Yes! I just finished watching and was going to comment on this as well. She spent time explaining the inside/outside thing and I was wondering what the point was. Then, with a swipe of her foot I realized it was to set up that she just turned turbo granny's whole world into metaphorical lava. Really nice payoff to that fight.
They really know their audience with that bait and switch on the training arc. I was fully ready for them to spend all season getting into different kinds of trouble while practicing for their big race, since that's the Jump formula, but I guess we don't have time for that. I think it bodes well for how much escalation we'll get by the end, lol.
Also, I'm wondering if Granny's hairdo has a practical purpose. When I saw it I couldn't help but remember the thing about focusing your spiritual power out of the top of your head and I wonder if her hair helps her do that or if there's even something hidden in there.
focusing your spiritual power out of the top of your head
I thought about this as well. Though we don't see her hair like this in Momo's flashback from episode 1. I would not be surprised at all if there is some climactic battle down the line and granny lets her hair down to reveal some secret weapon though.
I was all ready for a training arc in classic shonen style. However, this show never takes its foot off the accelerator and we are confronting turbo granny next episode.
Something that this show has consistently done incredibly well is get me invested in the characters so quickly. Momo and Okarun have such a natural chemistry with outstanding VAs bringing it out. One of my favorite moments this episode was when Momo threw open the door, saw Okarun was fine, and then closed it out of embarrassment. I guess Ken Takakura isn't the only awkward one around here. Also, we only met Seiko this episode for the first time, but that little hug she gives Momo as she leaves was such a nice moment. It is really impressive how they manage to fit these little moments into all the craziness going on everywhere else.
Finally, I know that when this premiered in theaters, this was the stopping point for the film. I would have been pissed at things ending with this cliffhanger. So, I am glad I only have to wait a week.
Protip from somebody that has wanted to make scheduled posts when I knew I wasn't going to be around before, I have used Lemmy Schedule successfully. I try to keep a close eye on the ani.social local feed, so even if you don't ping me, I should (probably) see it relatively quickly.
I'm to figure out what "Santa Dodoria" means. It's what the TV station staff and the taxi driver refer to Momo's grandma, and her pseudonym/professional name.
"Santa" is "Saint (female)" in Portuguese, but according to a wiki, it's actually written in the kanji "三太" for which I can only guess "3rd eldest prince(ss)" as in "三太子"
"Dodoria" is written in katakana "ドドリア" indicating a foreign word, or the name of flora or fauna.
There's the Dragonball villain named "Dodoria" whose name is supposed to be a play on the Japanese word for the durian fruit, i.e. "Dorian" but that's about as far as I get.
"Santa" is also saint in Spanish as well. However, given the history with Portuguese merchants in Japan, that connection makes more sense. As for the kanji, it is actually a name in Japan, though, from what I found is usually masculine. So, it is likely a bit of a stretch with the name to make the foreign language pun work out.
I think the durian fruit connection might be the right one. If you open up a durian, the fleshy, yellow part looks a whole heck of a lot like the hair that is bound and standing up on her head: