Episode 7: It's a Surprisingly Sad Story

## It's a Surprisingly Sad Story

**It's a Suprisingly Sad Story** (意外と切ない話でござる *Igaito Setsunai Hanashi de Gonzaru*) is the seventh episode of Season 1 in the Nanbaka anime and the seventh episode overall.

## Synopsis

Sometime before the second round of the New Year's Tournament, Tsukumo is visited by Hanzou Hattori. During the visit, Tsukumo's past is revealed.

## Summary

Jyugo loses his temper and turns his arms into blades. Instead of continuing this storyline, Mitsuru suggests that they show what's been happening outside of the tournament, much to the annoyance of Nico, Uno and Rock. Back in the prison, Yamato takes Tsukumo to the visiting room where someone has come to see him. Tsukumo is suprised that someone would have come to visit him. Upon recognising his visitor, however, he is soon antagonistic and tries to leave. His visitor, Hattori Hanzou, pursuades him to stay and praises him for having not broken character, stating that there are rarely such dedicated actors. Eventually chosing to stay, Tsukumo asks how Hatorri knew where he was. Hatorri reveals that after finding out he was arrested, he made out that Tsukumo had gone missing and believes that he will increase in popularity when he returns, but Tsukumo refuses to do so.

The two begin losing their tempers with one another, which attracts the attention of Jyugo who is attempting another breakout. He begins to listen at the door with Kuu. Inside the visiting room, Tsukumo reveals that he learned "the truth" and subsequently ran away. He accuses Hattori and his coworkers of kidnap and states that they all lied to him. Hattori continues to deny everything and scolds Tsukumo for insulting his mother, but Tsukumo admits to having known that she wasn't his mother at all.

Some time in the past, the director of a declining movie studio pitches a stereotypical ninja movie, much to the irritation of her assistant. The director, however, states that she plans to find a real shinobi to play her lead, believing that it will be enough to make the film a success. The two of them venture into a forest in order to find a shinobi and are quickly turned away by a myserious individual; the director sees this as proof that there are shinobi nearby. After a long trek which leads to the late evening the two are about to give up before they hear someting that catches their attention. The discover the three-year-old Tsukumo who is trying unsucessfully to hit a target with his Makibishi; watching him hold back tears after his failure, the director approaches him. Tsukumo is quickly defensive, asking how they found him and insisting he is training to become a shinobi warrior, though the director notes that he seems to lack confidence. She asks where the other shinobi are and Tsukumo refuses to tell them, with her assistant soon concluding that he doesn't know either. Suddenly tearful, Tsukumo admits that he no longer knows where the other shinobi are as they neglected and abandoned him, leading him to train in the hopes that they would come back. He shuns the director's attepts at comforting him but she persists, eventually claiming to be his real mother and apologising for leaving him. While initially skeptical, Tsukumo soon grows to trust her; giving him her scarf, the director promises to make him into a shinobi warrior.

Several years later Tsukumo, who has grown into a famous child actor under the director's teaching, tells her how much he enjoys the job and promises to work hard for her upcoming movie. Elsewhere, in the director's office, she and her assistant discuss how much Tsukumo has changed over the years while the director notes that she feels no remorse for lying to him.

Back in the present, Hattori mock-congradulates Tsukumo for finding out the truth and tells him that it still isn't a valid reason to quit and defends the director. Tsukumo indicates that he regrets not being able to be a shinobi as he was supposed to, but Hattori reminds him of his great acting talent and insists he should be grateful regardless. He then admids his jealousy towards Tsukumo, who received far more attention from the director than he had.

Tsukumo leaves the visiting room where he encounters Jyugo, who admits that he'd been eavesdropping. Tsukumo instantly tries to get back into character, but eventually relents and admits that he doesn't have any real sense of who he is due to all his acting. When Jyugo asks, he says that he liked his job but knew that he was popuar only for his acting and not for who he was. He reveals that he ran away after finding out the truth about the director and attempted to find his childhood village, only to get lost and stumble onto private property leading to his arrest; having played the role of a convict before, he broke out until he ended up in Nanba. Before going their seperate ways, Jyugo states that Tsukumo's work is admirable and he should aim to be himself from then on.

## Character Appearances

* Jyugo
* Mitsuru Hitokoe
* Uno
* Rock
* Nico
* Tsukumo
* Yamato Godai
* Hanzou Hattori
* Kuu
* Tsukumo's "Mother"