badger11’s take on anime

After the success the team had in fighting of the gang who were assaulting the otakus of Akihabara, Akira’s fame rises much to the envy of the rest of the team. Even when Page, Box, and Taiko try and tell other people that they helped, no one believes them, prefereing to believe that Akira the Comabat Waitress did. After the restaurant closes down for the night, Akira wants to hear what the rest of the team has been up to. She’s dismayed to find out that they haven’t done anything. After chasing the guys out, she complains to about them to Yui in Yui’s chatroom. since they haven’t done anything else other than being their regular otaku selves, she’s disappointed. Yui tells her not to judge people and suggests that if she let them know more about her, then they could surprise her.

After Page, Box and Taiko get chased out by Akira, they decide to find out more about her. After finding a a fansite dedicated to Akira, they discover that she leaves early from work on certain Fridays. Akira finds them trailing her one Friday afternoon and decides to let them in on her secret based on her conversation with Yui. She leads them to an underground cage match were she routinely fights. Her opponent this night is a black-belt martial artists. Because of the flashing lights, Taiko’s mysterious freezing affliction hits and he doesn’t come to until they’re in a diner after the fight. When he unfreezes, he finds out that he missed the fight and that Akira beat her opponent.

As the team leave the diner, Akira opens up to the guys. While the guys think she’s strong and tough, Akira thinks she’s weak. That’s why she fights in cage matches, to become stronger. She lived in Akihabara as a child for awhile. When her family moved and she transfered into a new school, she was picked on by the other children. Her parents eventually divorced and when she was done with school, she moved back to Akihabara. She’s believes that all of them can change and grow out of their social misfits status. Page gets an idea that could become Akihabara@DEEP’s first project. They can make the official Akira website.

As they celebrate the successful launch of Akira’s website, they log in to Yui’s chatroom to tell her about it. Yui asks that they consider letting two new members into the group. The first one is a reclusive law expert who is also a cosplayer. The second is also another recluse and is a programmer. The guys have doubts about letting the cosplayer in but are excited to have a programmer on the team. Akira reminds them that if Yui is recommending people to them, then that’s all they need to go on. Sometime later, the team meet Daruma the cosplayer in a park. He’s dressed as Tetsuro from Galaxy Express 999. Everyone starts to have doubts about Daruma as he has trouble talking to people. It turns out that he really hasn’t communicated with people for nearly 10 years.

As the team is talking with Daruma, a teen-aged girl appears. Her name is Izumu and she’s the programmer Yui had told them about. Much to everyone’s surprise Izumu just showed up to turn them down. She isn’t interested in joining them. As Izumu leaves them, she mentions that she see Yui since she was the one who created Yui’s website. Akira, who wants to meet Yui, chases after Izumu while the guys deal with Daruna. The guys suggest that Daruma go back home since he’s been a recluse for so long. But Daruma doesn’t want to as he’s afraid that he’ll never comeback out again. The guys catch up to Akira and Izumu in the maid cafe. Page asks her come to Akira’s next fight and reconsider joining them.

Box decides to design Akira’s costume while Taiko will create her theme song. As the guys are talking to Izumu, Akira discovers that she won’t be able to her rival in the final fight. They’re both in the same division and they’d meet earlier than the final bout. Akira lost to her in a previous match because of a bad call by the referee and she wants to fight her again, but in the final round. Izumu hacks in and transfers Akira’s rival into the other division. Izumu also agrees to go to the fight and to reconsider if Akira wins. Page, Box, and Taiko are working on their projects for Akira’s fight when Daruma convinces them to let him help. He can make her costume and proceeds to show them costumes he’s made.

At the fight, the Nakagomi shows up. Because the Akihabara@DEEP team bet the gang that he hired to assault otakus in the previous epispode, he’s taken an interest in them and in particular, Akira. He had his assistant, Shimoyanagi get candid pictures of Akira. Shimoyanagu failed and as punishment is forced to wear nekomimi. Nakagomi’s company is sponsering the cat fight that Akira is in. Both Akira and her rival defeat their opponents. In the final match, Akira is losing badly. At one point, she gets thrown out of the cage only to be dragged back into it. As she’s in a choke hold, she sees Izumu in the crowd. Since Yui suggested that Izumu join the team, Akira doesn’t want to disappoint Yui. Akira comes from behind and winds the fight.

A day or more after winning the fight, Akira gets a phone call from Izumu. Yui finally decided to meet the team. Apge3, Akira, Taiko, Daruma, and Box run to meet. Izumu and Yui are on the opposite side of the road. Izumu goes to get them and points out Yui to them. As they watch, Yui collapses.

Another enjoyable episode. Looks like Daruma is going to be the comedy relief in the show. The fights looked good in a Rocky sort of way and it was great that the team finally got to see Yui, the woman who has coached them from her website. But its kind of sad to have their greatest moment of joy be taken from them as Yui collapses. I think Page’s feelings at the end of the show probably sums up what everyone is feeling. Iy was also good to see that them team start to bond together when they hear Akira’s history. I hope that we get to learn more about the others as well. I’m curious when Taiko developed his freezing affliction and Box developed his phobia to real women.