Episode 19 - I Can Definitely Always Work Hard

I Can Definitely Always Work Hard (きっと、ずっと、がんばるのです Kitto, Zutto, Ganbaru no desu) is the nineteenth episode of the Little Busters! Animation. It aired on February 16, 2013.

Short Summary

 * Kudryavka decides to take a national proficiency test in school, and the other Little Busters members help her study, especially in her weakest field English. Komari coaches Kudryavka in English, followed by Mio covering both math and physics. While Kudryavka is eating with Riki and Masato, some girls make fun of her, but are quickly scared away by Yuiko. Kudryavka continues to study in the library with Riki, Masato and Yuiko. Kudryavka tells them about her grandfather who raised her and how she used to travel around with him, including a small island nation called Tebwa in Southeast Asia where she was born. Kanata comes by to give Kudryavka back her book on the many-worlds interpretation, one of many books she reads for international exams as a hobby. On the day of the test, Kudryavka accidentally fills in the wrong bubbles on her test, and has to take a remedial class as a result. Kudryavka feels bad about failing after her friends helped her study so much, but the others Little Busters show up in the remedial class to show her that she is not alone.

Detailed Summary

 * Kyousuke has everyone gathered at the baseball field to talk about his new plan. He wants everyone to start working on teamwork; he specifically wants to maximize the roles each player plays by working together and becoming more efficient. Before now, he allows them to work alone and on their own roles. Now that they are closer (friendlier) and have a keener grasp on baseball, he feels that it is time for them to achieve a higher understanding. Almost at once, the prospect of working together falls apart. He asks everyone what they eat their eggs with, to show that they are all thinking on the same page. No two people eat their eggs the same way. Kyousuke deflates a little. He gives a stirring speech that only Riki listens to. He gives up for the moment and starts practice.


 * The other students in their class find it both amusing and cute that Kud is a foreigner that can’t speak a lick of English. To them, all foreigners are probably American or British. Because Kud can hear them talking about her, laughing at her, and making other remarks that a normal person would shake off, but ones that Kud take to heart, she becomes depressed and shrinks whenever those classmates are around.


 * After class, when a few members of the crew are gathered around Kud’s desk, Mio comes back into the classroom with printouts. She tells everyone that the teacher asked her to ask everyone that wants to take the national exams to sign up for them. Kud is wavering between signing up and passing. Kurugaya passes because she finds no entertainment from getting into the top ten again. Masato also passes, but only because he thought they were handing out food instead of an exam. Everyone else decides to take them. Rin is embarrassed when her friends see her thinking about taking the exams or not, but in the end, she choose to take them as well. Kud has trouble with her studies. Kurugaya comes up with a wonderful plan to combat her weaknesses and that is to have other members of the Little Busters crew tutor Kud, and whoever wishes to learn, in areas they are particularly strong in.


 * The first teacher is Komari and she is teaching English. Kud makes a simple mistake when she hears Komari pronounce ‘wish’ as ‘wash’ and when Kud is asked to translate the sentence; this one mistake changed the whole context of the sentence. Next up is Mio and she is teaching math. Haruka interrupts their tutoring for a brief moment, but Mio plows on and completely ignoring Haruka’s intrusion. After Mio’s turn tutoring Riki, Rin, and Kud is finished, they head to the library for some self-study with Masato. In the library, Kud tells them all about how she grew up living from country to country because of her parents’ work. She as raised by her grandfather, who really loves Japanese cuisine and culture. She also tells them how everyone in her family has dual citizenship and the place that Kud has another citizenship is the place where she was born, Tebwa, which is a tiny island and a former Soviet republic located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where her mother is working.


 * While they are supposed to be studying, Futaki comes up to their table to return a book to Kud that she borrowed. The book is highly advanced quantum physics. While Kud talks on and on about how fun it is staying up late at night talking about the contents of this book and others with Futaki, Riki realizes that Kud is actually incredibly smart. Her only problem is that she has trouble dealing with the pressure of school, but if she is talking about space and quantum physics then Kud can write essays about them. Her passion for that subject is really amazing. Futaki leaves with Haruka, but not before reminding Kud to be more careful during her exams. The reason why Futaki said that is because Futaki was helping Kud prepare for the exams by giving her mock exams and she finds out that Kud has a tendency to accidentally fill in the answers one row down on the answer sheet.


 * While the days pass by until the exam, Kud studies some more with her friends. They do everything in their power to mentally prepare for the exams. On the exam day, Kud’s brain short-circuits before the exams took place. During the exams, Kud makes the unfortunate mistake of filling in the answers one row down. She realizes her mistake when the teacher asks for them to turn in their papers. The teacher hands everyone the answers to the exam and tells them to check their papers since their official grade will come very soon. Everyone who fails will have to take remedial classes after school that day. Kud already knows that she has failed because of her mistake.


 * Haruka performs a miracle. She uses a numbered pencil, rolls it, to answer the questions on the exam. She gets an 85% doing this but nobody believes her. Kud is avoiding everyone and Riki sees her escaping out of the corner of his eye and he decided to follow her. She is crying as she remembers all the help that everyone gave her. She lets them all down and for something stupid. She apologizes, bows, and runs away from Riki. Riki tells the Little Busters about Kud’s mistake. Haruka laughs and throws her exam into the trash bin and says that she lies and has to take remedial classes as well. Kurugaya notices that Haruka lied about lying; Haruka really does score an 85% using such a crude method.


 * After school, Kud arrives back in the classroom and finds everyone in the Little Busters already there. Her spirits soar, and she is no longer depressed. Even Kyousuke, who is a year older than everyone and in a higher grade, is there. This is the kind of teamwork that he has in mind.

Trivia

 * This episode marks the starting point of Kud's arc.


 * In this scenario, Kud fails the exam and has been obligated to attend remedial classes but her friends are there to join her. In both the visual novel and the manga, however, Kud passes the exam.