Friday, January 25, 2008

Sushi Pack - Go With the Glow


Ah, the episode that made me a Tako/Maguro shipper. By the way, what does the glow in the title refer to, anyway? I just can't figure it out.

It's a hot day in Wharf City, and Maguro and Tako are fighting over the airflow of the A/C; she needs it to help her concentrate so she can practice her levitation, and he needs it because it keeps his ink, which he uses for painting, from drying out. For no particular reason, Kani announces that Ikura's taking a shower (apparently he doesn't very often). Meanwhile, somewhere else, Unagi and Fugu, two members of the Legion of Low Tide, are fighting over who gets to flip the switch that will get rid of the Sushi Pack once and for all. We get a bit of back-and-forth between Tako and Maguro's argument and Unagi and Fugu, but then the switch is thrown, and electricity goes out all over the city.
This means no A/C, bad news for the perishable heroes. Maguro tries mind over matter to beat the heat, but Tako complains that they need to take action. Maguro insists that they should all meditate to conserve energy, but Tako disagrees, so Maguro replies, "I disagree--with you!" (It's the delivery. She completely makes it sound like a "your mom" comment, so much so that it wasn't until weeks later that I realized what she actually said.) Tako responds by illustrating their situation as he usually does. "No electricity, no air conditioner, no Sushi Pack!" Although Maguro cautions him not to get worked up, Tako wants results, and the two remain at odds (Kani and Ikura are somewhere else during this scene, and Wasabi just watches, in case you were wondering).
Back at the bad guys place, we find that they didn't just knock out the power, they siphoned it to their hideout, so they can keep cool. Speaking of people not being in the scene, where are the other members of the legion? We only see three during this entire episode. Maybe the Titanium Chef took the others out shopping, and Fugu, Unagi, and Toro stayed home and decided to work on an evil plot, and things just snowballed from there. Anyway, Unagi wants to wait for the Sushi Pack to spoil, but Fugu wants to go and make sure that their plan is working, while Toro doesn't do anything but sit in the snow generated by the super-powered A/C. Ah, that's why Kani and Ikura were missing in the previous scene. Parallels.
The Sushi Pack try to keep cool in buckets, and Wasabi, the only one not bothered by the heat (Kani mentions this by saying he's "hot stuff all the time," and he even winks), helps out by fanning them, and that kid that runs the organic bakery they live in (I can't remember his name) shows up with the last bucket of ice in the whole city. Ikura loses it, and Kani flops out. Maguro once again prescribes meditation, but Tako, his ink completely dry, calls for action. The kid recommends seeing things from the other's POV, but they ignore him. Tako and Maguro's fight incites Kani, but we don't get to see her snap before the commercial break.
By now, the Legion's hideout is covered in ice and snow, Fugu is almost frozen, and Toro's a snowman. Unagi seems to be just fine, although he is surrounded by electricity. The Sushi Pack has the opposite problem, and even Maguro has lost her concentration. Wasabi bursts into tears, anticipating the death of his friends, and the kid shows up with a transistor radio. The news reports the cause of the blackout, and the Pack realize that the Legion must be behind it (Kani and Ikura's "too hot" expressions are too cute! I wish I could get screenshots). Tako and Maguro realize that their arguing kept them from figuring this out, and the two make the cutest sheepish faces ever. The kid delivers the Aesop of teamwork (which they have to learn almost every episode, I've noticed) and how that means putting aside your differences. The Pack take one last leap into the ice water, and then call for Wasabi so they can strike a pose before taking off in their plane toward the Legion's hideout, which is glowing in rainbow colors from all the electricity. (One thought: doesn't the plane have air conditioning? Why didn't they just hole out in there? I guess they didn't want to waste gas or something.)
The snow is starting to overtake Fugu, who is certain the Sushi Pack is already fried, and Toro is too frozen to even speak, but Unagi claims to be still powering up and warns Fugu not to push him. Fugu calls this creepy for some reason, sparking another argument, which pushes Toro to unthaw himself and complain about them, effectively joining in. The Sushi Pack watch from above, amused, although Tako and Maguro realize that they weren't being any better earlier. But Kani reaffirms their newly reconciled state, and the group splits up to take action. Whether they actually did this is unclear, because when they make their dramatic reveal, everyone strikes a pose against a shiny background, obscuring where in the layout they actually are.
Fugu and Unagi go after Maguro, who (at Tako's suggestion) levitates out of the way. But then Toro shows up and is defeated simply by Tako throwing ink at him, after Maguro asks him to "paint me a picture." The two engage in slightly flirty banter throughout this whole thing, and then Maguro uses her telekinesis to unthrow the switch, turning off the siphon and restoring power in the city. The bad guys get their second wind, but Kani traps them under a metal pot. They escape, but then Wasabi burns them and Ikura pelts them with slimeballs until they run away, each blaming the other for their failure (except Toro who says it's both Fugu and Unagi's faults). And the Sushi Pack wins the day.
In the plane, Tako and Maguro both compliment each other on their respective powers and how they put aside their differences for the sake of the team. And then Tako turns on some music so they can groove all the way home.

The thing is, I don't really get how they put aside their differences and/or saw things from the other's POV. They basically just did what Tako wanted to do in the first place (take action). I mean, this really wasn't the kind of situation where they were both right. But I admit, I don't really care all that much, as all the Tako/Maguro interaction makes up for it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Okay, that tite picture makes me a SHipper for that couple, and I don't even watch the show. Heck, that pic makes me want to watch the show! XD Maybe I should...

The Zany Bishojo Evalana said...

Definitely give it a shot. It's a cute show, and it has a great voice cast. Plus, this isn't the only episode with Tako/Maguro moments ^_~