Home Shopping

**"Home Shopping"** is the seventy-first episode of *Kobushi*. It was released in January 25, 2014, on Gulli, and later in March 5, 2015, on Mangas.

## Synopsis

Néko depresses and bought the TV purchase a belt type "Sport Elec" to get into shape. But it ruins it and unwittingly, the belt becomes a powerful magnet attracting all that contains iron ...

Including our Kobushis!

## Plot

The episode begins with Néko sadly watching TV in the kitchen, losing all hope to catch a single sushi. When Sho, Yu, and Ka all arrive to wonder what's going on, Néko explains that he doesn't feel "divine" anymore and wonders if he's not the "god" of the restaurant at all, much to the sauce flasks' shock. After Néko briefly cries, a commercial advertising for "Muscle Elec" is seen on the TV screen. The consumer product "Muscle Elec" is a muscling belt that will help the wearer make them "feel like a god". Néko, believing that the product would regain his confidence, starts imagining himself wearing the "Muscle Elec" and becoming muscular as the result. Néko picks up the restaurant phone and calls the company to send the belt to him.

The next morning at Ebi's restaurant's bin, Ebi become depressed when all his plans failed and feels that he's incapable of being eaten by Néko. Oni San arrives and nags to him that since Ebi is his only descendant he have left, it is his responsibility to help end his family curse. At Néko's altar, Néko opens his package that have delivered to him and tries on the "Muscle Elec" belt. Ebi arrives and starts complimenting Néko's belt, but the porcelain cat tosses him away, not wanting him to touch his belt. Néko asks Sho about the instruction for the belt, and Sho said that he have to place the discs on the abs and turn the button to the desired power. Néko did as it said on the instruction, but since he's not a human and he's made of porcelain, the belt doesn't work on him, causing Néko to stomp on it out of anger. Suddenly, the discs from the belt become a magnet and starts magnetizing every items that're iron around Néko's altar. Sho, amazed by what he sees, explains to everyone that the belt have suffered an electrostatic inversion when Néko stomps on it. The discs from the belt have become a strong magnet that will attracts iron, including sushis since they're fish that contain a lot of iron inside. This sparks an idea for Oni San who whispers to Ebi about his plan. Ebi explains to Néko that since the belt can attract iron, that means he can use the belt to capture the other sushis in the village. Ebi then makes another deal to Néko: if Ebi gives him his plan to reinforce the belt's power, Néko have to promise that he have to eat Ebi. After Néko turns off the belt's power, Ebi sees an advertisement flyer for "Gigafer" pills and gives Néko his plan.

Later at the village, Ebi is seen working out at the dojo with a lot of energy, revealing to his friends and Master Tako that he ate a "Gigafer" pill and offer some to them. Master Tako, at first, was hesitant, but when he bites on a pill, he suddenly develops a lot of energy from the pill and he allows his students to eat the pills. Meanwhile near the exit of the village, the Sushi Guard becomes very surprise when Néko opens the vent door with his belt on. Scared, the Sushi Guard is about to run away to alert the other villagers, but he can't run fast enough because of the belt's discs magnetizing him. Before Néko is about to grab the Sushi Guard, the iron vent door gets attached to the disc magnets behind him, causing Néko to get himself stuck. He turns off the belt's power, but the vent door lands on his foot, causing him to scream in pain while the Sushi Guard runs off. Master Tako and his students are very surprised when Néko invades the village, making them to all run away in fear. Néko activates the belt's powers which magnetizes all the sushis to the discs since they ate the "Gigafer" pills from earlier.

Néko gathers the captive sushis to his altar and place them inside the bamboo steamer basket, ready to eat them. When Néko picks up Ebi, the latter believes that he's going to finally be eaten by Néko and end his family curse. But because of Ebi's odor, Néko changes his mind and tosses Ebi away, once again breaking another deal that he and Ebi have exchanged. Ebi, now angry at Néko for breaking his promise again, transforms into Ninjasmin and starts battling him to save his friends. Ninjasmin throws a cucumber spear and activates the belt, causing various metallic cooking utensils to get magnetized and attack Néko. Néko wonders out loud why Ninjasmin doesn't get magnetized by the belt, and Sho explains that Ninjasmin's seaweed suit protects himself from the discs. Ninjasmin rescues the Kobushis and they all escape from Néko, who's now stuck in a metal steamer basket.

Later at night, Sho, Yu, and Ka are forced to call someone on TV to send Néko a saw that can cut through metal to free him since his sauce flasks don't have any arms to help Néko get the steamer basket off of him.

## Characters

* Néko
* Sho, Yu, and Ka
* Ebi/Ninjasmin
* Oni San
* Toro
* Tamago
* Sushi Guard
* Hokkigaï (background)
* Onigiri (background)
* Torigai (background)
* Villagers

## Trivia

* The French title is "Télé à chat", which is a play on the French word "Téléachat", meaning "teleshopping". Of course since "chat" is a French word for "cat", it can also mean either "Cat TV" or "Tele-Cat".
* The TV commercials contain several real-life stock image photos.
* The TV screen shows an advertisement for "Muscle Elec" is shown, the phone number is "666-666-KO-BU-SHI". Of course, the last nine phone digits is a reference to the *Kobushi* TV series, the samurai team, and the restaurant.
* The commercial for "Muscle Elec" shows a statue of the *Discobolus* of Myron.
* This episode revealed that despite being a porcelain cat who comes alive at night, Néko can talk to humans.
* After Néko turns off the belt's power, Ebi sees an advertisement flyer for "Gigafer" pills. "Fer" is the French word for "iron".
* When Néko asks Ebi about his plan, Néko can be seen crossing his fingers behind his back.
* The scenes that shows Sho speaking about the belt's magnetic features is in the style of a television advertisement. Fitting enough, there's a light jingle music in the background as part of the gag.
* Judging how Tamago swoons after Ninjasmin rescued her and her friends, she might have a crush on him.

## References

1. ↑ https://playtv.fr/programmes-tv/gulli/25-01-2014/
2. ↑ https://playtv.fr/programmes-tv/mangas/05-03-2015/