I need to talk about Robonyan and B3-NK1. if you're a fan of whatever the hell these two have going on, please read through this entire post I beg you. (I am a Fellow Fan of whatever the hell these two have going on and I'm just rambling about the hilarity of the writer's decisions, especially looking at episode 119.)
I'm gonna set the scene. been a fan of the game for years. used to watch the anime with my parents back when it aired on TV. I watched episode 23. even back then, even though it was the dub, with reanimated scenes, I picked up on what they were putting down. eventually forgot about this, went about my life. years later, talking about queercoding in video games with friend. bring up Yo-Kai Watch, talking about another instance of queerness, and then I remember episode 23. go to the wiki, research it. lose my shit when I find out that the version that I saw on TV was edited to make it less suggestive. also lost my shit when the wiki said the Latin American dub skipped it entirely. I just need you to know that because it's hilarious to me.
I ended up rewatching said episode, but the subbed version. the original, unedited version. holy shit. anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. I learned about episode 85 and the Komasan Taxi segment. I watched it (subbed version). it seems the complaints may be from real viewers. I can't say I can prove that, but it is extremely funny, because Robonyan (at this point upgraded to Robonyan F) gets put on blast by someone's disapproving mother. Robonyan F becomes increasingly more mortified, trying to explain what happened by first saying that he's from the future and it's different there (hilarious excuse, based) and that it's B3-NK1's fault (which, I mean, he was the one who stuck his naginata in Robonyan, so, fair enough man). you might think at this point that the writers are gonna try and backtrack, apologise, something! you would be wrong. they FUCKING DOUBLE DOWN. Koma bros bring B3-NK1 in. guy is friendly and immediately initiates conversation with Robonyan F who cannot handle this situation at all, and the fact B3-NK1 just comes off friendly and relatively casual is amazing to me. (at least, that's how the subs where I watched it portrayed him.) peak writing decision. Robonyan F tries to not be horny, ends up being horny anyway. writers are committed to the bit. AND THEN THERE'S EPISODE 119. I only briefly perused tumblr to see what the fandom's got to say and I had yet to see anyone acknowledge episode 119. I myself was intent upon finding it and watching it after I see this in the wiki.
me, looking at the wiki saying B3-NK1 "distracted" Robonyan F: "what do you mean by that?" I just had to know the full context. so I watched the episode (subbed as well). and if you haven't seen it, let me explain its relevance. Nate and several other Yo-Kai end up competing in a grand prix. one of the racers is Robonyan F. according to the subs (which I know may differ depending on where you watch the show), Robonyan F is the crowd favourite. he's got a cool ass car (that he himself seems to be a part of) that manages to break free of the ice that trapped everyone else, caused by Blizzaria, who is also one of the racers. B3-NK1 is cheering for Robonyan F. he has a flag with Robonyan F's face on it attached to his naginata. he says that as they're both mechanical yo-kai, he'll cheer him on. he waves the flag excitedly. he then does something reminiscent of a cheerleader—he shouts "Hooray! Hooray!" then cheers Robonyan F's name, punctuating each syllable by swinging the flag—and his naginata—in a different direction. he then twirls it in his hand and it spins out of his grip and out of control, and ends up flying onto the track and embedding itself in the rear of Robonyan F's car. this causes him to lose control, the car starts transforming into references to different anime, and then promptly veers off the racetrack and smashes into a rock, making him the first racer to lose. he is in eighth place, LAST PLACE. that detail is hilarious and important to me. what this episode tells me is that the writers not only doubled down, THEY TRIPLED DOWN. they did it again! they made the joke again! and the way they do it is criminally funny. I'm just imagining that in the writer's room, they decided that they needed Robonyan F in this race because robot and robot car. but Nate has to win the race, which means everyone else has to lose in an interesting way. what's the best way to make him lose? reference episode 23 again! B3-NK1 is here purely for the joke! he's cheering him on, excitedly to boot! he seems genuinely happy to be here! but oops! he accidentally loses control of his naginata and it goes and stabs Robonyan F's car, and by proxy him, in the ass, and is what puts him in last place. FUCKING L. has this happened enough times for it to be a running gag? it might as well be one!
anyway I just like episode 119's implication that B3-NK1 at the very least likes Robonyan F, enough to cheer him on happily. even if it's just for a gag! love wins!
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