Magi 20
Spoiler
<br>Hakuryuu asks Sinbad to help with his problem concerning the Kou Empire but the Sindrian King reminds the Kou Prince to learn more about the world before considering what he has proposed in fighting his homeland. Sinbad tells Hakuryuu to meet with someone whose country is now part of the Kou Empire - Alibaba of Balbadd.<br><br>Training continues for Aladdin and Alibaba in their respective studies. The duo meets with Morgiana who has received her metal vessel in the form of crafted shackes with chains. However, they don’t work well as anklets and she wonders how to use them, though Alibaba and Aladdin make it a point that Morgiana has been helpful in her efforts based on their past experiences with her. Hakuryuu and Kougyoku meet with Alibaba and the others and while Aladdin and Kougyoku have somewhat made up, Alibaba’s encounter with Hakuryuu isn’t as enjoyable as a voice is heard in his head/thoughts (stemming from his feelings for what the Kou Empire has done to Balbadd) and corresponding to the wound on his arm, which finally comes to light causing him some pain and suffering and resulting in an episode that reveals Alibaba’s affliction. As Alibaba is being tended to, the Arms Dealer makes his entrance via the mark on Alibaba’s arm and he confronts Sinbad, who attacks him. However, blood from the Arms Dealer manages to hit Sinbad in the process and the Arms Dealer goes on to say that it’s a curse or sorts that affects the marked into changing their rukh to that of darkness should the curse fully take hold before disappearing. Later, Sinbad proposes that they look for a cure in the dungeon of Zagan, which lies in the Toran Islands to the south of Sindria. Hakuryuu asks to accompany Alibaba’s group as it will be a journey of his own into a dungeon that is without influence from the Kou Empire, who had their dungeon clearers aided by the Magi, Judal.<br><br>The group leaves by ship and Alibaba receives some advice from Sinbad regarding his affliction - mainly regarding the negative thoughts that come into his head when he talks with Hakuryuu. Sinbad tells Alibaba that it’s a test of sorts that he will have to overcome in order to prevail in the end. Sometime after they leave, Jafar mentions that Sinbad could’ve easily avoided being cursed, but the Sindrian King says that his current condition serves to motivate Alibaba and the others into action, while keeping them out of the way and safe with the dungeon quest and out of the reaches of the organization Al-Thamen. While at sea, a large monster seahorse appears to threaten the boat and it’s passengers, but Pisti (one of Sinbad’s generals) sends it away and showcases her ability to communicate with animals.<br><br>When the group arrives in Toran and disembarks, a young girl comes up to them and asks if she can come along with them to the dungeon to find her missing parents. Apparently, the Zagan dungeon is a site where many people have disappeared. Alibaba tells her that she can’t come along but Hakuryuu says that he will do something on the girl’s behalf regarding the search for her parents. The group travels by canoe to Zagan and on the way there, Morgiana apparently tells the others that she will use her metal vessel as bracelets that seem to be more fitting to her. Suddenly, the Zagan dungeon engulfs the group and brings/transports them inside it’s walls.<br>
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Minami ke Tadaima 08
Spoiler
<br><ul><li>Hosaka imagines himself cooking for Haruka and her sisters. He plans to showcase his skills with a barbecue and goes to invite Haruka’s friends, Maki and Atsuko, but it turns out they have other plans, including Natsuki for some reason. Hosaka realizes that he isn’t ready and insists on perfecting the craft on his own before he does it for Haruka. Meanwhile, Hayami ends up eating another lunch that Hosaka has prepared to give to Haruka.</li><li>On the day of the barbecue, with Natsuki being the grill master, Chiaki is forced to eat veggies before she can eat meat. Things go well, much to the chagrin of Haruka and Kana.</li><li>A new trend of a ‘veggie eating’ craze soon sweeps through the school, via a TV program aimed at kids. Chiaki ends up becoming brainwashed and she begins to enjoy and crave veggies, much to the surprise of Kana. Hayami endures the change in attitudes when Hosaka tries to get her to eat veggie sticks for lunch as other students (Maki, Atsuko, Natsuki, and Hitomi) have succumbed to the new trend.</li><li>At a supermarket in the vegetable section, Chiaki and Hosaka are picking out some goods/produce. The duo express their love of veggies via song. However, after eating a sampling of sausage, Chiaki and Hosaka return to normal, having broken free of the veggie craze.<br></li><li>Chiaki returns home with some sausage for dinner but to her shock she finds that Haruka has become entranced by the veggie craze.</li></ul>
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Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman 08
Spoiler
<br>Roman is down-on-his-luck and spends his time just drifting around and being drunk One night, after a run-in with some thugs for skipping out on his bar tab. Seibei bring Roman back to his home, where he apparently is a caretaker for many children who are parent-less. One of the children, named Akane, tends to Roman at the request of Seibei.<br><br>Back in the city, Koharu continues to wonder where her brother is. One day, Magoichi stops by the shop with a request for Roman but Koharu tells him that her brother isn’t in. Koharu invites Magoichi to stay for lunch and he obliges. Later, when Magoichi is about to leave, Koharu notices that his coat is damaged and she offers to fix it. As Koharu is busy prepping needle and thread, Magoichi takes notice of the box where Koharu keeps her sewing supplies. On a rainy day when Koharu is off searching for Roman, Magoichi stops by the shop and checks out the box, which happens to be a ‘trick’ box with a hidden compartment. Inside the box, he finds what he has been searching for - the pair of chopsticks with the family crest.<br><br>Roman continues to recover at Seibei’s place under Akane’s care, though he remains silent and doesn’t eat any meals. In one particular encounter while bringing Roman food, Akane shares with him a story about how her mother had tended to her, but Roman surprises her with an outburst that scares her. Seibei hears the commotion and later confronts Roman about it, saying that what the Helper is now isn’t what his father, Jirokichi, had envisioned.<br><br>On a cloudy day, Akane is out with some other children gathering edible plants for supper when Akane has a bit of an accident and ends up in the water at the bottom of a cliff. The other children return home to get help and ask Roman to help but he says that he can’t do anything in his condition, which causes the children to take matters into their own hands. An elderly man passing by says that everyone has to get to high ground because of possible river overflow due to incoming rain. The other children return to where Akane is but are unable to act. Roman appears afterwards and the children beg him to do something and finally the Helper acts. After he makes his way down the cliff into the water, Roman reaches out with an outstretched hand toward Akane, but thought/words from Okuni and his father echo in his head, causing hesitation. The river upstream begins to surge with a wave heading downstream and Roman acts to save Akane. Later, Roman climbs up to the top of the cliff with Akane in tow. Akane reveals why she had fallen into the river gulch - she had seen a flower and had picked it to give to Roman in order to cheer him up. The kindness showed to Roman from Akane causes the Helper to break down and ask what he can do to repay her for tending to him. Akane asks for the Helper’s name and Roman obliges finally snapping out of the funk that he was in. With Roman back to his former self, he thanks Seibei and Akane for all that they have done for him and he begins the journey back home and remembering why he became a Helper.<br><br>Back in town, Magoichi presents to his boss the chopsticks he found that have a family crest on them. It appears they aren’t alone however because Kanade interrupts their meeting with a surprise appearance.<br>
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