Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 310

With surprising victories by both Toramaru and Hidemaro, Otokojuku has gained the first of the Konsen showdowns with Rakanjuku. But Kumada's students still have tricks up their sleeves...and Edajima still has strange choices to run to!

Chp. 310: Reason vs. Guts!!

85.
Momotarou: Physical Strength……!! Marathon…!!
Card: PHYSICAL STRENGTH (Marathon)
Pharaoh: Wh…what---!! The Marathon---!!
Tazawa: Now it’s a match in a marathon---!!
Kumada: Fuffufu, I’ve got you Edajima.
Kumada: Just now there isn’t a chance of winning for you. I’ve got this match---!!

86.
(Sakigake!! Otokojuku Famous Scenes (2))
Daiishin Paaren Seiha Sanshou Rokkyokusei Fight
Date Omito vs. Rasetsu
(TN: I’m still trying to figure out if this really was Date’s best moment. The Rasetsu fight still stings even after all this time since I translated it, though I still did like the earlier finger fight than some of what happened later. [like, you know…manipulating Toramaru like that] But I guess in some ways the whole Paaren Seiha and his fights with Rasetsu and Baron Dino was Date at his most destructive…before he started fighting cross-dressers and females)

87.
Kumada: COME OUT!! KOZASHI HAYAO!!
Hayao: Ossu, Principal.
Tazawa: He’s Rakanjuku’s marathon runner?
Matsuo: What, isn’t that a sickly guy?
Hakuhou: If it’s him, it seems we’ll win this.

88.
Momotarou: Fu, is that so somehow?
Hakuhou: Eh!?
Momotarou: Look closely at his body!! Those shoulder muscles and that bulky chest…and those serow-like legs.
(TN: A “serow” is a goat/antelope-like animal of the gneus Capricornis, made up of six species of Asia, including a species of Japan: the “Capricornis Crispus”, the Japanese serow who lives throughout Honshu island. In Japanese, the serow is known as a “kamoshika”, with the Japanese serow as the “nihon kamoshika”. Some have stated it may be the closest to the ancestors of the Caprinae sub-family, which includes all species of goats)
Momotarou: I’m certain he’s a fair runner.
Hakuhou: Hee—isn’t he so?
Kumada: Fuffu, what’s wrong Edajima: your complexion has changed. Right, do you know of Kozashi!!
Kumada: Right: Kozashi Hayao is a champion player of the National Athletic Meet three consecutive years!! He’s the man who will come to be the all-Japan special-reinforcement player heading towards the next Barcelona Olympics!! In other words he’s a genius runner who should be an anticipated star in the Japanese track world!!
(TN: A couple things:
-The “National Athletic Meet”, also known as “Kokutai” as it is here, is the national sports meet in Japan held every year in a different part of the nation. [for example, the year of this chapter, 1991, had the meet in Ishikawa]. The word has a more politicized meaning as well as in “national identity”, usually in conjunction with the emperor-run aspect of Japan, in particular between the Meiji Restoration to the end of WWII.
-As I mentioned, this chapter was from 1991, which was a year from the 1992 Summer Games of Barcelona, Spain…which shows how far we’ve come considering a chapter from 1986 spoke of the 1988 Seoul Games)

89.
Kumada: Uwahhaha, well Edajima, can’t you bring out your runner!! This isn’t like that sumo match earlier!! Even if you can have the sun rise from the west, you can’t have a miracle happen just this time~~!!
Edajima: Nuuu!!
Togashi: A~~ah, what are those two completely thinking? You can’t be really joking in having a marathon in spite of this f**king heat. They’re doing everything selfishly.
Edajima: Togashi---!! Where are you, Togashi Genji---!! You are Otokojuku’s Marathon representative player---!!
Togashi: Huh!?

90.
Togashi: Kuku: wh…why are they giving their eyes to me…!!
Kumada: The distance is about 30km!! Leave through that gate and return to here once again. The course is demoted in the map in your hands.
(TN: This isn’t quite a regular marathon even if you look by the km distance: if you approximate the general 26.2 miles into kilometers, it comes out to 42.195km; thus a 30km “marathon” would be about 18.6 miles, or about 71% of the regular marathon)

91.
Edajima: Fine then, Togashi!! The marathon is a thing that should be the origin of sports and competes with the utmost limits of the body and mind!! Your opponent is an Olympic candidate, but if you possess your guts, then I’m certain you should win!!
Edajima: If you seem to lag behind, then you will be unforgiven in living and passing through this gate!!
Togashi: O…Osu!!
Kumada: Al—right, so then both players take positions----!!
Student 1: You can do this, Togashi--!!
Student 2: We’re behind you----!!
Togashi: Damn it, they’re desperate coming to this---!!
Kumada: Soryaa, start----!!

92.
Togashi: Uorya---!!
Togashi: Uo---!!
Matsuo: Wi…will he alright, that Togashi?
Tazawa: He flew out with that speed from the start…………!!
Togashi: Get away---!! Get away get away---!! Soryaa---!!

93.
Caption: 3km point.
Togashi: Hehhehe, how’s that rushing start! I went first and got away!! With that I can’t see his shadow or his fo……!!
Togashi: Wh…what---!!
Hayao: Hey.
Togashi: Y…you unawaringly---!!
Hayao: You said you were Togashi-kun. You were nice; flying out like that. It’s still a long away ahead.
Togashi: Sh…shut up! That’s big help---!!

94.
Hayao: Fu, you earlier were told like you could win if you just have guts by your Principal, but he made a mistake. The marathon of the present demands scientific training that is in accordance to normal accurate tactics of an F-1 Race and sports physiology.
Hayao: In general, I really hate the word “guts”. That old mental theory has already come to be old-fashion a long time ago.
Togashi: You’re a slightly-annoying guy with your jibber-jabber. Nothing I can do: This can only be done by me.
(TN: “Jibber-jabber” is just a general word I used for Togashi’s word “berabera”, which is “non-stop talking”)
Hayao: Fufu, so then, can you show me these guts?
Hayao: How about you come along to wherever I go.
Togashi: Uh!!

95.
Caption: 10km point
Hayao: Fufu, you’re quite insistent. But your breathing is consistently disordered and even your legs are getting worn out.
Hayao: Right, here’s where I’ll give one handicap to you. If I think about it, a match of myself, who will be called the star of Barcelona, and you, a complete novice, is an odd tale.
Togashi: A…handicap………!?
Hayao: I’m going to drive a cold ice coffee at that coffee shop. And won’t come out from that shop for 10 minutes. In brief: that’s a handicap.
Togashi: Wh…what’s that!!

96.
Hayao: Well, don’t be reserved, go quickly. At most labor in making distance during this.
Togashi: Heh, do what you want. And don’t have a tearful face about it later---!! Don’t forget the tale of the tortoise and the hare---!!
(TN: Yeah, Togashi does mention the classic Aesop’s Fable about the tortoise and the hare)
Caption: 20km point
Togashi: A…alr—ight. I have less than 10km left. I…I still don’t see him!! I…if I go like this, then it will be a great upset!!
(TN: Togashi really doesn’t state “great upset” but “Daikinboshi”, an expression in sumo when a rank-and-file wrestler defeats a great grand champion)
Togashi: N--!?
Woman: Uuh—
Woman: Aah!!

97.
Togashi: Wh…what’s wrong, grandma!?
Old Woman: My…my chest has suddenly……!! Pl…please, take me to a hospital…!!
Togashi: A…hospital---!! You…you’re telling that to me now---!!
Old Woman: O…ooh…please……
Togashi: Guku!!
Togashi: N…nothing I can do---!! Where is the hospital, grandma!!

98.
Hayao: Thanks for that.
Hayao: We—ll, shall I go with full power? From here I’ll show the true power of the Olympic candidate!!
Voice: Ho…hold on, just a moment you---!!
Togashi: I leave you the rest---!!
Togashi: Da…damn it, that was a serious detour!! Th…this is bad; if I don’t hurry!!

99.
Togashi: Here I go---!! Fr…from here will be the guts of Otokojuku’s Togashi Genji----!!
Tazawa: Those two are late. Wasn’t that Togashi defeated en route?

100.
Student: Ooh, look. Someone is running here---!!
Student: Th…that’s Kozashi---!!
Hayao: Fu, naturally.
Student: N…no, Togashi is immediately coming from behind----!!
Hayao: Huh!?
Student: Th…they’re neck-and-neck---!! It’s a dead heat in front of the goal!! Which is it--!! Which will pass through the gate first---!!

101.
Togashi: Uorya---!!
Student: Ooh, here comes Togashi---!!
Hayao: Y…you---!!
Togashi: Ca…can I lose this---!!
Togashi: Guwa!!
Kumada: In the goal!!

102.
Kumada: Uwahhaha, you’ve done it Kozashi!! With that, I can fully stand for the face of Rakanjuku---!!
Tazawa: To…Togashi……!!
Hakuhou: This…is greatly regrettable. He lost…!!
Edajima: Aren’t you going to say something!?
Togashi: Th…there was nothing I could do…I…I lost…!!
Edajima: You don’t have even a word of excuse? Well, that is fine.

103.
Edajima: You got a phone call now from a person who said they were the son of the old woman you transported to the hospital. He seemed to know you were a student here from your running mark. He was thanking you while crying……you’re the benefactor of his mother’s life…!!
Edajima: Don’t regret this!! You haven’t lost, either the match or as a man!!
Togashi: Pr…Principal……!!
Kumada: Wh…what…the hospital…!! The hospital should be in a place quite separated from the course!! So then, he ran a further distance than you did!!
Hayao: Fufu, is that guts……it seems the guts he spoke about are for real!!
Kumada: Al~~right, we’re going to the next match----!!

TN: Yeah...Otokojuku technically lost this one...I mean, Togashi technically lost this one...yeah, it just feels weird. For once, Togashi actually lost...but it actually showed he's won. As much as it sounds strange, this chapter sort of demonstrates what Togashi has learned and been through in the series just as much as the last one defined Hidemaro's character. He's still a complainer who sort of gets easily on Edajima's ire, but he seems to have gained a lot on his own to add to his already impressive gutsy behavior. Heck, the two keys to the chapter that sort of show his changes include his helping the old woman (remember he did something similar way back in vol. 2 even if that nearly screwed him then)...and just the way he and Edajima confronted each other and he didn't have a bad thing to say back to him for once. He actually accepted his defeat and Edajima accepted his "victory" in helping the woman get to the hospital to save her life. Furthermore, he did all that and nearly caught up to marathoner Hayao from a greater distance in a completely out-of-the-way location even with a handicap! While I usually complain about "handicaps" as seen in a couple chapters ago, the way it was used here sort of allowed for Togashi to not merely get a head start on Hayao, but also go the distance to help the woman and ultimately run back to the course in time for the climactic finish. For once it actually worked in the story's behalf...and in a way turned into a nice climactic conclusion to Togashi's character, showing how little he's changed in his guts...but how much his character has changed from everything he's been through. (even if more of it seems reflective of stuff he did when he was one of the best characters of the series...and not merely side commentary with Toramaru)