After being kicked out of the Nekomi Tech men's dormitory, Keiichi and Belldandy try finding a place to stay for the night, eventually finding lodging with Sada, an anime otaku.
Summary[]
The chapter begins with Keiichi and Belldandy searching for a place to stay for the night. After his tenth failed attempt to find someone willing to take them in, Keiichi laments the lack of reliability of his so-called friends. Belldandy apologizes for getting him thrown out of his dorm, but he assures her that they still have a few options and the duo continue their search, even knowing that there won't be any places open at 1:00 in the morning. After some comments on her outlandish clothing, Belldandy changes her outfit to something less conspicuous. She then casts a spell to change her clothing, appearing naked for a second as she rearranges the atoms of her garb and reassembles them. The light of the spell frightens Keiichi for a moment, but she explains the nature of the phenomena, describing it as easy, but not something she can do very often. They continue on and Keiichi manages to find another friend willing to accept them as guests, but their host's perverted nature prompts him to take Belldandy and leave.
Upon reaching the next stop on his list of possible places, Keiichi leads Belldandy into a building filled with shelves of computer parts and books. Their host Sada welcomes the couple without enthusiasm, but is too busy with his "Magic Mai" LD to pay them any attention. Belldandy is fascinated by the pretty images on the television screen and tries to ask questions, but he ignores her. Keiichi mentions that Sada is a big-time Anime Otaku who can spend hours just staring at the screen. She expresses admiration towards his dedication, noting that she has never had anything to completely devote herself to. He responds by asking her if she has something now in reference to his wish, to which Belldandy blushes and smiles.
She attempts to talk to Sada once the video he is watching ends, but the otaku simply decides to watch it again, garnering concern from his guests. Belldandy peruses some of the surrounding papers with a distraught expression, noting that no matter how much he loves his two-dimension dreams, they will never return those affections. She concludes that Sada seems to be possessed by a demon, but laments that only he can free himself from his obsessions. While waiting for him to finish, she uses magic to clean his kitchen and prepares some tea for them.
Sada accepts her kindness, but is quickly enthralled by her beautiful appearance, sweet scent, and the sound of her voice, which he sees as being superior to anything he had ever seen on the television screen. He reaches out to touch her breasts, only to be brought back to his senses by Keiichi. After putting away his things, Sada answers the questions Belldandy had been asking earlier about his anime. Keiichi discreetly mentions that his friend has no resistance to girls, an assertion that only angers their host. Sada is delighted by Belldandy's sudden interest in anime and gives her a tape with some of his favorites, but loses himself in her beauty and tries to kiss her in an attempt to discern her "flavor". Belldandy is unable to fight him off due to using too much power earlier, but Keiichi rescues her by hitting Sada in the head with a VCR, threatening to break his laser-disc player next if he tries to go after her again.
Keiichi dismisses him as another pervert as Belldandy thanks him for saving her. As the couple prepares to leave the apartment, Sada hands Belldandy his favorite tape and tells her to keep it. She accepts it with a smile as they depart. It is revealed that Sada's experience with her that night helped him overcome his obsession with two-dimensional women, and he instead developed an interest in pornography.
Quick Reference[]
Chapter Notes[]
- This chapter continues Keiichi and Belldandy's quest of finding a place to stay.
Trivia[]
- The word "Mania" as used in the title is the Japanese equivalent of the English use of "maniac". However, the editors of the Dark Horse Comics omnibus re-rerelease speculate that the title originally used the word "Otaku" when it was published in 1988, only to be changed the next year when the first volume released. The supposed reason for the change was to avoid the negative connotations that the word "otaku" had garnered due to Tsutomu Miyazaki, a serial killer who the media dubbed the "Otaku Murderer".