So, here is my review/reaction post for episode 3 of Nichijou. Now, this episode starts with a black cat in a cage. The cat manages to open up the bottom of cage when a bird appears at the nearbyu window and it decides to get at it. As the cat does that, another bird joins the first one. The Cat tries to get the birds, but accidentaly leaps out of the window instead. It thankfully lands on it's feet, but a box that had been on the window still had been knocked off and lands right on top of the poor kittie.

After the OP, we again join Mio and Yukko on the way to school. Yukko ask about Mio's hair pin. Yukko is trying her selamat pagi thing again. Mio ignores it and Mai, when she appears, flat out ignores Yukko when she greets her with it. How cruel! As an aside, there is a different transition bit than usual. It's normally a shot of a building. This time, it was a different street shot, with the box the cat was in moving across. Nano and the Professor walk in the opposite direction, chatting. After that, we return to Yukko and Mai, walking together in awkward silence. Or, as I know it, the general experience of walking with another person. Yukko decides this is because she took some broccoli from Mai's lunch and Mai is angry with her. In fact, she'd feared Mai had been angry with her since then and thus presents some replacement broccoli to Mai in the manner in which a person might propose to marry someone. You know, right at the pedestrian crossing with others around. Naturally. Who doesn't offer apologies for trivial things like that?

Mai just walks off. Then Yukko says it isn't that and pulls out some cauliflower, saying that also isn't the problem. That implies that she'd done the same thing with the cauliflower as she'd done with the broccoli. Yeah, perhaps that should have been a clue, Yukko, in regards to the viability of your plan. But I suppose that was easy to miss. I mean, it was such a great plan that I suppose it was worth retrying.

Well, Yukko is going to get Mai to forgive her for whatever is making her ignore Yukko, no matter what. So, she offers apologies for all the food items she took and one instance where she left a crap bit of a meal for Mai. No response. Yes, really. I'm amazed too. This is a tough one. But Yukko will not give up in the face of this adversity. She starts thinking going back further through all the things before the horror of what she took yesterday from Mai's lunch. What is her sin? Perhaps it has something to do with a figure of Mai's that she broke and her over the top way of handling it, up to the point of incinerating it to hide the evidence. Wait, you considered taking broccoli as a possible reason for being ignored before that? Well, actually, Mai had earphones in the whole time and only noticed Yukko was even there when she grabs Mai by the shoulder. So, that whole farce was for nothing, as you'd expect. But I think Mai would have been right to ignore you for your stupidity there, Yukko. 

We then get a Mrs Sakurai confronts a student about his afro, in her usual nervous manner. The student responds by pulling food out of it to offer her. Yeah, I know what the joke is, but I can't help but think of how unhygienic that is and wonder at what food nightmares are within the afro of storage. After that, it's maths time. Yukko forgot about a math print out that she needed to do for homework and only spots it amongst her stuff five minutes before maths class. She'd asked Mio for help yesterday, so instead asks Mai for help. Instead, Mai hands her a short comic she drew, something Yukko finds out as she sat down to copy it while thanking Mai. So, Yukko gets on her knees and begs, offering a juice drink in exchange for help. Instead, Mai gives another comic bit continuing the story of the first bit. A kid is late for school and his dad in dealing with a restructuring. Also, the kid is being chased by a tiger. Of course. It would be odder if there wasn't a tiger. But Mai finally hands her a sheet with math stuff on it after another offer from Yukko.

After that, Yukko is concerned about getting the attention of the tough teacher they have for maths, especially after the stress of sorting out her math homework. She nearly fails at this, but some students distract everyone with jokes. The teacher then kills the mood with his own remark. We then get another ad transition rock paper scissors bit with the Professor and Nano. This time, Nano's hand launches off and a replacement hand pops out of her arm with scissors. AS for the sipping bit that accompanies that, Mai is the one for the skipping bit. She handles it fine while reading at the same time.

We cut to Nano going home with some food shopping. Then she finds out via overhearing others that eggs are on sale today. She considers going to get eggs, but spots the back cat from earlier. She instantly is enraptured by it's cuteness, as all sane people should. I'm serious. Cats are wonderful. I love cats. If anyone is somehow surprised by this, I'll remind you all that my avatar character has a cat tail and even has a cat form.

But the idea of taking it home hits into the problem of the Professor. So, she leaves it. Then it's already there when she gets back. Of course. The Professor says it's hers now because she caught it. Nano points out the need to care for it and that it would be the Professor's responsibility alone. The Professor responds by deciding that Nano can't pet it. Nano tries to backtrack on the whole “leaving it's care to the Professor” thing and both get distracted by the cuteness of the cat. The cat gets out of the Professor's arms and starts meowing. The Professor has a solution to not understanding the cat, a special speech giving scarf that she has just invented. Also, the cat is now called Sakamoto by Decree of the Professor. You know, like always. They are both eager to hear the cat speak.

Of course, since this is a comedy, it immediately tells them off for petting it too much. It also complains about the name given to it. It also points out that it is older than either of them, so they should treat it with respect as their elder. Nano decides to take it back to where she found it, which gets it to change it's tune. 

The Principal spots something drop onto the ground from another Teacher's pocket. It's a straw doll, which freaks the principal out. We get a Helvetica Standard bit, with a person giving another food, in spite of them not even paying rent. The person says people should look out for each other in times of need, which gets the other person to ask them to lend some money. That person tells them not to act like a tengu. Sorry, but that joke flew over my head. Then we return to the the Principal and the straw doll. The Principal queries the teacher about the doll, to which the teacher replies that he should open the doll.  It's filled with…. I have no idea what. But this causes the Principal to freak out. So, another joke that didn't work.

Yukko and Mai decide to have an arm wrestling contest with the prize of some juice for the winner. Mai wins instantly, though Yukko says she started early and Mio agrees. So, they do it again. Mai wins again, though Yukko says she just wasn't prepared and underestimated Mai. But she is now prepared and will unleash her full power. So, one more time! Yeah, Mai wins instantly again. Of course, this is totally because yukko was up last night and is a bit weak. But now she's serious. Now she will unleash her full power! You know, for real this time. Mai wins again. But Yukko wasn't paying attention. Wow, Yukko really is just unlucky! Yeah, she definitely wasn't beaten by Mai three times in a row. It's just miraculous luck. But now it's time for Mai's beginner's luck to end! Now Yukko is totally serious. She takes off her bow, thus unleashing her true power. But even bowless form Yukko fall prey to random misfortune and thus loses instantly for reasons that have nothing to do with Mai. Now there is only one option left in the face of this inexplicable situation. it's time for her to unleash her ultimate move. The power of Yukko's special technique will overcome fate itself and bring forth Yukko's much deserved victory. Yaaaaay!

As these ultimate moves are unleashed, we see Mio's expression. Yeah, she's tired of this shit. Ah, I know the feeling of being stuck dealing with a person who can't just accept reality. I'll note the transition here before the last bit of this episode. It was the Professor walking with Sakamoto on a elevated path, while Nano follow them on the street.  It's cute. We then get the end of the arm wrestling contest, with Yukko ranting about Mai's non-existent passion and stubborness over this and her own frustration over Mai's totally horrific stubborness. Also, she has now remembering that she needs the bathroom. Mai then says Yukko owes her the mysterious “that” which Yukko offered her when after homework aid earlier and 23 boxes of juice.

Well, this was fun, though it lacked the grand moment of super-over the top animation that the other two episodes had. Also, there were a couple of jokes I didn't get. Thankfully, they were from the short jokes and lasted a couple of minutes combined. So, hardly episode ruining material. It did give us Sakamoto. We'll be seeing more of him. I mean, he's even in the intro. So, that's good. I'd say this episode wasn't quite as good as the other two, but it was still fun and we did get a new character that I think I'll like.