この一口に命をかけろ- 賞金10万円争奪！ききポテトチップスー！！
(Your life in your mouth! A Hundred Thousand Yen Struggle! Potato Chips KiKi-!!)
Another Kiki taste contest. The rules are simple: Blindfolded, a member of the regulars is given a taste of a particular type of food, here potato chips.
First up is Yamasaki, who must find ポテトチップス うすしお味 西日本限定 (Southern Japan Ltd. lightly salted potato chips by Koikeiya. At his exaggerated chewing, Hamada remarks that the way Yamasaki eats is always ingeniously original. I have to agree.
When he finishes chewing Yamasaki questions whether he's tasted a "new" potato (新ジャが , a small, immature potato of whatever variety) or a normal type potato. This might have given him a clue, since he then identifies the three chips at the end (Calbee, and two Koikeya brands) as without fail one of those he tasted. He's quite correct, but his act seems to fall apart subsequently (Matsumoto: "Your timing has been off from the start!") and when he tastes the correct brand he says with confidence it's "entirely different."
The foreigner arrives to punish Yamasaki, and he is (throughout the episode) singularly unintelligible and violent. Yamsaki can't believe he got it wrong ("you're lying!") and wishes to go again. Matsumoto nixes this idea by remarking "the viewers would never consent," but he will play upon this sentiment at the episode's close.
Next is Endou, who must find くらしモア(Kurashimoa) brand potato chips. He licks the surface of a chip, which Matsumoto remarks is "Entirely Salt." When Endo says his chip tastes "extremely potato-ey" Matsumoto is quick to respond "Absolutely! Did you think it wouldn't?"
Endou's strategy is to look for a "分厚い" (thick or heavy tasting) chip. He's challenged by Kalbee brand, stating that "the potato has come!" after tasting it. After some salt sticks to his nose,
Matsumoto says this chip is "Sticking to your nose with all its strength." The Kalbee brand defeats him, whereupon the foreigner delivers his punishment, saying "You can only get (hug) women who look like potatoes!"
Hamada, trying for his fifth win, is next. Yamasaki is amused when more chips seem to fall than Hamada eats.
He starts with a strategy of looking at their surfaces, and he seems to be in agreement with Matsumoto who is plainly disgusted. "Blasted potato chips. That I should see so many!" Matsumoto says.
Then, in a strange twist, Hamada picks up his target chip first! After licking and caressing it, he "doesn't know at all." It's not that it's wrong-- it's that he doesn't know at all!
The foreigner arrives to punish him (sounding Russian in his accent) and says "Your palate is... than your..." leaving Hamada in pain and confusion at his unfinished line.
Then it's Tanaka's turn. Like Yamasaki, he loves potato chips, often eating Kalbee brand "without fail once a week." In this I will agree with dear Tanaka.
Tanaka's target is "沖縄の旨み塩味" (Okinawa delicious salted flavor) chips-- with a cow on the package. At his first taste, he makes a weird, confused sound, to which Matsumoto remarks "is he French?" His chips are very crunchy (さくさく) and thus his strategy forms, but he soon fails.
The graphic shows that the regulars have performed at a record worst level, with Yamasaki clearing only three chips before failure. Can Matsumoto do it?
Matsumoto is given the same chip as Yamasaki- but perhaps his dislike of chips is his downfall, as he misses his chance on the second go. "Let me do it once more!" he repeatedly shouts after his failure. They're not "O.A" (on the air) so it's possible! The foreigner once again makes an incomplete line ("your potato-like head....") and the others leave Matsumoto covering his eyes-- waiting for the do-over that won't come.
This is the 29th episode in the Kiki series, and its familair, well established format allows the regulars with a very well defined structure within which they can comfortably improvise and create new humorous situations. Yet even within this, the regulars often assume familiar attitudes and poses whenever its their turn in the taste contest. For example, Yamasaki's voice often rises two decibels louder. And Takaka becomes much more vocal and animated than usual-- in fact his mannerisms remind me of his all-too-familiar "High Tension" act. Although not this time, Hamada becomes much more of a violent bully than usual.
Still, it is an enjoyable episode. Matsumoto in particular seems to try quite hard to find new humorous material in whatever happens. In aid of this, the show seems especially blessed in the ineptitude of the (Russian?) foreigner who delivers punishment. In such a strictly structured show format it seems those unexpected moments (a potato chip sticking to Endou's nose, a prop potato-bat breaking) that provide the biggest laughs.
As of this contest, the current Kiki scores are:
| Matsumoto | 4 Wins | Tobacco, Toothpaste, Pudding, Yakiniku |
| Hamada | 5 Wins | Tea, Bread, Toothpaste, Pudding, Strawberry Jam |
| Yamasaki | 3 Wins | Tea, Toothpaste, Instant Miso Soup |
| Endou | 4 Wins | Tea, Lemon Tea, Mayonnaise, Oolong Tea |
| Tanaka | 3 Wins | Tea, Pudding, Apple Juice |
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