Title
"Japan, the Ambiguous, and Appearance" (あいまいな日本の形 Aimai na Nihon no Katachi) is a pun on the title of a speech given by Ooe Kenzaburou for his Nobel Prize acceptance, "Japan, the Ambiguous, and Myself" (あいまいな日本の私 Aimai na Nihon no Watashi).
First published on August 31, 2011.
Page 1
Pool
Most pools in Japan close for the season on August 31 (even if the temperature is still well over 35 degrees C), as the traditional start of autumn is September 1. Even if the pool remains open, it may be the last day for students to visit anyway, as school usually starts back on September 1 as well.
Page 3
Bag (Panel 5)
The bag says "Oshare Luigi", a store that Kino is commonly seen buying his clothes from. It's probably a play off of everyone's favorite plumbers, Mario and Luigi, as Katte ni Kaizo's Oshare-sensei is named Mario.
Page 5
Water
"Water follows square and round containers" is part of a quote from the Jitsugokyou (実語教), a collection of proverbs. The full proverb is "Water follows square and round containers; people rely on good friends and bad" (Mizu wa houen no Utsuwa ni shitagai, hito wa zenakuno tomo ni yori 水は方円の器に随 い、人は善悪の友に依り), meaning that just as water adapts to the shape of the container its in, people change their behaviors to fit into their surroundings.
Page 6
Chie's name
It appears as if Kumeta's sticking with the name change for Chie-sensei, which began as 智恵, but somewhere along the line became 智絵. (Both are pronounced the same)
Page 8
Pajamas
It should be noted that the pajamas in this scene appear to be much the same as the gowns that the patients were wearing at the end of Katte ni Kaizo.
Page 9
2nd Block
A reference to the 2nd Block of Shinjuku, a portion of Tokyo well known for its gay bars. One of the people in the background resembles Hard Gay.
Impostor
An actual real-life event, which spawned a movie, "The Wonderful World of Captain Kuhio"
Beret
Osamu Tezuka was often depicted as wearing a red beret.
Ending Text
How would it be if you all wore Lady Kaga's costume and showed your love for Japan once again?
