Things continue to go in Mutta’s favor.

——

The JAXA examination continues for the three teams with some new distressing developments being faced by Teams A & B. Episode fifteen begins with the revelation that the open displayed clock on the bus was intentional for the candidates to find, but in typical fashion Mutta was the only one to notice it. We of course know that he came up with an untruthful, yet viable explanation that he sells to his teammates, and as far as the staff is concerned, it helps Mutta when he lies. There’s a nice moment for Furuya and Fukukda early in the episode as Furuya’s request for a new pair of glasses for Fukuda is answered. 

Along the way we see tension beginning to build for Makabe’s team. Though described as the most intelligent team, the system in which they’ve come up with to select their two candidates has put them on edge as they’ve become increasingly competitive with each other. With Makabe being the most calming influence on the team and being the most capable to lead them all, he’s unintentionally put a mark on his back.

As for Team A, their clock is destroyed and it couldn’t have come at a worse time—no pun intended. In the latest task that they’ve been given, they’re told to assemble a blank jigsaw puzzle in three hours. With Furuya’s blunt nature and the frustration of assembling a blank puzzle, his blunt way of speaking his mind adds another layer of tension to the activity as it all boils over and he begins to accuse the others. 

Namely, the one suspect he focuses in on is Serika, who was seen to be awake prior to everyone else and was the person to find the broken clock. It’s only when Mutta stands up to speak—which gives a few laughs—he is able to bring down the group’s tensions. Once again he is able to bluff his way into bringing the group under control by laying blame onto JAXA itself as culprits behind the clock breaking. 

Finally, we’re shown some big tension for the groups as the exam is halfway done. Despite Mutta’s naming of the culprit, Furuya remains suspicious that it was Mutta who broke the clock, but cannot figure out why. The episode does end on a huge cliffhanger as Mutta reveals to the audience that he knows who the true culprit is and it’s the one person who no one would have thought of: Fukuda. The big question of why he did it and why Mutta didn’t expose him remain a mystery so episode sixteen is something I’m looking forward to next week.

GO Rating: 3.5/5

Why, Fukuda-san? Why?