Recorder To Randoseru Mi

Remember the big guy who is the little kid and the little girl who is actually a high school student? I’m sure you’d remember Atsushi and Atsumi Miyagawa if you have seen this short (no pun intended for Atsumi) anime lasting only 3 minutes each. Now they’re back again for a third season in Recorder To Randoseru Mi. Because their age does not match their body size in society’s norm, they are often mistaken for a flasher or a kindergarten kid. Are we going to see them in a dozen more episodes of mistaken identity? Well, let’s find out. If their different size and stature already wrecks havoc in public, imagine how their relationship with their friends would be. Life is just so weird…

Episode 1
Once again, Atsushi has been brought to the police station by mistake. The usual policewoman duo takes him to the back of the station (must be a scary walk for a kid) and introduces him to their new colleague, Aono. Yeah. She’ll be seeing more of Atsushi in the future. Aono didn’t waste her time shooting her mouth that her colleagues were desperate enough to get 10 years olds into the mixer. But that shows they aren’t prejudiced, right? Haha… Later Atsushi and friends sneak into the video arcade but Futami is waiting for them. They feel bad and apologize but Futami allows them an hour but they’ll have to go home after that. Atsushi is so happy that he touches her hand. She freaks out since she has fear of men.

Episode 2
Atsushi, Hina, Atsumi and Sayo are caught in the rain. While drying at home, Sayo mentions how big Atsushi’s clothes are. And it smells like snacks… Atsushi thinks Sayo likes snacks too and would gladly share some rare snack stick with her. But he won’t get the chance because Sayo and Hina are leaving. Sayo doesn’t know what to feel because she really likes Atsushi but he is really a kid and acts like one. Maybe she’ll wait 5 more years and his personality will catch up. But the thought that Hina will grow up into a sexy babe freaks her out. She realizes a snack in her pocket. It’s supposed to be from Atsushi. He is frantically searching for it and wanted to give it to Sayo. Oh well, she has already taken a bite.

Episode 3
Yoshioka could have been the handsome ace basketball player that everybody loves. Just one little problem: He’s a lolicon! And that means he loves Atsumi. She’s the best because not only she is a lolicon, her age means she is legal! Best of both worlds? Loli is justice! Meanwhile Atsumi is riled up to see another short character! Well, Makoto Kobayashi isn’t the shortest but second shortest in the grade! Character overlap? Yeah. You could mistake that guy to be Atsumi’s brother. Things get complicated when Yoshioka thinks Kobayashi is playing cupid for him. He misinterprets that he shouldn’t rush things. After all, Atsumi can’t go anywhere, right? Her body size, he means. Yeah. He can wait as long as it takes. Atsumi’s legal body is forever! Furious Atsumi blows her top that she hasn’t finished growing yet. Oh? Has it even started?

Episode 4
Atsushi’s class gets a new teacher trainee, Miss Kawauchi. When she sees Atsushi, it’s like she instantly wants to get this man. After introducing herself and learns his real identity, I don’t know how her face contorted but Atsushi reports back to his friends that her face was scary! And so Kawauchi has near misses of being misled that Atsushi is a handsome guy before realizing he is actually a kid. Face of ultimate frustration… At the end of the day, Futami sees how downtrodden she is and is going to cheer her up. She knows it because she was in her shoes before. But then she hears Kawauchi say she wants to eat Atsushi! OMG! Did she hear right?! Calm down sensei!

Episode 5
Sayo spots a gloomy look. She’s still in a dilemma over her love with Atsushi.  So much so she starts hearing the inanimate objects talk. Yeah. Some are telling her to go for it, some why it’s impossible. Face reality. And some even rap to it! Yo! Yo! She starts thinking if she truly loves him, a miracle will happen. Just then, a beetle lands on the back of her head. She fears she can’t take off this evil thing and hopes it will fly away but it crawls into her dress. Now she can’t make any sudden moves and fears she can never go home and see Atsushi or Atsumi ever again. She wishes for Atsushi to come save her and suddenly that guy pops up and grabs the beetle. He wants it for his catch. Sayo starts crying in her relief but Atsushi is confused and didn’t know what he did to her.

Episode 6
Take is dressed well in a suit. Does this mean he has a job? Nope. He is going to his 100th interview! He lands a part time job as a waiter as Atsumi and Atsumi patron the store. Take says each time he has a relationship with his colleague, they break up and he had to quit. That’s why he thought he would work in a place without women. Doesn’t this store fit the bill? The manager wonders why he gets dumped so often since he is quite good looking. He suggests Take date Atsumi but the latter couldn’t because she views him like her brother. Take also agrees but this riles her up and smacks him with a board. Maybe it’s the way he said it… Atsumi continues sulking, blowing bubbles in her drink as Take mentions he can’t date Atsumi because he doesn’t want her to go through the same thing like he did with his exes.

Episode 7
Looks like another argument is about to blow up between Atsumi and Kobayashi but it seems the latter suddenly asks her to go out with him!!! WHAAAT?! Actually it’s like this. It’s not he wants to date her but rather Yoshioka. He fears that if Atsumi rejects him, he’ll look for a new love and this one may be illegal! He hopes she would keep an eye on him till the next basketball tournament. Later Atsumi and Sayo discuss this request. Atsumi is not thrilled to be ‘sacrificed’ to oversee the pervert. She is not happy that her appearance is the deciding factor and not her age. Looks matter more than age, right? Right?! Atsumi calls Yoshioka a sexual deviant. Sayo mostly agrees with her and doesn’t count herself a deviant like him. Really? So what’s her love for Atsushi all about?

Episode 8
As we know, Hina is supposedly Atsushi’s ‘girlfriend’. Now she wants to break up because she can’t take it anymore. Every time they’re together, he gets whisked away! He takes her hands and doesn’t care. He wants to be with her! Think somebody is going to report him? Well, actually here comes Yoshioka as he commends his soul brother! However he thinks Atsushi has gone too far by wearing a backpack and such. Till he sees how friendly he is with the police. Yoshioka then claims himself to be a virtuous citizen to the policewomen (liar, liar!). Then Yoshioka’s older brother pops up. He sees the policewomen and suddenly proposes to marry one of them. Well, she might think her days of being single is over but then when we discover this guy has a fetish for old mature woman (40 years and above are his liking), I guess everything just feels so sick and disappointing.

Episode 9
The gang decides to check out a haunted house-cum-kimodameshi attraction. Atsumi is not pleased Yoshioka joined him. What is he? Stalking her like a real criminal? As they have to go in boy-girl pairs, Sayo thought this is her chance to be with Atsushi (legally) but it seems he went in with Hina. Bummer. Now she’s stuck with Kobayashi. Atsumi ends up with Yoshioka (dream come true!) since she wants to keep an eye on her brother. The ghosts aren’t enough to scare adults but the scary one has got to be Yoshioka because he is calmly taking videos of Atsumi!!! Sayo fears the worst that may happen between Atsushi and Hina and takes Kobayashi’s hand and make a run. Atsushi and Hina are frightened by Take. Part time ghost? If you noticed why he never had eyes, that’s because he never had them!!! BOOO!!! Haha… Just nice makeup. In the end, Atsumi-Yoshioka pair won and the lolicon gets some creepy doll prize. He thinks it is proof of their love will treasure it forever… Forever… Forever… CREEPY!!!

Episode 10
Yoshioka and Sayo lament their unrequited love. The world is so unfair! Yoshioka thought they’re on the same wavelength but Sayo doesn’t want to be categorized the same as him. As she leaves, she murmurs for her love to hurry and grow up. Kobayashi mistakes she is talking about him. She asks Yoshioka’s advice how to grow taller. Yeah. He should’ve known better. Yoshioka put a lot of effort. He wanted so much to see the other side of the elementary school wall (something to do with lolis of course) that he stretched and stretched and ‘evolved’. WTF. Sayo visits the siblings and sees Atsushi playing with his voice with the fan. He invites her to join in and to play the role of the villain. Sayo somewhat agrees because she considers herself a baddie for hiding such feelings and will let the evil flowers bloom. In an alien voice, it’s like she confesses her true feelings via a play like she wants her ideal man and loves him. But Atsushi zaps the alien back and ‘kills’ her. And peace settled upon our world. WTF.

Episode 11
Kawauchi is now a cram school teacher as she relaxes by the poolside. Meanwhile Yoshioka is in a slump. The coach wonders if anything can be done. Yoshioka suddenly sees a loli cheering for him and this gets his spirits up. He is all fired and gets back into the groove of the game! Actually that was Kobayashi cross-dressing as a kindergarten loli! Humiliating… At the end of the game, Kobayashi is surprised that Yoshioka mentions he knows of the disguise. However he mistakes the cross-dresser to be Atsumi and has fallen for her all over again! Looks like another round of trouble. While Atsumi, Atsushi, Sayo and Hina are at a karaoke, Atsushi’s friends get scolded by Futami because they are seen talking to a suspicious person. The policewomen go into action to nab the culprit and thank God that he isn’t Atsushi.

Episode 12
Atsumi fixes Atsushi’s backpack so it won’t be so tight. Yeah. It’s the new school term and he’s grown a little bigger. This reminds Atsumi of Atsushi’s growth chart on the wood. He just kept growing and growing… Sayo waits for her pals at the festival. She is glad to see Atsumi and Atsushi but when she sees Hina holding Atsushi’s hands, suddenly it doesn’t feel fun anymore. Jealousy kicks in… The look of disappointment… But she feels better when Hina holds her hand and they watch the fireflies. Why are the fireflies attracted to Atsumi? Lastly we see Atsushi rushing-cum-chasing his friends to school. This time the adults don’t call in the police and arrest him because they know who he is. We see the beetle Atsushi framed up on his wall and he credits it from Sayo. Likewise, Sayo frames up the snack wrapper and credits it from him. Oh, and Atsumi records a tiny growth… Sure, she’s not cheating?

Episode 13 (OVA)
Holy cow! A gender swapping episode?! Fancy seeing Atsushi a busty elementary kid?! Atsumi is still the high school student but still as short and petite as ever. What about Take as the 32 year old single woman who is still trying to find a job?! Hina is a boy but I thought he still looks pretty girly. Then there’s Atsushi’s friends turned into girls but something about them technically still remains the same: They are totally flat! Moriyama is now a guy who is afraid of girls while Sayo is a high school boy and Atsumi’s friend who isn’t afraid of bugs and is in love with Atsushi. Still the unrequited love… Yoshioka and Kobayashi are not left out too as they are now part of the women’s basketball team. Yeah, Yoshioka is ogling at boys leaving kindergarten… Aono is the new and innocent police officer in charge. When Atsushi and Hina pass by him, they didn’t get arrested! Nothing suspicious! Holy cow! If a grownup girl is seen with a little boy, it doesn’t amount to a case of paedophile? Oh, the discrimination! And so the town is as peaceful as always because as the narrator says, this universe might exist somewhere. Might…

It’s The Inside That Counts!
For one thing, it is somewhat good that we don’t see Atsushi being mistaken as a perverted flasher or a paedophile in the eyes of the public. At least for this anime. It would be really boring and done to death if we were to see this recycled joke of him being arrested as a loli flasher. You’d think that after being arrested so many times, the people and authorities would have wised up and at least recognize who Atsushi is. Unless you tell me there are always new strangers in town. That would be suspicious, right? I don’t think Atsushi as a kid would really stray so far from his home. It would be just dumb if he continues to get arrested and the joke would have been really stale past its expiry date. Since I saw the first and second season at one go (that is more than 2 dozens worth of episodes) over more than a year ago back in 2012, watching the third season somewhat feels short (sorry Atsumi, no pun intended. Really). Before I knew it, the series is over and there isn’t anything much difference except you see the size-mismatched siblings and their interactions with those around them.

Oh, there is one surprise which I find hilarious. Yoshioka and Kobayashi! These 2 new characters if I should say are the funniest. Yoshioka is just cool-cum-creepy because of his obsession for lolis and his favourite one being Atsumi AKA the legal loli. Yeah. It’s like having the best of both worlds. He can conduct his unholy activity and not get caught by the law. Imagine if all the girls in the world were like Atsumi, it would be ultimate paradise for this dude. The way he fawns on the lolis makes him look creepy but yet funny. That’s why I say he is the funniest character in this season, if not for the overall series. I’m wondering if Kobayashi likes Yoshioka because I observe that he is always trying to look out for him. No doubt he’s trying to stop his loli fetish but it feels like it is some excuse so that he could be next to him. They’re always together, notice? And if you put Yoshioka’s brother who has mature women fetish… Oh God… I saw him going after an elderly aunty in the last episode!!! Yeah, with people like these, you’d be going “What the hell is wrong with this people/society/world?!”.

The other characters still remain the same. Atsushi still your innocent kid acting like one. It would be okay if he wasn’t so big. Hina also another innocent girl with pure friendship with Atsushi but if you ask me, she’s more of a side character in this season and doesn’t play much of an impact just like Futami. Atsumi still the caring big but small sister and Take the ever jobless neighbour whose permanent job is his part time job. Well, he’s still at it as seen in the final episode. It goes to show that even if you’re handsome but can’t land a stable job, girls don’t really want you. Haha. That’s just highly speculative but seriously… I thought Kawauchi too had some sort of potential but she just appeared for 2 episodes (1 was just a short cameo which amounted to nothing) and that’s it. I thought she was into Atsushi just like Sayo since she wanted to ‘eat’ him. Unless that has a different meaning. Maybe seeing the contradiction in Atsushi made her go crazy. She won’t be charged for doing something illegal to a minor as long as nobody reports it, right?

I was expecting to see something of Sayo since in the last season, she realized Atsushi’s true identity and was in a dilemma. Her dilemma continues her but this time she has got a rival (Hina) to think about. Just like Yoshioka, if she could have her way, she would have dated him without any repercussions from the law. Ah, the law. It’s convenient to some but bothersome to others (like our main protagonists). So it is a little disappointing that Sayo continues to lament about her situation and Atsushi’s. Maybe there is nothing much she can do. She really likes him but you get that feeling when reality slaps you in the face after seeing Atsushi’s kiddie behaviour. You sink back into reality. It’s hard to give up on someone you really like, right? Yeah, I don’t blame her. At least she still gets to be close to him. Another thing I noticed about Sayo is that she likes to hold and hug Atsumi like a doll, putting her on her lap and such. I know Atsumi is small and cute like one but doesn’t it bother her? Guess not.

The ending theme for this season is One Two Hello by Ishifuro and in some episodes by Nanami Kashiyama (voice of Aono). I find this piece to be quite nice because it is a mix of rock ‘n’ roll with a little funk. The special ending theme for the final episode, Teenage Nekura Pop by Ishifuro is also catchy as it has that little rock ‘n’ roll feel in it. Too bad it’s just too short. Oops. No pun intended again. Just one complain about this season is that I seem to notice that the quality of the art and drawing somewhat decreases. Because I thought Atsushi, Atsumi and the other characters are looking a little different than before. I know the characters do look simple and cute but this one is obvious. Atsushi didn’t look as handsome as before. Don’t tell me he grew up. Also, the colour was also not as sharp as before and somewhat dull. It’s like they didn’t put enough effort like before and wanted to release it quick.

I guess in the end, nobody has changed much and everyone still pretty much the same. The old important lesson of never judging a book by its cover still stands. Everyone is unique in their own way because if God wanted to make us really equal, He would have made us all look the same, talk to same, act the same, etc. That would be so boring wouldn’t it? That’s why in life there are a few deviants from the norm. Okay, maybe not so few since everyone is a deviant in their own way. That’s why there are so many sick deviants with weird fetishes walking around. So you can’t blame the authorities for catching suspected paedophiles at first. Better be safe than sorry.

Recorder To Randoseru

I guess it is only in animes that characters aren’t what they seem. At least in size. Just like how Fuuka Esumi was in Yoiko and Honey senpai in Ouran High School Host Club or Mika Suzuki in Doki Doki School Hours, these people don’t seem to look their age. In Recorder To Randoseru, we have this elder sister who looks like an elementary kid while her younger brother who looks like a high school student. Misconceptions always arise because of their stark difference in size and stature.  Thus the very oxymoron term of the little big sister and her big little brother. And since each episode is only 3 minutes short (no pun intended), I suppose the fun is seeing how they go about acting their age, which really isn’t in the eyes of society. Oh, watch out for paedophiles too :p.

Episode 1
What’s this?! A cameo appearance at the beginning of the episode by Mayu and Hana of Morita-san Wa Mukuchi?! Anyway, they see this handsome guy, Atsushi Miyagawa playing his recorder at the slope. Till he starts blowing them. Oh, the cacophony! Run for your lives! Atsushi is worried if he’ll do well in tomorrow’s test. Back home, his little big sister (oh, the oxymoron), Atsumi gives him a coat and scarf since it’ll be cold today. Noticing he is worried about his recorder test today in music class, Atsumi cheers him up to do his best. Atsumi meets her friend, Sayo along the way. She instantly falls in love with Atsushi. But she’s snapped out of her daydream when Atsumi greets her. Atsushi meets his classmate Hina who notes that today is exceptionally cold. Atsushi proceeds to show her the scarf and coat combination but the way he ‘reveals it open’ to Hina made the next lady thought he’s a flasher! It doesn’t help when Hina ambiguously said “It’s too big. It won’t fit”. He is going to lend ‘it’ to her when he is arrested and taken in by the police! Suspected molester apprehended. Oh sh*t! So happened there is a sign to say beware of child molesters…

Episode 2
Sayo thought Atsumi is going to get another calcium drink for herself to grow. Atsumi doubts that milk will make her grow taller since all their meals at home are calcium rich and yet she doesn’t grow. She believes it doesn’t help one bit. But why is she drinking milk now? Sayo learns her little brother is in grade school and wants to know if he’s adorable. Well, she thinks he is too big to be considered cute. On the way to do some errands, Atsushi wanted to get free candies being handed out by a bunny mascot but only Atsumi was given. It’s only for kids. Bummer… At the supermarket, Atsushi laments his height and wishes he is a normal kid but Atsumi says many would kill to get this tall. She says she likes the way he is now and this calms his heart. Then she has him grab the flour on the top shelf and says she’ll always need him. Yeah, now we know why she ALWAYS brings him along during shopping, eh?

Episode 3
Sayo hugs Atsumi from behind and loves her for being tiny and cute like a little doll. Despite Atsumi’s birthday earlier than her, Sayo prefers her to be younger than her. Well, if looks… Then Sayo feeds her with lots of food to make her grow and this prompts Atsumi to say it’s not that she’s short because she is short (another oxymoron!) of food. She asks Atsumi’s type of guy (see all the guys all ears?). Atsumi wants Sayo to reveal hers first so she says anyone who is 180cm or taller. That’s freaking tall! Atsumi also prefers tall guys and wouldn’t want to date any guys shorter than herself, 137cm. I think every guy in her grade qualifies. Sayo continues to fantasize about her ideal tall guy. Read: Atsushi. He sweeps her off her feet on his white stallion, galloping along the beach. Ah, so wonderful. Just let her dream…

Episode 4
Atsushi’s friends, Takumi and Tetsuya race him to see who can change the fastest. But when homeroom teacher, Futami Moriyama sees Atsushi topless, she screams and runs out! Too mature, eh? Then for PE, she has the kids pair up to do warm up. Since Atsushi is without a partner, she’ll do it with him. Till she realizes he is too big and all over her. Another freaking out again. In the teacher’s lounge, she talks to colleague Nakimura that she went to an all-girls’ school and can’t handle men well. She thought she could handle elementary school kids till Atsushi came into the picture. Now she thinks she should’ve gone teaching at kindergarten. That’s an isolated case, lady. Tetsuya is Futami’s son and sometimes mistakes calling her ‘mom’ in school instead of ‘sensei’. Hina teases Atsushi and calls him ‘daddy’, bringing that guy to tears. Hina and Atsushi walk home and they talk about the class bulletin to be careful of suspicious people. Atsushi assures her to stick to him and holds her hand. Then the PTA members see this misleading scene and thought a suspicious man is leading a young girl away! Hold it there pal! Atsumi comes home to see Atsushi sitting dejectedly in a corner and lamenting he can’t even protect the girl he loves! Poor guy. Oops, I mean kid. But guy sounds fitting…

Episode 5
Atsushi needs a demon costume for the bean throwing festival so Atsumi suggests getting it from their neighbour Take. However his costume is too scary that it scared all his classmates! Since nobody threw beans at him, his friends suggest he’ll have better luck with third graders. Though they are really scared, they start throwing beans like as though he’s the real demon! Atsushi slips and falls all over Futami (his hands on her boobs). This causes her to freak out and run away. Tetsuya thought he really scared her. Hina and her friends, Midori and Jun thought his demon play was good and wants him to do it again. He pretends to be the demon and they pretend to be scared. Guess what? Some mother thought the pervert is scaring little girls! Call the police! Not again! So it’s no surprise that when he comes home, he is through playing the demon. Atsumi returns the costume to Take and he remembers how he was always the target. His mom would throw the beans at him, blaming the demon for him being jobless. Maybe he should actually try to look for one instead of bumming around.

Episode 6
Hina asks what kind of chocolates Atsushi likes. His friends tell him eating too much chocolate is bad for health and that he must share it with them. I know what they’re up to. Atsumi and Sayo are out shopping and they note Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Had she bring Atsushi out with her, he would’ve bugged her to buy him chocolates. However Sayo is bugging her to buy and make some. No difference. While making chocolates back home, Atsumi wonders if she has any guy she likes to give the chocolates. She says it’s to just friends and will give her too. Atsumi could guess the chocolate they’re making is for her. Duh… But she’ll nicely wrap it for her! Atsushi’s female classmates line up to give him their chocolates. How sweet. Imagine the scene if adults see this… Takumi and Tetsuya only gave chocolates from each other. They reason they wrapped it up so cute that it may seem a girl gave it to them. Atsushi is happy he can eat all the chocolates he got but Atsumi only says he can eat a box per day and have to share it with her. No fun. Then she opens the box from Hina and smoke came out! Uhm… Has the chocolate melted? Gooey… I think they’ll get sick if they eat that.

Episode 7
Atsumi won 3 tickets to the movies but isn’t sure what to do with them. Despite being a romance genre, Atsushi wants to go. So who gets the third ticket? Sayo waits for Atsumi outside the cinema and is on the lookout for ‘2 very short people’. But when Atsumi turns up, it’s that head over heels feeling for Sayo when she lays her eyes on Atsushi. Thinking it’s her boyfriend, Atsumi dismisses it. Sayo jumps to a conclusion that he is still single. They watch the movie and while the girls couldn’t stop crying, Atsushi fell asleep! They part and all Sayo could think of is Atsushi. Speaking of which, his eyes are also red not because of crying but because he’s sleepy.

Episode 8
Atsushi is supposed to celebrate Doll Festival at Hina’s house but is not sure what to wear. He thinks of going in this revealing punk outfit! Better let big sister handle it. Looking through all the hand-me-downs from Take, Atsushi tries out a seductive Casanova outfit. I think he should really let Atsumi take care of it. Atsushi arrives outside Hina’s house but her mom is suspicious who this bugger is. When he replies, “Hina’s friend”, she immediately shuts the door and locks up! “Hina is not home!”. Atsushi goes back depress but Atsumi cheers him up with a cake she made and that they could celebrate Doll Festival together. She advises him to tell his friends to prepare their parents ahead of time. Hina and her friends are about to begin their celebration and think Atsushi’s absence is due to something coming up last minute.

Episode 9
Atsushi goes to get some hand-me-down clothes from Take. Since it all reminds him of his ex-girlfriend, he gives Atsushi all the shirts! Take is at their place as he relates the recent thing that happened to him. He broke up with his latest girlfriend and it seems everything from photos to DVDs remind him of her. Including the place they work together so he quit! WTF?! Don’t want to run into your ex, eh? And mom just stopped feeding him after that. See the sign “Get a job!”? Get the hint? Take notes Atsumi a fine lady and remember he used to come look after her when he was in high school. Atsumi also remembers saying she would be his wife. Oh, is he going to pop that question now? He asks… Will she take care of him? Oh brother… Take gets fired up to find a job but decides to start part time. Why? You don’t start running when you begin a marathon, right? And here he is, doing laundry for 100 Yen. What a slow start…

Episode 10
Atsumi reminds Atsushi he needs to reciprocate the favour to girls on White Day. However, what can he buy with his limited allowance? Eggs, butter and chocolate? And he’s raking in Atsumi’s help. No choice, sis. You gotta help. Noticing he has lots of girls he has to give to, they need to make a bigger portion but reprimands Atsushi when he thinks the cookie she is making is for him. Atsushi is going to return Hina’s homemade cake with something equivalent. No, he’s not making another lethal cake! Thank goodness it’s just a horrible drawing for the wrapper. Atsushi’s friends come up with another ploy to eat his cookies. They tell him girls are conscious about their diet and will help him eat away all those fattening stuff. Unfortunately Futami confiscates it all since she clearly said not to bring sweets to school. After school, Atsushi manages to give his to Hina. The school gets a call from the public that a suspicious individual is at large luring children with presents! Hina opens her present back home but couldn’t understand why Atsushi gave her a trading card. Huh?

Episode 11
Atsushi is watching TV and not doing his homework. Till Atsumi reminds him he may end up like Take. Better start revising. Since he can’t focus at home, he is at the library. Sayo sees him and thinks he is studying. Erm… Elementary grade materials? Oh, he must be studying to be a teacher. The misunderstanding when Atsushi says it’s for his future job (with Take in mind) and agrees with her he’s having it tough on his day off. Since Sayo has to go, she gets a surprise when Atsushi pleads for her to stay and not go! She flusters and runs away. Could this be true? Actually Atsushi wanted to ask her with some tough questions. In the end, he couldn’t solve them and on his way back meets Hina. He wants her to show her work to him. However the part he is pleading ‘to show it to him’ caught the attention of the passers-by. Oh no. I can see it coming! “Come on. Just let me see yours! I’ll do nothing else!”. Just when Hina relents and takes out her homework, Atsushi is already gone. He’s been taken away by the adults!

Episode 12
Since there will be volunteers for the traffic safety programme, Futami wants her students to greet them. Especially Atsushi. Make sure he makes them remember his face. So when Atsushi goes up to one of them, he introduces himself. Of course the junior officer thought he is trying to hit on her. At least not when she’s on duty. He even gives her a card of his address and phone number. What will she think of this?! Worse, Atsushi is bugging her to remember his face and not forget him! She panics and runs to her senior’s side. The next day, Atsushi sees people staring and whispering things about him. He thinks they have remembered his face. I think not. Then when he holds Hina’s hand, those people shout for the police and the officer jumps and restrains him! Anything he says is used against him! They can’t believe he came back here again (repeat offender?). Because this is his way to school (he’s targeting school kids?). He is an elementary school kid with a bag to prove it (he’s got props for it? Could be stolen too). Futami prepares the class register, class photo and physical examination sheet. She’s all ready now. Guess where’s she going? To bail out Atsushi from the police station! Man, she must be a veteran in doing this all the time.

Episode 13
Atsumi and Atsushi are at the hanami when they see Take doing his part time job selling dango (dumplings). Take mentions about Hana Yori Dango which literally means dumplings over flowers but can also mean boys over flowers. Is he trying to advise Atsushi if he ends up like him, he’ll go back to dumplings? He dreams of marrying someone rich. Maybe he just needs to put in more effort. The duo come into Futami and her colleagues. Since they’re all drunk, they think Atsushi is drunk because he is saying Atsumi is his older sister! Futami crawls all over Atsushi, hoping he won’t get interrogate by the police again. While Futami rants about the numerous trips she had made to bail him out, the siblings make a run for it so she didn’t realize it is Take who is lying on her lap face underneath her boobs. Maybe this motivation will make him try harder to get a job.

Episode 14
With the new school term, the new first year students mistakes Atsushi as a teacher and crowd around him with their problems. Futami goes out to quell the misunderstanding he is not a teacher and they conclude he is her boyfriend! No! Atsumi too is having tough. The first years are thinking she may be a genius who skipped grades and are curiously peeking from outside her classroom. There’s a whole bunch of them! Sayo decides to explain to them but she’s ranting away all the good points of this little sister of hers! Her sister?! So boring, so long-winded, too wordy, too long (fast forward please) that everybody had left by the time she finished her ‘awesome praises’. But I guess it’s good too since she cleared the area for her.

Episode 15
Atsushi meets up with his friends but it seems his bicycle has training wheels. That’s because he has been falling off too many times so this prompted Atsumi to attach them. His friends think it’s uncool but if he takes them off, Atsumi and mommy are going to be mad. Hina comes by and thinks they are picking on him. But when she realizes she is really using them, Atsushi tries to show he is a man and takes them off. Then they practice with him at the grassy riverside. He can fall off as many times he wants without getting hurt too bad. Yeah, he did just that for almost the entire day! From the sound of it, did he end up crashing onto his friends? So when finally he is able to balance, I guess his friends would love to do the riding next time because they’re pretty messed up too.

Episode 16
Futami wants his students to write an essay about their dreams. Guess what is Atsushi’s dream? To be normal. I guess this doesn’t sit well with the rest of the class. Back home, he finds Atsumi having the same problem of turning in her future occupation. But first she needs to get into college. Atsushi thinks hard on the people who are picking their jobs right now and concludes the right person to talk to is Take! The jobless guy might be depressed upon being asked but realizes this means he still has a future. So Take is going to teach him what all guys dream for in their lives. He didn’t realize what Atsushi meant when he thanked him for helping out with his homework. So when Atsushi hands over his essay to Futami, he mentions he wants to be a porn star! WTFFFFFFFFFFF???!!! See how Futami turn into a demon!

Episode 17
Since Atsushi is inviting his friends over, Atsumi makes pastries for them. However she outdone herself and has made too much. So many surpluses that there’s more left even after handing some to Take. She invites Sayo over and she flusters upon seeing Atsushi whom she thinks is the neighbour. They both are talking differently because Sayo thought her ‘neighbour’ likes kids and Atsumi admits he always gave hand-me-downs. She couldn’t understand why Sayo finds the unemployed 32 year old so attractive. Sayo eavesdrop Atsushi and his friends about ‘changing jobs’ and ‘lacking the necessary skills’. I think they’re referring to a video game. However Sayo misinterprets he is having a hard time finding a job and feels for him. So sympathetic that she feels the need to cheer him on and tell him to not give up.

Episode 18
Atsushi and Atsumi’s family are at a hotspring inn. However their parents’ yukatas have a sizing error. Did the tailor made the wrong specifications? Looks baggy… Atsumi makes her way to the bath when she sees a little girl waiting outside for her parents who are already inside the bath. She invites her to come in with her. To her horror, she realizes she just entered the men’s section since the girl’s father is in here. Atsumi panics that she’ll be arrested and charged as a pervert and rumours will spread. However the father wonders where Atsumi’s parents are. Phew. Sometimes it’s just grateful to be small, eh? Then Atsushi comes in and before he could spill everything, Atsumi knocks him out with a tub and says this is her ‘father’ and takes their leave. Atsumi’s parents wonder if she is dizzy out from the bath and again before Atsushi could tell what happen, she stuffs his mouth with food! This time she enters the female’s section alone and the women praise her for being a mature girl to come here alone without her parents. Don’t mind her…

Episode 19
The sports festival is coming up and Futami advises Takumi and Tetsuya to train hard. However they feel lots of people are going to get hurt the way Atsushi is dragging his partner around in the three-legged-race. Atsushi asks mom to come to his sports day. She’ll gladly go. Till she learns she can participate with him. Oh! Suddenly her back hurts. What about daddy? Oh! Suddenly his knee hurts! Atsumi, you’re the only one left. Atsumi sees Take in his part time job vending ice cream outside the school. He gives her a free ice cream on the house. Atsushi’s size is clearly an advantage because in all events, he stands out. Literally. Too easy! The opponents are not happy because they’ve got a big guy on their side and want a handicap. However it is pointed out they already have one. Look at this heartbreaking scene: Atsushi dragging his partner around through the ground during the three-legged-race. Amen…

Episode 20
Continuing the sports festival, the next event is scavenger hunt and Atsushi’s parents could imagine the happy scene their son in. But when they see him carry Futami over the finish line (his target is to grab his favourite teacher), all their dreams come crashing down. Atsushi learns Take is outside and goes to see him. Take makes Atsushi take over his job so he could slack off a bit. At this point, Sayo arrives and is surprised to see him. She later tells Atsumi that her ‘neighbour’ is outside and Atsumi doesn’t deny it. Seeing Atsushi reunite with her, Sayo thinks their families must be very close to each other. The event resumes with the mixed relay race for kids and their guardians. Before the start, Atsushi is placed within the guardians and Atsumi escorted to the kids’ side. Naturally… The race starts and they have no time to argue and set things right. Just go with the flow. Oh, the elementary kids could even give Atsumi a run for her money!

Episode 21
Sayo visits Atsumi and sees Atsushi sleeping. Take happen to come by to pass them excess ice cream. Sayo and Take greet each other but Atsumi is baffled. Haven’t they met before? They both deny and this is their first time. Atsumi explains the sleeping one is her little brother who is an elementary school children and this ice cream guy is their neighbour. Can Sayo handle the shock? Sayo sits alone so Take talks to her. It’s natural that the person she imagined didn’t match up to reality but at the same time she can’t stop thinking about him. She doesn’t know what to do. Take says maybe she doesn’t have to do anything and if she lets time pass, the answer will come naturally. Sayo makes her decision.

Episode 22
Since Atsumi is rather tired, Atsushi has to take himself the clothes he’ll be wearing to school. He decides on a hand-me-down from Take he has never worn before. Erm… Isn’t that a little too revealing?! That see-through singlet does make him look like a rock star… Crazy… So of course when Futami sees it, she freaks out. She wants him to cover up but there are no extra clothes. He’s going to take them off! Okay, better to have it on then. His guy friends think the shirt weird though they like it but the girls are confused. Hina thinks if he’s wearing it, it must be okay. On the way out of school, Hina mentions she likes his usual looks the best. As Atsushi is going to hold Hina’s hand, a couple of guys rein in the ‘sick bastard’. Not again!

Episode 23
Atsushi and his friends visit Atsumi’s high school cultural festival. Atsushi really does fit in here because the students are bugging him to come patron their class. But he gets easily frightened by the ghost… The trio meet Sayo and her friends whom they think Atsushi is her boyfriend. She points out he’s Atsumi’s younger brother, they thought she’s referring to Takumi and Tetsuya. Atsumi is not around since she’s busy with a play. She is playing the most important roles that nobody else can play. Yeah, child roles. Sayo treats them to snack and Atsushi notes how it tastes just like the one Atsumi made yesterday. Well, that’s because this was made by Atsumi herself. Sayo’s friends encourage her to go with her ‘boyfriend’ but she’s hesitant since he’s just an elementary kid. If she doesn’t want to, her friends would want to! So eventually Sayo takes Atsushi and his friends around. A fortune teller invites them to take their reading as a couple. Sayo seems nervous but realizes Atsushi and his friends more interested at a robot model nearby. Yeah, so an elementary kid…

Episode 24
There is a large crowd buying bread at the school canteen. At this rate, Atsumi and Sayo won’t buy any. Sayo has an idea. She gives Atsumi a piggy back ride. Shouldn’t she be bringing something back on her behalf instead? This is embarrassing. In class, Sayo pets Atsumi and has always wished for a younger sister. Is this what she think it’ll be like? Sayo learns how Atsushi calls Atsumi. Nothing extraordinary. She thought calling ‘onee-sama’ would sound more fitting to ‘nee-chan’. Sayo and Atsumi are out shopping together and since there aren’t any clothes for Atsumi’s size, she thinks they should go for mother-daughter clothes. Sayo treats Atsumi well throughout the day and they had lots of fun. So when she invites her to buy bread at the school canteen again, you think she’d pass this chance up again? Even if she brought her own lunch.

Episode 25
There’s one more marble cake left and it is decided they’ll have a contest for it. Since Atsushi is big, if they hold a race, he’ll definitely win. Girls will be involved too so they need to use their brains. Turns out to be hide and seek. Yeah, Atsushi is at a total disadvantage. Too big to hide! The traffic officer ladies are here to give a talk on road safety when they see someone suspicious hiding behind the dustbin. Hey, it’s that guy they’ve caught before! Atsushi explains he is playing hide and seek and if he is caught, he won’t get the last marble cake. The ladies think it’s his term for bloomers, Mar-ble. Mar-buru. Mar-bloo. So bloomers, right? Making him even more suspicious is when he starts running thinking his friends have found him. The officers chase after him but the junior mentions that bloomers have been abolished some time. The senior got distraught and realizes how old she is! Enough time for Atsushi to run away but bumps into Futami. The officers think he’s into grown women too! The kids are waiting in the hall when they see Atsushi being chased by the officers. They tackle him right on stage! However they realize their blooper when Futami and his friends explain. To hide the embarrassment, they feign that this is a demonstration on how to apprehend a criminal! The duo realize their wrong and how much he has suffered because of the misunderstanding. The junior feels of wanting to help him so the senior is confident she’ll get her chance one day. But she didn’t count on getting that chance so soon and in the same day because an adult has apprehended Atsushi as a stalker targeting elementary children! This is going to be a long tiring affair.

Episode 26
Atsushi and his friends are playing rope skipping. Since he is too tall, they suggest he crouch and jump. Looks odd. Getting tired, isn’t he? Sayo and Atsumi are studying at home when Atsushi returns. Sayo feels happy that she greeted him but reality strikes hard when she sees his kiddie backpack. When it’s time for dinner, Atsushi happily pulls them along. At the diner, they see Take working here part time. He gives them free desserts. Is he sure? Well, it’s his last day here. Get a permanent job already! Atsushi and Atsumi walk home together and since it’s a little dark, Atsushi promises to protect her if someone bad comes. He carries her over his shoulder, much to her embarrassment. Then the all too familiar siren… Oh sh*t! He got arrested again.

Special 1
Atsushi hopes Futami can teach him swimming. She doesn’t mind till she thinks his big body might just overwhelm her. Better change your mind! Atsushi and Atsumi are at the public pool. Sayo is there too and she must be desperate to show her swimsuit to Atsushi. Yeah, the price tag is still on it. Too bad that kid doesn’t see anything special and drags the girls into the pool. Too bad Atsumi is too short that it seems like she’s standing underwater. Sayo has these romantic visions of Atsushi but I guess in reality it wasn’t meant to be. Even if she tries teaching him swimming, he’s just fooling around. Later Take notices the tan Atsushi has and have something he can wear to go along with it. Hawaiian getup? Atsumi thought it suited him too much and should just return the clothes.

Special 2
Take is now working at a bar. He spots Atsushi and invites him in for a juice. Master thought he is a new worker and makes him start as a bartender. The female bartender freaks out at Atsushi looking at him because well, he was told to keep watch on things. Take realizes Atsushi is now working and tries to tell Master that he is too young but he dismisses it as a joke when he asks Atsushi’s age. So Atsushi imitates the female bartender, making her nervous. Then the traffic officer ladies come in for a drink and are shocked to see Atsushi working. They confront Master about letting a minor work but he is still convinced he is of legal age. Then witnessing his acting like an elementary kid, he finally realizes he really is an elementary kid. Seeing is believing. Atsushi goes home and gets reprimanded by Atsumi. But seeing that he mentioned he has learnt a lot of stuff at Take’s new place, she lets it slide. If she’d only knew. Lastly the senior officer lady is drunk and is taking out her problems on Take. Yeah, she’s hitting 30 and still unmarried. OMG! She’s strangling him! I wonder if he can survive this job.

Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover!
So in the end, things never really changed, huh? Atsushi is still acting like a happy innocent elementary kid while Atsumi as the responsible and caring sister. Too bad that just doesn’t translate well in the eyes of others. At the end of the anime, I thought at this point the police would have at least recognized who Atsushi is. I mean, he is already a frequent ‘visitor’ to the station, right? So unless they really have a bad memory or they change the personnel so often like they change underwear, they and the public should at least know who this Atsushi is, right? Seeing him getting arrested for being a suspect as a molester, stalker, paedophile, child kidnapper, flasher and the likes may be funny and hilarious but when you think about it, it feels pretty annoying. If this goes on anymore, will they be considered as the ones who destroyed his innocence? Who is to be blamed if Atsushi grows up to be a serial psycho? Better be safe than sorry? I know they’re trying to tell us to protect our kids and be responsible citizens but it’s getting pretty old reporting the same guy every day, don’t you think? Thus every time this arrest happens, it just brings back memories how Atsushi’s case is pretty similar to Mitsudomoe’s Soujirou (the Marui triplets’ big fat father who is often mistook as a suspicious bad guy).

I’m not sure if Sayo is still bent on pursuing her love for Atsushi. It’s good that she still keeps her cool after finding out the truth but I’m sure she did think a little ahead the implications if she went out dating with him. Sure, in the eyes of the rest, they seem like the perfect couple. But legally, Sayo can probably be charged for leading a minor! Plus, how would you like it if your boyfriend has a body and face of a hot and handsome guy but the mentality of an elementary kid? It’s a whole new level of maturity in this point of view. I guess there is a subtle hint that tells us how true this is. Grownup guys are like kids on the inside and young girls can be more mature than you think. Take’s job hopping is somewhat a running gag for this series. Either he bums around and gets nagged by his mother or he only does his part time job for a very short limited period of time. I think he qualifies to be a NEET. Just needs an otaku hobby… ;p. Plus, did you notice you can never see his face? At least not his eyes. Maybe they don’t want to hint that this is what unemployed 32 year olds look like. Atsushi’s friends show us the innocence they have for their age. Atsushi may be big but they don’t see him as the ‘big’ as other people would view. They happily mix around with him and don’t understand the implications about a grownup man holding a hand of a little girl. I suppose the age of innocence while melt away once they enter high school, huh? Futami is a good teacher. Just that she needs to get used that Atsushi is just a kid in a grown man’s body. Kids can strip freely without raising an eyebrow but adults… This really makes Atsushi in a bind and especially for Futami who isn’t good in dealing men.

Rie Kugimiya as the voice of Atsumi really fits her loli-like character. Though she still puts on her trademark high pitch voice, she fittingly sounds responsible and mature and not like the tsundere loli character roles that she usually does. Ryotaro Okiayu voices Atsushi and he did a pretty good job in making the character sound like a kid his age but stuck in a different body. I mean, this is the guy who voiced Byakuya in Bleach, Mitsui in Slam Dunk and Tezuka in Prince Of Tennis, so he sounds slightly different than those usual serious roles. Other casts include Aya Hirano as Sayo (Lucy in Fairy Tail), Takahiro Sakurai as Take (Jenos in Black Cat), Aya Uchida as Hina (Ascoeur in Kiddy Girl -and), Aya Gouda as Takumi (Taketo in R-15), Yoshino Nanjou as Tetsuya (Kokoro in Tantei Opera Milky Holmes) and newbie Tomoe Tamiyasu as Futami. The pop-like first ending theme is Glitter by Aoi Tada featuring Sister 773 while the rock-like second ending theme is Stare by Paprika.

Morita-san Wa Mukuchi anime make a small cameo appearance in this series. For instance, the girlfriend Take recently break up, his DVDs are of this series and in the penultimate episode, Megane was one of the people who brought Atsushi to the officer. These cameos are because both series are made by the same studio house, Seven. As much as this series wants to tell us not to judge a cover by its book, it doesn’t hurt to be a little careful. Maybe too careful in this case. Ultimately it’s what the inside that counts, right? It’s because of too many of such incidents that prompt society to be suspicious and judgmental. So the question is, will Atsushi grow older into an old man when he grows up? Will Atsumi grow taller than she is now? Will Sayo ever find true love or make Atsumi her sister? Will Take ever get a job? Can genuine adults ever get to even hold the hand of a child in public anymore? Well, just hope you don’t get arrested for a suspected molester.