Sara the Kappa // Sarazanmai Ep. 5 Review

I Want to Connect, but I Can’t Be Forgiven: Sarazanmai Episode 5

Otaku Voice Staff

I don’t think I fully understand what Kazuki’s grandfather means by his mother was a sloppy woman. Sarazanmai episode 5 opens with a trip down memory lane for Kazuki as he recalls the passing of his grandfather. That was the point in his life where everything went downhill for him as he discovered he was adopted, or something, the show feels ambiguous about this point.

We can’t spend all day focused on Kazuki’s mourning, so it is on to the heist we setup in the last episode. The plan is simple. Lockup the manager and distract the idol Sara long enough to slip Kazuki in as Sara and trick Haruka. What could go wrong?

Sara the Kappa

Toi is pretty quick to dispatch the manager. I like the use of a cucumber to club the man over the head. It subtly reinforces his kappa nature. His attempts to distract and subdue Sara are not nearly as successful.

When Toi goes to remove Sara from the venue, posing as staff looking for photos, he isn’t able to lock her up. As it turns out she is also a kappa, and can squeeze her way out of any crack while Toi is locking the door. It feels like he never really figures out that she is more malleable than any human could be. Eventually Sara and Toi find themselves right when Kazuki was hoping they wouldn’t be.

Kazuki Busted

The whole time Toi is preoccupied with Sara and her manager, Kazuki is in full idol mode. He has worked out a secret phrase with Haruka and nothing is going to stop him. Nothing is going to stop him except for an escaped manager. Perfectly timed as Haruka gets to his turn in line, the manager busts through the door. This was really hard to watch. Its gets really cringe worthy as Kazuki interacts as the Sara-impostor with his younger brother.

I really think Kazuki was actually about to get away with it. Enta is able to subdue the manager, and Haruka is adamant that Kazuki in front of him is actually Sara. Once the real Sara arrives the jig is up for Kazuki. Haruka takes the reveal more gracefully that I could predict. While we don’t really get a chance to see the full consequences of Kazuki’s actions this episode, it feels like Haruka will be quick to reconcile.

After feeling from the scene we go into our regularly schedule dance program. This time the trio is unsuccessful. They retrieve the sarazanmai, but somehow this zombie gets it back making Keppi very angry. Kazuki’s reveal is pretty significant though.

Haruka’s Accident

Kazuki apparently was able to get in contact with his birth mother. She already has another family, so it doesn’t make sense for Kazuki to get too close with her. He has grown up his entire life with his other mother and father who are his family. Sarazanmai episode 5 doesn’t really go too much further into the details of their meeting or how Kazuki came to be with his current parents. I don’t find it to be that important to his character either. Its really about his relationship with Haruka and how that ties everything together.

At some point when meeting with his birth mother, Kazuki was confronted by Haruka and left him. Running to Kazuki, Haruka got into a horrific accident causing the loss of his legs which we have seen the last couple of episodes. This is why Kazuki acts the way he does towards Haruka. He has an incredible guilt over causing Haruka’s disability. It is the reason he goes through so much trouble to become Sara and befriend Haruka on the side. It is the reason he wants the golden disc to wish for Haruka’s happiness. The show is starting to stitch together a lot of the missing pieces with this information.

After all of the reveals and the failures of the trio, they are left as kappa. Keppi is furious with their failure. No real reason is given for why he is so adamant that they defeat the zombie. Its just a matter of they were given a task and they failed so now they must go around as kappa in the normal world. I can’t wait to see how the world reacts to them in the next episode.

[Souces and Further Reading]
[Episode 4 Review]
[Images via Crunchyroll]