Part 47: Burn
Chapter 16: Burn6/25: Hikari's birthday
Best present: Glass pendant
Good present: Newly released pop CD
Worst present: Camouflage bandana
Only the best for Hikari, especially since B-ho has a huge lead now and nothing matters, even bombs.
Hikari: Thanks so much! This was really thoughtful.
Goon: (She looked really happy, I'm glad she liked it)
7/8: Date at the beach
Technically, we're about to reach the very first B-ho exclusive event! Everything else - even the teleportation bit at the pool, counts as a Miho event so far.
B-ho: Thanks for waiting.
Goon: Whoa! You look amazing, Shirayuki-chan!
B-ho: P-Please, don't stare at me like that.
Goon: As a man, it is my duty to take it all in!
B-ho: R, really?
In the background of this scene, you can hear a constant stream of wolf whistles and cat calls from the peanut gallery.
B-ho: So, how's this? Am I sexy?
Goon: (Wow, Shirayuki-chan, you're the most popular person on the beach!)
Goon: (Come to think of it, I never thought that Shirayuki-chan could be this bold.)
You'll have to forgive Goon, he is the protagonist of a romance game, and has a chronic inability to put two and two together. As a related note, B-ho's character theme is called "Look at me!" - I feel like that's appropriate to mention at this juncture.
Goon: (And on top of that, what's with all these assholes!)
Goon: Hey, get off of her!
B-ho: Oh!
Goon: Let's get out of here, Shirayuki-chan! Hurry, this way!
Goon: Phew, I think we lost them.
Goon: Are you okay, Shirayuki-chan?
B-ho: Yeah, thanks!
B-ho: You were really cool back there.
Twice during this conversation, B-ho has forgotten to slap the "desu" at the end of her sentence and had to slap it back on hastily. She is pretty much the Anti-Suiseiseki.
7/9-7/13: Midterms
Goon: I'm so close to the top. I'll get it next time!
14th: Fudou Gunma
93rd: Sakaki Takumi
99th: Hinomoto Hikari
149th: Minazuki Kotoko
154th: Hokari Jun'ichirou
Miho's and Homura's grades are so bad, I had to take two screenshots here!
223rd: Shirayuki Miho
313th: Akai Homura
In my imagination, Homura's tests are covered with doodles of Kamen Rider and Go-Driller. It's the only reasonable explanation for her scoring 31 out of 500. It's what Brock Samson would do.
7/18: Homura's birthday
Best present: DG Godriller
Good present: Health drink
Bad present: Alarm clock
DG here is probably a reference to the grading system for Gundam models - PG for Perfect Grade, MG for Master Grade, etc.
Homura: Uhhh, what's going on?
Goon: I got you a birthday present. Open it up.
Homura: Nyahahahaha, this is right up my alley. Nice.
Goon: (She looked really happy, I'm glad she liked it)
7/18: What? SHIRAYUKI-CHAN is evolving!
Goon: Oh, it's Shirayuki-chan.
Goon: I should walk her home.
Goon: Miho-chan!
Miho: I knew you'd come for me.
Goon: Want to walk home together?
Congratulations! Your SHIRAYUKI-CHAN evolved to MIHO-CHAN!
And honestly, I wasn't a hundred percent sure which Miho this was until the next line. I missed the VK logo on the umbrella, which is a dead giveaway.
B-ho: Yeah, take me home! ...Please.
B-ho: Y, you don't have to walk me all the way home, halfway is fine.
Goon: Okay, let's go.
Goon: (I had a fun time walking home with Shirayuki-chan.)
7/29: Date at the arcade
Dammit. Things were going so smoothly, too!
RELOAD COUNT: 128, 129, 130
7/29: Date at the arcade, take 4
Finally!
Goon: This arcade is kinda like an amusement park of its own now.
Goon: There are a lot more kinds of games than before.
B-ho: Yeah, I can see that. The atmosphere's totally changed, too.
Goon: The clientele's changed for the better, so it's easier for girls to be here too.
Goon: So, let's head to the medal corner.
B-ho: Sure.
B-ho: Oh, there are little toy horses racing. That's really cute.
Option 1: Yeah, looks like they make some pretty cute games now.
Option 2: What a game! Oguri Hat is in it!
Option 3: These races are always between the 5th and 6th poles.
Thanks to the Googling skills of my stream viewers, I found out that Oguri Cap is a famous Japanese race horse from the '90s. so Goon is basically going to say "Hey look, it's Seabiscuit!"
Goon: What a game! Oguri Hat is in it!
B-ho: Hey, you're right. These racing games are awesome!
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)
Follow-up date excised because the dialogue is still the same.
8/13-8/17: Summer Camp
Goon: (Summer camp starts today!)
Miho: Thanks for carrying all the luggage. That must have been rough.
Goon: A little. But, well, I'm a guy.
Miho: Haha, that's the spirit. I expect you to be the mood-maker for us.
Goon: Okay.
Goon: (I've gotta make sure I live up to her expectations!)
8/19: The fruits of Goon's training
A new power wells up from within...
Learned the Drama Club Limit Break:
"Want some katsudon?"
"Sheep, what the hell does a rice bowl have to do with this?" you ask.
"You'll see in a little bit; it's really hard to explain without screenshots," I say. Don't worry, I specifically went looking for a fight at this point.
8/25: Fireworks
(ding dong)
Goon: I'm coming!
Goon: Miho-chan? What're you doing here at this hour?
Miho: Um, good evening. Would you like to see the fireworks show with me?
Goon: Yeah, good idea.
Miho: Whew. I was worried about having to walk alone at night.
Goon: Not a problem. Let's head over.
Miho: I love how lively it is at fireworks shows and Ennichi.
Miho: I picked this yukata based on my fortune - does it suit me?
Option 1: You really took care in putting on that yukata.
Option 2: That yukata is pretty, especially the pattern.
Option 3: It really suits you. You look cute.
It's in a different order than in previous years, but this is still exactly the same as before. Time to be as neutral as possible.
Goon: You really took care in putting on that yukata.
Miho: I thought you'd notice.
Goon: (Eh.)
Miho: Oh... there are tears in my eyes.
Option 1: Are you okay? Did you get some sparks in your eyes?
Option 2: Yeah, mine too.
Option 3: You're such a romantic, Miho-chan.
Goon: You're such a romantic, Miho-chan.
Miho: People say that to me a lot, but that's not it.
Miho: I think I'm just easily moved to tears, that's all.
Goon: (Looks like I made a pretty good impression.)
9/1: Swap to Disc 5
This is it, friends - the final stretch! Six months to go.
9/2: See the penguins with Hikari
More importantly, this is the second date in a row with a meeting in front of the train station. One more to go!
Hikari: Penguins are bigger than I thought they'd be. Especially their bodies.
Option 1: I wonder if they're hard to lift?
Option 2: I wonder if they're scary when they're angry?
Option 3: I'm surprised that birds can get that big.
Goon: I wonder if they're hard to lift?
Hikari: They look really heavy, don't they?
Hikari: Look at how big they are, you probably couldn't lift one if you tried.
Goon: (Looks like I made a pretty good impression.)
Declined the follow-up date again - sorry, Hikari. Another life, perhaps.
9/2: Read the new Hibikino Watcher
New Spot - Ochiiru (top left): A new ride at Hibikino Amusement Place - "Ochiru" means "to fall", so this is a Drop Zone/Tower of Terror type of ride.
Concerts (bottom left): Aosis from 10/3-10/28, and TM Recreation from 12/1-12/25.
Hibikino Stadium (top right): KO League Soccer from 10/1-3/31
Seasonal attractions (right): Autumn leaves from 10/15-11/15
Madarao Ski Resort and Hibikino Skate are open from 12/1-2/28
Movies (bottom left and bottom right): LA Continental ends on 12/10, and Go-Driller starts showing on 12/11.
9/3: Guidance counseling
Goon: (Today's guidance counseling.)
Kasumi: So, what do you plan on doing after high school?
Option 1: I plan on going to college.
Option 2: I plan on getting a job.
It honestly doesn't matter that much on the B-ho path, but let's see what is available!
Goon: I plan on getting a job at...
Goon: A second-tier company.
Kasumi: In the end, it's your decision to make, but in my opinion, you should aim higher. You can do it.
Goon: (Alright, I'll try my best!)
9/2: A date with destiny!
Okay, girl, you have my attention. Sadly, I would've preferred Miho to show up here, because...
???: Was it you? Are you the piece of shit who put the hurt on my underlings?
Goon: Who said that?!
Goon: S, Soubanchou?!
As mentioned back in Tokimemo 1, a Banchou is the archetypal boss of a teenage gang. In this case, Soubanchou means something like Overboss. That means this guy is pretty damn badass. You know what also makes him badass? This time around, he's voiced by
WAKAMOTO
GOD
DAMN
FUCKING
NORIO
Yes, I needed all five lines for that, as one line does not adequately describe Wakamoto Norio's awesomeness. According to Tokimemo canon, this is the same Banchou from Tokimemo 1, so he apparently did not give up the mantle to the previous Goon after all.
Here is a video version of the fight against Overboss Wakamoto. I highly suggest that you watch it. Screenshots don't do this very much justice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtp7O2UgsuY
Soubanchou: By my soul as a man... I challenge you!
It's a showdown with Soubanchou!
B-ho: Do your best!
It's time to fight Soubanchou, or as I like to call him, Overboss Wakamoto! Overboss Wakamoto has 50,000 hit points, which aren't actually that many because a sufficiently statted-up limit break will damage him for close to 9999. His main attacks in his first form are Kikouha (which is similar to his nameless move from Tokimemo 1, visible back in chapter 18 of Tokimemo 1, Shiori route)
And he still has Soderyuu, the Sleeve Dragon from the previous game.
This time, the dragon looks oddly familiar - that's because it's a boss from Life Force/Salamander, and it was also used by Maria in the Sega Saturn version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Konami is nothing if not aware of its history.
And now, the Drama Club limit break in all of its Final Fantasy 8-style glory: "Want some katsudon?"
This is a reference to one of the oldest, most cliched tricks in the Japanese police handbook - it's as recognized as Good Cop Bad Cop, and even sillier in its impressively passive-aggressive Japaneseness.
In popular media, what happens in police interrogation rooms is that the cop or detective will walk into the room with a bowl of hot katsudon (a dish made with rice, eggs, sauce, and fried pork cutlet), and put it in front of the presumably-starving suspect. The cop will try to softball everything, couching it in soft language about how awful the suspect's family must feel, how worried they must be, and so on and so forth, telling him he should just make things easier on himself and cough up all the info the police are asking for. The katsudon is a hot, delicious reward that makes the cop seem even more sympathetic, and the hope is that the promise of hot food and a relieved family will be enough to make the toughest nut crack.
Does that sound silly? That's because it is! It's parodied endlessly in pop culture, and if you've watched The Devil is a Part-Timer, you can see it parodied by the Japanese, who imagine what outsiders must think of it. Khatsu-DUM!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAJAFr44NA8
Goon: You should make it easier on yourself and confess already.
Soubanchou: ...
Goon: Your family must be worried sick about you.
Soubanchou: ...!
Goon: It's just you and your mother, isn't it?
Soubanchou: Yeah.
Goon: Don't make her sad.
Soubanchou: Waaaah! Mommy!
Soubanchou: I... I did everything.
Goon: Well said.
Goon: Have some katsudon.
Soubanchou: ...
Soubanchou: ...?
Soubanchou: ...?!!!
Soubanchou: HOW LONG ARE YOU GONNA MAKE ME PUT UP WITH THIS SHIT!
This whole sequence takes 60 freaking seconds. But it does upwards of 9300 damage, so it's worth doing every time it's available. Just... make a sandwich or something. At least it's not as long as Knights of the Round!
B-ho's limit break does its usual work here, and by that I mean it's even worse than useless - it's actively detrimental to victory.
B-ho: You should be wary of the water today.
B-ho: Eek!
When down to about half of his hit points, Overboss Wakamoto does a standard JRPG boss transformation into his true form - represented by his shirt ripping off of his body, Fist of the North Star-style.
Soubanchou: By my soul as a man...
Soubanchou: I cannot lose!
Goon: His fighting spirit is making Soubanchou look enormous!
In this form, Overboss Wakamoto gains a very damaging attack called Kincha Kotaka, or Golden Hawks. More importantly, he gains Super Insight, which nullifies any of Goon's limit breaks.
Goon: What incredible insight!
Goon: He sees through everything!
It's pretty rough, but manageable because most girls (remember that Akane is ineligible for boss fights; Overboss Wakamoto knows better than to mess with her) have a Limit Break that will revert him to his first form. However, there's one problem with this.
Remember how I said that B-ho is the absolute worst character to take into a fight? Along with the previously mentioned drawbacks of B-ho's limit breaks, her attacks do not affect Overboss Wakamoto's status at all and leaves him in his true form, making the B-ho version of this fight ultra-hard mode.
Predictably, the B-ho version of this fight ends in miserable defeat. If only we had a strong ally on our side! Someone who felt no fear. Someone with a just heart. Someone with a strong will to see justice done!
Oh yeah, huh?
RELOAD COUNT: 131
Next time: The heavens call... the earth cries out... and the crowd roars! We call on a Kamen Rider who just happens to be passing by.
