Nyamo is set up for an arranged marriage by her mother, but she is insecure of her youth. A fatigue epidemic has
Chiyo Chan, Osaka, and Tomo doing yawn practicing.
spread throughout the homeroom class. During lunch, Osaka compares her yawns with that of Chiyo and Tomo. The three fall asleep, resulting in their tardiness in gym class, running laps around the track as punishment. Tomo mentions to the others that she confused hashed beef for curry during lunchtime. Though the swim team only practices during the summer, Kagura is training strenuously for the national championship swim meet. When Yukari invites Nyamo to go flower-gazing in the evening, they go to a hotel bar, much to Nyamo's surprise. They meet Eiko, a chief executive officer, who invites Nyamo to apply for a position as a gym instructor at her company. Nyamo declines the offer, already satisfied with her current job. Meanwhile, Chiyo goes out alone late at night to buy erasers at the convenience store, luckily running into Kagura. Eiko summons a few male co-workers to join the three. Chiyo wishes to mature faster in growth, but Kagura is not focused on a career or a marriage. Elsewhere, Tomo enters Yomi's bedroom through the window while a radio show is aired. After Yukari apparently scares off the co-workers, she and Nyamo decide to drink some more. The radio show recognizes a girl who had tried a "grainless" diet but failed to commit to it. Tomo infers that Yomi is the one mentioned, being greatly amused by this. Nyamo considers going through with the arranged marriage setup, but doubts it at the very end.
Adapted From
This is the only filler episode, not having been adapted from any manga chapters.
Referbacks
When Nyamo's bedroom is shown, we see the expensive pillow that she bought in an earlier episode on her bed.
Like so often before, Osaka is the last to get back to the classroom from the rooftop, because of her poor running abilities.
Yukari tells Eiko that if Nyamo switched jobs, Yukari would have to walk to school on her own two feet. This refers to Nyamo getting a car previously in which she drives herself and Yukari to school.
Yet again, Chiyo tells Kagura she can't wait till she grows up.
Osaka's sheets are the same as in the New Year's dream episode.
Nyamo speaks to her mother over the phone, and mentions a photo that she sent her of her supposed match. In Japan, arranged marriages are a formal type of matchmaking where two people are introduced through various family connections. If they are agreeable to it, they are encouraged to get to know each other and then decide whether or not to get married. If it doesn't work out, more meetings with different people will be set up. Naturally, this is meant to be taken more seriously than a dating service and both parties come to the table with the understanding that they are looking for someone to marry, not someone to have a brief relationship with.
A few magazines are also shown by her table, and a television in her room.
Tomo tells the others she mistook hashed beef (Hayashi rice) for curry, and Osaka says she has trouble even telling them apart from their taste. Hayashi rice is a thick stew-type of dish made of hashed beef, onions, and demi-glace sauce which is served over rice. Japanese curry also tends to be brown but, unlike Hayashi rice, has carrots and potatoes in addition to beef and onion. Not being able to tell the two apart is a little strange, since with carrots and potatoes, curry generally looks somewhat different than Hayashi rice, even though both are brown in color and served over rice. However, it would be virtually impossible not to be able to tell them apart by taste, since one is spicy (the curry) and the other is not.
Tomo makes a pun on the word "freedom" when Kagura says that her friends have this, because of being in the "Go-home" club. The Japanese word "freedom" is "yoyuu". It translates as leisure, freedom, etcetera. Tomo makes a very bad pun when she says "yoo yuu-wa!". This means something along the lines of "I can't believe you said that!". Thus, it puns off "yoyuu" because it only requires stretching the "O" to change it from one to the other. This is where the pun on "freedom" comes in from English – Tomo saying that the only part of freedom they have is the "-dom" part (dumb).
Kagura tells Chiyo to be careful because "they" show up, and Chiyo asks her what she means. When Kagura says, "This", and puts her hands up in front of her, she means that ghosts show up in the area. Ghosts are often depicted in this pose.
Yomi listens to a radio show called "Nakku and Mitchy's Thrilling Main Street of Youth". Tomo reads a magazine called ReTass in Yomi's room.
The episode contains a meta reference. On the radio show, Kokoro wa Shoujo de PARACHUTE is requested by a listener. This is Sakaki's character song, and her voice actor Yuu Asakawa is even mentioned as being the singer.
Sakaki also reads a book in her room.
Unanswered Questions
How old Nyamo really was at this time.
Who the man was that Nyamo's mother suggested for her to marry, and how she found him, as well as whether Nyamo really did marry him.
How Nyamo found out about Chiyo, Osaka and Tomo falling asleep on the roof.
What kind of library books Yomi needed that are mentioned.
Why Chiyo's parents were out of the house when she needed to go buy an eraser.
Whom Eiko spoke with on the phone.
What Yukari said that scared the men away that Eiko had invited to join the two of them and Nyamo at the restaurant.
Memorable Moments
Tomo and Chiyo ask Osaka to instruct them in the art of yawning. This results in them falling asleep on the rooftop and coming late for class.
Kagura practices running for the national level.
Nyamo and Yukari meet up with Eiko at a restaurant and Nyamo is offered a new job by Eiko, which would have raised her salary, but she turns it down since she is satisfied with her current one.
It is unveiled that Yomi sends postcards to a radio show about how her diets are progressing, calling herself "Tearful Little Diet Girl". Tomo, who has entered her room, starts laughing endlessly at this revelation.
Quotes
Oh, mom … Mm-hmm, I saw the photo. Yes, I'm sure it's a good match, but arranged marriage? It's too soon to be looking at that! Honestly, how old do you think I am?
— Nyamo (on the phone)
It's like a woman who's come from the land of yawns to spread yawning all around the world! HEY! YAWN MASTER!!
— Tomo (on Osaka)
Some girls from your class were apparently practicing yawning during lunch, and somehow they all fell asleep on the roof!
— Nyamo (to Yukari)
No way! Stop it, Eiko! Without Nyamo, I'd have to go through unavailable pain of walking to school on my own two feet!
— Yukari (when Eiko offered Nyamo a new job)
You're an idiot! Really, Yomi, talking back to the radio? [laughs]
— Tomo
And those men that Eiko brought along? I wouldn't be surprised if they thought that maybe we were a little too childish.
