Voice 02

Episode 02 Gobozou ごぼ蔵
Sexy Voice and Robo episode
Writer	Kizara Izumi
Original air date	April 17, 2007 (2007-04-17) May 22, 2007 (2007-05-22) (reaired)
Viewership	8.7% 6.0% (reaired)
Episode chronology
← Previous Voice 01 Next → Voice 03

Sexy Voice and Robo
< Voice 01	Gobozou ごぼ蔵	Voice 03 >

Plot

Robo & Niko are forced to drive a gunman to his girlfriend's home. Meanwhile, Yocchan is given the simple task of delivering a Buddha statue.

Guests

Main Guests

Goutou / Gobozou - Murakami Jun → 後藤 / ごぼ蔵 - 村上淳

Recurring Characters

Robo's otaku friend - Rokkaku Seiji → - 六角精児

Muu-chan - Kajiwara Hikari → むーちゃん - 梶原ひかり

Minor Guests

Niko's classmate talking to girl - Kasai Shige → - 笠井 しげ

Takamura - Furukori Masaki → - 古郡正輝

Kazumi's boyfriend - Shibue Jouji → - 渋江譲二

Male hairdresser - Matsugaki Sanae → - 久松信美

Beautician - Nori → 美容師 - のり

News anchor - Mori Keisuke → - 森圭介

Restaurant owner - Ichihara Kiyohiko → - 市原清彦

Guy who lost leg - Suda Kunihiro → - 須田邦裕

Otaku cop #1 - Matsuzawa Hiroaki → - 松澤仁晶

Otaku cop #2 - Terabe Tomohide → - 寺部智英

Noguchi Kyoko - Ninagawa Miho → 野口の妻 - 蜷川みほ

Noguchi Kyoko's husband - Nakane Toru → 野口 - 中根徹

Maki's client - Imafuku Masao → 依頼人 - 今福将雄

Voice from Niko's wrong number - Takishita Tsuyoshi → - 滝下毅

Suzu-chan - Onoue Ayaka → すずちゃん - 尾上綾華

Trivia

• The main guest is named Goutou, which is a pun on the Japanese word for "robber/thief".
• Robo references Tanaka Kunie and The Fashionable Thief.
• When Robo finds out Goutou doesn't have a gun, he draws a unibrow on Goutou while he's asleep.
• One of the items Goutou wants to get for Suzu-chan is sakura mochi. Throughout their drive, cherry blossom trees can be seen along the road. Sakura mochi is often eaten during Hanami (cherry blossom viewing).
• Yocchan refers to himself as Enku, the famous Buddhist carver.
• After Goutou turns himself in, his mug shot is shown on the TV in the background of the restaurant where Niko and Robo are eating.
• Episode motifs:
  • Love.
    • Everything Goutou does is a final attempt at showing his love for Suzu-chan.
    • Maki's client wanted the Buddhist statue because it reminded him of a girl he once loved.
    • Robo is excited to go to a dating party, and goes mental thinking the guy that replaced him is dating Kazumi-chan.
    • Kazumi-chan is seen with a new boyfriend at the beginning, and seems to have already broken up with him by the end of the episode.
    • Niko's dad gets jealous when he realizes his wife's hairdresser is a young guy.
    • The Noguchi's love made possible by Suzu-chan.
    • Niko, who had scoffed at love, wonders if the wrong number she received is her true love.
• Series motifs:
  • Orange tabby cat. The cat that ignores Niko is back in this episode. This time it's with another cat, since the theme of this episode is love.
  • Maki's summoning methods. Maki summons Niko by having an arrow with a message shot into her house. Throughout the series, Maki finds bizarre ways to let Niko know she is needed at Jizoudou.
  • Niko's facade. Niko pretends she has a crush on her classmate when she actually finds the topic of love annoying. Throughout the series, Niko pretends to be a certain way in order to fit in. In reality, she is incredibly cynical for her age (made all the more evident because she is paired up with Robo).
  • Yocchan's professional song. Again, he shows his ineptitude at his job by returning with a mannequin foot instead of the 200 million yen Buddhist statue.
  • Robo falsely accused. Robo is mistaken for Goutou.

Uses of Niko's Power

• She can hear Suzu-chan's voice on her cell phone when Goutou calls at the beginning of the episode.
• Calls Goutou and pretends to be Suzu-chan.
• Pretends to be Muu-chan's mother on the phone to come up with an excuse for why she's not coming home to her parents.

Memorable quotes

• Goutou - "Goutou the goutou."
• Yocchan - "I have become Enku."
• Goutou - "I'm apologizing for so much, and I'm sorry for the things I can't remember."
• Goutou - "There's no way I'd forget. When people are kind to me... I don't forget that."
• Robo's Max phrases:

• "Max Dash!"
• "Max Start!"
• Singing Max Robo theme in car
• "Max Telephone!"
• "Launch!"
• "Max Clean Up!"

Comparisons to the Manga

This story is based on the manga story Voice 7. Touch Blue Sky. While the story also involves a thief who crashes into a hair salon, the story is completely different. The main character of this story is the hair dresser, Maruo.

Plot

Maruo gives Niko a free trim using his portable kit from his bike. He invites her to the salon where he works. Niko invites Robo along.

A thief crashes into the salon with paint in his hair. Everyone is shocked except Maruo, who keeps his cool and professionalism, and finishes his customer, Motohashi.

Maruo works on the thief's hair. Maruo keeps the the thief talking and distracted.

The thief tells his story. He was recently fired when his company was restructured. While he was down, he meets a woman through texting and eventually they agree to meet (while her husband is out of town). He borrows a bike (he agreed to give the woman a bike ride) and ends up paying a fee for speeding on his way down there. He reaches the destination, but it turns out to not be a real address. Incensed, he says he'll kill her if he finds out she's been lying to him. However, his cellphone is dead this time (like in the drama, he didn't pay his phone fee) so he has no way of contacting the woman. So he ends up stealing the money, which is when he's hit by the paint ball.

At the end of the hair cut, the thief admits he can't pay Maruo. Maruo simply says "We'll have to go to the police then." who proceeds to lead the thief out, handing over the bag of painted hair as evidence. Maruo turns to Niko and says she should have left with Motohashi, which is when Niko admits that she wants to be a fortune teller or a spy when she grows up. Niko is disappointed to find out that Maruo is going out with Motohashi.

Comparison to the Drama

• The thief is nowhere near as relatable or noble as in the drama.
• The main story is about the hairdresser who calms the thief down.
• There is a small theme of love like in the drama. When given the hair cut, Niko's friends ask her if Maruo is her boyfriend.
• The only major similarity with the drama is the event of the thief crashing into the salon. (And maybe some of the thief's motivations.)