| Name | |
|---|---|
| |
| Japanese Name | 大滝 彦左衛門 |
| Romanized Name | Ōtaki Hikozaemon |
| English Name | Hikozaemon Otaki |
| Profile | |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Occupation | College Student |
| Media | |
| Japanese Voice Actor | Issei Futamata |
| English Voice Actor | Sean P. O'Connel (OVA series) Scott Rayow (TV series) |
Hikozaemon Otaki (大滝 彦左衛門, Ōtaki Hikozaemon) is one the co-directors of the Nekomi Tech Motor Club alongside Toraichi Tamiya. They eventually pass leadership of the group to Keiichi Morisato after graduation.
Appearance[]
Otaki's full body
Otaki is a tall, muscular man in his twenties with a long face, square jawline, tanned skin, and dusty blonde hair styled in a punk fashion.
He is always seen wearing a pair of dark sunglasses with circular frame and dark lenses, making it difficult to discern the color and shape of his eyes. He has a different sense of style, always wearing a pair sparkplugs as earrings, an orange t-shirt, and a black leather jacket in addition to his bizarre hairstyle.
Personality[]
Known for being very loud and brash like his best friend Toraichi Tamiya, Otaki can be obnoxious and overbearing at times, even if he means no harm in it. Although they act as the co-directors of the Auto Club, the oddball duo often shows signs of laziness and irresponsibility, and will often push their work off on other club members such as Keiichi and Sora Hasegawa. Despite his many shortcomings and oddities, he is a nice person at heart.
As co-director of the NIT Auto Club, Otaki has a love for machines such a motorcycles and cars, and a passion for fixing them. He has no respect for someone who would throw out perfectly good machinery, and will go out of his way to salvage such things.
Otaki also has a fascination with lucky objects, having acquired a large collection of them and being upset that Keiichi broke his lucky tanuki statue on one occasion.
History[]
Otaki has been a member of the NIT Motor Club for quite some time, having personally known its founder, Chihiro Fujimi. He and Tamiya had a crush on her, but she rejected them both.
Synopsis[]
Introduction Arc[]
Tamiya and Otaki leave the men's dormitory one night, forcing Keiichi to stay behind and take their phone calls. Upon their return, they find him with the Goddess Belldandy and mistake the situation as a breach of the no-girls rule in their living quarters, subsequently throwing them out on the streets without so much as a second thought. The couple attempts to leave on Keiichi's motorcycle, when he remembers that the sidecar was never repaired. Otaki pokes his head out the window and tells him that he took care of the problem earlier, which proves rather convenient. Belldandy believes that the strange coincidence was a sign that the wish-granting System Force was ensuring their safe travel.
When the duo return to the NIT Campus for class, Otaki enthusiastically greets them. Tamiya asks Belldandy for her address, causing Keiichi to become defensive, but they explain that they only wanted to send his stuff to their new residence. The Motor Club members then drag them along to Professor Kakuta's class, much to Keiichi's disdain, as he is supposed to be in another lecture. Several male students see Belldandy among the group and follow them to get a better glimpse at her. Professor Kakuta then enters his room top begin the lecture and questions whether Belldandy is a new student, only to receive a chorus of support from the rest of the class. Due to his own class cutting, Kakuta's rival, Professor Ozawa, becomes bitter and investigates the classroom to find his entire class present. Ozawa does not recognize Belldandy and wonders if his rival teacher placed her in his class to attract students. Intending to expose her as a fake student to the staff and students, Ozawa prepares to inspect the records himself.
Otaki catches wind of his plan and tells Keiichi and the others, to which Tamiya replies that he never gives up. Keiichi and the Motor Club directors hack the system and upload a program to halt Ozawa's search, but the rogue professor chooses to search the paper records instead. Belldandy feels bad for him and suggests they stop foiling his plans, but Keiichi responds by saying they've gone too far to give up so soon, much to the agreement of his friends. After distracting him with a phone call, Otaki sneaks in and adds more paperwork to the pile to stymie his search again. That night Ozawa falls asleep on the desk while looking through another series or records. Belldandy sneaks into the room and puts a blanket over his shoulders, whispering an apology as she magically conjures some false documents for her enrollment.
One day while wandering around campus, Otaki notices Keiichi and Belldandy's extra large lunch and interrupts them, commenting on how lucky Keiichi is to have a nice girl doing favors for him all the time. Belldandy invites him to join them, and the Motor Club director quickly gobbles down all of the food, leaving behind only small scraps. After gorging his fill, he compliments her cooking and reiterates how lucky Keiichi is to have Belldandy, leaving them with a loud belch as he departs the scene. As quick on the uptake as ever, the Goddess concludes that he is in love with someone. Using her powers, Belldandy comes up with an image of his crush. Keiichi recognizes her as Satoko Yamano, a Freshman electronics student known for her cute appearance, Belldandy questions what they will do next, and although Keiichi admits it is none of his business, he agrees to help out to repay Otaki for fixing his motorcycle sidecar.
Seizing their chance, Keiichi and Belldandy set up a scenario to help Otaki get close to the object of his affections. Using her powers, Belldandy prevents Satoko's scooter from starting, forcing her to seek help. Although a nearby man attempts to offer her a ride, Otaki steps in and tells him off, instead offering to fix her vehicle. He opens his jacket, revealing several tools before getting to work. He discovers that the spark plug is fried and puts in a replacement, warning her that it may not be a perfect match, but should still get her home without a problem. Satoko thanks him for his kindness, saying that she's never been good with machines, but Otaki admits his own lack of talent with computer software in comparison. Keiichi seems satisfied with the results of their meddling.
The next day, they are seen wondering how things turned out with the new couple when Otaki suddenly joins them, announcing that he was invited over to have dinner at Satoko's house. Keiichi congratulates him, but the Motor Club director explains that he doesn't know what to wear and would like some help. Belldandy recommends that he present a clean image while meeting Satoko's family, saying he should be noble and elegant like a knight. Keiichi wonders if he understood their advice, abruptly receiving his answer when his friend emerges wearing knight's armor. While Otaki thinks it is cool, Belldandy agrees, despite noting that his outfit is hardly normal. He tries a few more outfits from his cosplay collection, prompting them to question whether or not he was serious, but they eventually settle on a suit and jacket. Belldandy gives him a bouquet of flowers, although Otaki mentions that he liked the armor better as he leaves.
Upon reaching her home, Tamiya greets Satoko's family with a formal bow. While her father comments that he seems like a polite young man, Otaki notes the man's stern expression and panics. As he heads inside to have dinner with the family, Keiichi and Belldandy are shown watching the spectacle from across the street. Back in the house, Satoko's father admonishes his daughter, clearly unable to understand what she sees in a man whose favorite hobby is welding. He dismisses her date as a blue-collar type that she shouldn't be associating with, but Otaki respectfully claims that judging someone by their hobby is not an appropriate way to gauge their character. His words only anger Satoko's father, but before much more can be said, a grease fire breaks out. Keiichi asks Belldandy to put it out, but instead, the Goddess increases the size of the fire while preventing it from causing harm, in an attempt to twist the situation in their favor. Satoko tries to use a bucket of water, but Otaki warns her against it and manages to stop is using a fire extinguisher. Having been too paralyzed with fear to act himself, Satoko's father becomes impressed by the young man's bravery and proclaims him worthy of being Satoko's groom, much to the delight of his daughter and the shock of his guest. Otaki runs to friends and asks what to should do next, but Keiichi simply tells him to take it like a man.
Family Problems Arc[]
Their first day back at Nekomi Tech, Keiichi and Belldandy attend the "Freshman Welcome Event" where Otaki and Tamiya appear are trying to recruit more members for the Auto Club. Although they want to attract new members by holding an exhibition race, the club doesn't have the money to afford a working vehicle. Keiichi becomes exasperated knowing they want donations, noting that he never would have joined last year if he knew they were members. He prepares to surrender a small amount, but the duo holds him down and confiscates his wallet, taking his monthly budget as their club funds. Otaki tries to remedy the situation by telling Keiichi about an easy part-time job, sending him the art room to accept the position. As the couple head to their destination, Keiichi assumes Belldandy did not intervene because she knew this would happen, although it turns out she was equally taken by surprise. It is revealed that Sayoko Mishima manipulated Otaki and Tamiya into taking Keiichi's money, so that he would be forced to accept her job request.
During the Auto Club's first event of the year, they face off in a series of drag races against the Motorcycle Club of Ushikubo University, where the point totals earned in each round determine the winner. Otaki leads Keiichi to his motorcycle and is horrified that they only used the front rim and brakes. Otaki claims that the frame couldn't hold the engine otherwise and shrugs off the problem, assuring him that he only needs the brakes after the race is over. Knowing that their team is behind and this race will decide the winner, Keiichi heads to the starting line. Belldandy wishes Keiichi good luck, but panics when she senses Keiichi's "unlucky star". She focuses a prayer to bring forth the lucky star of the man she loves, proclaiming her affection for Keiichi and allowing him to win the race. Tamiya then asks Otaki if he remembered to install the safety wire, but his friend claims to have skipped the step to shave an ounce off the motorcycle's overall weight. Otaki claim that he should be fine so long as someone balanced the crank, but Tamiya angrily replies that it was his job to do so. They win the competition, but the bike gives out and the drag chute Otaki installed turns out to have been a joke, much to Belldandy's horror and Tamiya's amusement. Keiichi emerges from the crash both unscathed and victorious.
At the beginning of summer vacation, the Auto Club heads to Katagai Beach for a four-day training session and are soon joined by Sayoko and the Art Club. Later that night, Keiichi is shown in his room lamenting a misunderstanding that took place with Belldandy earlier that day. He decides to find her and clear up the misunderstanding, but Otaki hands him the guidebook for their trip, which states clearly that male students cannot visit the girls after a certain time. Keichi tries to convince him to look the other way, but otaki admits to having wrote the schedule and rules himself, and outright refuses. The guys then force Keiichi to go on a 100 kilometer buggy tour with them. The Auto Club rides all night across the sand dunes, turning up in an exhausted state the next day. Keiichi begins to dread that Belldandy will return home without him if he can't clear things up, but his attempts to speak to her at dinner fail due to the antics of his Auto Club friends. Tamiya and Otaki then drag him upstairs by the arms to spend all night drinking.
On the day of the Nekomi Tech School Festival, the Auto Club is hosting a beauty pageant to determine the Campus Queen with Otaki as host. The contestants first up for the swimsuit contest are Sayoko Mishima, Urd, and Belldandy, although he mentions they were unsuccessful in trying to discover Belldandy's body measurements. Despite the presence of the two Goddeses, Sayoko is confident that she will be voted Campus Queen again this year, squealing when Urd suddenly feels her breasts. Otaki jokingly tells Urd not to bother trying for bonus points, but Sayoko is much less amused. After the swimwear contest, Otaki announces that the next phase will involve the girls wearing motor club uniforms, but Sayoko protests on the grounds that they haven't even gotten to the talent portion yet. He reminds them that the Auto Club is responsible for coordinating the contest this year, with Sayoko noting to herself that the entire group is insane. After dressing the contestants up in mechanic outfits, Otaki tasks the girls with fixing several broken motorcycles using instructions prepared by the Auto Club. Once the repairs are underway, he announces that the bikes that were easier to repair are the slower ones, while the harder ones are much faster. He explains that the service stands at the festival each have pieces of a picture hidden inside their products, and that the contestants must travel around and collect them, piecing together the puzzle and bringing the person in the picture with them to the stage.
After the girls finish assembling their pictures and realize that Keiichi is the person they need to find, they race off after him in mob form. Keiichi panics, but becomes surprisingly happy as the girls start fighting over him. The motorcycle Belldandy fixed remembers her kind touch and senses her desperation to save him, moving extra fast and allowing her to grab Keiichi and return to the stage first. Otaki then declares Belldandy the reigning Campus Queen, with Urd and Sayoko coming in second and third place respectively.
On New Year's Eve, he shows up at the temple alongside Megumi, Sayoko, Tamiya, and Satoko to celebrate, during which Urd prompts them into playing a game of "Life Suguroku Special", claiming that the predictions listed in the spaces on the game board will happen in real life. As they play through the game, the fortunes come true, albeit not always in the way most people would expect. Satoko's space claims she will walk around town with a companion, but as Otaki ponders how he will be forced into it, a dog appears and chases him around time. Despite Urd cheating, Belldandy wins the game and save Keiichi from his punishment predictions. Meanwhile Urd greets Otaki and Satoko, who had only just managed to return to the temple. Otaki laments that he must've ran around time multiple times while being chased, with Satoko mentioning she needed to call a taxi to keep up with them.
With another semester winding down, Keiichi prepares to take his last exam for Professor Ozawa's class. Feeling bad that he still has one exam left, Otaki and Tamiya decide to cheer him up with a party. The entire Auto Club turns up at the temple later that night with booze, during which a drunk Otaki forces into a dress and wig. Although Belldandy tries to create a copy of Keiichi to distract them, Urd and the Auto Club walk in in the middle of the plan and are all too drunk to realize that there shouldn't be two of Keiichi. While Otaki and Tamiya take the copy and force it to crossdress, Urd grabs the real Keiichi and subjects him to her own antics. At some point, the crowd passes out drunk on the temple floor, although Keiichi wakes up in time to salvage his exam, despite having no time to study the previous night.
New Rivals Arc[]
After using Belldandy and Urd to attract new students to the Auto Club, the group heads in for the day. The next afternoon, at the Auto Club's hangout, they expect to see several new members due to the Freshman they recruited the previous day, but discover that they had all quit. Tamiya claims that someone told them that the Goddesses were already taken by Keiichi, which killed their motivation for joining. Otaki then assures Keiichi that they'll be just fine in any case, before joining Tamiya in gobbling down a lunch Belldandy made for someone else, becoming upset when his friend starts eating without him.
During the biggest race of the new semester to prove themselves on the college circuit, Otaki is seen alongside the other Auto Club members, cheering for the team. When Keiichi qualifies for the final race of the competition, he laments having to compete while driving the club's Mazda T2000 off road vehicle, but Otaki expresses pride in their customized machine. He then elaborates on the vehicle's many features, ensuring Keiichi that their work is flawless. After winning the rally, Tamiya and Otaki are seen celebrating with the other Auto Club members, although their prize money was withheld due to the amount of food the group consumed during the day's festivities.
Etymology[]
- The name Hikozaemon means "boy, prince" (彦) (hiko), "left" (左) (sa/za), "defense, protection" (衛) (e) and "gate" (門) (mon).
- Hikozaemon's surname Otaki means "big, great" (大) (o) and "waterfall, cascade, watering place" (滝) (taki).