Robotics;Notes (2012)

1 - Because Gunvarrel is Waiting

Kaito Yashio and his friend Akiho Senomiya are the remaining members of their schools Robotics Club. After Akiho hands in a budget request to the staff room, both she and Kaito, who spends his time playing games on his PokeCon device, visit an old hangar containing a large robot the Robotics Club has been working on since its foundation, Gunvarrel, based on a popular robot anime whose final episode was never aired. The next day, the vice-principal agrees to give the Robotics Club their proposed budget on the condition that they win a robot tournament taking place in two weeks time, with the club to be disbanded should they lose. As Kaito and Akiho contemplate if they can pull off such a feat, a mysterious girl is seen making a report.

2 - Because of Dreams, Hopes and Passion

Needing a robot for the tournament, Kaito and Akiho find an old Tanegashi Machine hobby robot in storage, only to find its batteries have run out. Akiho goes to see an old man named Tetsuharu Doc Fujita to try and get some new parts, but finds they are too expensive. Kaito asks shopkeeper Mizuka Irei to look into any weaknesses Doc may have so he can lower his prices. This leads Akiho to meet Docs granddaughter, Junna Daitoku. Although Junna fails to be much help, Akiho manages to get the parts needed thanks to an advanced allowance and a promise that theyll pay with the prize money. After repairing the robot, Akiho and Kaito work on controlling it, with Kaito also having to deal with Akihos elephant mouse syndrome, an ailment she got following an accident seven years ago in which time fasts forward for her. Noticing her fatigue, Kaito agrees to be the robots operator on the condition that she makes the controls similar to his favourite game, Kill Ballad.

3 - Tanegashi Accel Impact!

Kaito and Akiho go with their teacher, Mitsuhiko Nagafukada, to where the Robo-One tournament is being held, though they have no hotel to check into. As Kaito practises with the robot, he experiences a strange sensation for a brief moment. The tournament soon begins and Kaito manages to use his tactics to get through the preliminaries and into the finals. Before the final match, Akiho starts to grow concerned about Kaito, who hadnt gotten a lot of sleep prior to the tournament. The final match soon begins against the reigning champion, Mr. Pleiades, whose robot has some fierce tricks up its sleeve. While Kaitos robot is at a disadvantage against Subarus, Kaito suddenly experiences an inverse of the ailment Akiho has, slowing down time for him, and makes a counterattack, knocking both of them out, though this technically results in Kaitos loss. Upon returning home, Kaito has a brief encounter with Kill Ballads creator, Frau Koujirou.

4 - Together, Let's Build a Giant Robot of Justice!

Akiho tries to get her father, who is the president of the Tanegashima Space Center, to fund their giant robot project, but her mother soon quenches that line of thought. Later, Kaito is called to meet with Frau Koujiro, whose real name is Kona Furugoori, to help her move into her dorm as she is transferring into his school. Following more intel from Mizuka, Akiho goes to see Mitsuhikos uncle, who runs a candy factory, to request sponsorship for their robot. Meanwhile, Subaru manages to get Kaitos assistance for an upcoming Robo-1 tournament in Las Vegas. As Subaru questions about what Kaito did during the tournament, Kaito recalls an incident on September 11, 2010, in which he and Akiho were part of a mass fainting aboard a ferry, where they both contracted elephant mouse syndrome. Later that night, Kaito hears a strange voice coming from his PokeCon.

5 - May I Call You 'Brother'?

Becoming curious about the girl she saw the other day, Kaito hears from Junna about various sightings of the girl. As Akiho and Subaru deal with an interview for the Robo-One tournament, Kaito and Junna go to the beach, where they encounter the cadaver of a beached whale. Hearing that Junna has retired from the karate club, Kaito suggests she pay a visit to the Robotics Club. Later that night, Kaito hears the strange voice again, leading him to an abandoned room in school, where he finally encounters the girl through his PokeCon. This AI, named Airi, reveals herself to be an Iru-O app that had attempted to contact Kaito over the past 8 years. She then shows Kaito a hidden file, containing a log by one Kou Kimijima, predicting gigantic solar flares would occur on certain years. As Kaito ponders how many of those predictions turned out to be accurate, Mizuka has a strange reaction where she hears Kaito mention Kimijimas name.

6 - It's So Sad When a Dream Ends

As Kanna pops by the Robotics Club and agrees to join, Kaito recalls what Mizuka told him about how Akihos sister, Misaki, was allegedly friends with Airi. As Kaito once again visits Airi later that night to hear more details, including how Kimijima created her, he follows a strange noise to an underground room, where he finds an EGI device used to send noises to outer space. As Kaito tries to find more from Airis Sister Centipede mode, he learns that Kimijima was murdered by someone. After enough hassling from Subaru, Kona decides to join the Robotics Club, agreeing to help him with his controls if Kaito helps to find a cheater running amok in Kill Ballad. Kona manages to complete the program in a few days whilst Kanna helps Akiho secure a sponsorship for their robot. As they practise the controls, Subaru is approached by his father, who doesnt take kindly to him taking up robots again.

7 - Thank You Berry Much

As Akiho tries to think of a way to help Subaru, Kaito realises from Kanna that the noises he heard from the EGI Device was Kagome Kagome, the lyrics of which had been e-mailed to millions during moments where PhoneDroids simultaneously froze. Afterwards, he goes to help Kona search for the Kill Ballad cheaters, receiving a device to detect cheating for if he encounters them online, before briefly running into Subaru, who wants to dispose of his robot himself. As Akiho delivers a broken part to Subaru, Kona reveals to Kaito that the Gunvarrel animes last episode never aired because the staff died right beforehand, with the animes director, her mother Minami Kogoori, suspected of murder. Subaru deconstructs his robot but agrees to keep helping the Robotics Club. Thanks to their sponsorship and some knowhow from Doc, the club receives the parts for the GunBuild1.

8 - I'm Tennouji Nae. Nice to Meet You!

Kaito and the others are taken to JAXA, where Nae explains that JAXA wants to support the production of their giant robot. However, Akiho rejects their offer when they suggest they build a new one from scratch instead of completing GunPro-1. Later, Kaito works with Airi to find the location of a second report by Kikijima. As Kaito works to fulfil the conditions to gain access to the report, he ends up having to protect an antennae in the middle of a typhoon. As Kaito almost falls off the antennae tower, his EM syndrome kicks in, allowing him to pull himself up to safety, managing to protect the antennae. Kaito soon falls unconscious but he is rescued by Akiho, who was alerted to his position by Airi. After Kaito recovers and explains Airi to Akiho, Kaito manages to access Kikijimas second report, warning him about how Kagome Kagome is linked to a project to reduce the worlds population to one billion.

9 - Because It's the Product of Our Blood, Sweat, and Tears

While the others go to a festival in town, where they also run into Nae, Kaito helps Kona continue her search for cheaters, introducing her to Airi and telling her about the Kimijima reports. The next day, the club assembles the top and bottom halves of GunBuild-1 together, completing its construction, although Akiho worries that she hasnt heard from Misaki. As a large amount of people come for GunBuild-1s first test run, Kaito pilots the robots and gets it to take its first steps. However, due to the outdated construction which also results in the diesel engine failing, it fails to leave an impression on the crowd, much to Akihos dismay.

10 - A Robot That Only We Can Build

As Kaito determines the Kill-Ballad cheater, a strange electrically-charged stone called a monopole falls from the sky and lands before him. As Akiho theorizes she could use more of them to power the GunBuild-1, Subaru suggests she give up and work on a new robot with JAXA. The next day, as the gang meet with Nae to try and convince JAXA to work on the GunBuild-1, Subarus brings up a report on the failures of the first run, suggesting how they could build a new improved robot, also taking aboard a suggestion by Junna to use augmented reality to give it the appearance of Gunvarrel when viewed through a Poke-Com, thus eliminating the need for extra weight. After realizing that building a new robot doesnt change her original dream, Akiho gets on board to prepare the new robot, GunBuild-2, for the expo. Meanwhile, Mizuka is seen talking to Airi, telling her to disappear.

11 - The Flag Has Been Cleared

As Kona becomes intrigued by rumors of Gunvarrels last episode being leaked, she and Kaito go to solve the conditions for unlocked Kimijimas 3rd report, finding the tasks pretty tedious. As Kaito manages to beat the Kill-Ballad cheater whilst passing the time, Kona gets infected with a virus whilst trying to analyse the data. Later that night, Kaito tries to get information about Kimijima out of Mizuka, whilst Misa is sent by her higher-ups to investigate Kimijimas reports. The next day, after the gang use Kanna to record motions for the GunPro-2, Kaito and Kona manage to unlock the third report, which talks about plans to use a magnetic storm to destroy mankind, mentioning Misas Exoskeleton company as being part of it. Upon arriving back home, Kona learns that the top three ranked Kill Ballad players had in fact died in their homes half a year ago.

12 - Until You Like at Least One Thing

Despite Misas warnings, Kaito starts gathering flags for unlocking the fourth report. Later, Junna learns that Doc has been taken into intensive care, though he refuses to see her when she comes to visit. As Kaito hears from Mitsuhiko that Doc plans to close his robot clinic, he hears from Mizuka how the shop used to feature robots designed by him to appeal to kids until 11 years ago, when one fell on Junna, causing her to develop a fear of robots. Akiho, who refuses to let Junna resign from the club until she likes at least one thing about robots, decides to try and cheer up Doc by fixing up his old robots, one of which is required for Kaito to complete one of the flags. However, Junna is scared off when the robot that fell on her that day is reactivated. As Junna resolves to quit the Robotics club, Kaito shows her a photo he found in the shop.

15 - I'll Show You a Dream

As solar flares start affecting computers, people besides Kaito and his group become able to see Airi, who has begun acting weird lately. A planned maintenance on the Iro-O system that could potentially erase Airi means that Kaito needs to fulfill the conditions for the sixth report before Christmas Eve. After Kaito unlocks the sixth report, Airi states that she wants to go to Kimijimas house for her birthday on Christmas Eve. There, Kaito discovers a machine in his basement containing Airis original human body. Airi explains how she was cursed with an incurable affliction and always spent her days bedridden, hoping for a White Christmas. She soon met Kimijima, who let her see the world through the Iro-O system. As Airis condition worsened, Kimijima put Airi into a deep sleep in order to wait for a cure and created the program Airi to keep her company.

21 - Gunvarrel Takeoff!

Whilst everyone else works on fixing up the GunBuild-1, Kaito, Nae and Airi head to Kimijimas lab to retrieve data for the device Sawada gave him, although Kaito undergoes a seizure when he attempts to activate it. Just then, they are confronted by some armed droids run by Kimijima and Sister Centipede. However, Sister Centipede manages to have the droids shoot each other, only to be erased by Kimijima shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, as Akiho and the others complete the GunBuild-1, which she renames the Super GunBuild-1, she reunites with Kenichirō before learning of Kaitos condition. Despite his injuries, Kaito insists that he be Super GunBuild-1s operator, believing that the device Sawada gave him can trigger his Slow-Mo at will, giving him a chance against the Sumeragi. Akiho objects, however, believing using the device could kill him. Kaito assures her that he will help her meet Misa face-to-face again, giving her the Slow-Mo trigger.

22 - This is Our Game Now

Kaito arrives before Misaki, with the others helping to divert the missiles she fires using AR decoys, although Kaito is forced to use the Slow-Mo and sacrifice one of his pile bunkers to dodge the last one. Kaito manages to get up close to Misakis Sumeragi and use the Slow-Mo to attack her with the other pile bunker. However, this knocks Misaki out and allows Kimijima to take full control of her as he divides the Sumeragi into a more mobile unit. After locking down the launch sequence, despite Nao and the other adults reclaming the control room, Kimijima launches an attack at the others forcing them to seperate, which leaves the Super Gunbuild-1 with only five minutes of power. Just then, Kona receives a program from Sawada that will erase Kimijima if they can get his avatar in the PokeComs view, although it requires a reboot which leaves Kaito vulnerable.