10 Second Anime - Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu - Episode 9

Ms. Kuma seeks revenge against Hiromi for losing the race. The Cycling Club makes a new friend while sightseeing.

Episode 9 - "A Challenge From Ms. Bear!?"

Heh.

I'm calling Kuma-san "Ms. Bear." She obviously has boobs, so continuing this farce of "he, Mr., they" is ludicrous even considering that Ms. Bear was a student at an all girl school. Geez, get it together American translators.

Minakama this week is back on much better footing. I wrote last week that the second half of the previous episode felt like a reset, and this episode felt very much like a microcosm of the first four episodes. Cute girls were on their bikes sightseeing. Hiromi got challenged to another hill climb by another angry club member. They met a new cycling enthusiast. This is what this show is about. Let's not try to incorporate race dynamics, tactics and dramatic competitive pacing in a show that didn't handle the narrative preparations involved in all that.

So, let's go orienteering with the first year students!

The girls went to seven landmarks in Kamakura, but they only showed 6 stampings of their form. I guess meeting the final cyclist in their group was too much excitement. It would have only added 2 seconds at most and would have been a nice exclamation point on the new girl joining their party. Directorial choices have been odd over the last three episodes...

I liked this idea of making the first-year club members do a field trip in their own town where they have to rely on paper maps or asking directions to get to the landmarks. That's some practical cultural education.

The girls decided Tomoe should be club president. They even cited all her leadership skills from the race. I approve!

Hiromi wants more money... I don't even think she's being greedy here. She's just being her usual genki self getting excited over every little thing.

Ms. Kuma Attacks!

Ms. Kuma knows how to write a challenge letter.

Ms. Kuma doesn't know how to judge heights...

Ha! Hiromi cried out, "We're doing this again!"

Even better, Hiromi just stopped the climbing in the middle and asked Ms. Kuma to come sightseeing with her.

These girls wanting "revenge" in this show don't even want a result out of the duel. They just want that feeling of satisfaction of one more try. That's a very Japanese thing to do and I wouldn't expect a girl from Colorado to act like that. O-to... I guess it's time to find out who's under that bear mask.

Meet Ms. Sandy McDougal from Colorado who came to Japan because she likes anime and manga.

She's actually pretty savvy since she decided to challenge Hiromi when they were both riding the same kind of bike.

Her American accent is terrible. The voice actor has opted for the sing-song cadence Japanese people think Americans use without actually pronouncing English words like Americans do. I still can't believe the only time I've ever heard an actual American accent in anime came from the intro in the first season of Shugo Chara...

Ah well. At least she used grammatically correct English one time this episode. "Let's enjoy cycling!"

Sandy explained that she wasn't a member of the Cosplay Club, but was just recruited for the race. Well, how did that part happen?

Anyway, she joined the Cycling Club's little sight-seeing party, so now we had an American blonde adding commentary to the Kamakura travelogue.

Sandy knows Instagram filters...

Fuyune still needs some stamina building.

She also got a chance at her own revenge in finally making it to Enoshima island. No cramping this time.

Looks like the yuri-pairing of Natsumi and Fuyune is proceeding nicely. Fufufu.

Yes. Seaweed is very slimy...

Eh? Korone on a horse?

Yay! We get to see Tsuru again. Her family owns the horse.

Natsumi told Fuyune she met her sister and pledged to help her take pictures for her too. Was that a proposal? Fufufufu.

Fuyune is modest about being sentimental. Cute!

Sandy likes riding horses. Fast. I think it's a trick to make Hiromi hug her tighter. Fufufufu.

Is there a yuri triangle building? Who will Tomoe get paired up with? Well, Mori-sensei is still in the Cycling Club's orbit...

Yay! Fuyune made it to Enoshima Tower.

Naturally it was Mori-sensei giving the girls their last stamp.

Cycling Club complete! They're still in their 3 month provisional period, so Hiromi wondered if doing the whole orienteering activity counted as a "result." I think they've done plenty by winning the Night Criterium.

They finished early, so Mori suggested they keep riding around until they have to return to school.

Ugh. "Let's cycling!" That tortured Japanglish will haunt every cycling anime, right?

But first, Hiromi wants some tasty food. Of course she does!

Cycling Porn.

We got some hilly mamachari pedaling this week which reminded me greatly of the first couple of episodes of Yowamushi Pedal.

This Kamakura town sure is hilly. Tomoe thinks Hiromi is full of energy climbing everything because Nagasaki had lots of hills too.

It still bothers me to see Fuyune riding that Pinarello on flat pedals.

Most of the girls look like they wore spats to preserve their modesty while riding around in a school uniform skirt. Hiromi had her leggings, so I guess she was fine. Sandy, like any brash American, let it all hang out. Kuma!

As Fuyune got tired riding out to Enoshima, she or someone else should have yelled out "Gap!" to let the paceline leader to slow it down for a bit. Hiromi was attentive enough to ask for a quick break.

The omake had the voice actors actually riding around Kamakura! They even went to see that big Buddha that was in the episode. I wonder if they're going to go around to all seven of the orienteering spots.

Next time, the Cycling Club is going on a trip? With more Sandy? Yes!

Sandy is finally showing her face in these End Cards. When will she leave the bear costume behind?