Kimagure Orange Road episode 34

Roots Panic! Madoka in Wonderland

Aired:
Nov 23, 1987
Synopsis by:
George Robbert
It is a beautiful autumn day. Kyousuke, Madoka, Hikaru and Yuusaku are out hiking in the forest. They have all been invited to Kyousuke's grandparents' place for a festival. Kyousuke notices a log being levitated past, and realizes it's his grandparents doing this. He makes an excuse and runs on ahead of the rest to warn his grandparents not to uses ``power'' in front of his friends. Once out of sight, he teleports, arriving to find his grandma splitting wood (using her power). He tells her that ``my friends are coming so...'' She's a bit dense about his implication not to use power, but finally understands. Grandpa has already headed off to greet the guests. Kyousuke rushes back to give him the same warning.

Meanwhile, Grandpa has found the others and is entertaining them by juggling Jingoro (without touching him either). Kyousuke trips into the group, and begins to yell at grandpa about using the power, but then realizes doing so would defeat the whole purpose of the warning. Hikaru thinks that Grandpa is great at magic, and Madoka tells Kyousuke ``you sure have an interesting grandfather.'' Hikaru is dancing around with grandpa since he's such a neat person. Kyousuke thinks to himself that it was a mistake to have invited Madoka and the others to the festival.

That evening, Kyousuke tries to explain to his grandparents about not using the power. During the explanation, one of them levitates the teapot off the fire and starts pouring with it. Kyousuke jumps over, grabs it, telling them not to do that then yelps because it's hot. ``You're so stupid. It should be hot.'' He points out that's not the problem. None of his friends know about their ``power'' much less that he has it. This surprises his grandparents. Kyousuke grabs the pipe his grandfather was levitating and smoking, only to get burned again. As grandma puts some burn medicine on it, he thanks them for inviting him and his friends to the festival. The two finally agree to help keep the secret. After he leaves, the two comment that doing things the ordinary way sure is tiring.

Madoka and Hikaru are outside chatting. Kyousuke is ready to go join them, when grandpa sneaks up and asks him, ``That Ayukawa girl and Hikaru girl. Which one is your girlfriend?'' Kyousuke reveals himself with a surprised exclamation, and the two embarrassed guys wave at the gals.

The next day, Kyousuke is wearing himself out splitting wood. He asks Yuusaku to take over for him, which he does after Hikaru seconds the request. Yuusaku takes this opportunity to show off his strength in front of Hikaru. Hikaru is surprised to see grandpa, who is watching from the porch, putting some snow in the whiskey he is drinking. Madoka comments that there's no snow around here. Grandpa replies that it's the permanent snow from Tengu mountain. Hikaru comments that it must be hard to climb such a high mountain. Kyousuke shuts him up as he is about to explain why it's no problem for him to do that. Hikaru wonders what he was doing, and claims to be giving grandpa a back-rub. Madoka points out that he still is wearing his shoes on the porch (bad manners). Kyousuke claims he forgot he still had them on. Later Grandpa is telling the gang the story.

It was about twenty years ago, around this time of year, a young photographer from the city came to these mountains. He found a hawk with a broken leg in the forest, and splinted the leg using his own shoelace. The hawk flew back to its home, where it's mistress, Akemi, wonders what happened to its leg and is very grateful when she notices that somebody has taken care of it already. Not long after, the photographer came to this house, where Akemi and the hawk lived. She happens to be grandpa's daughter. Akemi is grateful that the photographer treated her hawk's leg. The two enjoy their time together doing various fun things, and eventually fall in love. Sitting around the fire, a younger grandpa is incensed. ``No! You can't marry her!!'' ``Why?'' asks the photographer. ``Obviously not. My daughter isn't like normal human's like...''

At this point, Kyousuke again shuts up his grandpa before he spits out the secret of their power. Hikaru complains that he was just getting to the best part, ``so the lady wasn't an ordinary human?...'' Right, says Kyousuke, ``She was probably his only daughter, so he didn't want her to be taken away. Right grandpa?'' Grandpa is embarrassed for almost giving away the secret of the family's power, and agrees.

Grandpa sets a task before the photographer. ``I love drinking using the permanent snow of the Tengu Mountain's peak. If you want to marry my daughter, why don't you get some of that snow so you can drink with me?'' The photographer climbed the mountain, though it was very difficult. Part way up, the hawk finds him though. It was on the night of the festival that he returned. Akemi is very happy that he did and at what that means. He came in and collapsed exhausted at grandpa's feet, carrying a backpack full of the snow. The photographer admitted, ``your daughter helped me.'' Hikaru loves the story, and Madoka is amused at her outburst of pleasure.

Jingoro is sitting on a bridge over the nearby stream, looking in. It begins to rain heavily, he slips while shaking the water out of his fur and he falls into the river. The four all run to try and save him from drowning in the flood. The rescue attempt at the first bridge fails, so they split up, Yuusaku and Hikaru taking one bank, and Madoka and Kyousuke taking the other.

It continues to pour down rain; thunder and lightning crash across the sky; the flooding stream roars downward filled with the new rainwater. Running down the bank, trying to get ahead of Jingoro, Madoka slips and falls into the river herself. She is swept along over some rapids and is having a hard time keeping her head above water. A very worried Kyousuke races downstream and jumps in after her. He manages to swim up and catch her at a whirlpool.

In a small building, Kyousuke has built a fire and is trying to wake Madoka. He starts to sneeze, so he takes off his own wet shirt to dry it by the fire. He then starts to worry about Madoka, ``She'll be cold with the wet clothes on. She might catch pneumonia. Sure, wet clothes will take away her body heat.'' He slowly undoes one button on her shirt, and narrates, ``At that moment, my head was filled with all sorts of excuses.'' Before he can do more, Grandpa comes in carrying Jingoro and stops him with a whack to the head. ``I came to rescue you,'' and starts laughing. Madoka wakes up and is embarrassed at the situation she is in.

The evening of the festival, the four are gathered at one of the booths there. Kyousuke is shooting for prizes with a cork gun, but manages to keep missing. Hikaru wishes him luck. The twins tell them that the fireworks and the big bonfire have started so Hikaru and Yuusaku run off to see them. Kyousuke is down to his last cork. Madoka gives him some pointers on proper shooting posture, and then asks, ``Say, your grandfathers story, isn't that the story of your mom and dad?'' ``Yes.'' Madoka continues, ``I think it's true that she helped him. Women always hope that the man they love succeeds.'' She then points out one of the dolls that she thinks is really cute, and Kyousuke hits it squarely with his last shot.