Aa! Megami-sama! TV - 14: Ah! A Teaching Practice Called Showdown?

Title:Aa! Megami-sama! TV
Episode:14: Ah! A Teaching Practice Called Showdown?
Synopsis
Now that she's reunited with her sisters, Skuld tries to be close to Belldandy whenever she can, and acts jealously when her sister and Keiichi drive to Nekomi Tech together. Skuld even plans to damage Keiichi's BMW but gets carried away and ends up tuning the machine for extra power...
Meanwhile, Megumi has made quite a few friends, and when she visits Keiichi she brings some present along she received at the grocery shop for fixing the owner's bike. When she sees Skuld for the first time she jokes about her being Keiichi's and Belldandy's child... something that Skuld isn't actually fond of, as well as Megumi criticizing Skuld's redesign for the BMW [image1]. One word leads to another, and soon Skuld is aware she just met the great rival of her life. So what about a fight?
But Belldandy prevents Skuld from using her full firepower, and the Motor Club senpais provide an appropriate arena: Both competitors are to build a robot from scrapyard materials, and the one who collects more oil barrels [image2] will be the winner! Any number of helpers are allowed, as well as letting your robot harm others during the game. As soon as the news spreads at Nekomi Tech, two fractions of fans [image3] are forming and bets are being placed.
Megumi is making good use of her connections and soon gathers a large construction team [image4], even including Belldandy. When Skuld becomes aware of this she's moping and insists on building her robot alone [image5], even rejecting help from her sisters now. Belldandy understands how serious Skuld takes the challenge; she feels sorry for her little sister but there's little she can do.
And finally, both robots enter the arena - so let the game begin... [image6]
Comments
[2005-04-26, Devil Doll]
Very close to Manga volume 6, chapter 40 "Robot Wars", although they needed a different reason for Skuld modifying the BMW (an idea that already made it into Aa! Megami-sama! OVA back then), and they skillfully added Belldandy's dilemma about how to deal with Skuld in this situation.
I never liked Skuld that much; she basically prevents Keiichi and Belldandy from getting any closer for quite a while, and she behaves like a spoiled brat most of the time. What's more, she makes Belldandy no longer focus on her boy for the first time in this series - which is something not only Keiichi has to get used to. But actually Belldandy's story is interesting - she is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea somehow, and she really needs help this time.
On the other hand, note how Urd has matured, anticipating the problems arising from Belldandy's plan quite early. At this stage of the series Urd is my favourite character, as long as there's so little screen time for Mara, Sayoko, Sora, and Megumi. But exactly this Megumi has her great performance in this episode, beating Skuld in the goddess' home backyard - this was a "losing draw" for the Little One, and she must be aware of this. And my favourite track "Race" from the OST album in use once again... yay!
I have to ease myself into Megumi unscrupulously letting Keiichi trying the modified BMW to merely prove her point, but this is a comedy after all. Then again, I did like that running gag with Urd being told she's Skuld's sister and very much so...

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