Tsubasa studies with Minami and Sayuri but misses curfew. Can next-door neighbor Rena soften his grandma’s strictness?
Episode 6 — “Natsukawa-Senpai Is Super Good-Looking”
Hmm.
Hokkaido Gals showed us more regional product placement with the local orange soda, Ribbon Napolin. The Japanese call every cold soft drink, which is not a type of tea, “juice.” That counts fruit juices, too, but soda, pop, and coke are also kinds of “juice” to the Japanese. This almost captures the opposite of the regional differences in the United States about flavored carbonated water. Pop pours out of soda fountains in the Midwest, but Ribbon Napolin is a “coke” in the South. Tsubasa seems never to have drunk a bubbly beverage in his life.
Experienced Hokkaido Gals?
We’ve already seen evidence of Tsubasa’s sheltered upbringing through his comments about never having friends, playing video games, visiting a girl’s room, or even receiving obligation chocolate for Valentine’s Day. His grandma spotlighted his strange family dynamics when she threatened to send him back to Tokyo because pretty girls had started to distract him. Tsubasa came to Hokkaido because of his dad’s work transfer, according to Hokkaido Gals, but where is his mom? Is she still back in Tokyo? Why didn’t she come to Hokkaido? Was there a divorce, or does she have her own career? My speculation: Tsubasa’s mother is the head of a dynastic business family that the father married into. That would explain his rich kid hobbies, study habits, recognition of obscure Japanese history terms, and lack of friends. And lacking experience with girls!
Tsubasa’s grandma needs to protect his future prospects from female distraction. Even beautiful and polite girls from next door, like Rena Natsukawa, could derail the track Tsubasa’s family has for him. But it’s already too late because he befriended Minami and Sayuri. And Mama Fuyuki. Tsubasa better score a top-ten grade if he wants to stay in Hokkaido with his new experiences and relationships.
Heh.
It’s almost time for final exams. Minami is in trouble. Tsubasa likes seeing how well he does on tests. Such a good boy, that Tsubasa guy. Study date with Hokkaido gals, Minami and Sayuri! Ooh! The title says we finally meet the third gyaru of Hokkaido Gals. Scandal! Sayuri learned Tsubasa had already been to Minami’s house! Sneaky pervert, Tsubasa. Whee! It’s a gyaru room! Tsubasa has never been in a girl’s room before. It smells nice. It smells like Minami! Hoho. Sayuri knows what that horny boy is thinking. Blatant pervert, Tsubasa.
Hey, more Hokkaido product placement. Ribbon Napolin is an orange soda from Sapporo and the “soul drink” of Hokkaido. Uh oh. Minami has not been keeping up with her world history subject. Who needs to know about John Calvin and Predestination when you can recite facts about mint from Kitami? Foreshadowing — Tsubasa’s grandma is making dinner, meaning she’ll be angry if he’s late. Minami’s head is full. Try again tomorrow. Ack. Tsubasa was late. Grandma will be mad. Punishment is sure to be stringent. But, before hell, Hokkaido Gals gives us heaven first. Mama gyaru Fuyuki catches a Tsubasa in the chest!
Another fun ride with Mama Fuyuki. She’s happy Tsubasa’s piano playing cheered her daughter up after her Valentine’s Day chocolate fiasco. Tsubasa is still fuzzy from his soft landing into the gyaru mama. Tsubasa gets another Hokkaido beverage: a bottle of Kirin guarana juice. Yes, that’s Kirin, the beer brewery. And there’s grandma. She is mad!
Hokkaido Gals Neighborhood Samurai
Take out the garbage, Tsubasa. Grandma read him the riot act last night. She spoke as if she had lived in Hokkaido for a long time, but we know from the first episode that she moved there with Tsubasa. There she is! Miss Samurai Gyaru! She battles evil crows bent on wanton garbage bag destruction. She has ninja star earrings, talks like she’s from the late 1800s, and “absconded!” Hahaha! Miss Samurai Gyaru is famous as the Miss School Beauty Contest winner. Minami is Rena Natsukawa’s biggest fan! Rena has another season-based name in Hokkaido Gals. I want to see Rena splashing around in a “summer river” (夏川, natsu — summer, kawa — river).
Uh oh. Grandma study-grounded Tsubasa. No hanging out with pretty gyarus until after the final exams. Oh no! Sayuri shot Minami down, too! They can have lunch together, though. It’s time for the library meet-cute situation for Tsubasa in Hokkaido Gals. Well. It’s meet-sleep until the gyaru librarian wakes up from her nap. Oh. She woke up and asked about a historical Japanese battle. Busted! Har. Rena invoked her librarian’s authority to nap when she pleased. She’s also not just a pretty face: she can tell when an old test answer is wrong even though the teacher marked it as correct.
Gyaru Temptation? Back to Tokyo!
Hohoho. Grandma is strict! She waited for Tsubasa at the door to make sure he came home straight from school. Ah. Tsubasa can rebuild his discipline through practicing the tea ceremony. Oh, Grandma. The point is that Tsubasa dressed in traditional clothes just as Rena came by to deliver neighborhood flyers. She lives next door! And she literally fell for his old-fashioned robe. Nice. Rena knows how to play the traditional girl in front of her elders. Grandma only met Rena’s father or grandfather, so she didn’t know such a lovely young lady lived next door. Uh oh. Too much looking at girls, Tsubasa. Grandma’s threat: you’ll return to Tokyo if you don’t score inside the top ten on his first exam!
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (道産子ギャルはなまらめんこい, Dosanko Gal wa Namaramenkoi) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and English subtitles.
It took a while, half the season, before we met the third gyaru of Hokkaido Gals. Did the anime short-change Rena-senpai? Or does it matter since you’re Team Minami or Team Sayuri anyway? Let us know in the comments below.
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