Volume Six "Bedside Manners"
Episodes 62-69 and Desert Island Special


Episode 62
Part One: Well, Well, Well
First published September 15, 1983
Episode 63
Part Two: Prune-Faced Cupid
First published September 30, 1983

There is a weird (and confusing) mistranslation on the third page of this episode, when Godai's grandma hangs up saying "what a frightening daugther I raised", which of course does not make sense, since we know since Episode 6 that she is Yusaku's paternal grandmother (her name is Godai, right?). In fact, in the original what she says is "kowai yomera". "kowai" means dreadful or scary, "yome" means daughter-in-law, and "-ra" is a plural suffix. "dreadful daughters-in-law", or "daughters-in-law are dreadful"

This episode has quite a few cameos of Takahashi's most famous character, "Lum", at the toy store (and probably other famous anime characters as well).


Episode 64
Part Three: Farewell on Platform 18
First published October 15, 1983
Episode 65
Part Four: Mr. Ichinose Gets Laid Off
First published October 30, 1983

First appearance of Mr. Ichinose.


Episode 66
Part Five: Run, Ichinose, Run!
First published November 15, 1983
Episode 67
Part Six: Falling for You
First published November 30, 1983
Episode 68
Part Seven: No Visitors, Please!
First published December 15, 1983

First appearance of Godai's cousin Akira.

Everyone (except Godai of course) is surprised as Akira turns out to be a girl. In Japan, Akira may be used as a name for a girl, but it is not common to do so. (This note contributed by Peter Van Huffel. Re-reading the story I don't see evidence that the other characters knew Akira's name ahead of time or expected her to be a man; the surprise at seeing that Akira is a girl seems to have been intended for the reader.)


Episode 69
Part Eight: Mission Impossible: The Party Cracker Caper
First published December 30, 1983
"Desert Island Special"
The Lost Episode: Yusaku's Island
First published August 20, 1983

This episode did not originally appear in a regular issue of "Big Comics Spirits", but in a special Summer issue. Hence it is not sequentially numbered like the others. By date of publication it would fall in between episodes 60 and 61 (see previous volume), but it clearly does not belong there. Indeed, it is not clear whether it "belongs" anywhere at all, but it probably can be read best right after episode 61; although the absence of Godai's grandmother is hard to reconcile with the regular continuity, and the story itself is so "far out", I personally prefer to think of it as an imaginary, "fantasy" story.


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