A Fun Profession / Pool, Pool, Pool / Ribbon / Just the Two of Them / A Good Person? (Japanese: 『楽しい職業』 『プールプールプール』 『りぼん』 『ふたりっきり』 『いいひと？』) is the fourth episode of Azumanga Daioh.
The episode starts off in Mr. Kimura's classroom. Tomo interrupts his teaching and asks him why he became a teacher and he replies, "BECAUSE I LIKE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS, THAT'S WHY!". Class ends, and the girls discuss how creepy Mr. Kimura is. The boys of the class then shout that they admire Mr. Kimura for his sincerity. Continuing their discussion from before, Osaka, Yomi, and Tomo talk about what would happen if there were more teachers like him. Chiyo reminds them they have swimming next hour, and says that they should head there so that they won't be late.
While they get changed, Osaka blurts out that they "have an American among [them]" because of Sakaki's bigger breasts and then looks at Tomo and says she is Japanese, which offends her. Tomo realizes that's it's true, but she finds it hard to accept. She then asks Osaka about Yomi, and Osaka says that Yomi is Hawaiian because her breasts are medium-sized. Then, Yomi says that Osaka's right and there are three groups; the Americans (such as Sakaki), the Hawaiians – Kaorin and Chihiro, and finally the Japanese; Tomo and Osaka's group, as they are nearly flat-chested. Yomi comments that Chiyo is currently in the Japanese group but will probably only be there for a few years, and Tomo and Osaka are stunned at first. They quickly become angry and call her a traitor as she begs them to tell her what they mean.
Just as they leave the changing room, they run into Mr. Kimura. Mr. Kimura asks "how it went." Yomi replies with, "How did ... what go?". He then straightens up and starts yelling, "DING DING DING DING DING DIIINNNGGG!" He then walks away. Yomi asks, "What the heck was that?" and Sakaki tells her that she thinks it was a bell, like when you get the right answer on a game show.
Chiyo hangs her towel on the fence. The towel has a cat design. Sakaki comes over afterwards to hang up her towel, and notices Chiyo's towel. She too, has a towel with a cat design, so she hangs the towel so the cats are level with each other.
While Ms. Kurosawa takes attendance, Kimura suddenly appears and yells that the girls should go to the gym to play basketball, which scares and irritates her. She yells at Mr. Kimura, eventually allowing him to sit at the side of the pool.
Chiyo admits that she cannot swim but is reluctant enough to do a paddle. Osaka tries to learn how to float by being a corpse. Yukari interrupts the class by belly-flopping into the pool, and Kimura manages to sneak back into the pool. Yukari challenges Nyamo to a swimming relay race. Unfortunately, Yukari suffers a leg cramp halfway through the first lap, and Nyamo is left to care for her. Meanwhile, the students from Yukari's class and Nyamo's class challenge each other in their respective teacher's place. Chiyo, Tomo, Yomi, and Osaka see Kimura messing behind a bush. They soon find out that he was collecting cans and bottles for recycling purposes and charitable intentions, to their surprise.
After Kimura admits the reason why he became a teacher, a chime melody is heard, consisting of the first several notes of "Westminster Chimes." In American schools, class periods are separated by the bell (traditionally mechanical, though most schools have switched to electronic tones in recent years), while the chime melody is used instead in Japan.
Kimura suggests the girls go to play basketball in the gym wearing their swimsuits.
Osaka calls Yomi an octopus because of her flexible body.
It is mentioned that Kimura is a teacher of classical literature.
The steak dinner Yukari mentions is called "yakiniku" in Japanese. Yakiniku is where beef is sliced thinly and pan fried, often right at your table. However, this does not change the fact that they are betting an expensive steak dinner.
Though Kagura is not in Class 3, she is in their swimming class in P.E. This is because when classes are split up along gender lines, students from more than one class will come together for certain classes, such as P.E. and sexual education.
Chiyo borrows a book on swimming from the library during the lunch break.
Kimura recycling and donating to charity.
In the next episode preview, Osaka talks about horror stories and stairs. In Japanese, kaidon means "horror stories", but it can also mean "stairs". In the original Japanese, Osaka asks, "How many steps does a 'horror story' have?"
Unanswered Questions[]
Why Kimura asked Osaka what she wanted him to do when she wondered if they could play water polo, and why she pinched her breast afterwards.
What subject Goto-sensei, who was Kimura's replacement in this episode, teaches.
How Yomi can be so flexible.
What kind of entrance Osaka thought Kimura was looking for in the bushes.
Memorable Moments[]
Kimura is formally introduced and admits the reason he became a teacher was because he likes high school girls.
Kimura implies Nyamo is no good anymore because she's growing older.
Since Osaka can't float, she thinks she needs to be a dead body in order to be able to do so. Everyone stares at her in disbelief as she essentially attempts suicide by drowning.
Kagura makes her first appearance, but is not yet formally introduced, let alone named, making this appearance an early-bird cameo.
Yukari getting a leg cramp, making it necessary for Nyamo to rescue her.
The girls discuss if Kimura had hidden a body somewhere, only to find out he was collecting cans to recycle. This leads them to confusion since he otherwise seemed to be such a repulsive pervert.
Quotes[]
Oh my! An American!! There's an American among us!! [gasps] Wooow …
— Osaka (on Sakaki)
OH YEAH!! Play hard, study hard! There's nothing like relaxing in the pool after studying your butt off!!!
