A Viewer’s Guide to RobiHachi: Episode 12

~

***SPOILER ALERT***
This episode guide may include plot and/or character reveals.

~

Japanese Title: 月の夢、地球の夢

English Title: Dream of the Moon, Dream of the Earth

Characters: Robby Yarge, Hatchi Kita, Ikku/JPS-19, Hizakuriger, Yang, Allo, Gras, Rock Kita, Alien, Lunar Guard Captain, Reporter*, Old Woman*, Old Man*
*Indicates the first appearance in the series.

Summary: The episode begins with a clip of the opening animation and theme song of the vintage anmie Galaxy Traveler Hizakuriger!

On Isekander, Yang takes out all but the flagship of the Lunar Guard fleet, giving Robby and Hatchi a chance to escape their respective pursuers. The quick-thinking Ikku hides the Nagaya Voyager in the empty cargo bay of a freight barge. Hatchi shows Robby and Ikku his passport, proving not only he is from the Moon, but also a member of royalty. Feeling stifled by his predetermined destiny, the Crown Prince fled the Luna Land embassy in NEO Tokyo and started working for Yang’s Finance. Meeting Robby made Hatchi aware of worlds he had never imagined, and he confesses to paying off the debt so they could keep having adventures together.

Their conversation is interrupted when Yang discovers their ship, driving home the point that the loan shark is after Robby for reasons other than money. The Lunar Guard clashes with Yang, during which Ikku latches the Nagaya Voyager onto a passing Dontsū ship just before it enters an unmapped hyper-road. Robby, Hatchi, and Ikku find themselves on the Dontsū Private Hyper-Road, an express route to Earth that bypasses all the post-station planets. Less than a minute away from Earth, Yang catches up and again tries to capture them. The Lunar Guard appears and rams both ships, sending all three tumbling through space.

In the skies above NEO Tokyo, an enormous alien spaceship prepares to attack Earth with a massive energy beam. Out of nowhere, an out-of-control Nagaya Voyager appears and slams into the spaceship’s weapons port. The blocked port explodes, and the alien ship crashes into the ocean. A shining, golden Hizakuriger appears through the smoke and slowly descends to Earth. As the crowd chants “Hizakuriger! Hizakuriger! Hizakuriger!”, a reporter declares Robby, Hatchi, and Ikku saviors of the Earth. The Lunar Guard and Yang’s fallen ships end up wedged into the Dontsū building.

Robby receives a flood of Hizakuriger licensing offers that promise to make him very wealthy. A royal entourage, including the battered Lunar Guard Captain, wait to escort Hatchi back to Luna Land. The stone Robby picked up at Isekander cracks open to reveal an Akafu Crystal, a real one, which he gives to Hatchi as a token of their trip together.

A scene following the ending credits shows a destitute Robby sitting in a cardboard box on the street. Hatchi and Ikku show up and propose a new trip, to the matchmaking planet of Izumondar.

Notes

See “Getting Started” for background information on the anime, which is based on an Edo Period fiction series called Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige.

Source: Hulu, RobiHachi episodes 9, 12

The Galaxy Traveler Hizakuriger! insert song lyrics include some unexplained cultural references:

• “Dan-Dan! Downing some dango (dumplings)” refers to small rice-flour dumplings usually served on a skewer.

• “Zun-Zun! Singing the Zundoko Bushi” refers to a Japanese ballad from the 1940s called Zundoko Bushi. The song was popularized by a 1970s pop group called The Drifters. Here is a hiphop parody released in 2014

• “Bun-Bun! Bunbuku Chagama” refers to the famous folktale Bunbuku Chagama. Bunbuku is an onomatopoeia for the sound of briskly boiling water and chagama is a round iron kettle. The main character of the story is a tanuki that transforms into a kettle only to be discovered when it gets used to boil water. Tanuki are small animals found only in Japan and reputed to be mischievous (sometimes malevolent) shapeshifters.

The Lunar Guard spaceships resemble Roman or Viking galleys.

Hatchi’s passport shows his birthdate is December 21, G.C. 0032, which would be the year 2001.

Hatchi describes coming to Earth for a ceremonial event. This is a reference to the official announcement of Japan’s new imperial era, Reiwa. Also see episode 9 notes. 

This episode confirms Hatchi’s grandfather Rock Kita was the first human to land on the Moon and while there, make first contact with aliens.

In a bit of fourth-wall exposition, Ikku explains the dramatic trope of a woman stricken with chronic cramps being rescued by a passing samurai. See also episode 9 notes.

The Dontsū Private Hyper-Road is a parody of the private railroad lines built during the Meiji Period that bypassed many of the Tōkaidō Road post-stations. As trains became the preferred mode of transportation for long journeys, the post-stations fell into disuse.

When the enormous alien ship threatens Earth, the news report shows crowd scenes from various countries: Japan (NEO Tokyo), United States (New York), China (Great Wall), France (Paris), Japan (NEO Tokyo).

As the glowing Hizakuriger descends from a brilliant blue sky, an old woman in the crowd proclaims fulfillment of the prophecy, “He, clothed in golden robes, shall descend from out of the flames.” The old woman’s character design and quote are a parody of the anime feature film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind directed by Hayao Miyazaki. In Nausicaä, the village matriarch Ōbabasama utters the prophecy, “He, clothed in blue robes, shall descend from a golden field.”

Hizakuriger’s golden barrier is the Super Hizakuri Beam upgrade Armeni installed on Yokkamarche in episode 9.

Yang’s ship crashes into the Dontsū Building and becomes a roof ornament in a parody of a traditional castle roof decoration called shachihoko. Also see episode 1 notes.

The ending (ED) animation shows a series of epilogue scenes:

• A promotion for a new color anime titled Hizakuriger Returns!

• A Hizakuriger specialty shop mobbed by fans.

• DVDs, collectible figurines, and signs that read “Hizakuriger Robo sold out.” and “Only one Ikku per customer.”

• Robby at a nightclub surrounded by hostesses.

• Crown Prince Hatchi back in Luna Land, gazing at Earth.

• A lovelorn Yang finishes the last of the candy he received from Robby.

• Robby surprises Yang with a gift box of imo yōkan, a confection made of sweet potatoes, sugar, and agar.

• Ikku writes a book about their trip titled, RobiHachi: The Men Who Saved Earth. This is a nod to Jippensha Ikku, author of the original Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige.

• The photo on the Ikku’s desk shows Ikku standing with Hatchi and Robby’s grandfathers, (l-r) Rock Hatchi and Yuma Yarge.

The closing frame suggests going to the matchmaking planet of Izumondar. This is a parody of the Izumo Great Shrine, believed to help worshippers find the ideal spouse. 

You just enjoyed the last episode of “A Viewer’s Guide to RobiHachi.” Thanks for reading!