over, leaving Mei-Mei soon to be clothless, and Ikuto soon to be hemorrhaging from the nose once again.
Meanwhile, at the temple, Ayane is just now finding out from Machi that the island has some new residents (remember, she slept during the search for the food thief in the last episode), so Ayane goes out to meet Mei-Mei for the first time. Ayane then overhears Mei-Mei telling Suzu and Ikuto that she hates how she is now and wants to change herself. Ayane then pops up and tells her that instead of trying to change how she is, she should try to like herself instead.
Suddenly Tohna shows up after swimming in the river. Ayane asks what it is, and Suzu tells her that it’s a Kappa. Ayane suddenly runs away in terror, and Suzu remembers that Ayane hates Kappas. Back at Mei-Mei’s house, Machi tells everyone (but Ayane who is still freaking out outside) that she used to dress up as a Kappa as a kid and scared her, and that’s why Ayane hates them.
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This was a pretty funny episode, with a lot of Mei-Mei character development, and of course now adds the extra element that Ayane will probably be horrified whenever Tohno comes around. Also, this time the end of the episode after the credits is used to forshadow what is coming up instead of just adding a little humorous thing at the end. It appears that the giant panda, the Lord of the East, has crossed the boundary into the land controlled by the cats and the Lord of the South.
