Nervous & Genesis

Nervous & Genesis (ナーバス＆ジェネシス, Naabasu & geneshisu) is the 8th episode of the Sket Dance anime.

Summary
When Momoka decides to go to a seiyū audition, she comes to the Sket Dan to ask Switch about anime. What follows is a look into some unusual magical girl anime and Momoka ultimately ending up as the voice of the new heroine Liberty Maji. Then, Yamanobe-sensei shows up, begging the Sket Dan to learn the game Genesis so the Student Council will allow him to form a club for it at school. The trio agree, but soon discover why the game has so few players... and just how ridiculous it really is.

Plot
Momoka informs the Sket team that she's been asked to audition as a voice actress for an anime, much to their surprise. She explains that during a puppet show in preschool, the teacher loved her voice so much that she told her brother who made the anime and had asked her to try voicing as one of his characters. Although she wanted to turn down his request, she couldn't resist after seeing the happy faces of all the children who watched the show. After Bossun and Hime's dramatic support for her, she tells them that she came in hopes that they would teach her a thing or two about what anime is. She then turns to Switch and comments that he must know a lot about it, causing the boy to react in a creepy yet ecstatic way. He tells her that learning about it is long and difficult to which Momoka says that she'll accept any challenge.

Upon learning who the director was, Switch informs her that the series is most likely "Nervous" which is aimed at young girls and "adult" friends. He then offers her his DVD box set of the anime which includes interviews with the voice actors. However, he continues, it won't be enough and decides to have her practice ADR. As they watch the opening, Hime and Bossun demand they skip to the scenes with dialogue because the opening song was making them nervous but Switch remarks that its crucial, adding that it makes it feel like the show has started. Switch then fast forwards to a famous scene which receives an angered reaction from Hime and Bossun who ask how can an anime that talks about marriage be aimed at young girls to which Switch says that its popularity comes from its drama prompting Hime to comment that that's what soap operas are for.

Bossun tells him to go to another scene seeing as how Momoka didn't feel comfortable reciting its nervous lines. But the next scene, which talks about the state of mind of a pregnant character, made the anime seem more inappropriate for young audiences. After Hime and Bossun complained about its content and the names given to its characters, Switch decides to change the anime to one that is aimed at children. However, it too received harsh criticism from his team. In an attempt to compromise with them, Switch proposes Momoka recite a catchphrase from the show. As they watch the character deliver her famous lines in a scary manner, Momoka prepares to do likewise, but as she does, a dark aura forms around her causing the others to shiver in fear. As she fails to say her lines properly, her aura grows larger and more sinister, prompting the gang to tell her to bring it down a notch.

At the studio, Momoka recites her lines for the anime when the director comes from behind and wraps his hands on her stomach, telling her that she needs to project more. As she was getting extremely angry at his perverted intentions, Momoka begins to recall Hime's advice about not losing her temper. However, as the director starts to make his move, she threatens to pummel him with a vicious expression causing him to apologize repeatedly. He then announces that he had found a voice actress for the heroine of his newest series. The next day, the Sket Dan become shocked when they learn of Momoka's new role.

Yamanobe asks the Sket Dan to help him create a Genesis Club to spread knowledge of his game after the Student Council (mostly Tsubaki) refused to grant him permission to do so on the condition that he find three members and demonstrate how its played. With that, the team agrees to help him. Outside on the gym grounds, Yamanobe explains to them that the purpose of wearing flippers is to restrict movement of one's lower body which must be conquered in order to master the game. Next, he emphasizes the importance of the Morning Star which is the net used to catch the volleyball. Finally, he teaches them the "sacred" dance performed before each match, which infuriates the Sket Dan team for its ridiculous moves.

Practice starts with Yamanobe, the Attacker, throwing the ball towards Bossun, the Defensist, however the latter dodges the ball twice, causing Yamanobe to yell at the boy in anger, asking why he didn't do anything. Not understanding the point of the game, Yamanobe tells him that he's holding a net which is used to catch the ball or not catch it, to which Hime remarks that that makes no sense. With Switch's turn next, he manages to catch the ball with the Morning Star, earning him one point. Yamanobe clarifies that if they catch the ball with the tail of the net touching the ground, they score one point, and if its not, they score two points. He then goes into explaining the point system whereby its counted by 7's (think tennis) and starts to randomly name each score (7, 14, 21, etc.), with the final one called "Geneva". Yamanobe states that one game is played until Geneva and that when one player wins two games, they'll become the victor. After going through the rules, the Sket Dan begin the game, with Hime first up against Bossun.

One week later, the team seems to be getting the hang of the game with Tsubaki looking on and commenting that they seem to be playing a reasonable sport. He then permits the formation of Genesis Club but asks Yamanobe what he intends to do about club members to which he says that they can do both clubs, receiving a harsh refusal from Tsubaki who states that the general rule does not permit students to participate multiple clubs. If, he says, they join his club, then Sket Dan would have to be disbanded. Hence, if that's not what they want, then he will have to look for new members. The Sket Dan and Yamanobe are then seen advertising for the club, looking for new recruits as they perform the Genesis dance.

Gallery
Check out the episode's image gallery!

Cast & Credits

 * Hiroyuki Yoshino: Yūsuke "Bossun" Fujisaki
 * Ryōko Shiraishi: Hime "Himeko" Onizuka
 * Tomokazu Sugita: Kazuyoshi "Switch" Usui
 * Nobuyuki Hiyama: Kunio Yamanobe
 * Marina Inoue: Momoka Kibitsu
 * Makiko Nabei: Suemasu
 * Hiro Shimono: Sasuke Tsubaki