Uchouten Kazoku ep12: what is fun is good – for tanuki!

You didn’t expect the Shimogamo family to just roll over and die did you?  Oh hell no!  Its time for the counterattack.  The big counterattack!

With Yashiro being free, he takes his butt and a a bottle of electric brandy to the well where Yajiro stays. It looks like Yashiro has more of a head on his shoulders than anyone suspected. Pumping the unsuspecting Yajiro full of alcohol has allowed Yajiro’s special ability, the False Electric Railway to be unleashed. Despite Yajiro’s depression, he can’t deny that idiot blood of his!

The Ebisugawa brothers who are busy taunting the captured Yasaburou, are them selves captured (somehow) by Yajiro and Yashiro. Yasaburou is freed, the Ebisugawa brothers are caged, and the tables have been completely turned! The Shimogamo family is the one that’s now back in the game!

Yasabuorou’s plan is clear, he wants Yajiro to take them to the doorstep of the Friday Fellows year-end bash, to save Yaichiro. But plans are stalled since Yajiro is so drunk, that’s he’s barely able to keep from crashing into people and buildings. Directions aren’t something he seems to be able to handle easily. To make matter worse, they just seem to be aimlessly wandering through the shopping district.

IT’S A TRAP!

What’s actually happening is that the Ebisugawas have called ahead to their Elite Guard, who have set up a false street leading them right to the freezing cold Kamo River. It looks like everyone’s in trouble as they shoot high into the air out of the false tunnel and towards the freezing water. But once again Yashiro comes through, opening a trap door leading to a mystical kettle that he fills with alcohol. And with that, just like the during the festival early in the show, they have a flying platform to take them where they need to go. Yasaburou dumps the troublesome Ebisugawa brothers in the cold river (they’d much prefer that to being sacrifices in a hot pot).

Along the way, Yasaburou has found the Flying Thunder God (Raijin) fan, stashed in the Ebisugawa brothers iron underpants. And he attempts to use it to gently steer Yajiro towards the Friday Fellows hangout.

Yeah… I mean no. The Flying Raijin fan is not a precision tool. A mere brush of the fan sends Yajiro’s railcar form crashing into the building in a phenomenal display of destruction and tanuki incompetence. It is effective though, as it allows the Shimogamos to sneak in, free Yaichiro and head off the Friday Fellows before they get to their next target, Mother Shimogamo.

The stage is now set, as the meeting for choosing the next Nise-emon and the Friday Fellows year-end bash are both taking place in the same building.  Yaichiro is now attempting to expose Soun’s scheme with Yajiro’s help, while Yasaburou tails the Friday Fellows in hopes of getting to his mother before they place her in a pot.

End of episode.

Things have certainly been shaken up this episode.  The Shimogamos are now back on fair ground with the Ebisugawas despite Soun’s best efforts, but that will all be a waste if they’re not able to save their mother.

If the previous two episodes helped me hate the Ebisugawas, especially Soun, then this episode really showed how easy it is to love and root for the Shimogamo family of tanuki.  It seemed pretty easy to tell that Yashiro would be the loose end that would tie things together, I just didn’t see how.  It’s nice to see the baby of the family finally step up and do something outstanding.

As for what may be going on in the final episode, I find Juroji to be a most disconcerting character.  His character design and mannerisms leave you to believe he’s very dangerous, and seeing as how he appears to the be the oldest and most respected member of the Friday Fellows, I have a feeling that he has more than just a little pull.  With all these crazy tanuki, it’s hard to imagine how exactly things are going to turn out in the last episode.  I giant climactic battle between Yasaburou and Juroji doesn’t seem like the style of this show.  And though I would love to see this all solved by seeing Soun thrown in the iron pot, I’m not so sure that’s how things are going to turn out either.  I do know this, he may be quite evil, but he still does have a big soft spot/weakness for Mother Shimogamo.  He’s going to regret his actions seeing as how they have eventually lead to her being the one to go into the pot.

Further Reading:

• Episode 11