Yawara!
Season 1
An animated series based on the printed comic series of the same name. This series follows the life of Yawara Inokuma, a young judo prodigy, as she trains for the Olympic Games in Barcelona. Along the way, she faces the school, social and family crises typical of any teenage girl, as well as a number of crises only a world-class judo student could have.
Where to Watch Yawara! • Season 1
124 Episodes
- I've Found Yawara's Rival! She's the Ultimate Young Lady!!
E2I've Found Yawara's Rival! She's the Ultimate Young Lady!!Jigoro finds Yawara's dedication to judo lacking, and he blames it on her lack of a worthy rival. One day they are almost run over by a Bentley carrying Sayaka Honami, a rich spoiled sports superstar who has mastered and is bored with multiple sports (e.g., tennis (including a defeat of Martina Navratilova in an exhibition), riding, skiing, gymnastic, swimming, fencing, figure skating, etc.). They are invited to Sayaka's mansion for dinner, and Sayaka decides to take up judo as her next sports quest when she sees Jigoro throw her hulking body guard Kamata, a 5th kun judo practitioner, with ease. However, Jigoro refuses to take Sayaka as a student by telling her there is a girl who is much stronger. Sayaka trains hard for a month and goes to the Inokuma residence, but is rebuffed and thrown by Yawara as an afterthought; in the process Sayaka reveals her secret false tooth, which had fallen out, but also finds out that Yawara is the "strong girl." She endeavors to train as hard as she can to defeat Yawara. Later, Yawara and Sayaka, in her 3.5 million yen kimono, both attend a festival, and Sayaka is held at knifepoint by a kimono slasher/pervert; Yawara easily disarms the slasher but leaves the media credit to Sayaka. Sayaka sees this as an insult and vows to defeat Yawara. - This Is My Strategy to Make Yawara Take Part in a Real Match!
E4This Is My Strategy to Make Yawara Take Part in a Real Match!Shinnosuke is intent on confirming Yawara as the "strong girl" and goes on a date with her. Seeing elbow scrapes on Yawara that could be caused by judo exercise arouses Shinnosuke's suspicion even more. However, Yawara shows no interest in judo and instead talks about bargain sales and beef stroganoff; even when he puts judo moves on her, Yawara shows no reaction (which she intentionally represses). Later, Yawara has a chance encounter with a member of her high school's judo club, and kindly offers to wash their soiled judo uniforms; the judo club is run by Hanazono, a big senior student who is very emotional and cries easily. Hanazono is upset that Musashiyama high school's judo club has fallen by the wayside and now only has weaklings as members, with another practice match coming up with the rival Ganryuji high school, which has a habit of belittling his team. Jigoro befriends Hanazono and cooks up a scheme to have Yawara "join" the judo club by kidnapping a member of the judo club and inducing Yawara to drop off the judo uniforms. When Yawara arrives, she is conscripted to be a temporary placeholder member for the judo club by Hanazono, who does not know her judo abilities initially. The practice match is changed to a elimination arrangement, forcing Yawara to participate reluctantly as a placeholder in the match; Yawara is worried that she will miss the bargain sale that she had previously arranged to attend with her friends. The rival Ganryuji team agrees to the change in match arrangement because they want to have a chance to wrestle a girl. - Enough of Judo! I'm Going to Be in a Match
E8Enough of Judo! I'm Going to Be in a MatchYawara spends the night at Matsuda's apartment, and Matsuda is awakened in the morning (having slept outside his apartment) by Yawara's daily morning judo exercise. On the news, it is falsely announced that Sayaka is hiring Jigoro as a coach, which surprises and saddens Yawara. In fact, Jigoro has refused the Honami offer with his usual excuse that he does not teach "weaklings." The refusal shocks the Honamis but does not faze Shinnosuke, who finally secures Jigoro's autograph on both his book and jacket. Meanwhile, seeing that Yawara is upset by the false news concerning Jigoro, Matsuda takes her to an amusement park, where they also cannot escape strangers who bother Yawara due to her new celebrity status. To help Yawara, Matsuda cooks up a scheme in which his newspaper would set up a match against the heavyweight judoka Yuki Tohdoh, who weighs 20 kg (44 lb) more than Yawara, in her debut; they believe that if Yawara intentionally throws the match, the loss will cause the media to dismiss her as a judoka and henceforth leave her alone. At home, Yawara is relieved that Jigoro is not "abandoning" her to be Sayaka's coach, but is troubled by her omission of not telling her grandfather that she intends to lose at the upcoming public debut match. Matsuda reveals their scheme to Yamoda after drinks and tells him that his dream of vicariously living through Yawara the judo superstar will be dashed after her loss. - A Big Uproar at High School With the Yawara Fame!
E11A Big Uproar at High School With the Yawara Fame!Musashiyama High School is excited about the publicity over Yawara's debut, and the principal asks Yawara to start a girls' judo club and is surprised by Yawara's outright refusal; Yawara announces that she wants to go to a home economics college instead. The pathetic judo team members are shown playing video judo games rather than practicing, and they panic when they see an overflow of students wishing to join the judo club. Sudoh, a red-haired freshman, comes to challenge the judo club and look for Yawara. After school Yawara's three friends reveal that Shinnosuke had sweet-talked each one of them in turn when they had coffee, and they are interrupted by Sudoh, who grabs Yawara's butt and moons the girls before running away. The next day Sudoh attacks Hanazono, who had injured his leg after "honorably" rescuing a cat, by kicking his injured leg. The judo club members run off to Yawara, seeking her help; she flat rejects them. Sakai College's judo coach Yuutenji tries to recruit Sayaka for his judo club, but she refuses after hearing that the college is also interested in recruiting Yawara. She asks Shinnosuke to accompany her to Paris. Sudoh continues to harass Yawara by peeking into her bathroom and crank calling, as well as making fun of her on the bus. Yawara becomes angry and decides to help train the judo club. - Coach Yawara's Extracurricular Lesson!
E12Coach Yawara's Extracurricular Lesson!Yawara intends to secretly train the weak judo team members so they can stand up to Sudoh, as well to avenge Hanazono (who has been hospitalized after Sudoh's attack) and herself (she does not intend to personally grapple with Sudoh). Sakai College tries to recruit Yawara, but she needs a track record of official matches to be admitted. To that end, Jigoro demands that Coach Yuutenji set up a big televised tournament match for Yawara. Sayaka trains in Paris, while Shinnosuke habitually romances the women there. Yawara sends a letter of challenge to Sudoh, who mistakes it for a love letter; Hanazono for his part believes the duel challenge was done for him. Sudoh demands that if he beats the judo club, he gets to have a date with Yawara; however, the formerly weak judo clubbers serially defeat Sudoh, having absorbed her lessons. Sudoh is also thrown by Yawara after telling her she is just a girl; he gains respect for her and organizes the members to ask Yawara to join and coach the club. Jigoro reveals his plans for Yawara, who does not agree and tricks him by switching herself with an old woman. Sayaka appears at a French judo tournament and throws the French champion. - Yawara's Heart Shook in Hayama!
E13Yawara's Heart Shook in Hayama!On her return to Japan from France, Sayaka complains about the commercial airlines' first class food (it had "caviar that even my dog Charles wouldn't eat"), after their private jet broke down. She disarms and throws a would-be hijacker with a gun, which impresses even Shinnosuke. Sayaka also uses the ensuing media attention to publicly challenge Yawara again. In an attempt to motivate Yawara, Matsuda takes her shopping for feminine clothes and then to Hayami, where they see Sayaka training hard with Shinnosuke (including running with steel sandals while carrying a tire on a rope), and Shinnosuke helping Sayaka after she fell. Seeing this depresses Yawara and she returns on her own on bus. Matsuda realizes he is jealous over Yawara's feelings for Shinnosuke and becomes distracted, crashing his bike into the ocean. Afterwards, Matsuda asks Shinnosuke to persuade Yawara to enter the tournament, which is overheard by Sayaka despite Shinnosuke's attempt to keep it a secret from Sayaka. - Yawara's Date Has So Much Surveillance!
E14Yawara's Date Has So Much Surveillance!Yawara is compensating for her depression over being "dumped" by Shinnosuke by overeating, which her friends notice (however, one of her friends, Kyoko, is interested in Shinnosuke herself). Shinnosuke approaches Yawara one day, not knowing they are being observed secretly by Jigoro, Sayaka, and Matsuda. Shinnosuke casually badmouths Sayaka to flatter Yawara, which Sayaka overheard. The three take over a bus to chase after Shinnosuke and Yawara, who end up talking near the ocean. Shinnosuke tells Yawara that "You shine most brilliantly when you do judo," and tries to kiss her, but Yawara pushes him away and runs off before their 3 pursuers attack him serially over his attempted love-making. Shinnosuke defends himself by claiming he is only doing Matsuda's bidding by trying to persuade Yawara to enter the tournament, though he is also taking advantage by trying to kiss Yawara. At her house, Yawara encounters the entire judo club (which now includes Sudoh), with Hanazono hiding behind a light pole, begging her on their knees to continue coaching them. Sudoh implores that he wants a chance to "shine brilliantly." Yawara rebuffs them for their own self agendas. Yawara tries to ask her mother for advice, but is interrupted by Tamao's news that her father might have been spotted in Shikoku; she also tells Yawara that judo did not split up their family, but that she and her husband got together because of judo, and that Kojiro Inokuma "shone most brilliantly when he did judo," echoing what the others have said. Later, during the rain that began hours ago, Yawara discovers that the judo clubbers are still kneeling outside her house in the rain. Moved, Yawara tells them she will start coach them again. Jigoro returns home to find Yawara practicing judo on her own. - A Challenge to Yawara Over Love!
E15A Challenge to Yawara Over Love!Dozens of would-be new members join the judo club because of their attraction for Yawara, but they all soon quit because they cannot take her rigorous training. Sayaka visits Musashiyama High School to tell Yawara to keep her hands off of "her" Shinnosuke, and is offended by how shabby and dirty it is. Sayaka insults Hanazono as an "Eastern Island Stone Face man," and Sudoh as a "street gangster." When Sayaka boasts that she is Number One in judo in Japan, Sudoh rushes her but is thrown in an instant. Sayaka accuses Yawara of delaying her decision over the tournament to "entice Shinnosuke," but Yawara replies that she has decided to enter the tournament "just this once to find out if she shines brilliantly in judo." In a "testing range," Yawara puts on a black belt for the first time and easily defeats another black belt; Jigoro boasts to others that Yawara is at least already a 6-dan, and challenges a 5-dan to a match before Yawara quickly squelches the idea. Yawara and the judo club discover that their respective tournaments occur on the same Sunday, and Yawara promises to finish her own tournament quickly so she could coach the judo club next. Shinnosuke reflects his experience so far coaching Sayaka, which includes being given a Ferrari not yet sold in Japan and an offer of a permanent position in the Honami Group (with an implied offer of eventual marriage to Sayaka). Matsuda likewise reflects on his mixed feelings for Yawara, who he loves but also believes that she will soon be "unreachable" for him as she becomes a judo superstar. - Yawara's National Martial Arts Hall Debut!
E16Yawara's National Martial Arts Hall Debut!The national tournament is about to begin and Sayaka insults Yuki Tohdoh in the waiting room by calling her a "she-gorilla" and "todo" (sea cow). Yawara is almost late because she is giving last-minute coaching tips to the judo club members, and Sudoh ferries her by bicycle to the tournament hall; he also promises Yawara that he would not use judo in fights anymore. On his way back, Sudoh is waylaid by some hoodlum acquaintances, who beat him up on accusations that he had hit on their girlfriends (he was handicapped by his promise to Yawara). As Sudoh is unable to participate in the tournament, the team risks losing by default and Hanazono recklessly chainsaws the cast off from his half-healed leg to enter in Sudoh's place. Matsuda acts as a messenger carrying Yawara's taped coaching tips to the team members. Yawara, Yuki, and Sayaka all win easily in their two preliminary matches. - Yawara's Love Message
E17Yawara's Love MessageSayaka and Yuki struggle in their semifinal match (Yawara having already won her match with another quick ippon), as Sayaka is distracted by seeing Shinnosuke standing next to Yawara and holding her shoulder. Each wants to fight Yawara in the finals, Yuki having gained 10kg for the match, and the match drags on, much to Yawara's impatience as she wants to go help her judo club and is imagining the worst. Sayaka is pinned by Yuki, but drags the two of them out of bounds to escape. Motivated by her jealousy over Shinnosuke and an perceived insult from Yawara, Sayaka flips the giant Yuki and is able to pin her for the required 30 seconds as Yuki unsuccessfully tries to maneuver out of bounds. Meanwhile, Matsuda is stuck in traffic and receives a traffic ticket from speeding and reckless driving, and is at risk of missing out on Yawara's finals match. At the same time, the Musashiyama judo team is also struggling mightily, losing the first match quickly but eking out a victory by the smallest judoka, Kohno, who keeps to Yawara's training advice. Hatakeyama, another team member, lost after a long match and the score is now 2–1 in favor of the rival high school Todoroki-dai, with the next member Yasui shaking in fear. - The Decisive Battle! Yawara vs. Sayaka
E18The Decisive Battle! Yawara vs. SayakaBefore the finals match, Jigoro sees a man that might be his son Kojiro at the arena. Matsuda arrives just in time to witness Yawara's 1-second ippon takedown of Sayaka, a complete anticlimax that stuns the whole arena to silence. Before leaving hurriedly to the high school tournament and abandoning the award ceremony in the process, Yawara returns Sayaka's fallen false tooth to the fallen Sayaka. Sayaka consoles herself by claiming that Yawara took her down before the "begin" signal, which was disproved by the timer and video playback. Sayaka abandons the award ceremony in disgust. Meanwhile Yasui defeats his opponent, and Hanazono is faring badly due to his injured right leg, which his opponent has also discovered. Matsuda drives Yawara at breakneck speed to the high school arena in his moped which has no brakes. Hanazono is about to give up in his match before seeing Yawara running to his aid; following Yawara's precise instructions, he is able to reverse pin his opponent in a Jigoku Zeme ("hell attack") on his back, winning the match in the prelim tournament for Musashiyama High. Jigoro gladly accepts the first prize in Yawara's place, but claims that Yawara is still a diamond in the rough and needs much more sharpening. Sayaka and company discover that the enigmatic mystery man is Kojiro Inokuma, and Sayaka orders an all-out effort to track down Kojiro and learn all of the Inokuma judo secrets. - Jigoro, His Love, And Youth's Raging Storms
E19Jigoro, His Love, And Youth's Raging StormsOn his wife Kaneko's 15th year death anniversary, Jigoro reminisces about their lives together. In 1934, Jigoro arrives from the countryside, having beaten 230 kumas (bears) in matches; after befriending an aspiring novelist, he arrives at the Kyuudou-kan Dojo, only to find the resident Ushio-sensei deceased and the dojo being run badly by the sensei's daughter Kaneko, with whom Jigoro falls instantly in love, because of unpaid debts from usury. Simonji, the rich creditor, has proposed marriage to Kaneko but is repeatedly rejected. Jigoro tries to run the dojo but runs off the remaining 2 students due to tough training methods. Jigoro is beaten up by hired goons from a rival dojo because he promised Kaneko he would not use judo to fight them, and Kaneko is forced to marry Simonji after he makes further implied threats. As the wedding ceremony is under way, Jigoro rushes to interrupt the ceremony a la The Graduate, using judo to defeat various opponents; however, Kaneko punishes him for breaking his promise by knocking him unconscious with a judo flip. Saimonji is frightened by Kaneko's display of power and falls into a fountain, ruining the paper debt contract. According to Jigoro, the novelist was Yoshinokawa Eiichi, who later published the classic Miyamoto Mushashi. Yawara objects to the story as a lie, as a different version had been told by Jigoro on the previous occasion, with a different cast of characters and literary references. - The Big Guest for Yawara
E20The Big Guest for YawaraHanazono's leg injury finally heals after receiving Jigoro's bonesetting treatment. On being shown multiple colleges' interest in Yawara, Hanazono confesses a desire to join Yawara at Sakai College, assuming she will go there. However, Yawara's first choice is a women's college, Mitsuba, which lacks a judo program, the implication being that Yawara is giving up on judo for the time being as she concentrates on passing the college exam. Accompanied by Sayaka is being trained in Europe by Pornalef, a judo expert who also happens to idolize Jigoro. Pornalef reveals that there are 4 strong judokas who are waiting to make short work of Yawara: Kim (fierce Korean), Teleshikova (robotic Russian), Belkins (Belgium model), and Jody Rockwell (Giant of Canada). Matsuda sees Jody at an airport while on another celebrity scandal assignment; she apparently has cancelled all her scheduled matches and come to Japan to challenge Yawara. Later, Jody heroically saves a mother and child in the streets from falling steel beams without waiting for any thanks. Jody goes to a noodle shop and shocks the five Musashiyama judo members eating there when she asks for five portions straight off. Jigoro visits Sakai College and pronounces it up to muster for Yawara. At the end of the episode, Jody arrives at the high school's dojo demanding a fight with Yawara. - Yawara and the Blue-Eyed House Guest
E21Yawara and the Blue-Eyed House GuestJody, perhaps knowing more Japanese than she lets on, yells "Tanomou!" ("I challenge you!") at Yawara at the dojo, frightening everybody, especially after Hanazono reveals that Jody is a world champion. At home, Yawara is upset at the news that Jigoro has "decided" to enroll her in Sakai College, and she vows never to go there. Jody arrives at the Inokuma home, and Jigoro is to serve as her first opponent. His powerful fighting aura scares Jody into submission, causing her to cry "Mairimashita!" ("I give up!") before they even begin; she, however, can. Jigoro decides to keep Jody on as a student and workout partner for Yawara. Jody, a fiend for training, pushes Yawara hard, which makes her fearful that she might not pass her entrance exam for Mitsuba College from lack of studying time. In Belgium, Sayaka fails to find Belkins, but defeats her "alternate" Stelkes at a ballroom dance. Possibly on Jigoro's advice, Jody "raids" the high school and defeats four ruffians when they pick a fight with her over their smoking. Yawara hurts Jody's feelings by telling her to go back to Canada, and Jigoro reveals Jody has been staying up at night to study Japanese in addition to waking up early to train. Realizing how hard Jody has been working, Yawara apologizes to her and they become friends, as well as finally settling on a match. - Let's Fight, Yawara!
E22Let's Fight, Yawara!Fighting seriously for the first time in her life, Yawara has a long evenly matched competition with Jody until Jody injures her right arm, which disappoints Jody who wants to continue fighting. Matsuda and Yamoda sneak into the Inokuma compound and are conscripted by Jigoro to be referees; Yawara extracts a promise from Matsuda that he would not print a word about the match. Yawara promises to fight Jody again, and both admit their match was the first time they had "fun" doing judo. At the post-match dinner, Jody mistakenly refers to Matsuda Meanwhile, Sayaka challenges the South Korean judoka Kim Yonsky, and they fight to an exhausting draw both physically and with mutual verbal insults. Sayaka leaves the match "hating" Kim, in contrast to Jody and Yawara's warm friendship. - See You Again, Yawara
E23See You Again, YawaraJody returns to Toronto, and Jody again refers to Matsuda as Yawara's "boyfriend." Jigoro surprises Jody on the plane before takesoff with a "Certain Victory" banner to cheer Jody on for her next match against the Russians, before being thrown off the airplane. Yawara and Matsuda meet Sayaka and Shinnosuke at the airport as "couples," and Matsuda boasts about Yawara's match with Jody, while Sayaka boasts about her global training and matches. After eavesdropping on the conversation, Jigoro tells Sayaka she can challenge Yawara at any of 10 tournaments in the next 4 months in preparation for establishing a track record for fighting Jody in a World Tournament. Yawara decides to try to study for her college exam AND train for the tournament so that she can fulfill her promise to Jody, though this will mean pulling exhausting all-nighters. As the tournaments go on, Yawara begins to sleepwalk through them, which concerns Matsuda, who has been keeping a vigil by the Inokuma resident (without Yawara's knowledge). Yawara still keeps Shinnosuke's picture in her drawer, and Shinnosuke still watches Yawara's matches even as he fools around with other women. - Yawara's Personal Tutor Is a Love Expert
E24Yawara's Personal Tutor Is a Love ExpertFinding Yawara's performance in the four previous tournaments to be deteriorating (though she still won all her matches), Jigoro confiscates Yawara's textbooks and forbids her from studying. Yawara meets Shinnosuke at a bookstore and she confesses that her poor performance was due to not sleeping from studying all night; Shinnosuke offers to tutor her at his condo. Matsuda spies on them out of jealousy, and they have a blowup over Yawara; Matsuda threatens to tattle to Sayaka. Matsuda then tries to follow suit by "tutoring" Yawara, but to his humiliation it turns out he knows less about school subjects than Yawara. In his tutoring, Shinnosuke tries to woo Yawara with English love poetry, while trying to cover up evidence that he is seeing other women. As Shinnosuke tries to juggle different women calling and visiting him while tutoring Yawara in his condo, Sayaka finally walks in on them. - Love, Exam Studies, And Yawara's Feelings
E25Love, Exam Studies, And Yawara's FeelingsSayaka walks in on Yawara and Shinnosuke as they are finishing their tutoring session, and Sayaka accuses Yawara of being a "dorobo-neko," a "cat thief" trying to steal Shinnosuke from her. Sayaka discloses that Shinnosuke has been offered (and accepted) an executive position with the Honami Group and will take it over in the future, and that Shinnosuke is her "fiance" (which he does not dispute). Matsuda, who has been staking out Shinnosuke's condo, sees Yawara run out crying, and interprets that Shinnosuke has having done "something heinous" to her. Sayaka shows up at a post-victory press conference for Yawara and tells her that she will enter Yawara's next tournament to defeat her. Jigoro calls Shinnosuke a "kazammidori" (weathervane) for dating so many women. Jigoro and Yawara find out in the news that Jody will be fighting the Russians in a televised tournament, but Yawara almost does not make it back to watch the match after being whisked away by Shinnosuke, who lies to her about his relationship with Sayaka. During the match, the robotic Russian Anna Teleshikova uses "dirty tactics" to disable Jody's knee and defeat her; Jody leaves with a serious injury (tearing her left knee ligament). - A Shocking Invitation for Yawara!
E26A Shocking Invitation for Yawara!Jody has suffered a seious injury that will take at least 6 months to recover from and puts her future judo career at risk. Matsuda shows Teleshikova's post-match press conference interview to Yawara, in which Teleshikova says she would not consider herself the best until she defeats Yawara. In response, Yawara seems to withdraw further until Tamao unexpectedly returns home to tell her that she had heard that Kojiro might have come to see her previous match against Sayaka. Shinnosuke sends Yawara flowers to ingratiate himself, and Sayaka for some reason also invites Yawara to her 18th birthday party but telling her it is a "casual wear" occasion. When Yawara arrives in casual clothing, Sayaka makes fun of her because all others are in formal attire (except for Jigoro, who has crashed the party for the free food). At the party, Sayaka's father announce that the Kazamatsuri Brewery (to which Shinnosuke is the sole heir) is merging with the Honami Group and that he is engaged to Sayaka (both decisions with Shinnosuke's parents' blessing). Shinnosuke is unable to object, and Sayaka takes the occasion to issue another challenge to Yawara, who runs away from the party. - Yawara and the Love Square
E27Yawara and the Love SquareEven with the news of Shinnosuke's engagement to Sayaka, Matsuda is unable to convince Yawara that Shinnosuke is a no-good playboy. Shinnosuke is seen hooking up with another girlfriend from his regular stable (Hiromi, Mayumi, Mieko, Mariko, et al.) and claiming that he loves the girlfriend at hand and was "forced into" the fiance arrangement. Yawara arrives home to tell Coach Yuutenji, who has been meeting with Jigoro every month to reinforce the Sakai College connection, that she is attending Sakai. Seeing that Yawara is depressed, Matsuda tells Shinnosuke to cheer her up despite his own feelings for Yawara and that he would cover for him with Sayaka. Shinnosuke has a date with Yawara and tells her more lies (i.e., being "trapped" and he only loves her), but they are chosen as the "couple of the day" on a TV program, which is seen Sayaka. Sayaka pursues Shinnosuke and Yawara while Matsuda runs interference. - The Madonna of My Youth, Yawara
E28The Madonna of My Youth, YawaraThis episode is about Hanazono's unrequited secret love for Yawara in contrast to Sudoh's bolder approaches. Hanazono has trouble confessing his feelings to Yawara, whereas Sudoh has trouble keeping himself from pestering Yawara for dates. Jigoro tries to prevent Yawara from going on dates with either of them, but is foiled by his craving for food from keeping watch. Yawara goes on a double date with both Hanazono and Sudoh at an amusement park, and tells them that she is quitting judo. While Hanazono is so disappointed by her decision to quit that he runs off, Sudoh believes that she should just do whatever she wants. Sudoh encounters former delinquent friends, who want to beat him up again, especially if he involves the judo club. Sudoh submits a "retirement letter" to the club in order to protect the members, but they show up anyway to intervene in the fight/beating. Hanazono swallows the retirement letter to nullify it, and Jigoro shows up to "persuade" the delinquents to desist with a timely judo throw and some accidentally spilled porno videos. - The Other One-Sided Love
E29The Other One-Sided LoveJigoro intentionally tries to burn application materials for Mitsuba Women's College in his continuing opposition to Yawara's decision to attend Sakai. Jody writes a cheerful letter (in Japanese and Kanji, but with some mistakes) to Yawara saying that she will recover and fight again, and warning that Teleshikova is a strong opponent. The lecherous newspaper editor (Matsuda's boss) assigns an "extra" rookie photographer to Matsuda, the excitable, coarse, bespectacled, and buxom Kaga Kuniko who dresses in revealing tights. Matsuda is upset to be saddled with her, but has no choice as Kuniko uses hysterical crying on command as a weapon to get what she wants, in addition to spreading false rumors. Shinnosuke is too craven to cancel the engagement, which he is rehearsing mentally, as Sayako discusses how many expensive dresses to buy with her mother and a designer. Kuniko appears to have a crush on Matsuda having perceptively sensed that he has feelings for Yawara; Kuniko disrupts a meeting between Yawara and Matsuda by claiming to be his "girlfriend," which unexpectedly upsets Yawara, who did not previously realize that she might have feelings for Matsuda as well. Yawara feels inferior because she does have Kuniko's big boobs or overt sexiness. Jigoro cuts a deal with Yawara: he would approve her taking the Mitsuba College entrance exam in exchange for her entering the upcoming Zen-ooki judo tournament. Yawara gladly agrees because her grandfather's approval is actually important to her (despite her saying otherwise), and because she misunderstood the deal to mean that Jigoro would approve her attending Mitsuba, not just taking the entrance exam for it. - The Lonely Ippon Zeoi
E30The Lonely Ippon ZeoiKuniko continues to pay unwanted attention to Matsuda, and when he objects, she cries to coerce him. She gets Matsuda drunk and takes him home, trying to sleep in bed with him (Matsuda ends up sleeping outside). She clings to him whenever he is meeting with Yawara and/or Jigoro, arousing equal measures of jealousy and disgust in Yawara. At the critical Zen-ooki tournament, Yawara was so distracted by the presence of Matsuda + Kuniko and Shinnosuke + Sayaka that she almost loses the first match (the men have no idea how much they are distracting her, whereas the women are there intending to distract her). During the final match, Yawara is again distracted but earns a victory by spraining her right wrist in the process, possibly disabling her from taking the entrance exam the next day (apparently she cannot write left-handed). - The Present on Entrance Exam Day
E31The Present on Entrance Exam DayJigoro puts his special frog balm on Yawara's injured hand, assuring her that it will take away the pain so that she could take the exam (in fact, he purposely gave her wrong medication (for hemorrhoids) so that she would fail her test). Yawara is desperate as she is unable to write, but her injury is discovered by a concerned Matsuda, who sneaks into the testing site to check up on her by skipping out on an important assignment to cover "Mike Bison" (a stand-in for Mike Tyson). Yawara initially distrusts Matsuda and rebuffs him rudely, and it is only after he confesses a "personal interest" in her that she allows him to fix her hand with a makeshift handkerchief (allegedly borrowing from an injured tennis player's technique). Yawara asks her mother if she was "attracted to many men at the same time" when she was younger. Mistaking her surprisingly good mood for having given up on Mitsuba College (because she must have failed the entrance exam), Jigoro takes her to visit Saikai College to visit Coach Yuutenji and the college president, but Yawara bursts their collective bubble by categorically stating that she will not attend Saikai. She goes to the newspaper office to return Matsuda's handkerchief, but meets Yuniko who lies about Matsuda being out and pretends to take a message for him. As she leaves, Yawara is fooled into thinking that Kuniko might be a good person after all. Meanwhile, Shinnosuke wakes up after bedding a new woman and delightedly reminds himself that he can sleep with both Sayaka and Yawara once they enter college. - A Stormy Time at the Exam Results
E32A Stormy Time at the Exam ResultsKuniko shows Matsuda's handkerchief by mistake, and Matsuda presses her about what Yawara had left as a message (by exchanging a dinner date). Hanazono, Sudoh, and Jigoro all show up to see Yawara's test results (but to the wrong site, the one for junior high test results), and Shinnosuke casually appropriates Yawara (who had been hoping to see Matsuda) when he sees her, after finding out that she has passed the test he openly lusts after her upcoming sexual availability as a college girl. Yawara and Mastuda are forced to have dinner and drinks with Shinnosuke and Yuniko, the latter trying their best to ruin Yawara's perception of Matsuda with lies and false innuendos. Yawara compensates by over-drinking. The only good news is Matsuda's revelation that Jody is getting out of the hospital. Later, Matsuda gets to be alone with Yawara, but is unable to explain the truth about himself, being genuinely conflicted between being happy for Yawara for passing the Mitsuba exam and his dream of being able to follow her career as a judo superstar. When Matsuda cannot suppress his enthusiasm for a possible cover story about Barcelona championship match between Yawara and Jody, Yawara becomes upset and throws the clueless Matsuda. Yawara leaves thinking that Matsuda does not care about her as a person and only sees as a walking sports news scoop. - Aim for the All-Japan Tournament
E33Aim for the All-Japan TournamentJigoro refuses to entertain the possibility that Yawara would go to Mitsuba Women's College, and not even Tamao's food inducements can change his attitude. After hearing Jigoro's opposition, Hanazono and Sudoh offer to help Yawara change Jigoro's mind by first plying with food at a restaurant. When that fails, Jigoro makes a judo bet with them such that if they even throws him even once in any way possible, he will allow Yawara to attend Mitsuba. Despite various unorthodox attacks, the two inevitably fail. Yawara's friends buy a red dress as a college present for her, and by chance they find Sayaka buying the identical dress at the store as well; Sayaka is upset on hearing that Yawara will not attend Saikai but Mitsuba instead, calling her a "win-and-run" girl. Sayaka challenges Yawara to enter the All-Japan Tournament so she can finally have a chance to beat her. After a long talk with Tamao in which Tamao gives him money intended for Mitsuba College, Jigoro finally changes his mind. He will pay for Yawara to attend Mitsuba (setting aside Tamao's money for Yawara's future wedding), but Yawara has to enter and win the prestigious upcoming All-Japan Tournament (an open weight tournament matching judokas of all weight classes against each other) and forgo going out with men for the time being. Yawara happily accepts the deal but also realizes that she will still have to do things grandpa's way. Matsuda is excited about the tournament as well, and reveals that Saikai College's veteran judo captain, Kousaka Megumi, is also aching to challenge Yawara because Yawara has disrespected Saikai by turning down its scholarship offer. - The Stage Contest of the Rivals
E34The Stage Contest of the RivalsAt the All Japan Tournament, the rivals of Yawara (e.g., Yuki Tohdoh and Sayaka) meet and talk trash. Yawara is more concerned about Hanazono passing his Saikai exam than the tournament, and as it turns out, he did not pass. Kousaka Megumi appears confident against Yawara as she has studied her moves extensively and believes she has counter for Yawara's trademark one-arm Ippon Zeoi throw. However, when the match begins, Yawara reflexively counters Kousaka's countermove and beats her anyway; Kousaka is not embittered about the loss and instead has greater respect for Yawara and vows to work harder. Jigoro likewise gives her encouragement as well as his autographed book. - The Miss' Tenacity
E35The Miss' TenacityRight before their semifinal match, Sayaka and Yuki each brags about how few seconds they will need to defeat the other. Sayaka tries a couple of quick moves on Yuki but each time the latter counters and is able to move out of bounds. Even on the third encounter, when Yuki slips, Sayaka cannot score, and she becomes increasingly anxious. On the fourth encounter, Sayaka injures her leg in the fall, allowing Yuki to score the first points in the ensuing encounter. Yuki then focuses her attack on Sayaka's injured right leg and pins her with her massive upper body (kami-shihoh gatame). Refusing to give up, Sayaka is able to reverse flip and escape from Yuki at the last second. Yawara then offers specific tips to Sayaka to execute a pin on Yuki, forcing her to give up. However, afterwards to save face Sayaka denies that she would followed Yawara's advice or that she has suffered an injury. On the next semifinal match, Yawara defeats her opponent with a usual quick ippon. In the examination room, the doctor tells Sayaka she has broken her leg and that she risks greater injury and perhaps permanent inability to practice judo if she continues; however, Sayaka decides to press on because she cannot bear the shame of losing to Yawara, even on an injury forfeit. To stop Sayaka, Shinnosuke kisses her, causing her to faint and she is carried to the hospital. Sayaka thus loses by forfeit. The final scenes show Jody and Teleshikova training hard in hot anticipation for a match (in Jody's case, rematch) against Yawara. - Ah, Hanazono! The Tearful Graduation
E36Ah, Hanazono! The Tearful GraduationAs graduation nears, nostalgia and romance are both in the air. Shinnosuke is plotting to offer himself as a "gift" to Yawara as graduation gift, even as he finds himself being more of a fiance play toy to Sayaka, who is recovering from her leg injury, as they head for Hawaii to one of her "extra" mansions. The judo team reflects on their progress under Yawara's coaching and their future with both Yawara and Hanazono graduating. Hanazono made a wish of fighting Yawara just once before he graduates, which Yawara grants, with the inevitable result of Hanazono being thrown for an ippon. - Jigoro's Love, A Tumultuous Pure Love Story
E37Jigoro's Love, A Tumultuous Pure Love StoryJigoro takes advantage of a media interview about Yawara to launch into his own memory lane again. Shortly after he took over Kaneko's Kyudodan dojo, he saves a man who is about to hang himself due to a bad romance. One day Kaneko's uncle (father's older brother) Toranosuke, a tea ceremony master rather than a judoka, comes to visit with an offer for Kaneko to marry his best student and carry on as his successor; this is supposed to the will of Kaneko's father, Ushio Umanosuke. However, Jigoro is also thinking of proposing in the future to Kaneko. The uncle and Jigoro do not get along, as they argue over whether a teacup or (judo) tatami is more important. Toranosuke tricks Jigoro into saying that he values judo over any woman or marriage, which is inadvertently confirmed by Jigoro who has to attend his first All Japan Championship. Kaneko tells him that she will accompany her uncle to be engaged to his student. In the final match, Jigoro is pinned helplessly by his opponent until the formerly suicidal young man encourages him with the prospect of proposing to Kaneko at the Ueno train station as the Japan champion. Inspired, Jigoro wins the match and rushes to the station. On board the train, he at first proposes to the wrong woman, only to find that Kaneko never boarded the train and is running aside it to catch his attention. According to Jigoro, Kaneko runs so fast that she catches up to the train at the next station, where they exchange their marriage vow. In addition, the suicidal young man was Sato Daisaku, who became an important prime minister during the modernization of Japan, all entirely thanks to Jigoro. Yawara does not believe in the story, and the reporters also long left the "interview." - The Heartful Excitement of Women's College Life
E38The Heartful Excitement of Women's College LifeIt is the first day of school (opening ceremony) for Yawara and Sayaka in their respective colleges. Jigoro accompanies Yawara as a chaperon and also to ask the college president to keep an eye on her. On the bus there, Yawara encounters a super-tall, gloomy female student named Itou Fujiko. Yawara is tempted to join various student clubs which are recruiting new members. Jigoro mistakes Mitsuba cheerleaders for can-can dancers and attempts to teach them "Yawara cheers" for the Barcelona Olympics, and afterwards enjoy a boisterous drinking party and late-night disco dancing outing with them. Yawara and Itou and other girls go to a boring Keihou university (coed) mixer where they wait for a long time only to see a bunch of geeks and otakus show up as their "hot dates," disappointing Itou whose goal it is to enjoy her "once-in-a-lifetime youth" and "find a wonderful man" at college. Worried that she would miss her night practice, Yawara instead is surprised to encounter Jigoro across the street covered in lipstick kisses from the cheerleaders. - Blue Night Yokohama
E39Blue Night YokohamaYawara and her new friend Itou Fujiko try out new clubs and encounter another student, Komiya Yukari, who is a veteran dater aggressive with men. Itou Fujiko mistakenly believes that Yawara is a "1st degree" in flower arrangement or tea ceremony, which an embarrassed Yawara does not correct. Komiya encourages both to join the golf club, where she says it is easiest to hook a rich guy, which is her goal in life. They do so and Shinnosuke shows up bearing flowers for Yawara. However, he is soon swallowed by fawning women who want him to teach them golf, with Komiya being typically the most forward. At a bar, a man tries to get Yawara drunk but instead it is Itou who downs the drink and feels sick. Later, when Shinnosuke finally gets to be alone with Yawara, they are spotted by Sayaka on board her super yacht Queen Sayaka, and she literally crashes the pier where Shinnosuke is sweet-talking Yawara, yelling the typical "cat-thief!" insult at Yawara. - Fujiko-san's Secret!
E40Fujiko-san's Secret!Yawara and her new college friends join a 2-day golf camp. Yawara shows herself to be a golf natural, whereas Itou Fujiko has no knack, on top of which the men make fun of her height. Yawara has a chance encounter with Hanazono, who is training with the Ebitendou judo club nearby. Hanazono and the other judo members crash the coed mixer party that Yawara is attending, asking her whether she has quit judo to take up golf. Yawara spends time with Itou Fujiko, who tells her about her history as a junior ballet dancer thwarted by her inherited height. At training, Jigoro tells Yawara he has entered her in the upcoming World Judo Cup, where world class judokas will be competing against her. - The Part-Time Job for a Day
E41The Part-Time Job for a DayYawara and Itou decide to get a part-time job, after seeing the stylish outfits of Komiya, which they cannot afford. However, the only jobs that Komiya appear to be for call-girls which pay 20,000 yen per hour. Later, they are hired at a fast food restaurant. Things are going well until Matsuda, and then Shinnosuke show up. Sayaka spots them and then challenges Yawara to a fight right there at the restaurant, but a bunch of ruffians intervene, and Sayaka fights them instead, creating complete chaos. Jigoro ends the farce by showing up to buy hamburgers, discovering that Yawara has a secret part-time job. He forbids her from working because she needs to train more for the Judo World Cup. Jigoro is also upset that the World Cup has no open-weight division, which he believes is counter to the spirit of judo in which skill can overcome strength. - Ippon Zeoi at the Disco!
E42Ippon Zeoi at the Disco!Yawara and Itou decide to try their next job at the disco, using the excuse that they are study. ALthough Itou is afraid that her ballet training might be useless there, her dancing (to the music of Swan Lake) turns out to be a hit. However, the "Cheek Time" (close embrace dancing) discomfits Yawara, and when her patron tries to cup a feel, she instinctively throws him for an ippon. Itou begins to suspect that she has seen Yawara before, perhaps as a judoka. Yawara realizes that she really is not "normal," or at least does not react like a normal girl. - Free Weight Class Is the Only Way for Yawara!
E43Free Weight Class Is the Only Way for Yawara!Jigoro crashes the airport reception for IOC President Tamaranch, a close friends of the Honami family to demand that the Judo World Cup have an open weight division. Itou Fujiko finds out that Yawara is the famous judoka genius, and urges her to compete in the World Cup, telling her that it inspires her. However, Yawara is unmoved. Jigoro cooks up a scheme/stunt to make the World Cup open-weight in exchange for approval for Shinnosuke to date his granddaughter, in which Jigoro takes on the huge 120 kg Arakawa (5th-dan judo), a Honami's security agent, the reception for President Tamaranch. When this scheme fails, Jigor fakes an illness and has the Saikai judokas look for Yawara, who throws a Saikai judoka in front of Tamaranch, convincing him of her strength and perhaps opening his mind about creating an open-weight division at the Judo World Cup. - Selected Athletes Announced Tonight!
E44Selected Athletes Announced Tonight!It is publicly announced that four weight classes (with Sayaka representing Japan in the under 48 kg division; Yamada Kaori in the under 52 kg division; Tanabe Yoko in the under-72 kg division; and Toudoh Yuki in the over-72 kg division) will be at the Judo World Cup, with also a new open-weight class to be represented by Yawara, to Sayaka's consternation. However, Yawara announces that she will not participate. Instead she wants to concentrate on her home economics classes such as cooking and being a normal girl. Itou shows Yawara her blood-soaked ballerina shoes, which she had used to dance even when injured and bleeding; she tells Yawara that she has been "chosen" to succeed, and that it would help fulfill her dreams also if Yawara competes. Matsuda echoes similar sentiments. Yawara finally decides to enter the Cup and start training camp. Matsuda and Yuniko infiltrate the Russian training camp and Teleshikova tells them that she will win the world cup. Matsuda for some reason takes Kuniko to see his parents, who mistake her for his girlfriend; when he vehemently denies that she is his girlfriend, they press him for a meeting for an arranged marriage prospect because he is already 26 and still single. He refuses again, telling them that he is interested in someone who will be in the Judo World Cup. - After the World Cup Ends
E45After the World Cup EndsItou Fujiko organizes a Yawara Cheer Club at the college, but the girls are not particularly enthusiastic. Jody shows up to proclaim that she and Yawara are "shummai" (dumpling) rivals, rather than "shukumei" (destined) rivals, amongst other mistakes in Japanese. She also again refers to Tamao tells Yawara that her father might have been spotted in Seoul, the site of the World Cup, giving some 1-ippon lessons to Korean judokas. Belkins the Belgium Judo Queen gives an press conference, and Matsuda tries to fan flames of competition between her and Teleshikova and Yawara. Yawara arrives at the Saikai College training site and everyone is impressed by her ability except for Jigoro, who calls her ippon "half-assed". Shinnosuke makes a date with Yawara and then has to cancel because of Sayaka. Yawara and Tohdoh go shopping, but Tohdoh dumps her. When it rains, Yawara and Matsuda find themselves seeking shelter in the same phone booth, and Yawara tells him that her dad Kojiro might be in Seoul, where perhaps they can find him. When it comes to his turn, however, Matsuda is unable to tell her his feelings and instead talk about an interview after the world cup. - Raising the Curtain! World Cup
E46Raising the Curtain! World CupTamao tailors Kojiro's old judo uniform for Yawara to use in Seoul, as Yawara tries to learn some Korean. Jigoro supposedly is doing pre-tournament meditation, but it turns out he was just thinking about which restaurants to hit in Seoul. Itou Fujiko has spent several weeks organizing other women at the college to sew a giant Yawara cheer banner, with which she wants to surprise Yawara; she stays up all night putting the finishing touches (though still unable to fix all mistakes) but arrives too late to see Yawara off. However, she is able to unfurl the 20 m (66-ft) banner on the tarmac so that Yawara and others could see it from the plane as it takes off. Sayaka meets her mortal enemy (and opponent in her weight class), Kim Yonsky, and they exchange insults based on what kind of food they are make each other out of at the match. Yawara is separated from the other judokas and goes on her own to search for her father, where she encounters Belkins, the Belgian champion, who is modeling traditional Korean dresses. She also ends up in a dojo, where Teleshikova is hard at work training; when Yawara tries to show her Kojiro's picture, she slaps it away, but they do not fight. Yamashita, the former Olympic gold medalist, tells Yawara that he met Kojiro recently but gives no further details other than that Kojiro must be watching the event in Seoul as well. The Japanese team enters the arena, with Sayaka carrying the flag (Matsuda comments that the honor must have been bought by the Honami money). - Uncertain! Japan's Female Judo!!
E47Uncertain! Japan's Female Judo!!The Cup begins, and Sayaka as the 48kg division favorite, easily wins her semifinal match to reach the final against Kim Yonsky. Jody Rockwell shows up with her equally huge fiance, a weightlifter who likes to lift people as well. The media focuses its attention on the sidelines as Teleshikova, Jody, and Belkins surround Yawara to trash talk, and this distracts Sayaka in her finals match with Kim. Kim builds a big lead against Sayaka, but Yawara gives tips to Sayaka, which she uses but does not appreciate or acknowledge publicly. The last second move that could have led to a victory by Sayaka, however, comes too late, and Kim is declared the victor. Jigoro gives Sayaka encouragement afterwards as well as his autobiography, and tells her that she will become stronger. Meanwhile, Tohdoh also loses, and the Japanese women's team is faring badly thus far. An emotionless Teleshikova states that it is useless to care about other people's matches like Yawara does. - Yawara vs. Queen Belkens
E49Yawara vs. Queen BelkensIn their match, Belkens quickly discovers she has no opening against Yawara, and that any move she makes places her in danger. Belkens is therefore on defense most of the time and receives two warnings for repeatedly going of bounds to escape. Finally she attacks, but is almost thrown for an ippon before hooking Yawara's leg for a narrow escape. However, Yawara is able to counter this move and in the next sequence, pulls Belkens for an ippon. Belkens is gracious in defeat, telling Yawara that She may be the new queen. Matsuda meanwhile chases the an he believes to be Kojiro all over the arena and outside, finally catching up with him before being thrown; Kojiro finally talks to Matsuda (this is the first time in the show he speaks and is shown on screen). Kojiro tells Matsuda that despite his long search, he has not been able to master the art of "Ju" over "go," and that Yawara has more natural talent than he does. Matsuda asks what is meant by this. Yamashita confides to another sportscaster that he had suffered the same type of defeat against Kojiro Inokuma during a match, but later scored a lucky victory in a private match, prompting Kojiro to disappear in his search to become stronger. In their match, Jody scores the first yuko points against Teleshikova. - Fujiko-san's Decision
E57Fujiko-san's DecisionMatsuda tells Kojiro in the presence of the Honamis that Yawara is quitting judo because she thinks it is the reason why her father left the family. Sayaka does not believe him, and Kojiro, who is staying at the Honami compound, continues to insist that he cannot see Yawara right now. Shinnosuke, Matsuda, and Fujiko have dinner with Yawara to discuss her decision to quit judo. Yawara believes "only bad things have come from judo" in her life. Fujiko comes to Hanazono for help to convince Yawara not to quit judo, and as Hanazono relates the story of how Yawara helped train the high school judo club, it gives Fujiko the idea to start a judo club at Mitsuba so that Yawara would care about judo again. She and Hanazono "accidentally" hold hands again. - First Kiss!
E98First Kiss!Sayaka appears on Sports Spirits program to announce she has been training under the world's best coach (whom she does not name). She makes fun of Tsurukame as a 3rd rate travel company and accuses her of hiding, just like she did at Mitsuba which did not even have a judo team. Yawara does not appear to care and walks away without Matsuda noticing. She hears men talking about the next big "cat fight" between her and Sayaka. Coach Yuutenji enters Fujiko's name in the next open-weight All Japan Judo Championship, which means she could fight anybody, including Sayaka or Yawara. Hanazono runs off to train because he feels inadequate. The same news conveyed by Jigoro energizes Matsuda because of the opportunities for great judo, though he realizes that Jigoro will be playing friends off against one another. Jigoro says he does carry about anything other than getting what he wants. Later, Shinnosuke is able to whisk Yawara away to an expensive dinner despite being late and being seen on TV with Sayaka. She seems to accept every story and excuse he spins unquestioningly. Shinnosuke thinks this is his best chance to score, as later she will be surrounded by men at work. He gives her her first kiss at her door. She thinks Shinnosuke is sweet and wonderful and has no idea about his womanizing and other lies. - Hokkaido and the Budokan
E100Hokkaido and the BudokanHagoromo is ordered not give Yawara any real work and to let her concentrate on judo. Jigoro and Matsuda spy on Fujiko and Yawara at a cafe. Fujiko is overjoyed that Yawara is entering the All Japan, but she just realizes that her arranged appearance with Kato Chu company conflicts with the All Japan tournament dates. The conflict also involves Hanomi Travel whose biggest account is Kato Chu. Yawara goes to Shinnosuke for help, and he is only trying to work out what’s best for himself under the circumstances, with his bachelorhood versus twenty billion yen at stake. He finally advises her to work on Kato Chu and skip the All Japan. Hagoromo is shown to have a terrible home life, with a harridan wife and a son who ignores him. When he thinks his career is over because of the schedule conflict, and is surprised to see Yawara coming with him to the Kato Chu trip and deciding to skip All Japan. - My Champion
E110My ChampionThe Ebitendo team members have a quick turnaround of hearts after Hanazono makes it into the semifinals, unprecedented for the school. He’s facing the fearsome giant Yaegashii of the Yokohama Martial Arts College, who’s 2 m and 180 kg (about 6’7” and 396 lb), twice his size. Hanazono finds his opponent much stronger physically, and follows the Inokumas’ advice to rely on his hard-earned techniques and timing, which allows him to beat the giant. However, before the finals, he’s experiencing great stage fright like Fujiko used to get, looking like “a gorilla with a bellyache,” as the stakes are bigger for him with Fujiko on the line. Matsuda goes to fetch Fujiko, but can’t find her at her apartment. The train on which Fujiko is on experiences a delay, and she gets off to run to the stadium just as the finals match begins. Saikai’s University’s Inagaki, the defending champ, is favored to win, and they overlook the opponent and can’t even get the name right (“Hanazawa,” “Hanaoka,” “Hanayama,” “Hanajima”). Hanazono is ahead initially, but Inagaki gets the upperhand later, as Fujiko hides behind the Saikai team unable to watch up-close. As the clock winds down, Fujiko yells encouragement which Hanazono hears, but he’s only able to throw Inagaki for a yuko, not an ippon, and loses the match. Afterwards, as he cries on the roof of the stadium, Fujiko hugs him and tells him to her he’s the “world’s greatest champion.” - Fujiko's Shocking Retirement- Announcement!
E111Fujiko's Shocking Retirement- Announcement!Fujiko wins the Fukuoka International Women’s Judo Tournament in the 61kg division, and Yawara wins the 48kg and under division. As the others are growing increasingly enthusiastic about their prospects of competing in the next All Japan and Barcelona Olympics, Fujiko fakes a cold and contemplates her judo future at a park, where she confides to Yawara that her period is late and may be pregnant, which is confirmed by a doctor’s visit. She makes up mind to quit Judo to prepare for her pregnancy, and is actually happy about it. The news makes Hanazono even more serious about training to “apologize,” and the news is taken very badly by Fujko’s parents. Sports Toyko’s reporter overhears at Saikai University that Fujiko is pregnant, so the news is out. Fujiko goes into hiding at the Inokumas as the media stakes out her apartment over the “scandal.” Fujiko tells the reporters that she is glad about everything—judo, Hanazono, the future baby, their future as parents of a Inokuma-like judo champion, which is like winning an ippon for Japan’s judo. Watching the news footage, Fujiko’s parents are reconciled to the affair. Fujiko and Hanazon are married. Yawara wins the All Japan over Tohdoh.
