Voice 08
| Episode 08 Puccini Part 1 プッチーニ 前編 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sexy Voice and Robo episode | |||
 | |||
| Writer | Kizara Izumi | ||
| Original air date | May 29, 2007 | ||
| Viewership | 6.5% | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
| Sexy Voice and Robo | ||
|---|---|---|
| < Voice 07 | Puccini Part 1 プッチーニ 前編 |
Voice 09 > |
Plot
- Robo falls in love with an older woman who turns out to be a member of "Puccini" - a trio of nurses who will grant their patients' last wishes, whatever it may be.
Guests
Main Guests
- Shouko / Puccini #1 - Kobayashi Satomi → 昭子 / プッチーニ #1 - 小林聡美
- Megumi / Puccini #2 - Motai Masako → 恵 / プッチーニ #2 - もたいまさこ
- Emiri / Puccini #3 - Tomosaka Rie → 絵美理 / プッチーニ #3 - ともさかりえ
Minor Characters
- Yamada Hideo - Nomura Shinji → 山田秀夫 - 野村信次
- Grandpa Hii - Shouji Eiken → ニコのひいおじいちゃん - 庄司永建
- Patient / ramen shop owner - Tachibanaya Fumizou → 入院患者 / ラーメン屋主人 - 橘家二三蔵
- Lucky's owner - Katsuya → - 勝矢
- Saitou - Ono Atsuko → - 小野敦子
- Doctor restraining Grandpa Hii - Matsubara Masataka → - 松原正隆
- Bully #1 (blonde) - Toi Yuta → - 戸井悠太
- Bully #2 (long-haired) - Aoyagi Takaya → - 青柳尊哉
Trivia
- Puccini is a reference to Giacomo Puccini, a composer whose music can be heard throughout the episode
- Niko's grandfather tells her to not become a geisha. This is a reference to Ohgo Suzuka's (Niko) role as young Chiyo in Memoir of a Geisha the movie.
- During the episode, Robo becomes progressively more "unscientific" as he puts it.
- He freaks out when Niko touches his face with her "extreme bad luck" paper.
- He tries to recreate his first meeting with Shouko by walking around with a bowl of noodles (and constantly eating noodles).
- He next meets Shouko when he's attacked by a bird named Lucky-chan. So he makes a fake bird and names it Lucky-chan.
- Other superstitious activies in the episode include:
- Niko and Maki open fortunes that say "extreme bad luck on them".
- Puccini placing curses on the heads of the bullies.
Episode motifs:
- Death doesn't change anything
- There was a fourth member of Puccini named Betsuko. In Japanese, betsu means "to part, to be separated". Betsuko had died, thus causing the remaining members of Puccini to make it their mission to carry out the last dying wishes of their patients.
- Emiri brings up the idea that "busy" people turn their switches off to allow them to continue functioning. Turning the switch off can be seen as simple self-preservation, but Puccini sees it as the attempt to forget those who are no longer part of society.
- Despite Grandpa Hii being close to death, Niko is more interested in her tv show and her mom thinks he's faking it. Niko becomes troubled when she realizes her switch has been turned off.
- Shouko's story about the girl leaving the line crying and no one caring and just filling the space she left behind (allegory for idea that death doesn't change anything)
Continuity
- The "busy" idea is brought up again in Voice 11.
- The idea of proof of life from Voice 01 pops up again. Yamada Hideo's last wish is to remind everyone at his old job that he is still alive. It is an act that will not be forgotten anytime soon. The ramen shop owner wanted to taste the ramen soup to ensure his flavor would continue even after he died.
- Robo tells Niko that reality is painful, something his mother mentioned in Voice 06. While in that episode he was desperate to get his robots back, this episode he is getting ready to abandon them. Robo admits he is consciously moving towards a painful reality (Shouko). Niko is the fiction.
Mecha References
- When Robo is feeding Shouko, in the background the white Optimus (Ultra Magnus cab) figure can be seen in the background.
Uses of Niko's Power
- She hears Emiri saying Puccini while popping the bubble wrapping in a noodle place. Yocchan doesn't hear this, but this could just be a case of him not paying attention.
- When her grandfather mistakes Niko for a girl named Tamae, Niko tries different voices to try to please him.
- At the funeral, Niko overhears Puccini's conversation from far away.
Notable Quotes
- Emiri - "If you live, you forget those that die."
- Niko - "I don't remember how to turn off the switch."
Robo's Max phrases:
- "Max!"
- "Itadakimax!"
Actor Trivia
- Kobayashi Satomi and Motai Masako have appeared in several projects together, most recently in "Pan to Supu to Neko Biyori."
- Kobayashi Satomi (Shouko) is 20 years older than Matsuyama Kenichi (Robo).
- While we're at it, Matsuyama is 9 years older than Ohgo Suzuka (Niko).
- Matsuyama is 3 years older than Murakawa Eri (Kazumi).
- Katsuya was Tadokoro's little brother on Kabuto and the Beast Dopant on Kamen Rider W.
DVD Extra Footage
- 03:26 Oh. -> I thought you were going to ask me to do something weird again.
- 04:01 Strange, isn't it? -> What are you doing?!
- 05:27 Let's eat the bamboo shoots. -> Bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots.
- 15:00 T-this is terrible! -> The flavor hasn't changed...
- 16:07 He said it hasn't changed.
- 19:32 She can't be Puccini. -> Well, I guess it's none of my business anyway.
- 21:39 Bad, isn't it?
- 22:36 Of course she's not coming. -> I've become such an unscientific person!
- 26:38 Wait! Wait! Wh- -> Open up!
- 32:11 It can't be... -> Huh?
- 37:43 The woman at Robo's place.
- 46:19 I'm leaving it behind. -> You're obviously coming back!
- The preview for next episode is completely different from the tv version.