Peppermint Samurai (episode)

Peppermint Samurai (ペパーミント侍, Pepaaminto samurai) is the 2nd episode of the Sket Dance anime.

Summary
The Sket Dan has two requests: to help Shinzo, a samurai, regain his focus in a kendo tournament and to help Moe watch her gibbon, Yeti. Can the Sket Dan members get the job done?

Plot
A self-proclaimed samurai shows up at the Sket Dan's clubroom, asking for their assistance in regaining his former kendo prowess before the upcoming finals match. He turns out to be Shinzō, the Kendo Club's current captain, who has been on a losing streak for quite some time. The trio each try a different method of helping Shinzō - Himeko by having him stand under a waterfall, Switch by having him do rigorous training, and Bossun by lending him a pair of goggles to improve his concentration. None of their attempts are successful, however, and Shinzō resigns himself to his fate.

The Sket Dan attend the Kendo Club's match, and come to realize that the reason for Shinzō's sudden lack of skill is the FRISKE mint he eats at the start of the competition. Prior to becoming captain, he had the first match and thus the FRISKE's effects were still active. However, as the captain participates in the final match, the FRISKE has long since worn off by then. Shinzō's match comes, and Bossun pulls off a last-minute tactic: he launches a FRISKE mint into Shinzō's mouth via slingshot. Shinzō wins flawlessly, but passes out shortly after due to the potency of the FRISKE flavor Bossun had used.

Episode 2.5: Ape Escape
Later in the day, the Sket Dan talk with Teppei about how he's doing in the basketball club. After they wish him luck and he leaves, Yabasawa shows up with a request. Since her parents are out of town, she brought her pet monkey Yeti to school with her. However, she has club activities to attend and can't look after him - a task she leaves to the Sket Dan. Yeti turns out to be a mischievous pervert, and his antics lead the resident English teacher Kanegi to stick his nose into the matter, voicing his displeasure at the Sket Dan as a whole. Things take a turn for the worse when Chū-san stops by to ask the Sket Dan to dispose of some explosives he'd concocted. The small sphere containing the explosives is almost immediately stolen by Yeti, who proceeds to lead the Sket Dan trio on a chase throughout the school. Ultimately, they are able to catch him by using Himeko as bait and having Bossun bungee jump off the school roof.

Unfortunately, the explosive sphere seems to have been replaced by a softball while Yeti was cavorting with the girl's softball team. Below, Kanegi mumbles about the team's comments concerning his girly throwing technique and throws a ball to prove them wrong. The ball turns out to have been Chū-san's explosives, which destroy an equipment shed and injure Kanegi in the process.

Gallery
Check out the episode's image gallery!

Cast & Credits

 * Hiroyuki Yoshino: Yūsuke Fujisaki (Bossun)
 * Ryōko Shiraishi: Hime Onizuka (Himeko)
 * Tomokazu Sugita: Kazuyoshi Usui (Switch)
 * Kenta Miyake: Shinzō Takemitsu
 * Megumi Toyoguchi: Moe Yabasawa
 * Daisuke Sakaguchi: Teppei Sugihara
 * Kōichi Sakaguchi: Kanegi
 * Masahito Yabe: Yeti
 * Hiroaki Tajiri: Saki
 * Yukiko Hinata: Kōzō Dōzaka Girl A
 * Yuka Harui: Girl B
 * Naoko Komori: Girl C

Manga and Anime Differences

 * Shinzo does not appear in the manga version of Moe's request.
 * In the manga, Himeko reveals more skin when she attempts to lure Yeti with her sex appeal. Compared to the anime, Himeko wears a cheerleader outfit.
 * The manga does not censor the girls when they are changing.
 * In the anime, Himeko demonstrates how Kanegi throws. Whereas in the anime, she just talks about how he throws like a girl.