Dashi Event Arc

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware are startled to find that the dried-fish-like outer layer before them has become surume. Hachiware considers that the costume material may have been real squid and wonders whether it could serve as a drinking snack or a panel. When Usagi bites into the outer layer, the face portion inside slips out, leaving only a round hole in what remains. The three cannot make sense of it before Usagi's action dramatically changes the scene.

Cultural and language noteSurume is dried squid, widely enjoyed in Japan as a drinking snack. Here it is part of Hachiware's association about the material of the outer layer.

Story guide

Usagi, Hachiware, and Furuhonya find glowing mushrooms in a dark place. Usagi reacts as though their position is just right, and the three look up at mushrooms arranged as if floating in the air. Furuhonya tries to eat one, while Hachiware takes the mushrooms' ability to illuminate the area as something like their protective barrier. The post ends as the three try to determine how the scattered little mushrooms work.

Story guide

A small device that had seemed about to begin something reacts to Chiikawa's singing. Hachiware takes the song to be good, and Chiikawa is pleased that their singing can be heard. After they keep singing amid musical notes and sound effects, the device's display shows a winning notification. Hachiware realizes that something has arrived again, and the singing is interrupted by the unexpected news.

Story guide

With a delivered package before them, Chiikawa and Hachiware have it opened. Hachiware takes it to mean that they have won some dashi, and when a long-eared companion arrives, the three gather around the package to inspect it. The companion signals that the liquid may have another effect and marks a white round object as dashi for distribution. The scene stops as they continue handling it without determining what the dashi is for.

Story guide

Chiikawa intends to take along the dashi they won, while Hachiware tries to determine why. Based only on what they have heard, Hachiware explains that winning may bring lavish prizes, and Chiikawa immediately accepts the suggestion that they set out. The two confer briefly beside a tree stump, connecting the reason for carrying the dashi with their destination. Chiikawa's final nod makes clear that they will head there with the winning dashi.

Story guide

When Usagi hears Chiikawa and Hachiware discussing taking the winning dashi with them, they seem to understand its significance and immediately spring into action. Usagi produces round objects and small tool-like items, answering only with their distinctive cry when the other two ask what they are doing. Chiikawa and Hachiware cannot identify what Usagi has prepared. The discussion of dashi ends with Usagi's sudden preparations taking it in another direction.

Story guide

Holding an entry form, Chiikawa and Hachiware head for the registration line while considering what to write. The venue has a registration desk staffed by Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) and many participants, and Usagi joins them carrying a large container of green liquid. Hachiware takes it to mean that Usagi has made a different dashi and, together with Chiikawa, voices their aim to win. The three take their place among the participants with their dashi in hand.

Story guide

At the venue, Chiikawa and Hachiware are startled to learn that the deadline for participation is fast approaching. When a sign points the way to group participation, Hachiware says that a group entry is fine and heads off to register on their own. Before long, Entry Number 1 is called, and Hachiware breathes a sigh of relief that they made it in time. The three of them sit down on green chairs and are handed a tag reading 'Number 15: Mame Daifuku.' Seeing Chiikawa's confusion over the tag, Hachiware realizes the cause and reveals that they registered their group under the name Mame Daifuku. Chiikawa cries out, and Usagi, holding a pot, laughs. It ends with the three sitting side by side, waiting to see what kind of judging awaits them.

Story guide

Hachiware notices that the tags worn by participants ahead of them have numbers and group names. The registration attendant accepts Bean Daifuku's entry and confirms that it is for three people. Chiikawa and Hachiware are told to wear No. 15 tags on their chests, but they still do not know what the tags are for. Before long, people at the venue begin calling out about a puppet show, and Hachiware senses that their participation may involve more than cooking. The meaning of the numbered tags leads into the next announcement.

Story guide

Hachiware begins in a small voice that they might have made a mistake, and confesses that what they were supposed to prepare was not dashi stock but a performance. Chiikawa cannot grasp the situation, and Usagi lets out a ridiculous shout. In their hands is a packet of dashi stock, and Chiikawa panics about what to do. Hachiware asks whether even a famous brand of dashi stock would not do, and goes on to say that as bean daifuku they have to do something. Around them, participants wait holding placards labeled Impersonation and Magic. Then entry number 14 is called, and the three holding the placard for 15 realize they are next.

Story guide

Onstage, the preceding group begins a performance combining song and movement, drawing in the audience. Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) tries to stop the audience because they are spinning and piling on top of one another dangerously, but the excitement does not subside. Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi watch from the seats with their dashi and are told that they are No. 15. The post ends as the unprepared three are called to the stage after the lively performance.

Story guide

Called up as No. 15, Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi stand before the venue. Hachiware cannot decide what to do and can only say their group name, Bean Daifuku. The audience falls silent, and the three cannot continue speaking either. A white round object is then placed beside Chiikawa, and Hachiware tries to begin a story in which large bean daifuku have gathered. Before an explanation can take shape as a performance, an awkward silence remains between them and the audience.

Story guide

In the silent venue, Usagi moves as if they are about to leave the pot behind and go home, and Hachiware hurriedly calls for them to wait. Meanwhile, the audience becomes so overexcited that they cannot be brought under control, and Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) and the others struggle to respond. Standing before the white round object, Hachiware explains that it tasted salty with beans when eaten. They then say that their mouth became overly sweet, and the thread of the performance turns into an unintended discussion of food.

Story guide

Onstage, Usagi lays out a portable gas stove, a pot, and containers, and begins preparing to use the dashi. As Hachiware tries to determine what Usagi intends to do, they watch Usagi add liquid and set the pot over heat. Chiikawa is nearby, while the audience before the stage watches the three's hands. Usagi also adds something powder-like to the pot, finishing its steaming green contents. What was meant to be a performance begins to unfold as an impromptu cooking demonstration.

Cultural and language noteA cassette stove is a portable gas burner that can heat a pot even on a tabletop. Here it is shown as the tool that lets cooking suddenly begin onstage.

Story guide

Hachiware tastes the green dashi Usagi has made and frankly says that it is very delicious. Yoroi-san (Armor Knight), who also checks its aroma, seems to encounter an unfamiliar savory flavor. Hachiware explains that the legendary dashi has helped the venue, and the spinning in the audience begins to stop. Even at the venue with the Pajama Parties, the cooking aroma and reactions to the tasting change the course of the performance. The dashi is presented as a clue to calming the confusion.

Cultural and language noteTasting is sampling a small amount of food or drink to judge it. Here it serves to convey the dashi's quality to the audience.

Story guide

With the dashi seeming to settle everyone's mouths, the venue finally catches its breath. Hachiware stands before Usagi's pot to explain the legendary dashi. Usagi offers samples, and Chiikawa watches from Hachiware's side. Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) and the others discuss whether this is a demonstration-style performance and begin treating the events onstage as something to judge. The cooking the three started unintentionally reaches the point of being received as something to serve the audience.

Story guide

The venue, warmed by the dashi performance, has stopped spinning entirely, and Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) takes it as a relief. Hachiware apologizes sincerely, while Chiikawa and Usagi remain there. Yoroi-san tells the three that it is fine because the gathering brought together by the performance has calmed down. The three had not prepared it to win, but calming the venue itself is recognized. Bringing dashi gives their participation meaning in an unexpected form.

Story guide

Whipped cream is piped onto the heads of Chiikawa and Hachiware, and bits of topping are sprinkled over them, transforming the two into confection-like figures. Next, a figure in the shape of a Chakkaman appears and places pink and light blue candles on each of their heads. While Chiikawa is bewildered, the figure lights them, and the two candles shine brightly. Chiikawa and Hachiware tremble slightly while exclaiming how amazing it is, eventually noting that it might be hot. Just as the figure asks them what they said, the screen goes dark, the flames are extinguished to the sound of breath being blown, and the scene ends with English birthday words displayed.

Cultural and language noteShowing candles standing on a birthday cake and being lit is a widely used visual convention for indicating age or a celebration.

Story guide

A closing illustration imagines Usagi, Chiikawa, and Hachiware as fish-shaped parcels. The three stand side by side in blue and red fish-patterned wrappings, moving their feet slightly. Chiikawa in the center is in a red wrapping, while Usagi and Hachiware on either side are in blue ones, with only their faces showing roundly. A short line below indicates that it is already over. Shifting away from the previously noisy venue, the image gives the events a light conclusion.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware receive bags of participation prizes and confirm that there seem to be lavish gifts even without winning. Inside are gold-coin chocolates with flower designs, which make the two exclaim. Hachiware, however, again wonders what the green dashi served at the dashi event was. A yellow figure wearing a white hat approaches, and Chiikawa and Hachiware turn toward it as if asking who it is. The pleasure of the prize and a new question share the same scene.

Cultural and language noteGold-coin chocolate is a chocolate confection shaped and wrapped like a coin. Here it makes the contents of the participation prize look more festive.

Story guide

Hachiware notices Chiikawa munching something in the grass and worries that they may have been hurt. Chiikawa indicates that it will heal quickly, but Hachiware plucks leaves and spreads them around their body. Concerned that their hands may have trouble reaching their mouth when eating fruit, Hachiware seems to devise a guard-like shape using the leaves. Surrounded by leaves, Hachiware confirms that it will be fine if they look down. The two's small improvisation continues as a game in the grass.

Story guide

Hachiware is wearing a collar made of leaves around their face, but realizes by themself that their hands cannot reach their mouth and they cannot eat the fruit. As Chiikawa watches over them, Hachiware gets an idea, shifts the collar downward to settle it around their neck, and says that it will be fine if it faces downward. When they bite into the fruit in that posture, the juice splatters forcefully; Hachiware is delighted, saying it has become a juice splash guard, and Chiikawa raises their voice. It ends with the ingenuity meant for eating finding a different purpose.

Story guide

An illustration of Chiikawa alone, arranged in four expressions and hand movements. A small pointing gesture with one hand, hands moving near the face, a hand resting by the cheek, and a pose that seems to cover the mouth are shown against pale blue circular backgrounds. There are no speech bubbles or explanatory text, and it does not specify what situation prompted each reaction. Rather than advancing a comic event, the post is arranged like a reference sheet of Chiikawa's usable gestures, leaving only four distinct reactions.

Story guide

A short illustration placing four of Chiikawa's facial and hand gestures in two rows. In the top two, they raise one hand slightly or rest it against their cheek; in the bottom two, they raise an arm to point or hold both hands beside their face. Differences such as closing their eyes, narrowing one eye, and opening their mouth make the same face seem to show different reactions. With no dialogue or background event, the post is not meant to explain a story but to collect examples of Chiikawa's expressions and poses.

Story guide

The Pajama Parties stand in a row before the venue sign, singing as they perform. During the song, one member in green stops moving, and the other members notice. While the other three continue singing and dancing on the stage side, the green member moves away from the audience. By the end, the green member and their companions are separated, with the movement heading outside the audience area. The post brings to the surface that one member has something else going on during the performance.

Story guide

An illustration placing four of Usagi's facial and hand movements on a white background. They hold both hands beside their head, point with one hand while lifting a foot, bring one hand close to their face, or repeat the same gesture with both hands, each drawn at a slightly different angle. None of the movements has dialogue or scene-setting explanation, but the open mouth and eyes create a light tone. It stands complete not as part of a story, but as a pose collection for looking over Usagi's reactions.

Story guide

In a single illustration with neither text nor background, four upper-body depictions of Hachiware are arranged in a row. All four figures are making peace signs with two fingers raised. The top-right one has its eyes closed and mouth wide open, raising both hands high to either side of its face. The top-left one keeps its eyes closed, bringing both peace signs together below its face. The bottom-left one has its eyes open, looking sideways while making a peace sign with just one hand. The bottom-right one has its eyes open and mouth open, spreading both peace signs to the left and right at chest height. The blue head pattern and the way the white forehead splits are shared across all four figures, and since there are no characters other than Hachiware and no dialogue, nothing progresses within this post.

Story guide

The green member of the Pajama Parties receives a sheet of paper beside the other three as they practice. After reading it, the green member goes out in front of the venue and tries part of the song alone. The Pajama Parties name is on the sign, and their companions continue singing on the stage side. The green member looks toward the audience, then moves their body to the song, but ends standing apart from the others. Feelings about the performance and hesitation appear at the same time.

Story guide

An illustration shows Rakko in four poses with a white cloth wrapped around their neck. They hold one end of the cloth in one hand, raise an arm to move it near their face, bring one hand close to their cheek, or hold the cloth with both hands in front of them. The pentagonal mark on their forehead and their small black ears remain in every arrangement, while only their expression shifts slightly. There is no dialogue or background, and no new story unfolds here. It is an independent illustration meant to show Rakko's reactions when handling the cloth from a nearly frontal composition.

Story guide

The green member of the Pajama Parties shows a sheet of paper to their practicing companions and shares what it says. The written account describes making a sound, being found and chased by a dog, and being taken to a basement. The companions hear the green member's account and are puzzled by what was said to them. Near the end, the green member holds the paper again alone, trying to take in its contents as their own words. An unsettling message brought in from outside overlaps with the group's performance practice.

Story guide

The four performers, including Pajama Parties Green, continue a number in front of the audience in time with the words of their song. A phrase referring to new shoots appears in the display, and they move toward the audience as they sing. After the lights dim, small white creature-like things gather around them, and the other three move closer. Bone-like white props are also visible, and the number changes into something more than the initial song and dance. In the end, all four appear to run away together, cutting off while leaving what happened unresolved.

Story guide

An illustration showing Kurimanju lined up in four different forms. In the top right, they hold a beer mug with foam and face this way in a good mood. In the top left, they bring a glass container labeled "CUP" to their mouth while raising their other hand. In the bottom right, they hold a sake cup and a tokkuri flask in each hand, laughing loudly with sweat flying off them. In the bottom left, the upper half of their face turns greenish, and they raise one hand with a blank expression. There are no lines or sound effects, just a lineup of the containers they hold and the changes in their facial color.

Story guide

Pajama Parties Green keeps singing onstage with a small white thing on their head. The other three gather holding white bones and match their movements beside them. They are shown large once and continue singing while tense, but the stage movement comes together when their companions join from behind. Near the end, the four line up before the audience amid musical notes and sound effects. By changing their positions, they choose to continue the performance.