Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa Episode 14

You work nonstop at a labour camp, starting while it's still dawn and only punching the clock again well into the evening. You're not paid a regular wage; rather, you need to work to pay off your debt, and the terms for cancelling said debts are at your employer's discretion. This means years of indentured servitude with little in the way of entertainment. Apart from a 1-day furlough, awarded to those who can afford it.

eating a burger with a friendly leaf.

 To obtain this highly coveted leave, one has to pay 500000 units of the currency used in this underground facility, in addition to being granted permission from the higher-ups. The latter requirement purports to be some form of reward granted to those capable of great efficiency and diligence at work, but it's never made clear. We only know that the one thing standing between another sweaty day slogging away at this mine and freedom basking in the sunshine of our regular world is this required fee. As long as you have the money, you're good to go. Otsuki, the foreman, happens to have loads of it, mostly stashed away thanks to his exploits in Chinchirorin, a game that he happens to win easily thanks to his personal 4-5-6 dice, but don't tell anyone. It's not like they're aware of it.

The dark aura of someone ordering beer while others can't.

Our Honcho starts his journey as a man enjoying his hard-earned temporary freedom visiting a men's clothing store and taking casual strolls about town. Being a fully functional organisation, Teiai always assigns people to keep track of its holiday-makers. They puzzle over the purpose of someone on a one-day furlough getting a business suit and usual office attire. At first they assume that he was heading over to some upscale club or something, but it turns out that his choice of formal garments was to make him look like a salary man fortunate enough to order beer and extravagant food items at a cut-and-dried diner in early afternoon. the purpose of his suit is soon revealed: to make him look majestic while the common crowd, those with regular jobs living regular lives, have to endure the sight of someone doing what none of them can do. The onlookers gasp in astonishment at the singular rotund, albeit fastidiously dressed figure who proceeds to guzzle mug after mug of the elusive barley brew. They reluctantly carry on with their ordinary meals, while Otsuki is ecstatic.

When man and crab jump for joy

Another escapade. This time our hero takes it really easy and does everything without any semblance of haste. He lies down on the grass, falls asleep and proceeds to eat a simple dinner at an average fast food place. Upon realising that his time is up in under a few hours, he sets out to make the most of it. Being something of an expert in fine cuisine (his size should cue you in on that), he decides that a trip to his former favourite haunt is in order. This is actually the place he used to go to as a young student. There's even someone playing a guitar on the pavement, singing the lyrics from the ending credits of the first season of Kaiji! These nods to other Fukumoto works are always a fine touch, making this series all the more appealing. At one point you find yourself watching it just to spot any reference that you might have overlooked the first time around.

That's a rather telling avatar

Anyway, our heroic honcho is caught in two minds as he has to choose which dish to order. He's stuck between his long time favourite 'crab rice' and the mysterious-looking omellete rice. After long deliberation and inner reflections, he opts for the latter. At first he starts to regret his choice as this dish doesn't seem to have anything special to it. But he's soon caught up in the marvellous whirl of the delicacy's taste, and proceeds to wolf it down with gusto. He was already pleased enough when the cook comes personally to greet him, rekindling an old acquaintance with the former student who used to order crab rice on the regular. He presents the former college student with a generous order of crab rice, reminding him that there's no need to pay as it's on the house. The foreman is delighted at eating his comfort food once more. And it feels exactly like that. Memories of a fulfilled youth come flooding back, engulfing him in thoughts and recollections of his younger self enjoying his favourite form of art: the culinary sort.

Transceding experiences

In short, this is one of the best episodes of this series. The viewer can easily relate to any aspect of Otsuki's routine, whether it be compulsory work or his penchant for making the most of his short leisure time. I don't think that Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa gets any better than this, but I'd be glad to be proven wrong.