Summary:
Well, Harumi (aka the doujinshi drawer/otaku) is finishing up her doujin that she is planning on selling at the comic festival the next day. She finishes and runs over to the store to get her doujin copied, however along the way, she runs into Itoshiki-sensei. She gets embarressed because he saw her doujin, but he reveals that he writes doujin also. He is talking about a different kind of doujin, where it is just novel writing, but Harumi misunderstands and thinks that he is one of her fellow otaku. Harumi invites Sensei to the comic festival the next day and he agrees.

At the festival, Itoshiki-sensei and Matoi (who is stalking him) are both taken pictures of because everyone thinks that they are cosplaying. Sensei ends up not selling any of his books, until Kafka shows up and decides to buy one. Sensei hugs her (exactly like in Doujin Work: Najimi and Toshi). Matoi, who sees this, decides to buy all of Sensei’s books… but she doesn’t get any love.

Chiri is also at the festival, and after reading Harumi’s doujin, Chiri tells her to redo each one to better suit Chiri’s tastes. After the festival is over, Chiri and Harumi walk home together and along the way, they see Kafka crying. They ask her what’s wrong, and Kafka asks Harumi to take her to Manga Koushien (which is like a competition or something… I thought it was only for baseball… but I think there’s others).

Well, the some girls in the class gather at school to work on manga for the Manga Koushien. The subject of Ki Shou Ten Ketsu comes up… which is a standard 4 part story in poetry: introduction, development, turn, and conclusion. So I guess they turn it into a 4 panel manga (aka yonkoma, 4koma, Azumanga Daioh, etc). Well Sensei appears, and he says that there’s supposed to be a fifth plot sequence after conclusion, and it’s darkness (闇).

One of Sensei’s 5-koma examples…

Later, everyone goes to the local summer festival, and enjoy the attractions that summer festivals have: shaved ice, colored chicks (Blue Hawaii flavored chick ftw!), buying pinwheels, making fun of the gaijin’s kimono, and candied apples. Many laughs here. However, the mood is changed by Itoshiki-sensei who calls attention to the giant celebration mikoshi parades people have. He says that those people use small insignificant things to celebrate about, and it turns into a big thing. His point is proven by the mikoshi celebrations he shows them:
1. a beautiful woman celebration when the lady is not that pretty
2. celebrating for a couple of interesting people
3. celebrating for a few people that have charisma
4. some sports guys
5. some cute animals
6. a book’s good sales
7. a child prodigy who memorized pi (3.141592796onetwothreewhocares).
8. a large family
9. an old house? I’m not sure on this one…
10. a tree
11. they see a child tap a soccer ball with his foot and they say he’s a soccer genius
12. Matoi because she’s a stalker
13. Kiri because she’s a hikkikomori (and ridiculously moe moe hawt)
14. a bunch of other stuff
15. a net idol (who is actually ugly and from their class)
16. Chiri because of her split in the middle hair
17. Nami because she is normal and plain.

And the episode ends with Kiri and Matoi being carried away… poor moe moe Kiri-chan.

Thoughts:
It was a pretty crazy episode. I’m not sure what to think about anymore. Comiket and summer festivals are things not done in America, so I can’t say I have personal experience in this. Although going to a Comiket would seem pretty cool… I probably wouldn’t buy anything unless there was like some awesome Type-Moon doujin or something like that. Summer festivals, well I guess would be similar to any other carnival or something… so I guess I can experience it any time I want. Oh! I always wanted to try scooping a goldfish using a paper scooper. But I’ll try not to overfeed it like Kagami. Shaved Ice is best after going to the beach… I’m not so sure about eating it at night. Well, Japanese summers are hot so maybe…

There were some crazy Kiri x Chie-sensei pictures mixed into random scenes. Here are a few…

lol. Kiri is hawt.

Obviously, it’s Lelouch

Zero’s mask on the wall

The Geass mark is on the refridgerator door

DA DA DA DA
Lucky Star is being referenced a lot. I think this is the first Motteke Sailor Fuku reference though.
Everyone knows that Kaeshite Knee Socks is a better song anyway…

-clazy