Summary Key Points:

[spoiler]

• Saiko and Shujin explore the studio left behind by Kawaguchi Taro (Saiko’s late uncle)
• Shujin finally gets a chance to look at some names and manuscripts
• The boys discuss their favorite manga and decide to have an anime adaption of their manga by the age of 18
• Saiko stumbles upon a box of letters that were addressed to his uncle by the girl he loved
• Upon reading the letters, Saiko only confirms what he heard of before
• Looking through the box, the boys discover a high school graduation album
• Inside the album, they find out that the girl Saiko’s uncle liked is actually Miho Azuki’s mother (the girl that Saiko likes)
• The boys take a trip down to Azuki’s house when she’s not there and meet with her mother
• Her mother is indeed the person that Kawaguchi Taro was in love with
• After a talk and some questions from both sides, Miho’s mother wishes them both luck and tells to become amazing mangakas
• The episode ends with Shujin and Saiko in the park, determined to become great mangakas

[/spoiler]

Opinions: (A)

Another episode spent on some life drama, but I believe this episode and the last episode really did a great job of motivating the boys, especially Saiko, to get ready for their work as mangakas. 

Again, the whole romance between Saiko and Miho has a few cliches and coincidences that would under most realistic circumstances never happen. I can’t argue with the unreality of it all, but I can argue that without it, the story wouldn’t be half as interesting. There’s just something really ironic about how Saiko likes the daughter of the woman that his uncle loved. More so, Saiko and Miho seem to be heading in a better, more fool proof direction than their seniors.

That aside, I do have comment on how it was really nice to see the animated version of Kawaguchi Taro’s manga again, and the little panels and pages when Miho’s mom was discussing stuff with them, that was icing on the cake. I keep hearing people screaming at how the animation sucks, but I still think the use of animation in the right spots is really bringing the experience home.

On the manga side, we did get to see some names and distinctions between names and manuscripts. Shujin finally got to know what a name is, and how he may have to write in order to become a successful mangaka. Saiko’s heart to heart with his dad was also nice, and it was great to learn that it was actually his dad that read him his favorite manga when he was a kid.

I’m not sure if many people today can relate to it, but I definitely remember my mother reading me a comic when I was a kid, and I’ll be honest, that kind of thing gives you a really nice memory and leaves an everlasting impression on you. I also loved the fact that both his grandfather and father had already realized that Saiko would eventually embark on the path to becoming a mangaka. This was a nice little peice of extra information that I’m pretty sure wasn’t in the manga.

Nuff said, with the life stuff outta the way, next week I believe we should get into the actual creation of their first work. Saiko and Shujin both have their challenges, with Saiko changing his  art style to better suit manga and Shujin getting his first name done.

Preview:

Next episode, the boys have their fare shair of issues and decisions to deal with as they head on their path to becoming great mangakas! XD