L64 Otose Snack Bar

First meeting of Otae and Sarutobi. Otae says that Sacchan’s application/omiai picture is  cute. Otae, Sacchan and Catherine are all competing to be the replacement of Kagura, the show’s heroine. Sarutobi is already in love with Gintoki at this point and doesn’t suspect Otae yet of anything. Because GIntoki and Shinpachi couldn’t pick between them, both the ladies knock them out and proceed to walk into the moonlight.

It‘s the start of an interesting friendship.

L77 Infant Strife

Sarutobi immediately assumes that the child  between Gintoki and Otae was their offspring. She immediately attacks Otae and calls her “not a woman anymore but a mother.” Otae retaliates by saying that Sacchan is a “one woman opera a B-movie script and that the child isn’t hers.” Otae exclaims that “no one would want to have a baby with that Loser (Gintoki)” Otae tries to get Gintoki to clear things up but finds him trying to escape. Otae throws him into a river and calls him the kid “his bastard child” and gintoki “a pig”. She also tacks on that she will stop Shinpachi from working with Gintoki (for being a dishonorable guy).

Otae invites Sarutobi to just hang out with her instead. Also I think she clear things up that the kid is not hers.

I think Sarutobi’s thought process was

“Otae wants to be the show’s heroine (from L64) --> Gin-san is bringing a kid that looks exactly like him and Otae is beside him --> Otae is also my competition for heroine  --> heroine can also mean Gin-san’s woman --> Otae befriended me before but she actually wants Gin-san for herself --> to hell with you Otae, you conniving btch”

it’s a neat tie in to their last encounter XD

L98 Post-Benizakura Recuperation

Sarutobi stumbles upon one of the traps Otae set aside for Kondou. Sacchan thinks the traps are for her specifically and that Otae made them so that she will not bother GinTae.

Yamazaki then confirms to Kondou and Sacchan that Gintoki is temporarily staying in the Kodoukan dojo to heal from his injuries. Kondou complains that he can’t allow GinTae to live in one roof. Sarutobi encourages Kondou not to give up on stalking and says that even if she was happy for Gin-san fathering a kid (L77), she wont stop pursuing Gin-san either (coz she knows that otae wasnt the mom).

note: accdg to Word of God, Sarutobi starts to spy on the kodoukan dojo and otae after this

L103 Snowball fight

Sarutobi shows off her massive Gintoki snowman to Yorozuya. Gintoki is impressed by it. She demonstrates how it works by laying on the outstretched hands of the snowman. Because of her weight the arms break off causing Sachhan and her glasses fall. Blind as bat without glasses!Sacchan picks the broken arms and thrusts them accidentally at Otae who just arrived at the scene. The hands of the Gintoki snowman arms land on her chest. Otae gets pissed and her fist find Gintoki to send him flying.

Convenient for Otae to show up while Gin x Sacchan was happening lmao.

L128 Hostess Club / Shogun Introduction

Sarutobi picks the shogun stick of the shogun’s game. She immediately requests Gin-san to have sex with her. Otae smacks Sacchan with her foot because the latter was not playing by the rules.

note: in shogun/kings game you’re supposed to say “number xxx i order you to [smth smth]”, the fun in the game is that you dont know who’s holding which number. the shogun just kept getting the numbers that were ordered to do the tasks.

L138 Group Date

Kondou gets kicked by Otae to the ceiling after he showed up and objected to Gintoki’s planned Goukon. Sarutobi was lurking in the space between ceiling and roof, spying on Otae (or maybe following Shinpachi, idk)

This is the first  instance we see Sarutobi stalking/spying on Otae. Because both stalkers were already aware of the Goukon, they invite themselves to the party. Gintoki kicks Kondou because he didnt want to include the stalkers in the first place.

L156 Weight Loss Arc

Sarutobi pops out of Otae’s ceiling when she overhears Kagura and Otae’s conversation. She insinuates that GIn-san’s back will break if he carries Kagura or Otae like a princess (most likely this jibe was directed at Otae again). Sacchan falls from the ceiling too because she’s overweight.

Otae: hey don’t destroy my house

--> it’s  like the house is punishing sacchan for assuming about gintae again.

at the fasting dojo otae rags on sacchan to leave the dojo if she’s just gonna keep eating. Sarutobi responds by telling Otae that unlike Otae, she isn’t actually fat and in fact she’s carrying Gintoki’s baby. Otae responds by kicking her in the stomach “Congratulations you just give birth to puke.”

In infant strife arc, we remember that Sarutobi mocked Otae for  “not being a woman anymore and downgrading into a mother, taking herself out of the competition.” While in Weight Loss Arc she proudly she says she’s pregnant and soon to be mother of Gintoki’s child lololol

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OVERALL NOTES:

there’s a continuous back and forth of riling up between the two. It usually starts with Sarutobi insulting Otae and telling her that she’ll end up with Gintoki. Otae never responds kindly to insults and people calling her names so she retaliates at Sarutobi with violence.

Koba: Sugita-sama's!!! We might be hearing from Sugita-san's mother.

Saka: No no no she's from the Osaka prefecture [1]. Ehh let's move on to the consultation~

"I think I am an M, but when I look at the people around me it seems I'm more of an S. How do I become an M like Sacchan? I want to become an amazing M."

Sugi: Well that's simple. Find someone who's more S then you.

Saka: Oh~

Sugi: That's it. Since this is somewhat like a food chain.  

Koba: Ah, I see~

Sugi: Even for Sakaguchi-san. For example, you express yourself more strongly to your junior from the same company Unsho-san.

Saka: Ah Unsho-chan. Yes yes, I do. Because he’s my junior. He hasn’t even been in Aoni for 2 years. Totally totally.

Sugi: But you get fist-bumped on the shoulder by your other junior Madono-san.

Saka: Fist-bumped on the shoulder w He says “Treat me well, senpai,” and punches me on the shoulder ww yes yes  

Sugi: It becomes a sort of chain, doesn’t it.

Saka: But I don’t want to become an M. I don’t wanna be an M, it’s tiring~

Sugi: I said it before right, you don’t need to be a Tsundere [2]. If someone gets stood off, they’ll cry.

Saka: They will cry.

Koba: Come enter this world~

Saka: Eh? Of that person?

Koba: Shinpacchan~

Saka: Who??

Koba: I am a resident of the M world~ Of course that would be Sacchan, right? Gin-san?

Sugi: Everything becomes an M.

Saka: Oh-. Not ‘Oh-’, what is with this space??

Koba: Kind of like that wonderful… right?

1:30

Saka: Yuu-chan don’t you have anything to add? How to become an M like Sacchan?

Koba: Train with me~

Saka: Train!?

Koba: Let’s train~

Saka: What kind?

Koba: Indeed, what should we do? Of course at this point, could we have our lovely person step in?

Saka: Wouldn’t this be completely getting a cold shoulder?

Koba: Hey~ Sugita-san, can you step in?

Sugi: Sugita’s S stands for the S in sadistic.

Saka: Yayy~

Koba: Amazing! DoS! [3]

Sugi: I will reply as a sadist. Not answering this question would be an S. You can just stay there and worry over this forever! Hehehehehe!

Koba: As expected of Gin-san!!

Sugi: Shut up you stupid fool!!!

Koba: Kya~~! ***

Koba: Something like this. Find a partner who’s like this.

Saka: So with this it’s settled?

Sugi: This is the solution.

Koba: Yes, it’s like this.

Saka: I understand. Thank you.

Koba: Please find someone like that.

Sugi: I’m kind of scorned by the people in Aoni production with really nice voices. When I’m told “Sugita-kun you’re really gross,” I get really happy.  

Saka: Aren’t you an M then??

Sugi: I get really happy.

Saka: Aren’t you a masochist then? What’s with that!

---

T/N

[1] Sugita's family lives in Saitama, so it's not his mother

[2] Tsundere: Tough/ likes to make jabs on the outside, but soft on the inside (aka Hijikata)

L448 Idol Arc

Otae and Sarutobi just straight up bitch and insult each other at this point. Gintoki is no longer involved. It’s just the two of them trading barbs at each other non-stop.

The interesting about Idol Arc is that it mentions the Be Forever Yorozuya movie that was going to be released a few months later.

Be Forever Yorozuya

and here we are.

Otae laments about how she won’t be able to see Gintoki and the Yorozuya smile for one last time, how she regrets that she won’t able to say goodbye to Gintoki after all.

Sarutobi gets mad and lifts Otae by the collar and screams at her for giving up on life. Sarutobi calls her a bitch and an insufferable sadist in order to coax  otae to stand up and fight her.

The whole sequence of Sarutobi just trying to rile her up and make her mad by saying that Otae has to witness her gettng married to Gintoki whether Otae likes it or not; Otae being unable to do anything other than stay still; Sarutobi yelling at Otae to retaliate just like old times, just like those fun times;

Kyuubei crying at the side because despite her efforts to make it seem like things are just the way they are, everything has changed; Otae has no more strength to fight back against Sarutobi; Otae will soon be gone forever;

Tsukuyo trying to hold Sarutobi back and failing;

The whole emotional crux of the movie was handled by the two idiots who haven’t stopped btching at each other since day 1.

Sarutobi and Otae.

man.

it got me.

eventually Chintoki puts a hand on Sarutobi’s head to stop her from harrassing the dying Otae. Enmi and Otae both die. Lots of stuff then happen. Everyone travels thru time and dimensions and the timeline is restored,

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after this, otae and sarutobi don’t fight anymore

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L443 Seita Bentou

they’re not really bickering but it’s more like: “Otae you really killed some kids out there.”

L475 Soul Switch

Otae’s scream stopped Kondou!Sacchan and Dozaemon from happening. Dozaemon steps on Kondou!Sacchan’s head causing them to get knocked out. Dozaemon heads out to get and protect Otae.

note: not really much of an Otae/Sarutobi moment there lol. This is more Kondou/Sacchan camaraderie.

last but not the least

L686 Edo Two-Year Time Skip

sarutobi and otae roasting takasugi is still A+++ Content

sarutobi did do a subtle dig on otae being an A or B cup (gntk even chimed in).

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NOTES:

Is Sarutobi jealous?

Sarutobi had been jealous of Otae since Infant Strife Arc... It’s for good reason. Otae is the character that spends most of time with Yorozuya other than the main three.

Is Otae Jealous?

My answer? She just wants to be number one especially in the show/manga...maybe in Gintoki’s life too.

What do we learn from this?

gags can be sustained by changing changing bits of it over time

the frustrated party can become more and more intense at every encounter.

little things from previous gags can enrich the later gags. it makes for good payoff

otae and sarutobi are seriously a fun duo.

it’s obvious that sorachi enjoyed writing them.

be forever yorozuya movie hospital scene suckerpunched me in the gut and got everyone to cry.

kobayashi yuu deserves awards  for that heart wrenching performance istfg

L246 Influenza Arc

Right after Kondou revealed himself to be hiding in Otae’s cupboard, Sacchan pops out of the vase in the tokonuma. When the stalkers were settled in the futons, Kondou and Sacchan kept on competing about from whom they got the flu from. Shinpachi dumps water on them to shut them up. Otae disposes of Kondou first by making him stand outside naked. Then Gintoki follows suit by tricking Sarutobi into thinking that he was gonna lay on top of her. Instead gintoki dumps sacchan in the inner corridor with Shinpachi’s body pillow of Terakado Tsu.

L265 Character Poll

Sarutobi asks Otae to meet up with her and convince her to do join her do something about their poll ranks. Otae starts the fight by telling Saruobi that Justaway scored better than her. Sarutobi responds that “in her dreams she’s always first with Gin-san.” (--> take note of this lol)

Sarutobi also adds that Otae is no better than her because Otae was outranked by two gorillas. They have back and forth btching until it came to the point where Otae threatens to kill Sarutobi and Sarutobi responds by calling Otae a “Gorilla Hussy that should get out of the way.”

Kyubei appears just in time to stop them from fighting. She brings news and information about the new girl, Tsukuyo, The three unite to take down those at the top. Otae leaves Sarutobi and Kyuubei to deal with Tsukuyo (since the two were more motivated against Tsukuyo) while Otae murders Sorachi, the mangaka herself. They eventually meet up with tsukuyo and pulls a scam on her to make her join them.

note how easily otae and sarutobi come into fists. When faced with common adversary, they become strong allies lol

L280 Cooking class

Otae. Shinpachi and Kagura all attend cooking class. Kyuubei was invited by Otae too. Sarutobi appears while challenging Otae that she will never allow Otae to feed Gin-san even if Otae learns how to cook. Otae responds that Sarutobi

“should give up and open her eyes because there is no way that she and that slop will make anyone happy.”

...this is the first direct verbal attack Otae has ever done against Gin x Sacchan. Compared to the previous times, Sarutobi didn’t even lead with an insult, rather this time, Sarutobi immediately laid claim on Gintoki once and for all.

If I may guess... Otae is really insecure about her cooking. She even mentions about not having a mom to teach her the stuff. Look, she had been bringing food regularly to Yorozuya, She wants her loved ones to eat her food. She wants Gintoki to eat her food someday (regardless of him being her partner or wtv..bruh..they’re friends...she doesnt want her friends and family to pass out because of her food)

therefore...direct action by Otae this time. Also I really wonder what “there is no way that you and that slop will make anyone happy“ means.

Otae otae, say something girl... why such strong words? It’s even more curious since she hasn’t really commented directly about gin x sacchan up until this point.

BENIZAKURA MOVIE

This movie came out after the release of the volume with the cooking class in April 2010.

At the end credit skit, Sarutobi appears while complaining how Otae was such a mom as the move heroine.

Sarutobi: “Moreover the woman who’s supposed to be the heroine looks like a nursing mother. Wasn’t it settled that I would be Gin-san’s wife? Then I’ll let this natto win Gin-san by my side!”

Otae: “Sorry about that! You can do whatever you want now but I will be the heroine of the next theatrical release!”

Again Otae reiterates that her only desire is to be the number one girl in the show (like L64)

I also think it was cool that Sarutobi using natto on Gintoki came right after cooking episode where Sarutobi vowed to just feed Gintoki natto.

L291 Santa arc

In the 2nd Santa skit, Otae tries to stop Sarutobi from seducing Shinpachi. Sarutobi replies that maybe Otae wants Shinpachi for herself because she is a sis-con after all.

Otae responds by saying “You little wench. Why not shack up with your silver-haired loser and leave my little brother alone?”

Sarutobi retorts that she does not know of a silver haired loser and she’s gonna focus more on punishing shinpachi S-M style.

Note: The interesting thing here is Otae brings the topic of Gintoki up herself. Gintoki isn’t even part of this skit. Otae has never brought up ginsacchan on her own before. She has become more intense and jealous?? willing to sell out gintoki to sacchan out of spite?? fkdjfdahj.

L294 New Years Cards

Things come to a head in the New Years Card Chapter. Sarutobi sends out wedding cards of her and gintoki to everybody with the message

“SORRY FOR BEING FIRST OTAE”

--> a callback to her words in character poll arc L265, where sarutobi said that “in her dreams she is always first with gin-san.”

Because of the wedding cards stunt, Otae straight up kills Sarutobi and Kondou and sends their bodies to South Africa. She informs everybody of this by sending out mourning cards for her pet pig and pet gorilla.

So... “there is no way that you and that slop will make anyone happy“ came true after all ;^_^

I think Otae’s frustration of always being targetted by Sarutobi slowly built up until it just..boiled over.

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We see a slight change in dynamics in the next arcs..Sarutobi and Otae just bitch at each other for the most part. Gintoki isn’t even involved in the banter that much.

L338 Scandal Arc

Otae keeps referring to Sarutobi’s boyfriend (gintoki) as CG/Imaginary/3D to piss her off.

jfc she’s so mean and petty lol

L364 LADY DEATH

I included Sarutobi and Otae’s rant about Vegeta because if you put shipper glasses on... they’re kind of describing gintoki too lol

Sarutobi: You know it’s that pattern where you see the delinquent picking up a puppy in the middle of a rainstorm and you just fall for them. They do exist... those kinds of stupid women that fall for bad men. It’s a pattern where they say go out, get a speedy shotgun marriage. and then when they see the reality they’re in, they get a speedy divorce

Otae: Even that rich woman Bulma was taken in by a super saiyan that couldn’t keep a solid job. Also if you say he’s kind, the only tears he ever showed were about stuff like his saiyan pride or when he was scared of freeza. In the end that guy was all about himself.

if ya’ll remember. Sarutobi fell in love with Gintoki coz he was willing to marry her right off the bat after they woke up in an incriminating position together. Also he was generally kind and nice to sarutobi many times despite her hassling him.

Otae on the other hand focuses on wealthy Bulma falling for a Saiyan with no job. It’s understandable because Otae is still part of landed elite (tho the dojo is technically shinpachi’s property). Even she had learned to trust Shinpachi to the care of Gintoki who’s a dude with no stable income (and also a gambler, etc.). Also she had been witness to Gintoki being vulnerable in a few arcs prior (Benizakura, Yagyuu, Ryugu, etc.)

General Notes:

We saw Otae’s anger build up over time until it produced actualy results in the New Years Card Lesson. Scandal Arc allowed Sarutobi to live out (some of) her fantasies so I guess that’s why she mellowed down on riling Otae up.

They really have a fun dynamic.