Running Home Run (Revised)

Running Home Run (Revised) (ランニングホームラン(改), Ranningu hōmuran (aratame)) is the 22nd episode of the Sket Dance anime.

Summary
The principal adores his grandson very much and asks the Sket Dan to prepare a picture play to entertain him. They decide to base the story off of Momotarō, but change things up from the usual... Afterwards, he asks them to play with his grandson for an afternoon, but the kid doesn't seem interested in having fun at all.

Plot
Although the principal jokes about how Sket Dan did not win Kaimei rock festival, the principal asks Bossun and Hime to make a picture play to see his grandson's smiling face. Hime and Bossun think the principal will reward them by boosting their budget. Switch thinks they should use Momotaro as their base. He starts telling the story when the Sket Dan rides a purple dragon. The story telling stops when Bossun says, "Once upon a time." Switch rejects it because it interupts the flow and his explanation wows his friends, but it does not make any sense.

Bossun changes the setting to a futuristic world where a robot and a grandma appears. Switch proposes that they add a moe character who has pink hair and cat ears, Obaa Nyaa. As Bossun talks about having the robot hunt rabbits, Hime forces Bossun to change the story. Bossun resumes telling Obaa Nyaa receiving a delivery. However, Switch intervenes and add a character named Kawasumi who is Obaa Nyaa's friend and the two characters are surrounded by cherry blossoms. Yet, Switch scraps the idea; Bossun resumes his crazy story telling. The peach has a a baby inside. Though the story changes drastically to having the baby grow up to a strong woman. The reason is that Kawakami is cursed and turns into a peach. When Kawakami heads to Oni Island, she bids farewell to Obaa Nyaa. Obaa Nyaa cries as Kawakami tells her not to act like her mother. Hime gets angry, and she heads to take out the trash when Switch reminds her. While Hime is gone, Bossun and Switch finishes the story at her request.

The story shifts to Oni islands where Kawakami has her servants (Bob and a robot) attack the cute Onis. Hime begs the story to end. A scene of Kawakami sunbathing while her servants destroy the island. Switch and Bossun tries to justify the story, but Hime hits Bossun and Switch. The following day, Hime and Bossun reveals their story board up to Kawakumi getting cursed into a melon and Obaa Nyaa sets the melon adrift in a river, but the principal rejects their idea. Part 2

Hime hits Bossun with a bench because she accuses Bossun for breaking the Pelolin mug. Hime says that the bench is creaky and old and that if Bossun did not dodge it, it would not have been broken. She tells them that they can buy a sofa when they get a new budget. Switch reminds them about the principal calling them. At the principal's office, the principal wants Sket Dan to play with his grandson, Yoshihiko. Hime asks the principal if she can smack him because Yoshihiko's look is making HIme mad. Sket Dan declines principal's request because Yoshihiko does not look like he wants to play. The principal begs them to make Yoshihiko to smile since Yoshihiko never smile much. He leaves them to watch Yoshihiko until 5 PM.

Hime offers Yoshihiko a Pelipop candy after patting him on the head. When Yoshihiko rejects the offer because his father tells him to not accept candy from strangers, Hime gets angry and restrains herself. Hime get angry again after asking Yoshihiko twice, and she ties her hands with rope. Switch offers Yoshihiko to play a computer game, True Heart Graffiti. Yet, Hime and Bossun thinks Switch's game is naughty. However, Yoshihiko replies that he has beaten the game already and explains how easy it is. Switch gets offended until Hime strikes Switch down. Bossun asks Yoshihiko to play baseball with him, but Yoshihiko refuses because his father forbid him to play outside. Yoshihiko explains that he has to choose the right friends and that playing outside will dirty his clothes. Also, he tells Sket Dan that he will tell his father that Sket Dan did their promise while he reads his book.

Despite what Yoshiko says, the Sket Dan members does not listen to him and begins to get rowdy. Bossun pitches to Yoshihiko who hits the ball on his second try. Bossun urges Yoshihiko to run around the bases while Switch finds the ball and throws. Somehow, Switch hits Bossun at the back of his head while Yoshihiko scores a home run. Afterwards, Yoshihiko and Sket Dan rest on the benches. Bossun hits Yoshihiko's head, and after he entices Yoshihiko by calling him a brat, the Sket Dan members and him play tag.

As the day is ending, the principal is shocked when he sees Yoshihiko all bruised up and dirty. Although Switch gives an insane reason, Yoshihiko explains that he did not have fun, but he score a home run with a smile. The principal has his request answered at last. The following day, the Sket Dan members receive a sofa, and Yoshihiko's note states that they had extras. Bossun thanks Yoshihiko.

Gallery
Check out the episode's image gallery!

Cast & Credits

 * Hiroyuki Yoshino: Bossun
 * Ryōko Shiraishi: Himeko
 * Tomokazu Sugita: Switch
 * Emiri Katō: Yoshihiko
 * Kenichi Ogata: Genzaburō Karamatsu
 * Sayuri Yahagi: Kawakami
 * ?: Obaanyan
 * ?: OG-3

Manga & Anime Differences

 * The anime adds a new twist to the story where Kawakami is a space warrior. This is not in the manga.
 * During the home run part, Hime hits Bossun with a baseball in the manga. Compared to the anime, the scene does not occur.