PHOTOS:
Bryan receiving a Love Choco from Itsuki
Tsuneo struggling to carry all of his Valentine's gifts
Bryan challenging Coach Torii to a match
Alice giving her Love Choco to a classmate, but somethings wrong...
Vijay is the only person I know who brings a cricket racket to a batting cage
Original Airdate: December 8 2018
Episode Description:
In Bryan's view, Valentine's Day in Japan has gotten out of hand: so many chocolates, given to so many people? with so many different meanings! Furthermore, his excitement at receiving his first Valentine chocolates from Itsuki is tempered by a growing doubt about her secret crush! A cultural misunderstanding looks to spiral out of control in a mystery that takes Bryan from the baseball batting cage to a soccer (ahem, football) pitch...
Description Source: NHK
Is it watchable?
YES! (via YouTube)
While this episode is yet another great look into an aspect of Japanese culture (in this case, Valentine's Day and White Day), this one features some of Bryan's worse moments. Let me explain...
The main conflict of this episode comes about when Bryan finds an extra Love Choco in the family kitchen. He assumes it's Itsuki's, and the thought of Itsuki giving a Love Choco to another man has Bryan immidiately jealous. Bryan poisons the extra Love Choco with Hot Sauce.
He then heads to the batting cages with Vijay. As Vijay attempts to be the voice of reason, Bryan hits ball after ball, thinking who Itsuki could possibly want to give an extra Love Choco to. After pondering for a bit, Bryan decides to pay his daughter Alice's soccer/football coach a visit.
Bryan rudely interrupts elementary school soccer practice, and challenges Coach Torii to a match of "real football," where Bryan will lead one team of elementary schoolers and Torii will lead another. Oh, and Istuki is already there in the spectator stands wondering what the heck her husband is thinking.
The match ends in a tie, and it's revealed that the extra Love Choco was Alice's. Unfortunately by the time this was realized, it's too late. Alice gives a boy in her class the Choco, not knowing that Bryan Hot Sauce'd it earlier.
I think it's safe to say that Bryan's behavior during this episode was completely unacceptable. Thankfully, Alice gets revenge on her father at the end of the episode by returning the favor.