Switch Off (episode)

Switch Off (スイッチ・オフ, Suichi ofu) is the 25th episode of the Sket Dance anime.

Summary
After Masafumi and Sawa shop for a security alarm device, Kazuyoshi tracks and catches Sawa's stalker who tells him a startling truth about Sawa's friend Yukino...

Plot
Sawa asks Kazuyoshi and Masafumi what she would she do after showing them the letter. Masafumi states that the police won't do anything and suggests that Sawa take up self-defense. He says that Sawa should always walk home safe. Then, Kazuyoshi brings up that a crime prevention goods store had recently opened up. When Sawa mentions a stun gun, Masafumi states that it only immobilizes the person for a few minutes. He suggests bringing an alarm. Kazuyoshi tells Masafumi to go with Sawa when he notice that Masafumi could protect Sawa better than him. Sawa and Masafumi are confused at Kazuyoshi. When Kazuyoshi tells Sawa not to call him "An-chan" (big brother), Sawa leaves the room with a sad look. Masafumi remarks that he is disappointed in him and glances over at their photo from the summer festival.

Alone in the room, Kazuyoshi recalls Sawa choosing him as a future husband during their childhood. Then, he remembers Sawa playfully states that she would marry Masafumi. When Sawa's cell phone rings, Kazuyoshi notices Yukino waiting outside of his house. Yukino informs Kazuyoshi about the stalker. She explains that the stalker, Shinji Mikami, had injured a classmate with a knife back in middle school. Meanwhile, Sawa and Masafumi are lost. Kazuyoshi calls and warns Sawa and Masafumi, and he tells Yukino that Sawa and Masafumi are going out. Inside the store, Masafumi reminds Sawa about the time they got lost in the summer festival and that Kazuyoshi had found both of them. Masafumi says that Kazuyoshi is still their big brother and tells Sawa to disregard what Kazuyoshi said earlier. In front of the Usui residence, Yukino points to Shinji who was lurking around the corner. While Kazuyoshi chases Shinji down, Yukino runs away from the scene. Kazuyoshi finds no knife on Shinji and demands Shinji to explain himself. Shinji corrects Kazuyoshi and explains that he used to go out with Yukino. He says that he broke up with Yukino shortly after their middle school graduation. Shinji states that he told Yukino that he liked Sawa. As a result, Yukino has been by Sawa's side and prevent Shinji from reaching her. He states that he was here to warn Sawa about Yukino.

Meanwhile, Yukino spots Sawa and Masafumi in town, and as she talks about how Shinji had dumped her and that she has nothing, she pulls out a knife. In the last moment, Masafumi shields Sawa with his body before Yukino thrusts the knife into Masafumi's back. As it rains, Kazuyoshi rushes to the scene where he finds the ambulance leaving and Sawa crying. During the interrogation, Kazuyoshi hears that the report about how Yukino mistakenly thought Masafumi was Sawa's boyfriend. Upon recalling what he told Yukino, Kazuyoshi yells out and blames himself for getting Masafumi killed. After the funeral, Kazuyoshi loses his sense of identity. His mother is shocked at Kazuyoshi assuming Masafumi's persona. In front of Sawa's home, Sawa asks Kazuyoshi why is he punishing himself. She tells him that she is not strong like Kazuyoshi. While Sawa cries, Kazuyoshi confesses that he loved her. Sawa tells Switch that she loved him, too before leaving him. As the days go on, Kazuyoshi's heart begins to ache. He finally shed tears over Masafumi's death that night and recalls Sawa's promise. While Kazuyoshi does a bit of programing, he combines Masafumi and his voice together to produce Switch's "voice."

Gallery
Check out the episode's image gallery!

Cast & Credits

 * Tomokazu Sugita: Kazuyoshi Usui (Switch)
 * Yumi Hara: Sawa Yamauchi
 * Tetsuya Kakihara: Masafumi Usui
 * Mayuki Makiguchi: Yukino Hirai
 * Hiroshi Okamoto: Shinji Mikami
 * Hiroyuki Yoshino: Yūsuke Fujisaki (Bossun)
 * Ryōko Shiraishi: Hime Onizuka (Himeko)
 * Marina Inoue: Momoka Kibitsu
 * Kenta Miyake: Shinzō Takemitsu
 * Tatsuhisa Suzuki: Shinpei Takemitsu

Manga and Anime Differences

 * Anime Only Scenes:
 * Kazuyoshi hearing Sawa’s cellphone go off after Sawa and Masafumi have gone shopping together.
 * Sawa and Masafumi getting lost during a fireworks festival. In the manga, this did not occur, but a conversation from it is used while altered to fit the scene - Sawa stating that the man she likes does not know (referring to Kazuyoshi).
 * The police scene is more expanded, and there is a scene of Kazuyoshi having a nervous breakdown.
 * The scene in which Kazuyoshi combines his voice and Masafumi's voice to create the traditional Switch voice.
 * Time Differences: The scenes where Kazuyoshi goes to school after taking on his little brother’s appearance and persona are a bit different in that it has Switch's change spanning several days rather than months.
 * In the manga the hand that reaches out to Switch is ambiguous, but it is presumed to be Bossun’s hand. In the anime, the hand is revealed to be Bossun’s during the ending clips after the credits.
 * In the manga Yukino threatens them then attacks while Masafumi yells to Sawa to get away, but in the anime Yukino just attacks without warning. Masafumi takes the knife and gets stabbed in the back instead of the front of his body and Kazuyoshi arrives just as Masafumi falls.
 * In the manga, when Kazuyoshi arrived, he found his brother being taken into the ambulance, the police calming Sawa, and Yukino getting arrested. In the anime, when the ambulance takes Masafumi’s body, Kazuyoshi attempts to get to Masafumi’s side, but he is stopped by the police.