The Mole 2: Anime Edition
Episode Thirteen
English/Japanese Name Differences
Tai Kamiya/Taichi Yagami
Sakura Avalon/Sakura Kinomoto
Contestants
Jenrya- Puppy Watcher: "Digimon Tamers"
Mitsune- Slacker: "Love Hina"
Takeshi- Hugh Hefner-Wannabe: "Pocket Monsters"
(Washu- Genius: "Tenchi Muyo")
(Tamahome- Bishonen: "Fushigi Yuugi")
(Kenji- Research Assistant: "Pocket Monsters")
(Akane- Tomboy: "Ranma ½")
(Motoko- Kendo Girl: "Love Hina")
(Ruki- Card Shark: "Digimon Tamers")
(Kasumi- Romantic Tension: "Pocket Monsters")
(Miaka- Student/Priestess: "Fushigi Yuugi")
(Keitaro- Resident Manager: "Love Hina")
(Ranma- Freak of Nature: "Ranma ½")
(Takato- Goggle Boy: "Digimon Tamers")
Episode Thirteen
(Flashback of the ten Moonbound players, five of which in
spacesuits, listening to Barb explain a challenge.)
Mike: (VO) It all started… on the Moon. Fourteen characters
from six very different shows competing in challenges which could
earn them up to one million yen.
(Shot of the other four on the plane, struggling at the Memory
game.)
Mike: (VO) Among them is a saboteur that we hired in order to
hinder the group's efforts. The Mole.
(Flashback to the first execution, and Takato’s removal.)
Mike: (VO) After every round, the players would take a quiz on
the Mole’s identity. Whoever knew the least about the Mole
was executed, and removed from the game immediately. Here is a
quick look at how the game has progressed:
(Flashback to the Cosplay game, where Ruki shows up in her
normal clothes. Jenrya, dressed as Syaoran Li, stands next to her
as Miaka, dressed as Akari Kanzaki, confronts them.)
Miaka: Ruki? What did you do with the costume?
Ruki: I… couldn’t wear that thing.
Miaka: Why not?
Ruki: I just… couldn’t.
Jenrya: (explaining) Ruki doesn’t deal well with cute.
Miaka: (suspicious) I see.
(At breakfast, Jenrya is dealing with the neutralizer.)
Ruki: Just pick somebody, or we lose the 10 grand.
Jenrya: I don’t care about the money Ruki, this isn’t
right. If nobody wants to take this willingly, then I have to do
what I think is fair. Barb, give me the card.
(Barb hands the card over.)
Jenrya: Last chance.
(More silence. Most look on sadly. Jenrya tears the card in two
and walks off.)
(Miaka enters Tamahome’s room, to see him and Akane
talking.)
Akane: We're working together to learn as much about the Mole as
possible.
Miaka: Oh.
Akane: You're welcome to join us.
Miaka: Oh. Um... no thanks.
(Miaka slips out. Akane turns to Tamahome.)
Akane: What's wrong with her?
(Tamahome is obviously concerned.)
Tamahome: I don't know.
(Miaka walks through the hall. She happens past an open door,
where Kenji and Takeshi are talking.)
Takeshi: Profiles only get you so far Kenji, I'm telling you-
Tamahome's the Mole.
(Miaka turns ghost-white, including the dark flashy background.)
(Ruki is trying to drive the four-wheeler, which is stuck in
the mud.)
Kasumi: What's wrong?
Ruki: We're stuck.
(Kasumi gets out.)
Ruki: Don't get out... I'll manage.
Kasumi: No... you're really stuck. I think we should get some
help.
Ruki: No! Hold on!
(Ruki steps on the gas, causing the tires to spray Kasumi with
mud.)
Kasumi: Ruki! Don't force it!
Ruki: We don't need help!
(…and afterwards, on the cart, an unhappy Jenrya talks to
Akane.)
Jenrya: Man, you'd think they'd be able to report everything. I
can't believe how much they missed. Especially Takeshi and
Mitsune.
Akane: It wasn't that bad, people just have a different idea of
what's considered hazardous.
Jenrya: I guess...
(Jenrya and Ruki are backstage during the Kuno game.)
Ruki: I'm sorry.
(Jenrya's obviously surprised.)
Jenrya: For what?
Ruki: The whole thing with Miaka. I admit it. She could be the
Mole. I was collecting information, and I shouldn't have withheld
it from you.
Jenrya: (smiling) Apology accepted. You know, this is what we
need to do to work together. We can do a lot as a team. So do you
want to team up and try to watch Miaka a little closer now?
(Ruki nods and smiles slightly.)
Ruki: Yeah.
(…and later that night at the execution.)
Barb: Miaka.
(Barb types in "MIAKA." It flashes red. Dissolve to
Jenrya, who looks over at Ruki, who cracks a half-smile and turns
away. Jenrya goes from confused to shocked.)
(Takeshi is with Mitsune in her room.)
Mitsune: I want you to join the Hinata coalition with me and
Motoko.
Takeshi: Oh, uh… well… I’m already kinda in a
coalition.
(Dissolve to later in the scene.)
Takeshi: I dunno… I don’t feel right doing that to
Kenji. I mean we’re not best friends or anything, but as
third wheels to Satoshi and Kasumi, we have a sense of unity and
respect for each other…
(Mitsune sighs, grabs Takeshi’s arm, and plants his hand on
her left breast. Takeshi just about melts.)
Takeshi: Say your prayers sketcher boy!!
(Kenji is talking to Kasumi.)
Kenji: If I do decide that you need to go… then it’s up
to you to fight to stay alive. But for now… I want you here.
Okay?
Kasumi: I guess so.
(Barb enters "KASUMI" into the computer at the execution. It flashes red.)
(The next day, Takeshi and Kenji are talking.)
Kenji: I did not stab Kasumi in the back!
Takeshi: Okay… okay… I believe you…
Kenji: I’m starting to think you did.
(Takeshi’s caught off guard.)
Takeshi: What? Me?
Kenji: Yeah. You and your Tamahome kick. I’ve been voting
Kitsune for four straight quizzes and I’m doing fine. And
I’ve been advising Kasumi to do the same thing. You come in,
and you tell her that Tamahome’s the Mole. I think she was
starting to buy into that. I bet that she was so unsure of
whether to pick Kitsune or Tamahome that she couldn’t decide
and got executed.
Takeshi: You got me. I could outsmart Kasumi, but there’s no
outsmarting you.
Kenji: Pardon?
(Takeshi turns around and smiles.)
Takeshi: You’re right. I tried to get Kasumi executed by
convincing her that Tamahome’s the Mole.
Kenji: (shocked) You did?
Takeshi: Sure. I mean come on, who would think Tamahome’s
the Mole? What’s he done? Nothing!
Kenji: Uh… um… yeah. Sure thing. I uh… gotta go.
(Kenji hustles out. Now alone, Takeshi frowns.)
Takeshi: I can’t believe I actually said that.
(Takeshi and Motoko are running away from an angry Tortomon.)
Takeshi: Motoko! Kendo! Now!
(Motoko nods, then turns towards Tortomon with her stick in hand.
Tortomon stops and looks at her. Motoko feels particularly
uneasy, and catches her breath before trying an attack.
Unfortunately, it appears to be too much for her and she faints.)
Takeshi: Motoko!
(Later, Mitsune, Kenji, and Takeshi are treating Motoko.)
Mitsune: Right now, I don’t care. The most important thing
right now is helping Motoko.
Kenji: I’m not saying that’s a problem! You can stay if
you want! Point is, I’m going, and I think Takeshi should
too!
Mitsune: I think that’s up to Takeshi.
Takeshi: Sorry Kenji, but I think I’d better stay here. I
kinda got her into this and I don’t feel right leaving. If
you want to keep looking, go ahead, but I’m staying here
with Motoko.
(Kenji shakes his head and storms off.)
(Ruki is looking over the ocean with Mike’s cell phone,
as the instructions are voiced over.)
Mike: (VO) Ruki, the others obviously don’t want you here.
They have selected you as the person to be voted off. You can
call me and ask to leave the island. You can leave at any time.
Naturally, this will spoil the challenge, and none of the 30,000
yen will be added to the pot. But do this… and you will
receive an exemption from tomorrow’s quiz. This phone can be
used by any of the other five as well, it’s simply a matter
of whether or not you want to tell them about it.
(Ruki throws the phone into the ocean. Follow with a shot of
Ruki’s execution.)
(Akane is watching Jenrya’s answers during the
Interviews.)
Jenrya: (VO) Who do I want executed? I don’t know. Maybe
Akane. I mean, this whole secret coalition she has with Tamahome
bugs me a little bit. I mean, I’m getting the impression
that she thinks I’m the Mole. I guess it’s no big deal,
but you know. It’s just a bit troubling.
(Jenrya is bent down, not sure how Akane’s going to take
that. Akane meanwhile, is simply shocked.)
Jenrya: Sorry it had to come out like that. But… that’s
how I feel. Since you are a mature, sensible person, I’m
sure you’ll understand that…
(Akane whacks Jenrya with her mallet and storms out of the room.)
(Washu and Jenrya are in Jenrya’s room.)
Washu: You aren’t going to sit here and take this lying
down, are ya Jenny?
Jenrya: What do you mean?
Washu: We’ve got to even the odds a little bit, you know?
They’re kicking us out of our rooms so they can suspect us
of being the Mole? That doesn’t sit right. I say we kick
them out for a change. And suspect them of being the Mole.
Jenrya: Um… I don’t suspect them of being the Mole
though.
Washu: Neither do I, but it’s fair justice.
(Shot of Akane’s execution.)
(Mitsune and Takeshi are both in Mitsune’s room.)
Mitsune: We’re both hiding something.
(Takeshi turns around and looks at Mitsune oddly.)
Takeshi: What do you mean?
Mitsune: Well… I mean that you’re hiding your
intentions from Kenji. All that stuff you said about lying about
Kasumi.
Takeshi: What about you? What are you hiding?
(Mitsune sighs.)
Mitsune: Remorse.
(Takeshi and Kenji are climbing up the hill.)
Takeshi: Let’s see… we’re more than halfway there,
and besides us two, Tamahome’s still with us. You know what
that means?
Kenji: What?
(Takeshi smiles.)
Takeshi: You are expendable.
(Takeshi shoots Kenji and continues up the hill.)
(After the failed Water Sports challenge…)
Mitsune: I guess we didn’t make it.
Tamahome: What took you so long?
Mitsune: I don’t know… something wasn’t working
right on the boat.
Tamahome: What do you mean?
Mitsune: I don’t know. I’m not an expert on this kind
of thing. Washu?
(Washu looks at the boat, and the motor in back.)
Washu: Hmm… seems fine to me.
Tamahome: Jeez… am I the only one that’s getting tired
of all this losing?
Mitsune: I’m tired of it too.
Tamahome: So don’t pull stuff like this!
Takeshi: Hey, hey, stop arguing. That won’t solve anything.
We’re just going to have to accept this and hope we do
better next time.
(Takeshi looks down and shakes his head, obviously disappointed
at the loss. He forces a smile and looks up at Mitsune.)
Takeshi: Yare yare, right?
Washu: Look, you can "yare yare" all you want, we lost
forty grand here. You do realize that the Mole totally creamed us
in this challenge, right?
(After the "Find Jenrya" game.)
Tamahome: Do we have any time left?
Mike: Afraid not. Looks like you lost this one.
Barb: Well, you did, but Jenrya didn’t. He has earned an
exemption. You can come out now!
Mitsune: Where the hell is he?
Jenrya: (OS) Cut!
(Mitsune, Takeshi, Tamahome, and Washu all look at the camera,
which turns around. Jenrya is standing next to it in a production
outfit.)
Jenrya: A little more emotion from you Mitsune. Sell it!
(Caption: "
(During the visits, Washu’s group is getting acquainted
with Shiuchon.)
Washu: Ah, so you’re Jenny’s sister?
Shiuchon: Yep.
Tenchi: Well I’m Tenchi, and this is Sasami and Washu.
Sasami: Hi!
Shiuchon: Washu… oh! Jenrya was just talking about you! He
said he was going to beat you!
(Washu smiles… until she realizes what Shiuchon just said.)
Washu: Really… he did.
(And finally… at the eleventh execution…)
Barb: Washu.
(Barb types "WASHU" into the computer. It flashes red.)
Takeshi: (quietly) Wow.
Washu: Damn.
(Afterwards, Jenrya sighs in relief. Freeze on the shot of him,
Mitsune, and Takeshi.)
Mike: (VO) One of these three is the Mole. And one of these three
is walking home with 478,000 yen. And tonight- we’re going
to find out who.
The
(A studio in
Manny: Welcome to the final episode of "The Mole 2: Anime
Edition," thus far the only reality series knockoff to
actually be more popular than the reality series itself. As you
just saw, it’s been quite a trip, and tonight we finally
discover the Mole’s identity. I’m Manny Edwards, and
with me are the first eleven victims. In case you’ve
forgotten them, and I know I have, let me get you reacquainted.
(Pan down the line of contestants, starting with the top row.)
Manny: (OS) Takato, Ranma, Keitaro, Miaka, Kasumi, Ruki, kendo
girl Motoko…
(To the bottom row…)
Manny: (OS) …Akane, everyone’s favorite Kenji,
Tamahome, and of course Washu-chan. We’ve also brought in
the cast of the first series to offer their commentary when
necessary. I’m sure it’ll be an interesting viewpoint.
We aren’t going in execution order for them though.
(The cast of the first season enter and sit down on the
bleachers on the left side. The first five announced sit in the
front row.)
Manny: (OS) Former Mole and former Mole winner Tomoyo Daidouji
and Tenchi Masaki. Friends of those still in the game- Satoshi
and Naru, and the rest- Ruri Hoshino, Akito Hayama, Sana Kurata,
Taichi Yagami, Sakura Kinomoto, and Akito Tenkawa.
(Return to the shot of Manny.)
Manny: With the introductions out of the way, the first order of business is to get some info out of them. From the previous victims, I would like to know who your picks are for Mole, and for winner. We’ll start with Mr. Matsuda, since he didn’t get nearly enough screen time.
Takato: Thanks for the sympathy. Well, I’m going to have to say that Scary Lady Number Two is the Mole and Jenrya is going to win.
Manny: It’s a good thing you got executed early, or we’d all be sick and tired of that Scary Lady thing.
Kenji: What, I think it’s cool.
Manny: Yeah, but over twelve episodes? Ranma?
Ranma: I agree that Mitsune’s the Mole… Scary Lady Two’s Mitsune right?
Takato: Well, Jenrya and Takeshi aren’t scary ladies, so I guess so.
Ranma: Great, and Takeshi wins.
Keitaro: I also think it’s Kitsune. And I’ll take Takeshi to win.
Manny: General consensus among the early-goers. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
Miaka: Well I think that Takeshi’s the Mole. Kitsune’s going to win.
Kasumi: Back to Mitsune being the Mole and Takeshi winning for me.
Ruki: I think Jenrya’s the Mole. And Mitsune wins.
Motoko: Takeshi’s the Mole. Kitsune wins.
Akane: Jenrya’s the Mole and Mitsune wins.
Kenji: I agree with Akane. Jenrya’s the Mole and Kitsune wins.
Manny: Okay, now everybody says she’s going to win. Make up your mind!
Washu: Knowing us, she’s the loser.
Tamahome: I’m going out on a limb in saying that Takeshi’s the Mole and Jenrya wins.
Washu: Other way around for me. Takeshi wins and Jenrya’s a hell of a Mole.
Manny: Great. And we already talked to our experts Tenchi and Tomoyo from last season, and I believe they had a consensus too.
Tenchi: Yeah. We both think Jenrya’s the Mole. We differ on who’s going to win though. I said Takeshi and she said Mitsune.
Manny: Excellent. We also had the folks at home send in their votes, and here’s the results of the final poll on who they think the Mole is…
(Overlay of the final Mole poll, which reads-
"Mitsune- 40%, Takeshi- 35%, Jenrya- 25%" )
Manny: (VO) Seems that Mitsune has a slim edge. And the poll of who will win seems to favor Takeshi…
(Second overlay of the winners polls, which reads-
"Takeshi- 39%, Mitsune- 33%, Jenrya- 28%")
Manny: Over the course of the entire series, counting only votes for those three contestants, the figures are about the same for Mole- Mitsune has 41%, Takeshi has 33%, and Jenrya has 26%. Thanks to all those who voted. Of course, it doesn’t matter who everybody thinks it is. The question is who it really is. And we will find out… later. Right now- the final execution. Let’s take it down to Mike Storch at the coliseum to discover the Mole’s final victim.
(At the coliseum, Mike is at the computer with an unknown
player.)
Mike: I will enter your name into the computer. If a green screen
appears, you are the recipient of 478,000 yen. If a red screen
appears, you are the Mole’s twelfth victim.
(Mike enters a name into the computer. It processes, then flashes red.)
(Jenrya closes his eyes, cracks a half-smile, then nods in slow acceptance.)
Jenrya: Dang it…
(Jenrya stood up. Mike shakes his hand.)
Mike: Hey, you did good.
Jenrya: Thanks.
(They start walking to the studio. Meanwhile, a few of the players are surprised.)
Tamahome: Wow.
Akane: Jeez, now I feel sorry for him.
Kenji: Oh boy… Takeshi’s either winning or he’s the Mole. I’m screwed either way!
(Jenrya and Mike arrive at the studio, to large applause. Jenrya seems to be fine, and shakes hands with Takato, Akane, Kenji, Tamahome, and Washu before sitting down next to Washu. Mike occupies one of the seats on the side.)
Manny: Jenny, Jenny, Jenny, the final victim. How do you feel?
Jenrya: Well, I’ll live if that’s what you’re asking. It’s a bit disappointing, but I’ll be fine.
Manny: Quite the ride for you. You were Mr. Frustration towards the end of the game.
Jenrya: Yeah, I hit quite a few bumps during a couple challenges. It did get to me a little bit. I know it seems like I wasn’t enjoying myself a few times, but this really was quite the experience.
Manny: Definitely. I noticed that you, more than anybody else, really did change over the course of the game. Do you think that’s accurate?
Jenrya: Yes. Oh yes. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure how to go about "playing the game" as everybody calls it. But slowly, and I think Ruki’s little stunt with Miaka helped me realize this, I did start playing hard. I mean, I know I got a lot of strange looks when I tore up that Neutralizer. From myself included- looking back on it, I can’t believe I did that. Now, I would use it in a second. Mostly for the money, but I would use it.
Manny: This is a popular strategy, and I’m wondering if you used it. Did you try to convince people that you were the Mole? Given the way you responded to those who suspected you, it’s something I’m really curious about.
Jenrya: Well… not for most of the game. I seriously was upset when Akane started to suspect me. And who wouldn’t be? I mean, I’m doing my best to try to earn money, and somebody suspects me of being a traitor. Not a good indicator of your abilities, is it?
Manny: Okay, but you said most of the game? Not all of it?
Jenrya: Yeah, towards the end, I did try to get a couple people to maybe think twice about who the Mole was. I wasn’t deliberately trying to screw up challenges, but just act suspicious outside the game.
Manny: By "a couple people" you mean…?
(Jenrya smiles and points to Washu.)
Washu: I knew it! Jenny’s a little weasel you know. He created just enough doubt in my head to get me executed. I think I answered him on maybe two questions in that last quiz, which was probably enough. Like I said in that last confessional, I got beat. I got beaten by a ten-year-old. I’m never going to live this down.
Jenrya: Sorry about that…
Washu: No, no, it’s fine. It’s how the game works. Put it down on your resume, kid, "I beat Washu." It’s something to be proud of.
Jenrya: Thanks. I know I looked pretty frustrated towards the end, but some of that was playing with Washu’s head. Really, this was an amazing experience, and one that I won’t ever forget.
Manny: Would you do it again?
Jenrya: Not a chance in hell.
Manny: Heh… well this does bring up another interesting topic… Mike! Barb let you do an execution!
Mike: I know. I think that was her Christmas present to me.
Manny: No kidding, she didn’t let me touch that thing. And I’m the producer. Anyway, it should be noted that neither Mike nor Barb knew who the Mole was during this entire series. So they’re finding out for the first time as well.
Ruki: Um, Manny? I have to say something.
Manny: Why? It’s not in the script.
Ruki: Well, my mother called me after I got executed and made a big fuss about that whole cell phone thing. She said some nonsense about not messing with other people’s cell phones.
Mike: You should listen to your mother, Ruki.
Ruki: Yeah, well, she did buy another phone, so…
(Ruki hands Mike a new cell phone.)
Ruki: Merry Christmas.
(Applause from a couple people in the seats. Mike smiles.)
Mike: Thank you Ruki. Tell you what, I’ll use it right now…
(Mike dials up a number, still addressing Ruki.)
Mike: It’s not like I was that mad about it though.
(Mike talks on his phone.)
Mike: Hello, Toei? Yeah, it’s me Mike Storch. Just letting you know that I changed my mind… yeah, don’t kill off Ruki at the end of the season… I don’t care, have her marry Kenta or something… thanks, bye.
(Mike hangs up.)
Mike: Works like a charm, Ruki!
(Ruki is wearing a major sweatdrop, and sits down.)
Manny: Well, that was nice. But now- the moment of truth. We’re down to two people. One is a Mole and one is a Winner. Barb is at the coliseum right now, and neither she, Mitsune, nor Takeshi know that Jenrya was already executed.
(At the coliseum, Barb is giving the talk. Dramatic shots as she hits seven keys on the keyboard and presses Enter. The screen flashes green.)
(Mitsune is staring at the screen in shock. She smiles.)
Barb: (OS) Congratulations Mitsune, you’ve just won the game.
(Mitsune stands up, still smiling, and claps her hands.)
Mitsune: Wow. I did it… I can’t believe it.
Barb: Good work.
(Barb and Mitsune shake hands.)
Barb: Now… without further ado, would the real Mole please step forward?
(For the first time, the Mole reveals himself as Takeshi enters the coliseum. He’s smiling, especially after seeing who won. In the studio meanwhile, the room erupts into applause. Focus on Kasumi, who is in shock, but smiling. Keitaro, who is surprised, Motoko, who is not that surprised, but smiling nonetheless, Kenji, who is quietly chuckling, and Satoshi and Naru- Satoshi has the same look of surprise as Kasumi. Naru’s all smiles, especially after Satoshi hands Naru money due to a lost bet.)
(At the coliseum, Takeshi extends a hand to Mitsune, who turns it into a friendly hug. Takeshi also shakes hands with Barb.)
Barb: Well, you certainly had me fooled. Very good work. Let’s head back to the studio and talk about it, shall we?
Mitsune: Sounds like a plan.
(The three head back to the studio.)
(They arrive at the studio to a standing ovation. Immediately, Naru goes up and hugs Mitsune, while Satoshi shakes hands with Takeshi. Kasumi enters and hugs Takeshi, while Keitaro and Motoko offer Mitsune their congratulations. Takeshi goes down the line of previous contestants, shaking hands with Takato and Ranma, hugging Akane, high-fiving Tamahome, shaking hands with Miaka, Kenji, Ruki, and Washu, and high-fiving Jenrya. Takeshi also gets a handshake from Motoko as everybody settles down. Mitsune also goes through her rounds, shaking hands with everybody else, although when she gets to Kenji she stops. After a brief staredown… they smile and high-five. She continues down the line and sits down next to Takeshi.)
Akane: Hey, what was up with you and Kenji? I thought you two hated each other.
Manny: (holding back laughter) Heh… well we’re going to get into this a bit later, but this just cracks me up. I don’t know how these two pulled it off, but it just astounds me to no end. I am, of course, talking about the fact that Kenji and Mitsune… were working together the whole time.
(Kenji and Mitsune both smile as the rest of the group is quite surprised.)
Manny: But that’s something we’ll have to save for later. Right now- the Mole. Takeshi. How does it feel to finally be able to reveal yourself?
Takeshi: Feels great. I mean, I’ve known that I was going to be the Mole since around May, so it’s quite a long time to keep quiet about such things. It definitely feels good to get it over with.
Manny: So what was it like? And we have Tomoyo up on the other end, so feel free to refer to our first Mole.
Takeshi: It was definitely a challenge constantly being faced with accusation and having to dismiss it without thinking. I was always critiquing myself, I was always judging myself, I was always nervous that something I did gave myself away. I was having trouble sleeping for the first week.
Kenji: Not that it really mattered, since I was too!
Manny: You were too Kenji?
Kenji: Yes. Even playing the game really takes a lot out of you. Obviously, I wasn’t worried about giving myself away as the Mole, but I was worried about who it actually was. You notice so much stuff in one day that it takes awhile for your mind to process it all.
Takeshi: In fact, a couple times after myself and Kenji were paired as roommates, we would stay up during nights simply to plan. It worked out for both of us, as I would "help him" sift through all the goings-on and he would reassure me that hey- I had at least one person fooled!
(Laughter, including that of Kenji.)
Kenji: You did have me fooled too. I dismissed you way too early.
Manny: While we’re on the topic, I know that Tomoyo said a lot last time about how hard it was to throw off the people from your own show. Was it the same for you?
Takeshi: A little. With Kenji, it was reassuring to see that he didn’t suspect me. I wasn’t joking about that personal goal of mine to outlast him. I knew that if I could fool him, I was all set. In regards to Kasumi, though, I do agree with Tomoyo. It was really difficult because we’ve been on the road so long that we really trust each other. And I don’t think she suspected me for a second.
(Flashback to when they were trading journals at the breakfast
table. Takeshi is looking through Kasumi’s journal and looks
a bit distressed.)
Takeshi: (VO) When we traded journals, and I saw that Kasumi had
not suspected me at all, I really felt sorry for her. I knew that
I had to go through without any fear or regret, so I decided that
I had to get Kasumi out of here before I felt sorry for her and
screwed up.
(Flashback to Takeshi forming the coalition with Kasumi.)
Takeshi: (VO) I formed the coalition with her essentially to make
sure that she would be executed soon. If I led her to believe
that somebody was the Mole, I’d be ensuring that she would
get executed within time, leaving me to continue without a guilty
conscience.
(Back to the studio.)
Manny: Kasumi? Kenji? Any hard feelings?
Kenji: None from me. I should have known better. I don’t really have any excuses. He did a good job and it’s my fault for not picking up on him.
Kasumi: Well… you can’t trust those third wheels!
(more laughter.)
Manny: I guess not. Takeshi, who was the hardest person to throw off your trail?
Takeshi: Oh, without a doubt- Motoko.
Manny: That was your fault though.
Takeshi: Sort of. Um, you see my initial strategy was to distract and annoy. And what better person to target than Motoko Aoyama? I came out of this trying to make Motoko nervous and have her cost the group money. As a result, not too many people suspected me… but Motoko certainly did! Gradually, I laid off her and did my own thing, but she still suspected me.
Manny: We’ll talk about the turtle thing you pulled later, but slowly she did back off.
Takeshi: Yes she did. I was really relieved when she got executed.
Manny: Yeah. Now, I know that one of the strategies you are most proud was you hitting on the girls. Share with the world.
Takeshi: I’d love to. That was probably the most fun part about my strategy. I just endlessly hit on women. I think that more than anything was what threw people off my trail. My basic rule was that if I see a girl, I would make a move. Because honestly, what Mole would do something to stand out like that?
Satoshi: (VO) Okay, okay, but Kenji?
(Shot of Satoshi, with a hand up.)
Satoshi: Wouldn’t you have hit on all the girls anyway?
Takeshi: Well… most of them.
(Laughter.)
Takeshi: But I probably wouldn’t have made a move on Sora, and I already knew that Jessie Gurtland from a previous reality series I was in…
Manny: Which we won’t mention since it aired on a different network…
Takeshi: …and I definitely wouldn’t have hit on Nuriko. Honestly, do you think I can’t tell the difference between a guy and a girl?
Mitsune: I must admit that him hitting on that guy really convinced me that that guy was a girl.
Manny: So you probably would have hit on most of them anyway. What if one of them said yes, were you seriously interested in anybody? Any contestants?
Takeshi: Well, I knew that being the Mole was my top priority, but it doesn’t matter what I say now, you know what I would’ve done if one of them said yes!
Manny: So who was your favorite? Which cameo did you like the most?
Takeshi: Well… actually if you’re asking for favorite cameos I would say Shigeru.
Manny: Really? So you swing both ways, or…
Takeshi: No, no, no! It’s because of what he did during that hill game. Because I knew beforehand that that game was going to be my signature sabotage. My fortress challenge if you will.
(Tomoyo smiles.)
Takeshi: And I did all that stuff with shooting Kenji… and Tamahome when nobody was looking.
Tamahome: I knew it! I told you I dodged that shot from the helicopter!
Takeshi: Yeah… so all I had to do was get shot by Shigeru and that was that.
(Flashback to the standoff.)
Takeshi: (VO) So we get into this dramatic standoff. I missed on
purpose, obviously, but he was smart enough to sell it and get
that Kenshin effect going. It was very nicely handled.
(Return to the studio.)
Manny: Okay… that was kinda lame. Any other favorite cameos?
Jenrya: Actually, my favorite appearances were Tomoyo and Tenchi. Just to see two people, a Mole and a contestant, that have gone through this already, and have succeeded in their individual goals. It really was inspiring.
Akane: As for me, right off the bat- Dr. Inez. That trip to the Moon was just unbelievable. The perfect start to this trip.
Keitaro: (to Akane) So Haitani and Shirai didn’t score any points with you?
Akane: Who?
Keitaro: Never mind.
Motoko: The cameo that I enjoyed the most was Ayla in the sports competitions. They didn’t show much of it, but backstage after the game, we got to meet all three of them, and she is quite an amazing person when you get to know her.
Miaka: Ukyo. Ranma, when it comes to okonomiyaki, you have no idea how lucky you are.
Washu: My favorite was Ken actually. After getting him off his detective kick, we had a blast.
Manny: Great. I do have a couple specific questions to a few people. First off, Barb and Mike- who did you think it was?
Mike: I actually thought it was Motoko for awhile. I was slowly led to believe it was Mitsune though.
Barb: I started thinking Akane. I forgot what it was, but something on the Moon made me suspicious. Later though, I got really suspicious of Jenrya.
Manny: So both of you lost. Cool. Tomoyo- any thoughts on the new Mole?
Tomoyo: I thought it was Jenrya too, so he obviously fooled me. After the first season, when you asked me who I thought would make a good Mole for the sequel, I think I said something about making sure it was a person that wasn’t afraid to go out there and be ruthless. You made a fantastic choice. I can see that Takeshi isn’t somebody who is ruthless on a daily basis, but he has quite a bit of drive, and a lot of persistence. I think he did a great job.
(more applause for Takeshi.)
Manny: Actually, while we’re on the topic of selections, I will say that Takeshi actually was not my first choice for Mole. I had asked one other person first, and that person declined, stating that they would rather play for experience, and didn’t want to undergo the intense emotional trials of being the Mole. I can safely say that that was the worst decision Takato has ever made.
(Everybody looks up at Takato.)
Takato: Well, it’s true that he asked me to be the Mole. I don’t think it was the worst decision though. Seeing what Takeshi had gone through, it’s not that I don’t think I could have handled the responsibility. But I don’t think I would have been able to enjoy the position. I wouldn’t be able to have fun while lying to everybody constantly.
Takeshi: You do have to have a sick mind to do this job. I personally had a blast. He’s right that it is difficult at times, but just the feeling I got knowing that everybody’s looking for the one traitor in the group, and nobody knowing that it’s me. I loved it.
Tenchi: (OS) So once again it’s a Mole from your own stock?
Manny: Hm?
Barb: I think he means it’s another WB show.
Manny: Oh yeah. Same excuse as last time, it’s just really easy to keep track of somebody from my own set of shows.
Mike: That’s probably why we’re not doing a third Mole… the Mole would invariably, without doubt, have to be a character from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Manny: Heh heh… yeah. Good enough excuse for me. But we’re getting off topic. We were just talking about how Takato didn’t want to be the Mole; who in this group would have wanted to be the Mole?
(Keitaro, Ruki, Akane, Kenji, and Washu raise their hands.)
Manny: Keitaro, you would?
Keitaro: I would. Just for the chance to be the bad guy for once. You get so many bad things thrown at you in life. It would be a bit interesting to be the one dishing it out for once.
Kenji: Yeah. It would be an experience I wouldn’t forget. Just to be able to say later that "I was the Mole."
Akane: I know. It would be neat.
Manny: Indeed it would. Anyway, on to a different topic, the Animation Alliance Home Page held a Player’s Quiz competition throughout the course of the series. In it, the people reading at home would be able to take the same quiz that the contestants were given. To announce the top runners-up and the winner, we’re going live to our headquarters… and our very own "white shirt Timmy," Tim Jacobson.
(At the AA HQ, Tim Jacobson, a young blond in his early
twenties, is standing in front of a bunch of computers.)
Tim: Thanks Manny. It was a wild race throughout, and the ending
was one for the ages. The final score consists of the top six
quizzes out of a possible twelve taken. With the extra ten
questions on the final quiz, the potential four point bonus in
the ninth quiz, and the one point bonus question on the sixth
quiz, that means a possible 75 points could have been earned.
(Tim reads the results.)
Tim: …and nobody came close to that! But regardless, here
are the top three finishers… in third place with a score of
53 was Donald Marco. He had been suspicious of Miaka for the
early going, but once she was executed, latched on to our Mole.
He tripped up a little towards the end, suspecting Washu for
awhile, but once Washu was executed, he went back to Takeshi, and
concluded his run with a perfect 20/20 on the final quiz.
(Display shows the picture of a bronze ribbon with the caption-
"Donald Marco- 3rd Place- Congratulations!"
Return to Tim.)
Tim: In second place, with a score of 58 was Javier Vera. His
prime suspect was Ruki until her execution. He latched to Kenji,
thereby scoring some serious points on those show-related
questions. Once he was executed, he ran with Takeshi until the
end, netting some impressive numbers, and ensuring a second place
finish.
(Again, display shows a silver ribbon with the caption-
"Javier Vera- 2nd Place- Congratulations!"
Again, return to Tim.)
Tim: As for the winner, the final race was enough to give me a heart attack, as Javier’s final quiz score demanded that this person earn a perfect twenty on the final quiz in order to win. Amazingly enough, this person did. While he initially was suspicious of Akane, he gradually started voting for Takeshi, and his perfect scores on the final two quizzes were enough to net him the victory. With a final score of 59- Christopher Homer!
(The display shows a gold ribbon with the caption-
"Christopher Homer- 1st Place-
Congratulations!")
Tim: (VO) Mr. Homer has won himself a Love Hina prize package
including twenty-four DIVX quality fan-subbed episodes, the
Winter and Spring Specials, as well as a compilation album
featuring the opening, endings, insert songs, and even songs sung
by the characters themselves. Congratulations!
(Back to Manny in the studio.)
Manny: Congratulations to all those who won, and thanks to all who participated.
Ranma: Hold on… what just happened?
Manny: Hm?
Ranma: You paused for five seconds and then continued, where’s the home page thing?
Manny: Oh, that’ll be inserted later. We do that to maintain a flow. I really have absolutely no clue who won!
Miaka: Uh… you’re still rolling.
(Manny stares at the camera)
Manny: Yes we are!
(Manny regains his professional look.)
Manny: At this time, we have to talk about a few of the coalitions. There was, of course, the big one between Mitsune and Kenji, but a few others warrant attention. Like Jenrya and Ruki. What was the driving force to create this coalition, and what happened to it?
Jenrya: The big reason I created it was because Takato was just executed and I needed some way to keep tabs on everybody. I figured that Ruki was in the same boat, so we tentatively agreed to it.
Manny: Ruki, did you seriously attempt to execute Jenrya?
Ruki: Hell yeah. I did not feel comfortable trusting anybody, so I deliberately did try to get Jenrya out of my hair by forcing him to distrust me. While I had thought that Miaka could have been a Mole, I slowly determined that she wasn’t. I fed him that thinking it would teach him a lesson about trusting people.
Jenrya: It definitely did. I was taking a lot for granted, and Ruki showed me that. I did vote for Miaka for most of that quiz, so I honestly don’t know how I survived that.
Manny: From what I can remember, it was because everything that you didn’t answer Miaka for, you answered Takeshi for, which gave you enough there to stay alive. Let’s see… Kasumi? The coalition with Kenji… were you nuts?
Kasumi: If you can’t beat them, join them. I really thought that I’d be better off working with Kenji than having him as an enemy. I guess I was wrong.
Kenji: I was definitely surprised when she asked though. But it was a great way to put our plan into motion, and it worked.
Manny: I see. The Hinata coalition between Mitsune, Keitaro, and Motoko was part of Mitsune’s plan, so we’ll skip that one… oh yeah- Akane and Tamahome. I think the episode explained why you two started it. How comfortable were you two in that coalition? Did you think that either one of you two could be duping each other?
Tamahome: It was a calculated risk. I knew that Ranma wasn’t sure whether or not Akane was the Mole, so it was a question of whether or not Ranma voted for Akane during that last quiz.
Manny: (to Ranma) Did you?
Ranma: To be honest, yes I did. I thought she was suspicious enough to be the Mole.
Akane: Looking back on it I probably was. I was definitely a little curious as to why Tamahome was asking me to form a coalition with him, but he sold me into it.
Barb: Any action going on behind the scenes?
Akane/Tamahome: (angry) Barb!!
Barb: Hey… I had to ask.
Akane: For the record, no there wasn’t. It was strictly business. Although I will say that Tamahome is one of the nicer guys I’ve known. There are people I know that could learn from him… Ranma.
Ranma: Well if you ever need to be saved from your own cooking I’ll be there, okay?
Manny: We could go on with that all day, but we have to talk about Jenrya and Washu. Washu, did you intend to form a coalition during the game?
Washu: Nope. I never thought I’d need to do any of that, but Akane and Tamahome were really driving me nuts. The situation was right, so me and Jenrya got together and worked to get them out of the game. It worked, of course. I honestly hadn’t counted on Jenrya rising up and turning on me.
Jenrya: That was not my intention when the coalition started, but I knew that I had to find some way to get her out of there, since I wouldn’t have a prayer against her in the final quiz.
Manny: Probably not. Washu, did you suspect Takeshi?
Washu: Yes. I was suspicious of Kenji for most of the game, but by the time the coalition was up with Jenrya I was pretty secure in thinking Takeshi was the Mole.
Manny: Until, of course… Jenrya beat you.
Washu: Yeah, yeah… don’t remind me.
Manny: Who else had heavily suspected Takeshi at one time? And I mean voted for him.
(Mitsune, Jenrya, Washu, Tamahome, and Motoko raise their hands.)
Manny: When did you first get suspicious of him? Motoko, obviously, was suspicious from the start. Washu, you just told us. How about the rest of you?
Jenrya: Off-Road challenge. That stupid tree branch.
Manny: (holding back a smile.) There’s a funny story with that when we get to the "how he did it" segment. Tamahome?
Tamahome: He shot Kenji. And me… as was just established.
Manny: Mitsune?
Mitsune: I have to credit Motoko for it. She put the idea in my head back when we formed the "Hinata coalition" with Keitaro. I watched him, and it was just the little things he did that made me notice him. And yeah- after that game Jenny was talking about, I was sold. That’s why I felt so bad after Motoko was executed. She gave me the idea and I kinda stabbed her in the back. That’s the remorse I told Takeshi about. I figured that since he was the Mole, I could tell him! I didn’t have to compete against him in quizzes.
Manny: Yes, yes… the coalition of kings- Mitsune and Kenji. Kenj’, I’ll let you explain this one.
Kenji: Thank you. I was talking with everybody and heard about Kitsune’s behavior. And I had the same philosophy as Kasumi- if you can’t beat them, join them. So as soon as we got back from the Moon, I proposed the idea that we team up to throw as many people off the track as we could.
Mitsune: We basically thought up the idea of slowly hating each other. By the time we were done it wasn’t far from the truth, but by really getting on each other’s necks, we figured that we could get a lot of people thinking that either he or myself was the Mole. We played off each other… it was a lot of fun!
Kenji: Anyway, I was forming that bond with Takato, and used that to "test the waters." It worked, so we flew with it. I worked with Kasumi and she took Keitaro and Motoko.
Manny: One of the strangest things you asked me to do was not inform the viewers. You asked me not to air it when you two formed the coalition. Strange, but I obliged.
Kenji: Yeah. I wanted to surprise everybody. I even lied in some of my camera confessionals.
Manny: I can tell you wanted to be the Mole.
Kenji: You bet.
Mitsune: The coalition had two rules. The first one was that we would meet as rarely as possible, and only when it was absolutely secure. The second was that each of us were responsible for determining who the Mole actually was. No sharing info.
Manny: I believe you only met… twice after the coalition was formed.
Kenji: Yeah. The first one was in the Digital World during the snap game. I think we were talking about ganging up on Takeshi.
Mitsune: Yeah. That’s one of the biggest things that told me he was the Mole- he wouldn’t go down! The other thing was the secret votes. We agreed to drop the charade for secret votes… we already voted for each other to be spoiled that last time.
Manny: Several people did notice that you two did not vote against each other at the tribal council. You both voted for Ruki.
Kenji: Who did vote for me anyway?
(Takeshi smiles and raises a hand.)
Takeshi: I figured you’d take the exemption. I also thought you’d get more votes.
Manny: The Mole in action, ladies and gents. Anyway, there was one more meeting, right?
(Kenji sighs.)
Kenji: Yeah. That was after Akane was executed. I was a lot more nervous than I let on. I really did not know who it was and I was getting worried. I tried to get Kitsune to tell me who she thought it was and she wouldn’t have it. Like she said, it was something we had agreed to.
Mitsune: That, and I wasn’t about to tell him that the Mole was rooming with him the whole time.
Kenji: I don’t blame you. But that’s why I was a bit depressed that day. I knew I was going to be executed soon.
Mitsune: Like I said, we weren’t too far from actually hating each other by the time we were done.
Kenji: Yeah. That was mostly the reason I ran behind her on the hill. It’s probably a good thing I did get executed then, or it might have gotten ugly for real.
Mitsune: Definitely. Don’t read into this coalition. I’m very grateful that he helped me win, but it was just a tentative friendship.
Manny: Do either of you two feel regrets about this?
Mitsune: Oh yeah. You bet. Um… Keitaro’s execution didn’t bother me too much, but Motoko’s certainly did. We have been friends for a long time, and I really did sell out on her for the game. I don’t really have an excuse for that.
(Mitsune looks up at Motoko.)
Mitsune: But if it makes you feel any better, I can guarantee you that you, Keitaro, as well as everybody else at the inn will be seeing a fair amount of the winnings put to good use. I decided as soon as Motoko got executed that if I won, both she and Keitaro would benefit from it.
(Applause from everybody. Motoko smiles and pats Mitsune’s shoulder.)
Keitaro: So can I take that to mean you are going to pay your rent next month?
Mitsune: Uh… maybe.
Manny: Well, it’s nice to see people making up for what they did to their friends… Kenji? What are you going to do for Takato?
Kenji: Oh, um… oh boy.
(laughter)
Kenji: Actually, I wasn’t initially planning to target Takato. In the beginning, I was seriously trying to become friends with him. Even though I was playing the game aggressively, there’s absolutely no disadvantage to becoming friends with a person, so long as you watch your back. He was interested in what I was doing, and Takato seems like a nice enough kid. I just don’t know what it is with me and goggle boys.
Manny: Did anybody know that these two were working together?
(Nobody except Jenrya raises a hand.)
Jenrya: I had a hunch. There were a couple things that clued me into it. The first was something Kenji said to Kasumi and I. He said that he was really suspicious of Kitsune, and tried to convince Takato that she was the Mole and that Takato didn't listen. But Takato told me earlier that he in fact was already suspicious of her.
Kenji: He did? Whoops.
Jenrya: Well… sort of. I had to sort through that whole Scary Lady thing, but I figured it out. The other thing…
Manny: Sorry, at this time we have to do the standard news practice of spelling it out for everybody at home, while we take a look at the best of Takato Matsuda!
(Flashback to where everybody is waiting to get Boson Jumped.)
Washu: Hey, kid, could you help me out?
Takato: Um. Sure thing Scary Lady Number Four.
Manny: (VO) Washu was number four…
(Later in the same scene…)
Kasumi: (OS, angry) Excuse me?
Takato: (scared, at Kasumi) Just uh… don’t hurt me
Scary Lady Number Six.
Manny: (VO) Kasumi was number six…
(On the Moon, just after the bags were dropped.)
Takato: Um… you know most of us wear the same thing everyday
anyway…
Akane: (angry, at Takato) It’s the principal of it!!
Takato: Oh… right Scary Lady Number Five
Manny: (VO) Akane was number five…
(After dinner, Takato and Jenrya are talking.)
Takato: (laughing) Man, Scary Lady Number Seven eats more than
Gillmon!!
Manny: (VO) He is, of course, referring to Miaka, making her number seven…
(Later on in the same scene…)
Takato: Heck, Ruki’s Scary Lady Number One!
Manny: (VO) What he said. That leaves Mitsune and Motoko for two and three…
(Before in the same scene.)
Takato: Well, I don’t know. I was watching Scary Lady Three
and I don’t think it’s her.
Manny: (VO) If he was watching number three, it couldn’t have been Mitsune since she didn’t go to the Moon. That makes Motoko number three, and Mitsune number two…
Takato: From what I see, Scary Lady Two is a big suspect.
Manny: (VO) Takato suspected Mitsune, and he was the Mole’s first victim.
(Back to the studio.)
Manny: That technically means that you should have known that it wasn’t Mitsune since the first episode. Jenrya, anything else that tipped you off?
Jenrya: It’s been so long I forgot…
Manny: Great, now the Mole did not…
Jenrya: Oh wait, now I remember.
Manny: This is because Takato got his own set of clips and you didn’t. I think you’re jealous of him.
Jenrya: Anyway… the other thing I noticed when Kitsune told us to call her Kitsune. She said her friends called her Kitsune. Did anybody else notice that while most of us called her Mitsune all the time, Kenji was always calling her Kitsune? That really made me wonder about it. I figured something was up.
Manny: Well, congratulations- you get a cookie. Anyway, the Mole did not work alone. His partner in crime worked behind the scenes, occasionally giving him ideas for ways to sabotage, and even being on location to provide him with information. And here to rap with us a bit, and to help us out with the episode-by-episode details on how Takeshi was at least partially responsible for taking away 317,000 yen, Nabiki Tendo!
(Akane’s sister Nabiki enters and sits down next to Takeshi.)
Manny: First off, Nabiki, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to help us out. Although considering what we paid you, no thanks are necessary.
Nabiki: Hey, I always enjoy meaningless gratitude.
Manny: How was Takeshi in terms of working with him? He didn’t hit on you, did he?
Nabiki: Who, Take-chan? Oh, of course he did. Once I started charging a fee for it, it didn’t bother me at all! But really, he was great to work with. He was open to anything.
Takeshi: Hitting on Nuriko was her idea, I should say.
Nabiki: Yes it was. But we both had a lot of ideas. We worked around his normal behavior in order to come up with something that was effective, yet not something that arouses suspicion. The trick was to operate in three phases. The first phase, which was the first three rounds, he just did his pervert thing, distracted people, and created as many opportunities for screw-ups as he could.
Manny: Let’s take a look-
(Shot of Takeshi hitting on Motoko, and eating stick. Caption:
"Episode 1.")
Takeshi: (VO) Given the strategy, I knew I’d be beaten by
Motoko a few times through the course of the game. I figured
I’d get it over with right away and start getting used to
it.
Nabiki: (VO) By the time Motoko was executed, Take-chan was practically enjoying it!
(A technician is walking to the platform to take Motoko to the
Moon.)
Takeshi: (reassuring) Don’t worry Motoko! I’ll be right
behind you!
Motoko: (slightly nervous) That’s why I'm worried.
(Freeze frame.)
Takeshi: (VO) They just said that fear was the only thing that
could prevent anyone from completing a Boson Jump. I tried
messing with Motoko’s head to keep her from going. It
didn’t work, but the stage was set for future endeavors.
(Caption: "Episode One Attempted Spoils- ¥40,000.
Successful Spoils- ¥0.)
(Shot of Takeshi in the Shinji costume bugging Washu in her
Sailor Moon outfit. Caption: "Episode 2.")
Nabiki: (VO) The trick to the Cosplay game was having Takeshi
make people who were already uncomfortable with their costumes
even more uncomfortable.
(Takeshi and Washu arrive to greet Miaka and an uncomfortable
Ruki.)
Washu: Hey there. Ain’t you two cute?
Ruki: I’m not cute… I’m… I don’t know
what I am anymore.
Takeshi: You look cute to me.
Miaka: Definitely cute.
Ruki: (to Takeshi) Look you’re a pervert, right? Be honest,
who would look better in this, her or me?
Takeshi: Hmm… definitely you Ruki… pink is your color!
(Ruki storms off. Freeze frame.)
Manny: (VO) Ruki’s growing discomfort did lead her to remove
her Sakura costume, but there was an additional incident that
cost the group two grand.
(Shot of the group wondering about Ranma and Keitaro’s
whereabouts.)
Takeshi: (VO) As Nabiki said, the Mole’s best move would be
to create as many opportunities for money to be lost as possible.
What happened here couldn’t have turned out better for me.
Takeshi: It would probably be best if we sent somebody out to
find them.
Akane: Maybe, but shouldn’t we all stay together? The train
leaves in half an hour.
Tamahome: How about we just give whoever goes a certain time
limit? They have to be back in say… fifteen minutes.
Mitsune: But who should go?
Takeshi: I got it! Akane- you can kick the crap out of Ranma.
Motoko- you can kick the crap out of Keitaro. Okay?
Akane: Strangely enough, I like that logic!
(Akane and Motoko start out. Freeze frame.)
Manny: (VO) Not only did Takeshi suggest that someone go find the
missing duo, he suggested Akane and Motoko go, in hopes that one
of the girls would kick the crap out of one of the guys, perhaps
to the point where they’d miss the train. Sure enough,
Motoko did cause Keitaro to miss the train, costing the group
another 2,000 yen. Add to that the 1,000 penalty of entering
Akane and Kasumi’s room, even though it was well after he
had been invited, and the Mole’s presence was definitely
felt.
(Caption: "Episode Two Attempted Spoils- ¥7,000. Successful
Spoils- ¥5,000")
(Takeshi tries to comfort Ruki after her battle against
Jun-chan. Caption: "Episode 3.)
Takeshi: (VO) The Mole loves conflict within the team. And after
Tamahome’s favorable treatment to Miaka in the
bridge-crossing game, it would have been an excellent opportunity
for me to work with Ruki and confront Tamahome about it had he
won the exemption. If he gave the other exemption to Miaka, it
would isolate the two from the group. It he didn’t, it would
make Miaka upset. A win-win situation for the Mole.
Unfortunately, Kitsune winning the exemption cost me that
opportunity.
(Shot of Takeshi sucking up to Mitsune at the spa.)
Nabiki: (VO) This round featured several moves by Takeshi to act
as a normal player. The most notable one was his effort to woo
Mitsune into giving him the exemption. Because what good is an
exemption to the Mole? The other major thing was Takeshi’s
journal, where the notes were fairly irrelevant, and borderline
perverted. If they were too detailed, Kenji would have thought
something was amiss.
Manny: (VO) The only actual sabotage was Takeshi’s loss
to Jun Sanders. He gets credit for it… although my guess is
he would have lost anyway.
(Caption: "Episode Three Attempted Spoils- ¥5,000.
Successful Spoils- ¥5,000")
(Return to the studio.)
Manny: Just a point of note- Ruki’s cardcaptor costume was
the only costume in the Cosplay catalog that wasn’t designed
and produced by Mrs. Ishida. That was a genuine cardcaptor outfit
designed by the one and only Tomoyo Daidouji.
Ruki: (dry) You can see how thrilled I am.
Manny: Yes I can… moving on!
Nabiki: Rounds four through eight were the creamy middle. In this section of the game, Takeshi was responsible for finding some way to attempt to sabotage every game he was in.
Takeshi: Just little things that wouldn’t get me noticed or suspected much. My attempts were varied, but definitely were there.
Manny: The "creamy middle" round as you call it was supposed to begin in episode five, but something you did during the Off-Road game warranted that episode four be stuck in here as well. Roll that beautiful bean footage!
(Jenrya and Akane arrive at a checkpoint on the four-wheeler.
Takeshi hands Akane a sheet of paper. Caption: "Episode
4.")
Takeshi: (VO) Believe it or not, both Nabiki and Manny told me to
behave as a normal player for this game. They said take the
second leg, and act normally. But while reporting hazards, that
tree branch caused a change of plans.
Manny: (VO) What follows is behind-the-scenes footage.
(Takeshi is at the tree branch, inspecting it, and trying to
figure out how to report it.)
Takeshi: Let’s see… if they go this way they’ll
get stuck in the mud. But I don’t know if they can go under
it…
(Takeshi shakes his head, writes something on the sheet of paper,
and moves on.)
Takeshi: Oh well. I’m not enough of a player to give a damn.
Nabiki: (VO) Despite our pleas, Takeshi did sabotage this game.
(Shot of Takeshi, slowly agreeing to tell Kenji the plans for
the medal theft.)
Takeshi: (VO) Before the game started, I had voted Washu as the
detective, knowing that she was the most likely candidate to
figure it out. But just to be safe, I did some damage control. I
told Kenji, one of the guards, the plans for the theft in order
to mess up Kitsune’s plan, and prevent the group from
gaining the entire 20,000 yen. At the very least, only 10,000
would be won. At best, the plan would have to be altered
dramatically, and hopefully would create a hole that Washu could
use to figure the case out.
(Shot of Washu incorrectly identifying the thief.)
Takeshi: (VO) You win some, you lose some…
(Caption: "Episode Four Attempted Spoils- 50,000. Successful
Spoils- 40,000")
(Takeshi is moving the cabinet in the dark room. Caption:
"Episode 5.")
Takeshi: (VO) The Dark Room game featured a lot of little things
I did while it looked like I was giving a full effort. First off,
I kicked away the coasters, which belonged on the coffee table.
Secondly, I wasted a lot of time trying to get a ruling on where
the videos went.
(After Takeshi kicks the coasters away, Akane addresses the
videos.)
Akane: I found some videos on the coffee table.
Kenji: Where do they go?
Mitsune: My guess would be in the cabinet.
Takeshi: You sure? They want everything exact.
Kenji: Yeah… let’s see if Jenrya has anything to say.
(Takeshi waves the videos in the air to get the attention of
the guides.)
Takeshi: (VO) The final thing were the books in the TV cabinet.
When I finally did put the videos into the cabinet, I did see the
books in there. Essentially- I completely ignored them!
Manny: (VO) Unfortunately, Mitsune found the books, Jenrya and Washu noticed the coasters, and yes- the videos belonged in the TV cabinet. Despite the Mole’s efforts, the game was won.
(An interview with Takeshi after the game.)
Takeshi: There was so much the Mole could have done in this
game. And I’m sure the Mole tried. Under cover of darkness
it’s so easy to get away with something. But the team
prevailed in the end, and that’s all that matters. I bet the
Mole’s really frustrated after this one.
(Freeze on that.)
Takeshi: (VO) And I certainly was. I seriously couldn’t
believe that we had actually won that game.
(Shot of the Takeshi running up the hill.)
Nabiki: (VO) But no- the Mole lives on. Takeshi was the one that
cast the deciding vote sending my sister and Tamahome into exile
with Keitaro’s buddies. This left the team to struggle up
the hill without two of its most athletic members. After a
half-hearted effort by Takeshi, the group still won, but the Mole
was still not done.
(Mike is explaining the terms of the Spoiled game.)
Mike: The question could be easy, hard, or in-between…
it’s up to you to figure out what to gamble.
Mitsune: Let’s go for all of it!
Takeshi: No.
Mitsune: Why not?
Takeshi: I don’t trust Tamahome. I don’t think
he’d answer correctly.
(Freeze frame.)
Takeshi: (VO) I didn’t think the question was going to be a
problem to answer, so I made sure that none of the money was
risked. The group could have earned an additional 20,000 had
Kitsune gotten her way.
Manny: (VO) The other sabotage was in the Tama-chan game, when
Takeshi convinced Motoko to wait a couple turns before picking a
Tama-chan, costing the group a measly 2,000 yen. Who cares,
right?
(Caption: Episode Five Attempted Spoils- ¥78,000. Successful
Spoils- ¥22,000")
(Shot of Takeshi and Motoko with Tortomon. Caption:
"Episode 6.")
Takeshi: (VO) After seeing Motoko’s fear of turtles in the
Tama-chan game, I asked Manny if there was a giant turtle type
Digimon. He said yes, so Nabiki and I convinced him to put
Tortomon on the list of Digimon to find, in hopes that Motoko
would have to find one.
Motoko: (quiet) What… what are you doing?
Takeshi: (quiet) We need its picture.
Motoko: Don’t make it mad.
Takeshi: I’ll leave the flash off. I don’t think we
need it.
(As Takeshi takes the picture, with flash, Takeshi narrates.)
Takeshi: (VO) This was a game where everything kept coming up
Mole. I had actually intended to leave the flash off, hoping that
the picture wouldn’t turn out right. I left it on… but
that pissed it off. After a chase, Motoko fainted, and I not only
stopped playing to care for her, I prevented Kitsune and Kenji
from playing either.
Manny: (VO) Not only that, but this was the point where Motoko started to respect Takeshi a little more, and suspect him a lot less. She was executed the round afterwards.
(Flash forward to the next day, and the Panda game. Mitsune
yawns.)
Mitsune: Tell ya what… let’s just screw it.
Kenji: What?
Mitsune: I didn’t get any sleep last night, and this sounds
like way too much work for a measly ten grand.
(Freeze frame.)
Takeshi: (VO) We already established that I voted Kenji at tribal
council, hoping he’d take the exemption. After that
didn’t work, I actually agreed with Kitsune- why risk
exposing myself as the Mole to sabotage a measly ten grand? I
helped out with the challenge, while hoping that other people,
like Akane, would screw up for me.
(Caption: Episode Six Attempted Spoils- ¥50,000, Successful
Spoils- ¥20,000")
(Shot of the group going around the room, asking questions.
Caption: "Episode 7.")
Nabiki: (VO) You want tension? We got tension right here!
Takeshi: Hm… who among here would you most like to see executed next?
Manny: (VO) By far Takeshi’s was the most troublesome question to the group. Next!
(Shot of Washu beating Takeshi at the bike race.)
Takeshi: (VO) I assumed way too much. I really thought that
Tamahome and Jenrya, two fellow guys, would select me to beat
Washu. So therefore I threw the bike race in Washu’s favor
in order to produce a wrong answer. I hold a little grudge
against Jenrya to this day.
(Jenrya, Mitsune, Takeshi, and Tamahome are assigning
"pros.")
Jenrya: Either way, she’s probably the one that’s good
in all three.
Mitsune: So let’s let Motoko take her to school!
Takeshi: If she really is the best athlete, Motoko would be the
best candidate to try to beat her.
(freeze)
Takeshi: (VO) I figured Motoko would win against anyone except
Ayla, so I supported Mitsune’s choice to put Ayla against
Motoko. That didn’t keep, but I did convince them to match
Akane against Anna the tennis expert, and leave Washu to the
monster Ayla, costing the group 10,000 yen each.
(Caption: "Episode Seven Attempted Spoils- ¥30,000.
Successful Spoils- ¥20,000.")
(Shot of Takeshi addressing the Meripu. Caption: "Episode
8.")
Takeshi: Um… er… uh… let’s see now…
hee-chai?
(The Meripu frantically rush out of the pen.)
Manny: (VO) Takeshi again tried several little things in the
Meripu game to prevent the team from winning, but one of his best
moments occurred later in the Baseball game.
(Takeshi is making his moves on Nuriko.)
Takeshi: (VO) Honestly, I can tell the difference between a woman
and a man. Call it a sixth sense. Nabiki convinced me that
hitting on Nuriko would throw whoever was answering the question
into thinking he was a girl. And, sad as it was, it worked.
(Takeshi is being helped back into position after his act of
"shock.")
Nabiki: (VO) The problem was afterwards. It would look extremely
suspicious if he had gotten his question wrong, so he had no
choice but to answer correctly.
Manny: (VO) Fortunately, Takeshi made that up in the Briefcase game.
(At the start of the briefcase game, Barb asks who wants the
key. Takeshi volunteers.)
Takeshi: (VO) By controlling the key, the game was pretty much in
my hands. I simply refused to give the key up under any
circumstance, and that one was in the bag. Or mallet space if you
prefer.
(Caption: "Episode Eight Attempted Spoils- ¥55,000.
Successful Spoils- ¥30,000.")
(Back to the studio, which leads in with applause for Takeshi and
Nabiki.)
Manny: Yes, thank you. But the fun wasn’t over yet. Tomoyo… you okay?
(Shot of Tomoyo, quite amazed by the story.)
Tomoyo: Right now I’m wondering where Nabiki was last season. I could have used the help.
Nabiki: I would have loved to had they asked… and paid. Anyway, the final stretch was designed to be a roller coaster of sabotages. Sometimes the Mole would be incredibly obvious and active, while other times the Mole would not do anything at all, and would even help the team out.
Takeshi: You see by this time, most of the group would be constantly on the lookout, so I either had to be blatant in my efforts, or not try at all. Little things would no longer cut it. Also, if they were still here, they had to be on to something, so mixing obvious with nothing was a good way to see who was really on the trail.
(Shot of Takeshi shooting Kenji on the hill. Caption:
"Episode 9.")
Manny: (VO) We already got into the details on the Hill game. As
established, Takeshi shot Kenji, shot Tamahome when he was under
fire from Kentaro, and purposely lost the standoff with Shigeru.
Nabiki: (VO) This was Takeshi’s signature challenge, and it was pulled off rather nicely if I do say so myself.
(Shot of Takeshi addressing Tamahome spilling water in the
planks challenge.)
Takeshi: (VO) The original plan was to act as a normal player in
the planks challenge and quietly let the others succeed or fail
while I maintained a relatively passive role. However,
you’ll notice that I waited for a bit before addressing
Tamahome spilling the water.
Manny: (VO) Given how close that game was, that’s enough to put that challenge in the "attempted" column.
(Shot of Mitsune on the boat, and Takeshi holding the rope.)
Takeshi: (VO) During the Water game, I made sure that I was the
second to last one to go. When Kitsune wasn’t looking, I
fiddled around with the motor in back of the boat in order to
stall it, and make sure that it wouldn’t operate properly.
This would ensure that the challenge failed… and rest the
blame squarely on Kitsune.
(Caption: "Episode Nine Attempted Spoils- ¥90,000,
Successful Spoils- ¥70,000"
Tamahome: (VO) Wait a second…
(Back to the studio.)
Tamahome: Washu, didn’t you say that the motor was fine?
Washu: I lied. I could tell something had been done to it, but this is a game, so why would I give that key piece of evidence to everybody else?
Mitsune: You go, girl.
Jenrya: A lot of us did that. That Hill challenge was the nail in the coffin for me, but I actually defended Takeshi on the ride back, to try to throw some people away from him.
Takeshi: Thanks Jenny, Washu… may I continue?
Jenrya/Washu: Go ahead.
(Shot of Takeshi pursuing and catching Kaolla. Caption:
"Episode 10.")
Takeshi: (VO) Now at this point, everybody remaining in the game
was suspecting me. So obviously it was time to make them all
doubt if it was really me or not. During the game where we had to
find Su-chan, I was actually being fed instructions by Nabiki on
Kaolla’s location. This helped set up that dramatic last
second effort that won the challenge. In reality, that was the
plan all along.
(Shot of the group working on a plan to find Jenrya.)
Takeshi: (VO) Okay, we’d better split up to cover more
ground.
(The conversation is muted.)
Nabiki: (VO) The intent was not to divide and conquer, but rather
to make sure Takeshi was alone, so he could find me at a
predetermined location.
(Hidden footage of Nabiki describing to Takeshi where Jenrya
is located.)
Takeshi: (VO) Nabiki told me exactly where Jenrya was and where
he was hiding, so I used that information to convince Kitsune to
stake out a location far away from him, removing her from the
hunt.
(Shot of Takeshi and Washu watching Tamahome chase the kid.)
Takeshi: (VO) The hardest part about the game was making sure
that I didn’t make eye contact with Jenrya. If I so much as
looked at him, and didn’t say anything, I would have given
myself away.
Manny: (VO) But he didn’t and the challenge was
successfully sabotaged. A minor attempt in the Reunion game
featured Takeshi misidentifying Shiuchon and Yuiren, but no
points, since that game succeeded.
(Caption: "Episode Ten Attempted Spoils- ¥45,000.
Successful Spoils- ¥25,000.")
(Shot of the group settling on who gets the day off. Caption:
"Episode 11.")
Takeshi: (VO) When hearing about the rappelling and predictions
games, all I was told was to make sure that the person selected
to get the day off was either myself, or somebody who would
choose me as a partner over Washu. So I made sure that Kitsune
was selected. Not only did she pick me as a partner in the Bomb
game, her unpredictable nature suited the Mole quite well.
(Shot of Takeshi, Jenrya, and Washu deciding whether Mitsune
would pick up the can.)
Takeshi: (VO) The prediction game was as hard to sabotage as it
was to play, since I didn’t have any knowledge of what
Kitsune actually did. I stumbled through that one, and
wasn’t too surprised when we won.
(Shot of Takeshi and Mitsune working the final puzzle in the
Bomb game.)
Mitsune: Okay… let’s see here… if both W’s
have to be the same digit, and they equal six, then that must
make the W’s three.
Takeshi: Or they could be eight. Eight and eight are sixteen.
(freeze)
Nabiki: (VO) Takeshi knew the answers to all the puzzles ahead of
time, and simply offered delay tactics to make sure they
wouldn’t figure them out in time. It was just enough to cost
the team 40,000 yen.
(Caption: "Episode Eleven Attempted Spoils- ¥60,000.
Successful Spoils- ¥40,000.")
(Shot of Takeshi cutting down the tree. Caption: "Episode
12.")
Nabiki: (VO) For cutting down the tree, the Mole was told to hit
the car which would take away the least amount of money. However,
none of us had counted on the wind.
(Takeshi cuts and the tree falls safely without crushing a
car.)
Takeshi: (VO) Considering how well things went with the Tortomon,
I knew I was scheduled for some payback sometime. Oh well.
(Hidden camera shot of Takeshi reprogramming Jenrya’s
GPS.)
Takeshi: (VO) Right before the GPS game, I reprogrammed the GPS
that the car rider was going to use. All I had to do was make
sure I didn’t get stuck in the car and the challenge was
already spoiled.
(Shot of Manny and Takeshi boarding the helicopter.)
Takeshi: (VO) Although it wasn’t absolutely necessary for
the challenge, I wanted to be on the helicopter. For one simple
reason…
(Immediately before the helicopter takes off, footage of Manny
and Takeshi.)
Manny: Well, that one was easy wasn’t it? Nice and relaxing
way to go out, don’t you think? Got that thing screwed up
yet?
Takeshi: Yeah, just about. So all we have to do is pretend to
care once in awhile and that’s that?
Manny: Yep. A few nice shots of you struggling for the folks at
home, and that’s the ballgame.
Takeshi: Great. Shall we begin?
Manny: Why not?
(Manny coughs and looks at Takeshi seriously.)
Manny: Well, where to? You have to navigate completely.
Takeshi: Okay… hold on… looks like it’s Southeast.
(The helicopter takes off.)
Takeshi: (VO) Since Manny was the one that selected me to be the
Mole, I was able to relax for the last challenge and simply enjoy
the experience of flying in a helicopter over Italy, without
worrying about the game.
Nabiki: (VO) Also, with Mitsune having the only working GPS,
this put her in the spotlight as well. The Mole definitely ended
on a high note.
(Caption: "Episode Twelve Attempted Spoils- ¥80,000.
Successful Spoils- ¥40,000.")
(Finally, a shot of Manny flying the helicopter after the
challenge. Takeshi watches.)
Manny: Well, I must say that you did a fantastic job Takeshi.
Nice work, and thanks for everything.
Takeshi: Well thanks for selecting me Manny. I’m glad I
lived up to your expectations.
Manny: You certainly did. You had no hesitations, listened to
Nabiki and I, and improvised better than I could have imagined.
Takeshi: Thank you.
(Caption- "Total Attempted Spoils- ¥580,000. Total
Successful Spoils- ¥317,000.")
(Back at the studio, everybody erupts in applause again for
the Mole, and his two accomplices.)
Manny: A few interesting notes about the last two challenges and
their international counterparts. In the Belgian version, the
Mole also was in charge of cutting down the tree and also was
supposed to hit the car with the lowest penalty. He too screwed
up… but hit the car with the highest amount. At least
Takeshi didn’t do that. As for the GPS game, both the car
and helicopter GPS devices were reprogrammed in the British
version… by the Mole- who was in the boat. If you suspected
Mitsune because of that challenge, that should be a little bit of
vindication for you.
(Change cameras to indicate a change in topic.)
Manny: Now, for those of you who were observant enough, there were several little hints indicating that Takeshi was the Mole. One of which doesn’t work very well now, as it related to the postponed ABC Mole. In justifying her decision to give Takeshi an exemption, Mitsune’s reference to "Darwin’s theory of natural selection" had a double meaning. For those of you who watched the ABC version, which would be nobody, in episode three of "Mole 2: The Next Betrayal," the cast was discussing the same decision that Mitsune had to make- who to give an exemption to. To contestant Darwin, the selection was natural- and I quote, "I’d throw it at the Mole." Indeed Mitsune did.
(Flashback to episode three, and Mitsune reading through the
Mole’s journal.)
Mitsune: I can see it in your eyes. You’re lost. You have no
idea that the Mole is staring you in the face.
Manny: (VO) Many people don’t know this, but Takeshi’s English voice actor, Eric Stuart, is in a band, appropriately enough called the Eric Stuart Band. One of their most popular songs, and one available at their website, is called "Staring You In The Face." And yes, you can tell that it’s Brock’s voice actor singing.
(Right before the GPS challenge, Barb is assigning codes.)
Barb: Mitsune, on boat, your number is "6453." Jenrya,
in car, your number is "2272." Takeshi, in helicopter,
your number is "6653."
(In the studio, Manny turns to Mike.)
Manny: Mike, hand me your cell phone.
Mike: Hell no!
Manny: Okay, fine, fine, but dial "Mole" on the keypad.
Mike: Okay…
(Mike does so.)
Manny: What numbers did you just dial?
Mike: 6653.
Manny: 6653. Takeshi’s safe code for the GPS game was "Mole" on a keypad. For the record, Mitsune’s was "Mike" and Jenrya’s was "Barb-" the hosts that supervised them in that challenge.
Nabiki: And we’re not through yet!
Manny: That’s right. Many of the secret hints in the show related heavily to Fushigi Yuugi’s presence in the series. Tamahome certainly aroused suspicion when he recalled Nabiki’s name in the Memory game, but Takeshi was the only one who knew what that entailed, and used that to "be suspicious" of Tamahome early on. Also, nobody actually referred to Nuriko, the gender-bending Suzaku seishi, by name during the Baseball game. However, Takeshi somehow knew Nuriko’s name when referring to him in a camera confessional. The same thing occurred in round four, when Takeshi somehow knew not only who Chichiri was… but knew his catchphrase as well. Like Mitsune said- she wasn’t serious about the fox-eyes thing. And with the hint involving Takeshi’s English voice actor, we have to get his Japanese one in there as well. It just so happens that Takeshi’s voice actor, Yuuji Ueda, also provides the voice of Amiboshi- who as Tamahome put it, was the Big Brother, Survivor, and yes- the Mole… of Fushigi Yuugi.
Takeshi: Jeez… why don’t you just tell them straight out next time?
Manny: Heh heh. Well, that just about wraps things up. Any final thoughts from anyone? Including the first season?
Naru: Good work Kitsune. You made me look really, really, bad, but you did it very, very, well.
Mitsune: Thanks Naru!
Hayama: Ruki? Where exactly in Shinjuku do you live?
(Sana hits Hayama on the head with her mallet.)
Ruki: Thank you Sana.
Satoshi: I’d like to say that thanks to these stupid reality series, I now can’t trust anybody I travel with.
Kasumi: What about me?
Satoshi: Since when did I ever trust you?
(Kasumi face faults.)
Akito: Say, don’t I have that same voice actor as Amiboshi too? Why wasn’t I the Mole?
Keitaro: Yeah, and come to think of it, I’m voiced by Yuuji Ueda too.
Kenji: My voice actor is something of a Mole in Gatekeepers!
Sakura: You sound more like my brother…
Miaka: What about me?
Taichi: You sound more like my sister…
(Manny turns around as the chaos continues.)
Manny: Oy… anyway, on behalf of Barb Bresnick, Mike Storch, and the rest of the Animation Alliance, I’m Manny Edwards saying good night, Happy New Year… and remember to watch your back. Catch you later!
(Aerial shot of the entire group gathering at center stage, to the chords of "Staring You in the Face." Fade out.)
End Episode Thirteen
Author’s Notes
Well, that’s that. If you knew who it was, I hope those
were the reasons why. If you didn’t, I hope you’re
kicking yourself. The fun part about mystery writing is the
ending, where the majority of the people are fooled, yet the
answer seems too, too obvious. Regarding the "editing"
done to the series, it’s definitely not unusual, as like any
reality series, Mole does undergo major editing to tell the
audience what the producer wants them to hear. A good example
from the first ABC season was in the BCH game, when Jim seemingly
drove off from his group, and cost them time. In reality, he got
into a car accident.
It’s true that Takato was one of my initial choices to be the Mole. I knew from the start that Takato would either be the Mole, or the first victim. Takeshi narrowly won out in the end. Also given consideration were Jenrya and Kasumi. Although after writing, I couldn’t help but notice a few characters that would have made excellent Moles, including Akane, Miaka, and Tamahome. In fact, had I been a passive reader, I probably would have agreed with Barb in thinking Akane, followed by Jenrya (I seriously hated it whenever I head to execute any readers who voted Jenrya).
"White Shirt Timmy" is a reference to "White Shirt Vinny," the web guy for many of ESPN's NFL programs.
As for the Player’s Quiz itself, congrats to Chromus on his victory. I suppose I should point out that he too is writing a Mole knock-off featuring Pokémon "one-timers" that is pretty interesting, and should satisfy your Mole cravings until the show returns on ABC. I’ll post the answers to the non-fanfic related questions on the website very soon, and e-mail quiz results to anyone who requests them.
Finally a big shout out to Nate Ranney, Nick Fox, and Andy Taft for verifying the integrity of many of the questions… and supplying me with my Love Hina collection! Thanks for reading, and make sure to leave a review or e-mail if you have any questions or comments.