A Whimsical Trip - Wideban Manga Volume 1 / Chapters 1 - 5

100 steps... or is it 99? Is it just a red straw hat, or is it a red string of destiny?

A Whimsical Trip on Kimagure Orange Road

The Red Straw Hat / Kimagure Orange Road (kana)

Manga Chapter Summaries

Wideban Volume 1 - Chapters 1 - 5


Chapter 1The Red Straw Hat (Makka Na Mugiwara Boushi)
Tankoubon
Volume 1, Chapter 1

First Appearance:
Kasuga Kyousuke
Ayukawa Madoka
Kasuga Manami
Kasuga Kurumi
Kasuga Takashi
Matsuoka-sensei
Komatsu Seiji
Hatta Kazuya
Hayama Hikaru

As Kyousuke climbs a long flight of stairs in his new neighborhood (counting the steps along the way), he seea a red straw hat flying through the air over his head. He catches the hat, and is surprised to hear someone say, "Nice catch!" He turns around and sees a beautiful black-haired girl standing at the top of the stairs. It's her hat, and she's glad he caught it: Otherwise she'd have to climb down and back again - and there's 99 steps. Wait a minute - Kyousuke counted 100 steps...

After a playful argument Kyousuke offers a compromise - 99.5 steps! The girl laughs and goes on her way. Kyousuke calls to her, telling her she's forgotten her hat. She says to keep it - it looks good on him - and runs off. He decides he's going to like his new home.

When he gets home, Kyousuke is nearly flattened by a flying dresser. It's now revealed that Kyousuke, along with his twin sisters Manami and Kurumi, are espers - possessing incredible powers. However, Kyousuke feels it's more of a curse, since short-sighted Kurumi (who was moving the dresser with the Power) had forced them to have to move this time (they've had to move a total of seven times!) because she ran the 100 meter dash in 3 seconds! Their widowed father, Takashi, remind his kids not to use the Power in public, or they might have to move yet again.

The next day, Kyousuke starts at his new school, and is immediately befriended by class hentais (perverts) Komatsu and Hatta. They're ready to give him info on all of the girls, including the delinquent Ayukawa Madoka, who's skipping class right now..Komatsu and Hatta quickly discover, much to Kyousuke's chagrin, two new (and very cute) transfer students - Kurumi and Manami!

Later on, Kyousuke and Manami frantically search for a missing Kurumi, not knowing what trouble she'll get into - and she does find trouble, in the form of two girls smoking behind the school. Just as the short-haired blonde girl gets ready to teach nosy Kurumi a lesson, Kyousuke and Manami show up.

The brunette announces to her blonde friend, "Hikaru, we have more guests." Kyousuke is surprised to see that the brunette is the same girl he met on the stairs yesterday! She recognizes him for a second, then acts as if she's never met him when the blonde asks her, "Ayukawa-san, is he your friend?" Kyousuke realizes that she is Ayukawa Madoka, the delinquent Komatsu told him about. Kyousuke then decides that Madoka shouldn't be smoking, and uses the Power to snuff out her cigarette, much to the surprise of Kurumi and Manami. He then tells Madoka that she shouldn't be smoking - she won't have healthy babies if she smokes. She promptly rewards him with a slap that sends him reeling and chews him out for having the nerve to lecture to her.

Later that evening, Kyuosuke wonders to himself if the girl he met today could be the same as the one he saw on the steps...

Chapter 2The Shooting Blues (Shu--to Wa Buru)
Tankoubon
Volume 1, Chapter 2
The next morning, Takashi chastises Kyousuke for using the Power to put out Madoka's cigarette, but warns that if he isn't careful, they might make the movers rich again. After an argument with Kurumi for telling on him, Kyousuke finds himself late for school.

As he approaches his classroom, he sees Madoka, and plans a wide berth around her. She then surprises him by telling him not to worry about the teacher - he's always a minute late to class himself. Kyousuke reassesses his opinion of Madoka, and decides that she was probably in a bad mood yesterday. Once they're in the classroom, however, she becomes aloof to him again. He wonders why she displays such kimagure (capricious) behavior...

Later that day in gym class, the guys wait for their turn at the basketball court while Komatsu rates the girls during their balance beam class. Gym Club star Sugimoto rates an 85 on the "Komatsu Scale" and earns a round of applause and cheers from the boys, but when Kyousuke asks what Madoka, who's up next, would rate, Komatsu says that he doesn't rate delinquents. Madoka then delivers an Olympic-quality performance, garnering raves and clapping of her own from Kyousuke - and only from Kyousuke, much to his embarrassment.

As Kyousuke plays basketball with his classmates, it's obvious to him that the reason he's doing so poorly has been his reliance on the Power. When he gets the ball - and the chance to make the game-winning shot - he sees Madoka, and decides to try to make the shot on his own, with no Power. He shoots...

Later on Kyousuke sits in the gym alone, wondering what Madoka thought of him as he shot that ball on his own - and missed. He thinks it would have been so easy to have used the Power to make that shot. He then picks up the basketball next to him, and makes a full-court Power-assisted shot into the basket - nothing but net.

He doesn't realize that this incredible shot had an unintended audience - Hikaru, who's sneaking a smoke in one of the gym's storerooms. She is so impressed that she decides to make this incredible guy her boyfriend. (She also stops smoking right then and there.)

Chapter 3The Lip Secret (Kuchibiru Shi-kuretto)
Tankoubon
Volume 1, Chapter 3

First Appearance:
Ootsuka-sensei

As the Kasuga clan watches TV, actress Hori Chiemi passionately kisses her costar. Thsi causes Kurumi to ask if what she's heard is true - whether a kiss tastes like lemons. Takashi and Manami avoid answering the question, and when Kurumi spots Kyousuke, she tells him not to worry - she knows that he doesn't know anything about kissing!

The next day, Kyousuke finds his male classmates lamenting Chiemi-san's kiss the night before. He gives up on them and turns his attention to Madoka. He wonders if she's lonely, since she never seems to talk with anyone in class. He tries to break through her shell of indifference, and as she confesses her love for him and leans over to kiss her - he wakes from his daydream to find he's kissed Komatsu! That kiss didn't taste like a lemon - more like Komatsu's fried liver lunch...

Kyousuke heads off to find a water fountain, and as he rounds a corner he runs into something - something soft on his lips - a lot more pleasnt than Komatsu, for sure. He looks to see who it is - it's Hikaru! She's mad at first, but when she realizes who it is she's delighted.That feeling lasts only for a moment, because Ootsuka-sensei, the PE coach, sees them and demands to know what's going on. Hikaru takes this opportunity to scurry off, saying goodbye to her newfound "Darling"...

After school, Kyousuke finds himself in the faculty room, answering a lot of questions about his encounter with Hikaru. Matsuoka-sensei decides it's all a misunderstanding, but Ootsuka-sensei has decided that Kyousuke's falling into the wrong crowd, starting with Hikaru. Kyouske then demands to know why he thinks she's a bad kid, and when Ootsuka-sensei can't answer to his satisfaction, Kyousuke lets him have it. He then spots Madoka, who has heard the entire exchange and is somewhat impressed with his stern defense of her friend.

When Kyousuke goes to get his schoolbag, he finds Madoka with it. She tells him that she's watching it - seems there might be delinquents at this school!

They share a good laugh, but then Madoka then surprises him by asking if he's ever really kissed somebody before. He thinks back to the kisses with Komatsu, Hikaru, and dream Madoka, and say that he only remembers the kiss in his dream. Madoka then guesses that he means Hori Chiemi. He agrees, but wonders to himself what a real kiss from Madoka would be like...

Chapter 4Cheek Sorrow (Aishuu Chi--ku)
Tankoubon
Volume 1, Chapter 4
Komatsu asks Kyousuke to go with him to Moebius, a local disco, that night, but Kyousuke's shocked - after all, he says, thay're still only in junior high, and not allowed to go to coffee shops, much less a disco. Komatsu tries to entice him with cheek time - slow dancing, men and women hold close to each other - but Kyousuke continues to refuse.

His mood changes, however, when Komatsu mentions that Ayukawa goes there all the time. Now that's something different - cheek time with Madoka! Komatsu even gives Kyousuke free Moebius tickets, but they're ladies' tickets, intended for Kurumi and Manami! Kyousuke starts to refuse once again, but Komatsu reminds him that he promised him a favor when he lost the basketball game, and Kyousuke reluctantly agrees to come.

On the way home, Kyousuke spots Madoka and Hikaru together, and hopes that Hikaru hasn't told Madoka about the kiss. He then notices how cute Hikaru really is, but quickly thrusts that thought out of his head.

When he gets home, however, Kyousuke decides once again that his sisters are too young to go to a disco. However, Kurumi sees the disco tickets and is thrilled, dancing and cheering that they're going to a disco! She then asks, "What's a disco?"

When Kyousuke and Manami tell her what's at a disco, Kurumi wants to go even more - especially when she hears there's food there! Kyousuke lays down the law - no disco - but when he goes to take a nap, Kurumi grabs one of the tickets and sneaks out. Kyousuke and Manami figure out what's going on and take off after her.

When they arrive at Moebius, they sneak past Komatsu - who's waiting outside - and go inside. They decide to split up and look for Kurumi, so Kyousuke tells Manami that she can use the Power if she gets into trouble. She winks and flashes him a "V" sign, and heads off.

As Kyousuke looks for Kurumi, he bumps into someone - Hikaru. She's thrilled that her Darling comes to discos, even if he doesn't look the type. He asks her if she's with someone, and she says yes - she's with Madoka. Hikaru asks him to dance, just as the music slows down and cheek time starts! Kyousuke notices how nice Hikaru smells - kind of a sweet-and-sour smell - and begins to enjoy himself. It's also the unfortunate instance in which Madoka finally sees Kyousuke - and he sees that she sees him - just as Hikaru snuggles up with him. Madoka looks quite irritated at the two, and goes out on the dance floor with a sleazy guy who asked her to dance. Kyousuke wonders why she'd ever dance with a guy like that, but then sees the reason dancing next to him.

Meanwhile, Manami has found Kurumi, and the two happily scarf down pizza, while Komatsu tries to explain to a policeman why he, a junior-high student, is loitering around a disco.

Chapter 5Lakeside Rhapsody (Reikusaido Rapusodei)
Tankoubon
Volume 1, Chapter 5
Madoka finishes her shower, and pulls out a cigarette. She stares at it, while she remembers what Kyousuke told her about cigarettes could be harmful to her future children. She thinks that she's been told the same thing by other people, but she's never listened - until now. She thinks, "Kasuga Kyousuke... wierd guy," then puts the cigarette away and gets ready to go to the park.

Kyousuke, meanwhile, gets ready to take a train to his date with Hikaru. (She asked him out at school earlier in the week, and he reluctantly accepted.) His date is two hours from now, so he'll have some free time when he arrives at the train station where they're supposed to meet.

As he heads for the train, he spots Madoka getting on the train, and hurries to get there before the doors close. When the doors start to close, he uses the Power to wedge a lady's purse between the doors, keeping them open long enough to get on the train.

As he stands near Madoka on the train, he can tell she's still mad about the Moebius incident. When he tries to make small talk about the good weather, she says it's getting cloudy. Undaunted, he comments that one of the clouds looks like Kurumi, chasing after both a hamburger-shaped cloud and an ice-cream-shaped cloud, but can't get either one. He asks Madoka what she calls that, and she replies, "A person that goes after two rabbits won't even get one." This seems to warm up her attitude, replying that it's not just Kurumi, but all girls who are food freaks! Kyousuke then spys a cloud that looks like Madoka, pursued by a cloud shaped like... him.

They arrive at the park, and Kyousuke follows Madoka off the train. He notices all the attention Madoka gets from the men in the park, and agrees that she definitely doesn't look like a junior-high student. Madoka suggests they go for a boat ride, and once out on the water, she correctly guesses that the nervous Kyousuke can't swim. Their conversation is interrupted when a small boy falls in the water and struggles to stay afloat. Madoka begins to go after the boy, but Kyousuke tells her that he can swim, and rescues the boy.

After returning the boy to his mother, an impressed Madoka lends her jacket to Kyousuke, and they go to a nearby coffeshop. As Kyousuke drinks his coffee, he notices Madoka staring at him. When he asks if there's something on his face, she merrily replies, "Plankton," and they share a laugh. Kyousuke comments that this feels like a date... oh, no! He's completely forgotten about his date with Hikaru! And he blurted that fact out right in front of Madoka, too... She gets up to leave, and a sputtering Kyousuke asks about her jacket - she icily tells him to wash it before he brings it back. He's blown it, big time.

Kyousuke rushes to the place where he was supposed to meet Hikaru, and sees Kyousuke no baka!! (Kyousuke's a jerk!) scrawled on the public message board. He then sneezes - he's caught a cold - and remembers the adage about chasing two rabbits, and not catching either one...

Volume 1, Chapters 6 - 10 / Volume 1, Chapters 11 - 15


Go To

"A Whimsical Trip" Homepage / The Boy, The Girl, and The Other Girl / The Twins / The Perverts and The Misfit

The Rest of the Family / Other Characters

Manga Summaries / What's Available, And Where To Get It / KOR-related Links


This page has been viewed 2179 times since 5/19/97.