Ikebukuro Christmas Concerto Episode 1 Part 2

We pick up from before with Andvari complaining about the unexpected developments and saying he doesn’t want to be involved with broadcasting accidents because he’d be held responsible for the paying viewers. Then he realizes he’s still on air, so he tries to salvage with marathon commentary.

Anyways, Ded blowing something up and going guns blazing has made everyone stand still, and no one has grabbed a bag yet. And while this is happening fireworks are going off. Yule protests that Ded is going overboard. Krampus however starts comparing all the noise and fire to old sentai show effects and seems to like how exciting things are.

Yule agrees at first before snapping back to reality and telling Krampus this isn’t the time to be touched. Ded continues firing and taunting the racers, and you either are in disbelief that Ded seems to be enjoying himself, ask if you’re supposed to break through all this, or freak out and say you can’t.

Garm isn’t put off by the display and charges ahead. Krampus tries to stop him from going straight ahead and tries to get him to go to the sides. Ded is impressed but says there’s more going on than his guns.

Claude orders Yule to press on and head for the other side of Ded given the opportunity Garm is making, and Yule obeys. Other unimportant teams also try to follow suit, and Team Claude is the closest to getting past Ded. As Claude tries to make a grab for a bag, Yule pulls away for an emergency evade and tells Claude to hold on, then they start flying.

Krampus tries to get Garm to listen again, but since he won’t he resorts to pulling on Garm’s chains to make him stop. This does work, and Garm complains about it hurting and asks why he did it. Krampus apologizes and says he wanted to stop them from falling for something. Garm is confused but recognizes a smell.

Some other rando teams try to pass Teams Claude and Krampus and charge for the bags near Ded. As they do so two figures jump in. Two redshirt teams get blown off the course, and another one’s sleigh slips on sudden ice.

Andvari is surprised by this turn of events and comments that anyone seems to be fine to call in to make obstacles. Macan is one of the people called in who thinks this is all boring and wants someone strong to fight. Kamui is the other, challenging anyone to get past him.

Ded says combinations that can’t be done alone are important too. Kamui says he agreed to help like this since it was phrased as hero training to him. Macan however is in this because Ded promised something for him after all this, which would be another wrestling match with the *~Mysterious Masked Santa Wrestler~*.

Claude is surprised Ded has roped them into this. Yule tries to ask him who Macan and Kamui are and says their desire to fight is inappropriate for Christmas. Krampus seems to recognize them and figures they’re why he’s had shivers.

Macan starts complaining that no one else is coming forward. Ded tells him to stop pouting and that his glare makes people wither. Kamui however says he can tell there are people still ready to keep going, which excites Macan. All of them start looking ahead towards the smoke.

Ded seems to notice something. The arena goes quiet, and running footsteps can be heard. Maria sees you and is surprised to see you pulling the sled. Andvari is also surprised and continues his commentary, saying you guys are in hot pursuit of the leading racers. You either shout to Tanngrisnir and ask if this is okay or just scream war cries.

Going with B, Tanngrisnir says the way you run is a little different from how reindeer do it, but he tells you you’re doing great. He almost compares you to something that could cross distances in a single step, but he stops short and says you could be a great reindeer.

He tells you to run using your lower back and not your legs when it comes to pulling a sleigh, and get your body’s strength to coordinate by leaning forward. You say you understand and ask if you’re doing it right, or continue to scream war cries again.

Anyways you follow Tanngrisnir’s instructions. Tanngrisnir talks to himself about the point of Ded’s warning fire and Macan and Kamui bring brought in to act as roadblocks and talks about how to proceed. You notice Macan and Kamui at this point and can talk to either Ded, Kamui, or Macan at this point.

As all three of them focus on you, Tanngrisnir whispers to you. He also looks at Macan with a certain amount of feelings, then says that passion is well and good, but you should never violate manners. He immediately sees Macan for the voracious guy he is and says as a teacher he has to teach him about manners.

Tanngrisnir tells you to keep speeding up and he’ll do something surprising. You can either be shocked he’s directing you into the chaos, say you understand what he’s up to, or acknowledge it and call him your Santa. Tanngrisnir says that if they’re just gonna stand there, then he’s gonna force a free for all.

Tanngrisnir starts standing on the sleigh. He lets out a kiai of his own, then tells Yule and Krampus to follow you guys because that’s the only way to get a shot of winning. Yule is surprised but asks Claude for a favor, which Claude agrees to. Garm gets excited again and readies to charge. Krampus apologizes, saying things have gone out of his hands and the climax is happening now.

A bunch of Black Santa students charge in too, and Ded approves. With everyone converging, the episode battle begins. Things continue after it.

After the battle, Andvari picks up with his commentary about how unpredictable things are, though the crowd cheering pretty much drowns him out. You either say things have become amazing or ask Tanngrisnir if this is fine. He says it’s going very well, and that if it didn’t turn into a messy battle there wouldn’t have been a way to win.

He tells you not to misunderstand the goal, and that it isn’t to take down Ded, Macan, and Kamui. He directs you to run aside them and believe in him, saying he’s been through the pandemonium of battles repeatedly back in Yggdrasil.

Bullets and dust fly in the air as things continue, and as Tanngrisnir has told you an opportunity presents itself. Ded’s guns jam, and he happens to be standing in a place that blocks Macan’s field of vision. Tanngrisnir pushes you forward, and you make a break for it.

Macan is surprised his claws got used as a stepping stone. Ded tells him to move his ass because he can’t see now. Tanngrisnir practically flies in and grabs a bag, and you either apologize to Ded politely or more casually tell him later.

Tanngrisnir gets back in the sleigh as you pull on ahead, and tells you to keep speeding up. Kamui tries to impede you, but Tanngrisnir says it’s his job to cover your back. He starts kicking with his good leg to fend off Kamui’s ice attacks with a calm look on his face, which surprises Kamui.

Tanngrisnir grasps how Kamui’s attacks work, then says that it won’t be able to freeze his thunder so long as he can channel the lightning through his leg. Ded looks over for a moment, and Andvari says your team has pulled up to first place at the moment. Teams Claude and Krampus aren’t far behind.

Ded is ticked a bit by Tanngrisnir running off with a cool line, then calls off his part of being a road hazard here and thanks Macan and Kamui for helping. Macan complains about not being done yet. Kamui says you’re doing a good job, as is Tanngrisnir.

Macan asks if Kamui is really okay with this since you got away. He says he’s happy to help you grow, so Macan drops it. Ded is looking forward to things after this for Tanngrisnir and something/someone else, though the game cuts him off.

Camera shifts over to follow you. Tanngrisnir takes the moment to breathe and asks if you’re okay. Apparently if you guys have the Santa bag, the sleigh should still be light even outside the arena. You decide to ask why it is and how it works, or say you might have an idea why that is.

Tanngrisnir says that in simple terms, you guys have become similar to Santa Claus at the moment, what with the sleigh, bag, and your outfit. All of them together makes up a temp certificate from Ded that gives authority to people who aren’t Santa.

Tanngrisnir says that would all make up a Christmas miracle, the miracle of the saint that dances on the holy night as believed by many in Tokyo. It’s why you can pull the sleigh like this and why you won’t get tired. You say you get it and that Santa Power is amazing. You also ask if there’s a limit to it.

Tanngrisnir says that if you didn’t already have infinite stamina yourself, you’ll hit a limit at some point. But he says that before that happens we’ll meet with the rest of the team, increase the number of runners, and the load you carry should decrease.

Claude and Yule pull up. Claude’s having a good time, and Yule tells him to not talk so much or he’ll bite his own tongue at this speed. Tanngrisnir is surprised they caught up already. Yule complains about how Tanngrisnir gave him an order earlier since he obeyed like he was in class. Tanngrisnir aploogizes saying he couldn’t think of any other ideas.

Yule says he’s amazed by Garm since the way he moves (I think) isn’t something seen at the Santa School much. Claude says he’s one of the rankers at Ikebukuro, then says Tanngrisnir was surprising too with his kicks.

Tanngrisnir says his base style revolves around kicking/stamping. It’s his role to put his feet firmly on the ground and on the sky. Also he’s used to it to match with someone. You ask how he’s handling it now that he’s sorta one-legged now and can’t run.

He says he thought he could run and that it was a shock that he can’t. He’s really saddened that he can’t run at full power. Claude says he has something he wants to ask, and Tanngrisnir says he’ll answer if he can.

Claude asks what he’d say if he hypothetically wanted to be Santa. Tanngrisnir is surprised he’d want to do so, and everyone is quiet for a sec to process that Claude would ask that. Tanngrisnir glances at Yule as he thinks, then tells Claude that he can’t give a straight answer. He does however say that he won’t tell him he doesn’t have the ability to do it.

Claude calls it a true yet indefinite answer, then figures maybe he can find out more about it during the race. Claude orders Yule to speed up, who obeys and tells him to sit down or else he’ll get thrown off. Claude obeys in turn and takes the time to have a break. Yule says he’ll see you at the next checkpoint and disappears ahead.

You’re amazed by this, and Tanngrisnir says that Team Krampus has also gone off ahead at some point. But this is apparently something he saw coming and says it’ll be a contest at the next checkpoint. He still takes the time to marvel at Yule’s speed though. You ask if Yule is that good, say he’s been working hard every day, or ask Tanngrisnir’s opinion as a teacher.

Going with C if that matters, he says he can’t really evaluate him since they’re in different departments, but the joint department lessons are something to be seen apparently. It’s rare to see someone like Yule who works hard and does well in both classroom and practical tests.

He also says Yule has good legs above all, persistent and quick. But on a mental front he still has a way to go. You ask if he means that Yule’s feelings are delicate or say that Yule’s kind.

Going with A, Tanngrisnir says that mental strength is needed because failures can be damaging. He says that you probably wouldn’t know yet how much suffering there is to have a dream shatter. There aren’t many people who are young who can achieve their dreams just like that and brings himself up before pulling back from that. He looks at his leg with a pained look on his face.

Anyways, Tanngrisnir says that Yule is too kind, and that he’s not good at asserting himself. Those who pull sleighs have to be better than anyone, so you can’t be someone with no real ability. The ideal reindeer must be faster and stronger than anyone else, and pull along the ones behind them.

You wonder if that’s how it is, say reindeer seems to be a vertically structured society, or question if that should be the case. Anyways Tanngrisnir says you guys should keep moving, telling you not to slow your pace but not to push yourself either. Solomon then pops up to do the end of TV program style narration asking if you can catch up, hype what Claude’s real goal may be, and ends the episode.