Teen drama takes over, once again, as two characters re-evaluate their friendship. Sket Dance is one of my favorite anime series, so allow me to debrief you on the latest episode. Afterwards, be sure to give me your own opinions about the episodes.
Episode 44: Drop
Summary: Captain comes to the Sket-dan with another request: Search for a can of candy drops that was thrown into the bushes. The Sket-dan does everything they can to help her find it, but what's so important about some can of candy, anyway?
Air Date: Feb. 9, 2012 / Available on CrunchyRoll for Free Users: Feb. 16, 2012
Run Time: 24:19
Warning: This article contains spoilers. We recommend watching this episode HERE first.
Captain has a request for Bossun, Hime and Switch: find a can of candy drops that was thrown away. Sket Dan has a history of fulfilling their requests and more, and this is no different. Captain explains that the candy can is special because it represents the bond with her best friend. The can was thrown after a fight they had, and she wants to find it to make things right.Akina and Captain would always share two candy drops (one each) during lunch as a friendship custom. After doing this for a long time, Captain shared one with Misato, the guy Akina likes. This angered Akina leading her to start a discussion regarding the importance of their friendship. Afterwards, Akina threw the can out of the window.
Along with Sket Dan, Captain looks for the can but they fail in finding it. Shortly after, it begins to rain, and as a result Chiaki gets sick. Chiaki's little brother tries to take care of his sister but when things can't get worse, Hime arrives to help. Once she is nursed back to health, Misato tells Captain that Akina had been keeping a secret. Her father's job was relocating him so she was going to move away. Because of this, Akina expressed her feelings toward Misato and left after her goodbye party. A party which Chiaki missed because she was sick. This gears up the reconciliation of her frienship with Akina. Not being stopped by rain, Sket Dan and her continue their search into garbage bags until they find the can.
On the last Weekly Sket Dance article I mentioned that Sket Dance was able to balance comedy and drama perfectly with previous stories that centered around Hime, Bossun and Switch. Once again, the creators achieve a sense of tenderness with the reconciliation of Chiaki and Akina. When they finally find the can, Akina and Captain rekindle their friendship by sharing their last candy drop together. Of course, Sket Dan can't leave this re-encounter as a simple event. This resulted as one of my favorite scenes in the series so far. Bossun got the bright idea of releasing multi-colored balloons (similar to the multi-colored candy drops) as the two friends relived their lunchtime pastime one last time.
Verdict
A story where two characters have friendship spat and later make up is not uncommon. We see it tons of times in anime, movies and books. Yet, Sket Dance told this story with a certain charm that made me enjoy it a lot. Captain is not a character I was particularly fond of, but this episode gave her the depth she needed for me to notice her. Switch's random one-liners gave this episode the perfect balance of drama and comedy. Plus, Chuu-san cameos are always welcomed. Another great episode!
PS. Thanks to Team W.I.K.I. Nation for their assistance.
-- Geo (sora_thekey) 24/7 geek! -- Follow me on Twitter: @sora_thekey
