spoiler
Yashiro is free now and runs straight to his brother, Yajiro! Yashiro tells him what happened, but Yajiro says that he’s just a frog in a well. But Yashiro has a plan – he gives Yajiro some liquid courage and suddenly he’s “back in the game”! Yay! Go Yajiro! His train is back in business!
Yasaburo is saved from the twins first, and Yashiro lets him out of the cage. Everyone is taken for the ride on the train and the twins are terrified. LOL Yasaburo teaches them a lesson that they are never going to forget, and they are soon caged by Yasaburo. Perhaps he should trade them for his brother! Yasaburo also gets the Fujin Raijin folding fan back as well.
After going in circles and almost falling into the river, Yajiro finally gets back on track, so to speak. Quick thinking Yashiro feeds alcohol into the fake engine and the train flies. Too funny. I also loved all the reactions from the people, especially when the train stopped and the bystanders started taking pictures with their phones. Anyway, Yasaburo has had enough of the twins and tries to throw them into the river, but they hang on to his arm. He then gives them the choice of the river or the hot pot and they choose the river before he can even finish the sentence! LOL
Yasaburo uses the fan to give Yajiro a tiny boost, but the fan’s power sends them flying into the second floor of the restaurant, destroying most of it. And Benten saw them coming too. But Yajiro loses his form and I wonder if he’s a frog again. Yasaburo gives Yashiro the fan and sends him off to delay the elder’s discussion. Yasaburo finds Yaichiro right away and frees him from his cage. Yaichiro berates himself for being a failed tanuki, but Yasaburo assures him that it’s just their idiot blood.
Yasaburo gives Yaichiro a pep talk and tells him that it was Soun that gave him to the Friday Fellows, but didn’t Yaichiro already know that? Yajiro, a frog again, hops over to put in his two cents and Yaichiro is surprised to see him. Yasaburo sends Yaichiro and Yajiro off to the elders and promises to save their mother, but Yasaburo has just been caught! However, Benten convinces Jurojin to let Yasaburo go. Apparently he doesn’t know that Yasaburo is a tanuki.
But with the loss of Yaichiro, the Friday Fellows have lost their tanuki hot pot. That is, until Jurojin mentions that he saw another tanuki at the Electric Brandy shop, and Yasaburo realizes that they are talking about his mother. They will also need another restaurant and Jurojin tells them that he has a back-up reservation at Sensuiro – the very place where the elders are meeting! This is just too much. LOL Yasaburo asks to accompany them on the pretext that he’d like to try a tanuki hot pot, but would also like to see a live one. Jurojin agrees, but puts him to work, carrying the Electric Brandy to the other restaurant.
At Sensuiro, Soun is in the process of convincing the elders that Yaichiro ran away and isn’t fit to be the Nise-emon. Yashiro arrives with the fan and tries using it. It’s heavy for a little tanuki, but the tiny bit he does move it is enough to do some damage and disrupt the meeting. Akadama bursts into the room to see what all the fuss is about, and I loved that he had all those liquor bottles sticking out of various places! Yaichiro arrives during Akadama’s rant and praises Yashiro for a job well done, telling him to return the fan to Akadama.
Soun must have died a thousand deaths to see Yaichiro enter the room, alive and well. Yaichiro explains why he was late, and places all the blame at Soun’s feet, telling everyone that his entire family was captured because Soun wanted no opposition in becoming Nise-emon. Of course, Soun keeps a neutral expression on his face and denies everything, saying that a tanuki would never be cruel enough to do that to another tanuki. But Yajiro the frog hops forward and tells them that it is the truth. As Soun stands up to increase the intensity of his denial, the Friday Fellows arrive and are right next door! Perhaps they should just ask them who supplied the tanuki! LOL Wonderful episode, but I’m still worried about mom.