Original subtitles

Aren't you dipping it in soup extract?

No. When they're dipped in the extract, they'll have that much more water content

and they'll take longer to dry.

This works great!

Those noodles had dried by dawn.

Oh, Manpei-san. I forgot to keep time.

It's been 3 minutes.

It's delicious.

Of all the ones I've eaten, this is the best.

It still won't reconstitute.

Let's think this over one more time.

What? From the beginning?!

Manpuku

♫Marumatteru senakani ni morai naki ♫I get infectious weeping looking at your stooped shoulders

♫Haji datte issho ni ♫We'll share the humiliation too

We're Making Progress by10 and 20 Steps!

Week 19

♫Hikoukigumo bonyari nagamu ♫Gazing absentmindedly at contrails

♫Kokoro kokoni arazu ♫Here in body, but not in spirit

♫Nenkan totaru moshi shitara ♫If I was to calculate an annual total

♫Tsukiau watashi sugoi? ♫Aren't I amazing for keeping you company?

♫Toboketeru mayuge ni morai warai ♫ I get infectious laughter looking at your comical eyebrows

♫Tere datta nandatte ♫Be it embarrassment or whatever

♫Morai naki morai warai morai ikari ♫Infectious weeping, infectious laughter, infectious anger

♫Moraippaji don to koi! ♫Infectious embarrassment. Bring them on!

♫Seiten mo donten mo hekireki mo ♫Sunny days, cloudy days, thunderous days too

Up until the noodles are made, there should be no problem.

- The gelatinization of gluten and starch, right? - Yeah. The problem is after that.

It makes no difference whether we soak the noodles in soup extract or pour over them with a watering can.

Drying in sun or shade isn't the answer either.

But in order to be able to store them at room temperature...

they have to be dried.

What food can be reconstituted?

What is it?

- Something like koya dofu ? - That's it!

- It's completely dry. - Well, it is koya dofu after all.

This is the ramen I'm thinking of.

But this is koya dofu.

"How to Make Koya Dofu"

"Cut the tofu that's been drained into appropriate size and

leave it outside where it's cold enough to freeze."

"Thaw out the tofu that froze overnight and let the moisture

evaporate during the day."

"Repeat freezing and evaporating until all the moisture is drawn out."

"What you end up with is koya dofu."

Really? I never knew that.

So you repeat the freezing and evaporating.

Are you thinking of trying that on noodles?

Yeah. I'm going to try every good idea that comes up.

Manpei-san's destination was the maker of ice in Ikeda Shopping Center,

Watanabe Ice Shop

- You want me to freeze this? - Yes.

Soup extract has been poured over steamed noodles,

so the water content is believed to be approximately 40 percent. How long will it take to freeze?

Well, if you can give it about an hour.

Then I'll come again in an hour. Thanks in advance.

Where did Dad go?

I wish he'd play with us at least on Sunday.

I'll play with you. What shall we do?

Gekko Kamen !

Why are you here, Kanbe?

We're supposed to be meeting Yoshino-chan here.

Why am I here? That's because there was trouble at home.

You're going to see a movie with a man?!

- Yes. - No, no, no!

She's not going with a man. It's two men.

If you want to see a movie, why can't you can go with your girl friends?

Yoshino is scheduled to have a marriage meeting.

A face like that isn't to my liking.

How can you tell just by looking at his picture...

- Why not? She's just going to a movie. - That's right, Grandma.

I'll be there too, so don't worry. I won't let those two touch her.

So you're our watchdog, huh?

- That's right. - So what's this marriage meeting?

That's something Grandma's proceeding with on her own.

Don't let her go to no marriage meeting.

Oh, to be young again.

I get a strong feeling that it's going to turn into a bittersweet memory.

You shouldn't say something like that.

- Yoshino-chan! - Do you mind letting me kill about 1 hour...

- Manpei-san! - Kanbe-kun.

- Oh, Oka-kun. - How have you been?

Morimoto-kun too.

- Help~! - Give up already!

- Stop right there! - W-who are you!

- Gekko Kamen! - W-w-w-w-what?!

Ah, I see. A gentleman's agreement, huh?

Yes. No stealing a march on each other.

No matter which one of us Yoshino-chan chooses, there will be no hard feelings.

Wait a minute. Do you really think Yoshino-chan will be choosing one of you guys?

Hey, listen. She agreed to go see a movie with us.

But why isn't she here yet?

She's probably taking time to get prettied up.

No, could it be that Grandma's holding her back?

- What? - Oh, it's time.

- Are you leaving already, Manpei-san? - Yeah, I have some business to take care of.

Then Oka-kun, I wish you success. Morimoto-kun, good luck to you too.

Thanks.

Call me anytime you need help making ramen.

- Me too. - Me too. - Yeah, when that time comes.

- Thank you. Come again. - Thanks.

It's frozen solid.

Thanks a lot.

- But... - What's wrong?

If I take this home, I'll have to come back again.

Would it be possible to leave this here like this?

- These noodles? - Yes. I'm letting them dry under the sun.

Uncle Manpei.

- What are you doing? - Yoshino-chan. I'm drying these noodles.

Why here?

Once they're dried, I'm freezing them again.

Oh, ice shop.

Are you perhaps making magic ramen?

Yoshino? She already left an hour ago.

An hour ago? But she's not here yet.

Where is she loitering? Don't worry, she'll be there soon.

Yoshino must not have wanted to go.

She reluctantly agreed to go because they're Shigeru-san's colleagues.

Stop saying things like that.

Dad.

I'm trying to concentrate right now.

I'm starting to like your painting, Dad.

I think it's really good.

Taka...

- Please freeze this again. - Please.

Got it.

Oh, Yoshino-chan. Weren't you supposed to go see a movie?

Oh, that's right.

Not going?

Uncle Manpei's making ramen at the ice shop over there.

- Ramen? - Ice shop?

That caught my interest. I'm sorry. We'll go see a movie next time.

- What~? - Next time, huh?

Help~.

- Mom, you be Gekko Kamen next. - I can't. Mom's too tired.

- What~! We're not tired yet. - Give me a break, please.

Hello.

Someone's here.

- We got a lot from our neighbor. - Prawns and sweet potatoes...

We're having tempura tonight.

- Then we will too. Thanks, Toshi-chan. - Enjoy.

Kanbe-kun.

- Don't you think it's ready? - I think it's dry.

All right. Let's freeze it. How many times is this?

- Fifth time. - Please. - Got it.

The noodles were frozen and dried like this repeatedly 5 times.

Finally, that time had come.

These noodles are already flavored?

- With chicken soup extract. - That's right.

To think that you used koya dofu as an example.

- It was quite a struggle. - How would you know. - It's reconstituting.

The color of the hot water is changing too.

The soup is starting to dissolve.

Okay, it's ready.

Give me your honest opinion, everyone.

- Okay. - Then, let me start first.

- This is... - somewhat of a ramen.

It's... ramen.

- But... - I can taste the chicken soup, but...

I'm sorry. It doesn't taste good.

It's still not reconstituting. Why?

Why does koya dofu reconstitute?

That's because it has holes like a sponge.

- Sponge? - That's right. - Because moisture gets in there?

- Ah, yes. - But ramen can't be like sponge.

Sponge...

Mom.

Dad's home.

The ramen didn't turn out. The koya dofu strategy failed

It didn't turn out well. I'm stumped.

Is that so? Toshi-chan came by earlier and gave us prawns and sweet potatoes.

I'm making delicious tempura now so eat this and cheer up.

Gen, Sachi. Set the table.

Let's forget about ramen for today. Okay?

Eat a lot of tempura, take a bath,

get a good night's sleep,

and let's think about it again tomorrow.

All right? Manpei-san.

- This is it! - Wah! You scared me. Huh?

Tempura is it, Fukuko.

Tempura?

You're making tempura noodles?

Week 20 "I Did It, Fukuko!"

This is an epoch-making invention.

I want to send it out to the world with a novel image.

If I had to describe it, I'd say it's the taste of first love.

Let me sell it. Please!

What movie are we going to see today?

Our baby...

Fukuko!