So is Sakamoto a good role model for kids?  That’s a very good question.  We want them to aim high of course, but is there something to be said for keeping expectations realistic?  For the three elementary schoolers following Sakamoto in the first of this week’s chapters, it’s mostly a positive – though their leader is acutely aware of their relative shortcomings.  No, boys – you won’t be able to run along the side of a concrete riverbed when you’re in high school – but don’t let that stop you from trying.  Actually – you probably shouldn’t try.  You’ll break your necks.

After playing a little leapfrog, this little pied piper episode finishes up with one of the worst (and thus, best) Engrish puns I’ve ever heard: “This is a true toi-red carpet”.  That leads us into the second chapter, which features a girl named Yagi (Nabatame Hitomi) with an embarrassing hobby – she illicitly snaps photos of Sakamoto going about his daily activities.  It seems harmless enough even if it’s a bit creepy, but it gets a lot creepier when she sees a ghost in the background of most of her candids.  This presents a problem because in Japan, that’s considered a terrible omen – but if she comes clean Sakamoto-kun will know she’s been spying on him.  What’s a concerned stalker to do?

The answer comes courtesy of her dejikame’s burst mode, which reveals that the ghost is actually trying to say “I like you”.  Given that’s what stalker-chan wants to say too, this makes the urge to come clean irresistible – and once Sakamoto manages to offer a proper reply (a boy must always properly reply to a confession) courtesy of the copy machine, the ghost seems content to pass on (no Rinne required).  Sadly for Kubota-kun, she takes her hair with her, depriving him of the extensions Sakamoto crafted for him (attractive, but chewing on them is kind of gross).

Finally (always stay for the post-credits with this series), we have the spectacle of subliminal spaghetti. Oh, Sakamoto-kun – is no underdog cause too trivial for you to champion?  Pray this power is never used for evil.