Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 304

With the Seven Tusks going on and on with more sacrifices emerging, it may be an actual losing battle for Otokojuku to keep fighting until none of them are left! But...let's put that aside for a moment and visit a certain satellite in space...

Chp. 304: Principal, Return!!

146.
Toudou: WAHHAHA, HAVE YOU REALIZED, EDAJIMA!! NOW YOUR DEAR STUDENTS ARE FIGHTING AS THE OPPONENTS OF THE WARRIORS OF BUGEN CASTLE!!
Toudou: YOU SHOULD KNOW OF THE TERROR OF THOSE MEN!! ALREADY THE MAN CALLED GOBARSKI HAS BEEN VICTIMIZED AND KILLED BY THEM. THERE IS NO REASON THEY CAN WIN FIGHTING THOSE MEN!!
Toudou: NOW THE ANNIHILATION OF OTOKOJUKU IS A MATTER OF TIME!! BUT YOU CAN MERELY HOLD YOUR FINGERS AND ONLY WATCH IN THE VOID OF SPACE!!
Toudou: WAHHAHA, THIS FEELS GREAT, THIS FEELS GREAT!! WAHHAHA!! WAHHAHA!!

147.
5TH OTOKOJUKU CHARACTER POPULARITY POLL ANNNOUNCEMENT!! TOTAL APPLICATIONS: 12315 LETTERS!!

1ST PLACE: TSURUGI MOMOTAROU: 3116 VOTES
2ND PLACE: DATE OMITO: 2754 VOTES
3RD PLACE: HIEN: 1712 VOTES
4TH PLACE: WAN TAAREN: 880 VOTES
5TH PLACE: TOGASHI GENJI: 664 VOTES
6TH PLACE HAKUHOU: 420 VOTES
7TH PLACE: SOU REIGEN: 316 VOTES
8TH PLACE: J: 247 VOTES
9TH PLACE: TOUDOU GOUKI: 184 VOTES
10TH PLACE: SOUKETSU: 164 VOTES
15TH PLACE: TORAMARU RYUUJI: 121 VOTES
Toramaru: I’m miserable……

(The Rest: 11th: Gekkou: 151 Votes; 12th: Tougou Souji: 146 Votes; 13th: Akashi Gouji: 137 Votes; 14th: Edajima Heihachi: 126 Votes)

(TN: This is the last popularity poll for Otokojuku…and somehow it just feels once again like it sort of reflective of the entire arc we’ve just been through and who has been prominent and fighting and such. Somehow the votes for Wan Taaren, Hakuhou and Togashi [yes, Togashi] have mostly been based around what was happening in the story around the time of the poll than any sort of real popularity…though it could have something to do with why Togashi came back. Probably the only real surprise is Sou Reigen, who only really had the one fight but probably had a bit of the Hien bishonen factor to get that high. Likewise, I’m sort of a tad shocked Akashi was only 13th even losing to Tougou with what he’s just been through…but hey, Akashi went out like a champ regardless of where he placed)

148.
Edajima: Nuu, Toudou~~!! Do…you think I’m a man who will end like this~~~!!
Edajima: !!
Edajima: N~~~!!

149.
Astronaut 1: We’re another 1000 km to Earth; we have 15 minutes left of time.
Astronaut 2: The shuttle will soon be breaking into the atmosphere. Everyone to the first landing system!!
Black Astronaut: This was a long mission, captain.
Captain: Yeah, but we’re finally returning to Earth like this.
Astronaut: Ca…Captain, th…that’s!!
Captain: What’s wrong!?
Astronaut: I’ve discovered an unidentified object 60 degrees starboard. It seems to be a man-made satellite.
Captain: What---!! That’s…stupid. There isn’t a reason that it’s a ship from our country of course or the Soviets in this area!!
(TN: Weirdly the expression used by the American captain is “Wa ga Kuni” which translates into “Our country”, but that usually is only used as an alternate name for “Japan”)

150.
Astronaut: Ooh, l…look---!! So…some face is emerging from the window---!!
Astronaut: Zoom in more with the camera!!
Astronaut: I…don’t believe it; that’s…a living thing………!!
Captain: So…somehow it’s turning to us and yelling!!
Captain: That bizarre expression………that’s not an Earthling, th…that’s surely an unknown creature from space………!!

151.
Captain: It…seems like quite an atrocious creature; be on lookout!! We’ll…go just a bit closer and look at its state!!
Edajima: Hey~~!! Those NASA idiots!! Didn’t they understand I was saying I have to be freed from here---!!
Edajima: Nuuu, I have no choice!! Its sink-or-swim; if that’s their distance, then it’s come to this somehow!!
Edajima: URYA----!!

152.
Astronauts: Wh…what---!! It’s broken through the fuselage and is flying out----!!

153.
Astronauts: Uoo, it’s coming towards this way---!! I…I don’t believe it: it’s swimming completely naked in this airless void of space----!!
Black Astronaut: I…I’m certain: that is correctly an alien!!
Captain: Ge…Gentlemen, we will have our names left in the history of Earth…no, the universe!!
Astronaut: Ca…Captain, this isn’t the situation to say that!! It’s arrived on our craft---!!
Astronaut: It…it’s wrenching open the hatch----!!
Captain: Wh…what---!!

154.
Edajima: DORYAA----!!
Astronauts: It’s…destroyed the hatch---!! It’s…coming in---!!
Astronauts: O…our air is le…leaking out!!

155.
Edajima: I AM THE PRINCIPAL OF OTOKOJUKU, EDAJIMA HEIHACHI!!
Edajima: Well, if I don’t close this quickly, the air will leak out.
Astronaut 1: It....it talks………
Astronaut 2: The…alien spoke Earth language…………!!

156.
Edajima: You fool!! I’m not an alien!! I am the Earthling Principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi!!
Edajima: Are you the captain of this shuttle!?
Edajima: I’ll tell you the details later. We have to run this to Earth.
Captain: N…no. Y…you can’t ride on this.
Edajima Well---!? What’s that!? Do you plan on refusing embarkment!!
Captain: It…it’s impossible. Th…this shuttle is completely controlled from computer for a constant crew. Even if we increase by one, our fuel and air will become insufficient and it will be impossible to return to Earth.
(TN: The script here uses an expression of “Nenryou”, which typically is “fuel” but we have the “ryou” for volume being used as opposed to the “ryou” for “materials”.)

157.
Edajima: Fu—that’s right. In that case, someone will be left as baggage.
(TN: “Left as baggage” is a tough one for me to translate but is based mostly on the first part of “Hoppori”, which is “leaving baggage behind”, followed in the end by the “dasu” of “to leave”)
Edajima: Wahhaha, that was a joke. There’s nothing we can do: I’ll follow you from outside.
Astronaut: F…f…from outside……!?
Edajima: This is a spare suit. I’ll borrow this!!
Edajima: That and five or six oxygen cylinders!! Incidentally, I’ll also have the thick, long and solid special alloy chains that are prided by NASA.
Captain: ………………!?

158.-159.
Edajima: AL—RIGHT, ADVANCE ON DEPARTURE----!!
Black Astronaut: Th…this is a nightmare…!!
Captain: Ri...right: a disorder was induced in our brains from a mysterious phenomenon of space and we’re seeing a bad dream.

160.
Black Astronaut: Ca…Captain, is he still alive!?
Captain: I…I don’t know from here.
Captain: But we’ll be entering the atmosphere in another minute. The temperature at that moment is over 500 degrees. E…even if he’s wearing a heat-resistant protective outfit that has mastered the essence of science, it won’t be useful whatsoever!!
Captain: But what is this: that guy has a tenaciousness in returning to Earth that’s just tremendous.

161.
Edajima: FUFU, WAIT FOR ME, AL OF YOU!! I DON’T HAVE A REASON TO HAVE YOUR YOUNG LIVES SCATTER ANY FURTHER DUE TO ME!!
Edajima: IF YOU CLEAR YOUR MIND OF ALL MUNDANE THOUGHTS, THEN EVEN FIRE WILL FEEL COOL---!!
(TN: Edajima’s words here are an expression that literally in Japanese is “Shintou mekkyaku sureba hi mo mata suzushi”, an expression about “surpassing self to make things better” originally stated by Kaisen Joki, a Buddhist priest who stated this as he was burned to death by followers of Oda Nobunaga and the Tokugawa, who believed they were allies with Takeda Shingen)

162.
(The ship has landed…but Edajima…)

163.
Black Astronaut: He’s…not here, Captain. He…his body can’t be found anywhere!!
Captain: Fu, that’s natural, be…because that was all a hallucination.
Astronaut: The rescue team should be coming real soon. Earth air is delicious after all.
Black Astronaut: Ca…Captain, th…that’s~~!!
Captain: N~~!?

164.
Edajima: Wahhaha, I’m much obliged, Gentlemen Yankees!!
Edajima: Soryaa---!! Run off aiming for Japan----!! I am the Principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi!!
Captain: Th…that was an…an alien after all…!!

TN: So...um...does anyone really need an explanation for what just happened? In one chapter, Miyashita has essentially underminded and destroyed the entire concept of the Seven Tusks and the purpose for why it was needed...and yet it was probably the funniest, greatest and most "Otokojuku"-like chapter in a long, long time! And all he did was force a bizarre encounter between NASA and Edajima. Yeah...there really is nothing of logic that can be said about this chapter but it was probably the most awesome, funniest and insane thing I have seen in this series in a long, long, long time. I mean the whole thing, from Edajima spying the space shuttle to him seizing a killer whale and the whole concept of the Americans thinking he was some weird alien when he was just trying to hitch a ride back to Earth in the most unbelievable but hilarious way possible makes me recall the early days of the series when this sort of humor was standard...as opposed to "cool fights with funny elements" in them...more like "funny stuff with some cool moments here or there". I do sort of wonder if this is either a means to shorten the arc a bit or Miyashita rebelling and deciding to do things his way if he knew it had come to this. But...I think I rather have Edajima the "alien" over...well, some of the over the top and stupid fights this arc has given. But if you think this is bizarre...well, wait until next time.